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Pasen "debuts" motion sensitive ShakeIT PMP, slew of rebrands
If you're looking for some fresh and exciting PMP action, perhaps Pasen can help you out. After the company's unmitigated failure at ripping off the iPhone, the Chinese media player-maker has turned its attentions to the use of accelerometers with the ShakeIT. Continuing the habit of unoriginal ideas, Pasen has rebranded a Telcast player -- which sports a 2.8-inch, QVGA, 320 x 240 screen, 2GB of memory, and the ability to play all your favorite formats (AVI, FLV, MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, JPEG, GIF and BMP). The hook here, of course, is the player's ability to shuffle through pictures, menu items, or songs by being shaken one way or another -- a feature likely to get a number of these thrown across a room. On the plus side, this player will apparently be the first to use Microsoft's PlayFX suite, which does 3D headphone effects and volume normalizing. The company also "officially" announced two other players, the TouchMusic, a Telcast touchscreen PMP rebrand, and the A19, yet another rebrand of a PMP / digital camera first introduced by KBS Industrial. All the players should be available, "In around a month." Check the video after the break to see the ShakeIT do its thing.[Via PMPToday]
Sony Walkman NWZ-S610 review roundup
Well folks, the reviews are in concerning Sony's latest and greatest Walkman, the NWZ-S610 family, and the word is... not bad. CNET is feeling the sound quality, price point, and UI, commenting that the player has a "polished interface overall, and it makes browsing pleasant." The cats from PC Magazine seem to have similar vibes when it comes to the device (which is available in a variety of colors, as well as 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB capacities), though they do take issue with the quality of the earbuds, and the lack of video and photo file options. Skatter Tech just generally seems to be hot-to-trot over the whole affair, loving Sony's new "open" sensibilities (and just about everything else, truth be told). There's no doubt that Sony dropping SonicStage and opening up file formats on the player are value-added in the eyes of these critics, and overall everyone seems to feel pretty positive about the new entry. Don't take our word for it, though, browse on over to the reviews and bask in the critical light.Read - CNET (7.7 / 10)Read - PC Mag (3.5 / 5)Read - Skatter Tech ("Big thumbs up!")
Samsung's YP-P2 available on Amazon
We know you can't wait to get your sweaty, smearing mitts all over Samsung's little YP-P2, AKA the "palm theater" (the company's words, not ours). Well, it looks like you won't have to wait much longer, as the eighth wonder of the media player world has just made an appearance on Amazon.com, with an option to put the 8GB, widescreen, touch sensitive, Bluetooth equipped iPod-challenger in your cart and do some serious checking out (provided you have an extra $249.99 laying around). Now, don't go spilling your beverage on yourself rushing over to the site, because even though you can pay for the thing, Amazon is still listing the player as "In stock soon," so while you'll be able to impress friends and family members with the news of your purchase, you won't actually be able to show it to them.
Savit Micro's Cinedisk CD26HD media player: 1080i everywhere you go
Chicks and dudes -- the Korean electronics maker Savit Micro wants to make you the talk of the town. How will they do such a thing, you ask? Well, for starters, they're serving up the Cinedisk CD26HD pocket-sized, HD media player that can handle MPEG2, WMV9HD, or DiVX video formats, plays MP3, WMA, and OGG audio, and does AC3 and DTS audio processing. Your precious, friend-making files are stored on a 2.5-inch, 120GB hard drive, and you can hook the miniature-media-center up to your favorite HDTV via its component outs for 1080i playback. The player also comes with a remote control, so you can really show off your movies like a champ, though it won't mix your cocktails or make charming small talk. Available now if you can get to a Korean dealer for 219,900 KRW (around $235).[Via technabob]
Hacha's PA20 and PC20 PMPs get release date, pre-order
Hacha, makers of the familiar looking PA20 and PC20, is apparently planning to unleash the players on the world in the very near future. According to reports, the two PMPs will be hitting shelves sometime around September 22nd (or earlier), though right now we've only got those words to hang on. If you'll recall, the $175 PA20 (pictured) is a 3.2-inch, touchscreen media player, with 4GB of memory, the ability to play tons of media formats (MP3, AVI, XviD, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC), and a microSD expansion slot for an additional 4GB of storage. The $170 PC20 has all the same features, though its 3-inch screen isn't touch-sensitive, and it totally rips off the iPhone's design. Go figure. Both are available for pre-order right now from the Hacha "fan" website.
Hands-on with the Samsung T10 PMP at IFA
When we first heard about the "animated menus" of the T10, we had our doubts, but after playing around with the youth-oriented PMP, we've decided it gets a thumbs up. The ultralight, ultrathin media player felt practically weightless in our hands, but its screen was bright and crisp, and those frenetic, PaRappa the Rapper-like animations definitely make for an interesting UI -- certainly like no other player on the market right now. Check out the gallery for pictures which will shock and amaze.%Gallery-6649%
Hands-on with Samsung's YP-S5 PMP at IFA
Our unreasonably good fortune continues, as we've gotten to have a go with the Samsung YP-S5, another new entry to the company's PMP lineup that adds a sliding set of external speakers to the mix. After ducking past Samsung's "helpful" booth staff, we got to toy with the small-screen media player, which was awful light, but admittedly very attractive. Samsung pushed its design-conscious vibe at the press conference, and it really shows with these new players. Want to check it out for yourself? Hit the gallery for loads of exciting shots.%Gallery-6648%
Hands-on with Samsung's YP-P2 widescreen PMP
We got our grubby mitts all over Samsung's new YP-P2 "palm theater" at IFA, and we'd thought we'd share all the widescreen havin', movie playin', music listenin' action with you. The player is extremely light and thin, but still feels pretty substantial in your hand (it's not tiny). The screen isn't quite as clear as something like the iPhone, though it definitely holds its own. The UI is clean and ultra simple, sporting easy-on-the-eyes lists for most sections, and a familiar icon grid for your main apps. The touch screen response was extra-lively, even for our gigantic paws. Check the gallery for more photos than you can shake a stick at. No... seriously, you can't shake a stick at them.%Gallery-6643%
Archos' 105 PMP gets photo blow-out
If you've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sleek little Archos 105 PMP to slide your sweet music and video collection into? Well, this won't technically get you any closer to ownership, but the folks over at ArchosLounge have put together an enticing selection of photos which should have fans of the media player feeling awful excited. On the spec tip, the 105 comes in red, silver, or black, features 2GB of integrated flash memory, can play WAV, WMA, PCM, MP3, and protected WMA files, yet only plays back WMV video (or so we're hearing). No definite word on when the player is due (though last mention was September), and hushed voices on the street say it will be selling for around $80 or $90.
The MD300: the world's most boring PMP
Looking for a PMP that does everything you expect, and absolutely, positively nothing you don't? Well in that case, get ready to fall madly in love with the hyper-familiar Shenzhen Liuniu Technology MD300. In its defense, it does offer a pretty high-res screen (clocking in at the awkward 960 x 240), which should make viewing the plethora of video formats (MPEG1, MPEG2, DivX, XviD, AVI, MPG) a pure joy. The player further breaks "convention" by offering no SD or MiniSD slot, rather, it relies on a CF or 1-inch micro hard drive for storage -- making this a bigger pain than it should be. The player also does the standard MP3s and WMA files, of course, plus line-in recording (audio and video, apparently), as well as e-book support. No word yet on price or availability.[Via PMP Today]
Wolverine's ESP rocks 250GB for your PMP needs
Have you been looking for a high-capacity media player? Like, really, really high-capacity? Well finally someone has heard your prayers -- and answered -- in the form of the Wolverine ESP, a 250GB (yes, 250GB) media player that can handle pretty much anything you throw at it, including MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, AAC, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, WMV9, and Xvid. The player, which features a 3.6-inch color screen, also reads JPEG, BMP, TIFF, Text and RAW images (for a variety of digital cameras), does FM radio playback and recording, and can be connected to a TV or audio system via an included AV cable. The ESP has a slew of card slots, like CF, SD, SDHC, Memory Stick / Memory Stick Pro and XD built-in, plus an adapter for MS-Duo, Mini-SD, and RS-MMC. The player also boasts audio recording through a line-in jack or built-in microphone, and playback from an onboard speaker. Sounds good, right? There's just one problem: it looks like it's from 1998. Available right now for the low, low price of $649.99.
Keepin' it real fake, part LXXIV: the Game Boy Micro PMP clone
You can never have too many name-brand duping, cheap looking, Chinese sweatshop produced PMPs laying around, can you? I mean sure, we've seen little guys that boost the Game Boy Micro before, such as this number from way back in 2006, but this new entry does it with so much flair and unabashed disregard for copyright law we just had to mention it. The BMP-900 -- as this device is mechanically called -- does all kinds of exciting PMP activities, like playback of MP3, WMA, WAV, and PCM audio, MPEG4 and AVI video, JPEG, GIF and BMP picture viewing, plus e-book and TXT reading. Additionally -- and this may come as a surprise to some -- the red devil does some video game emulation, including Famicom, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color. Right now the player seems to only be available in China, or wholesale in lots of 100-199 pieces... so, go nuts.[Via PMP Today]
LG intros the T54 PMP
Are you in the market for a totally original and exciting PMP that's unlike anything you've ever seen before? Well, don't get too excited -- because this isn't that product. What it is, however, is a slick looking mini player that boasts a pretty decent feature set. The new LG T54 has all of the regular PMP features you've come to know and love from mainland China (or in this case, South Korea), such as a 2.4-inch, color touchscreen, MP3, OGG, WMA, WAV and AVI playback, plus a sweet 25-hour battery lifespan on a single charge (for music). Actually, LG's entry does have one feature that you don't see on every player -- though we suspect that may be changing -- namely, a DMB receiver, which will net you live TV and radio broadcasts, provided you're in a country where they exist. No word on storage capacity, release date, or price.[Via PMP Today, thanks Brian]
