shiro
Latest
Shiro's SQ-S PMP will go sunbathing with you
You probably don't want to be seen at the beach with most solar-powered PMPs, but Shiro's SQ-S is superior in functionality if not in appearance. It can store 16GB of APE, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, or WMA files, receive and record FM radio broadcasts and play video on its itty-bitty screen. Unfortunately only its backside is adorned with solar panels -- four hours of tanning on a beach towel will get you up to 35 hours of music and 7 hours of video, but you won't be operating it while it's lying on its face. No word yet about price, availability, or a flesh-and-blood photo, but let's hope it looks as good in real life as it does in this render.[Via PMP Today]
New Pioneer does whites, too
Everybody knows that Pioneer's Kuro plasmas do dark images really well. But now Pioneer is getting into the whites as well with its upcoming Shiro Kuro. "Shiro" being Japanese for "white," this model will basically be a 50-inch 1080p Kuro display with, you guessed it, a white bezel. You know, to match your Apple gear. Seriously, though, short of the Pioneer "concept" displays shown at CES this year, it's hard for us to imagine improving on the Kuro picture quality, so we'll let this fashionista revamp pass. But we always heard that black had a slimming effect, and thinner bezels are better in our book; so for our bucks we'll stick with the standard Kuro model, thanks. No US availability announced, the Shiro Kuro will show up later this year in the UK at about £3300 ($6500).
Shiro readies trio of ho hum PMPs
We'll spare you the obvious here -- we're quite aware that Shiro's VJ (pictured) looks an awful lot like something else -- but nevertheless, the outfit is hoping that its forthcoming trio of portable media players can somehow get traction in the overly saturated market. The aforementioned VJ reportedly rocks a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, up to 8GB of internal storage space, a microSD expansion slot, built-in microphone for voice recording, an FM radio, up to 20 hours of music playback (5 hours of video) and support for MP3, WMA, WAV, BMP and JPEG files. As for the MR, look for similar features in a smaller (2-inch display) package with a maximum capacity of 4GB, while the MD boasts an even tinier screen (1.8-inch) and a fair bit less battery life. Regrettably, no pricing details were mentioned, but we get the feeling Shiro will be saving those tidbits for CES.[Via Wired]
Shiro readies MK, ME, and VE portable media players
Singapore-based Shiro looks set to bust out a trio of new portable media players for those that prefer their devices slightly less soccer ball-shaped, with CNET reporting the company will introduce its MK, ME, and VE PMPs at CeBIT next month. The purple-accented Shiro VE is the top-end model of the bunch, with a 2.4-inch display, 4GB of flash memory, and a microSD slot for additional storage. A notch below that is the Shiro ME, which packs the same microSD slot and 4GB of storage but shrinks things down with a 1.8-inch screen. Rounding out the line-up, the 2GB Shiro MK opts for an SD/MMC slot instead of a microSD one and gives up a few millimeters in thickness in favor of a built-in speaker. All three models also pack a built-in FM radio and voice recording capabilities. While there's no word on price or availability for any of them just yet, if Shiro's other players are any indication, we wouldn't hold out much hope of them finding their way to our shores anytime soon.[Thanks, Choc]
