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RCA releases Gem DAPs, leaves out the best part
While we're required to suppress a gag reflex to even look at these things, RCA's Gem DAP lineup is cheap and available, so we thought it was worth a heads up. There's nothing much different from the last time we spotted these, but here's a quick rundown all the same: The RCA Opal (pictured) has 2GB of storage, a 1.5-inch color OLED screen, 15 hours of battery life and sells for $75; the 1GB RCA Pearl has room for microSD, runs for 15 hours on a AAA battery and costs $49; the "rugged" RCA Jet, which also happens to be the only passably good-looking member of the bunch, offers 1GB of storage, a high contrast OLED display and 15 hours of battery for $69. Unfortunately, missing from this lineup is the RCA Jet Stream, our favorite member of the team, which features Kleer Wireless tech for wireless stereo headphones minus the Bluetooth overhead, cost and clunk. RCA promises the Jet Stream -- which is otherwise identical to the RCA Jet -- later this year.
RCA's Gem Line of DAPs - RCA Jet Stream, Jet, Opal, and Pearl
RCA hasn't gotten a ton of traction in this space, but they're rolling out a new "Gem Line" of flash-based digital audio players today. Here's the rundown:RCA Jet Stream - They're maddeningly opaque about what standard they're using, but the Jet's big feature is that it works with a pair of wireless headphones that they're promising will "seamlessly deliver crystal clear music". The splash-resistant player, which has 1.5-inch OLED display, an FM tuner, and 1GB of storage capacity, 12 hours of battery life, and also comes with a stopwatch and a body mass index calculator. MSRP is $149. RCA Jet - This one is pretty much just a wired version of the Jet, with a 1GB version selling for $69 and a 2GB version going for $89. Guess removing the wireless headphones stuff shaves a more than 50% off the price. The RCA Opal - The big selling point of the Opal is that it can double as a digital photo viewer (which, honestly isn't all that novel of a feature by now). That is, assuming you don't mind looking at JPEGs on a 1.5-inch OLED screen. Battery life is rated at 15 hours, MSRP is $79. RCA Pearl - Heading up the low-end is the new budget RCA Pearl. The Pearl has a microSD card slot for adding storage, a built-in digital voice recorder, and support for playback of MP3, WMA, and protected WMA (they don't get specific, but do mention that it'll work with "most Internet download services"). Gets 15 hours of life on a single AAA, retail price is $49.
