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Keepin' it real fake, part CCXLI: PXP 2000 is not a PSP Go, but it gets a loving unboxing anyway
You know how we love a good knockoff at Engadget. Well, the PXP 2000 isn't the greatest KIRF we've ever seen -- especially considering that it's a "PSP Go" that plays NES games (and pretty badly at that). It is, however, one of the most caring and detailed unboxings we've seen in a really long time. In the nearly 15-minute video (which we've included after the break), the young gentleman host proves himself to be a talented and fairly entertaining chap. Be sure to watch the video all the way through -- you'll get to see some Super Mario Brothers action as well as the PXP's super fantastic iPhone camera icon. Also, someone who we can only describe as Jason Voorhees-esque makes a guest appearance about halfway in. Hit the read link for the whole, wild ride. [Thanks, Nightwheel]
Sparkz projector / dock for iPhone displays your videos, empties your wallet (video)
If you're in the market for an Apple handheld-friendly pico projector, you're in luck. Sparkz is a bulbous white dock that will play nice with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPod video, as well as your favorite A/V and VGA sources. Featuring 640 x 480 resolution, a 60-inch viewing area, and stereo speakers, it can be yours for the low, low price of -- $495? Well, it will charge your iPhone. And it does come with a tripod. And, to be honest, a 60-inch viewing area is none too shabby. If you think it's worth it, by all means hit that read link and snatch one up. In the meantime, we'll content ourselves with watching the video of the thing in action. It's after the break, and it's free.
ZiiLABS ZMS-08 offers Cortex A8-powered Full HD and Flash acceleration for netbooks
We haven't even seen the Zii EGG make its long-anticipated consumer debut yet, but Creative is already building up steam for its next Zii venture. ZiiLABS' ZMS-08 is a third generation mobile media accelerator / system-on-a-chip that boasts its predecessor's 1080p playback and 24fps encoding, and HD video conferencing via simultaneous 720p encoding and decoding, while adding all-new OpenGL ES 2.0 support, an integrated HDMI controller, X-Fi audio and Flash acceleration. Paired to a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8, and running a custom flavor of Android alongside Plaszma OS, the new Zii chip will look for homes in "web tablets, netbooks, connected TVs" and the like, but seemingly not smartphones. ZiiLABS has already signed up a number of clients, who'll start receiving shipments in Q1 of 2010. Full PR and an architectural diagram after the break.
TwitterPeek review
Peek is a company with ideas -- but they like to tackle them one at a time. Last year, amid snickering and cries of uselessness from the gadget world, the tiny company launched an email-only handheld that's attempted to bring the idea of email on the go to the smartphone fearing crowd... and we do know at least one avid user. Now the company has turned around and tried it again, this time with a seemingly even less essential device, the TwitterPeek. The TwitterPeek works in conjunction with Twitter, and only with Twitter. It's that simple. There's nothing else to figure out or set up, so presumably, the idea is that the device, like the original Peek, is intended for the dumbphone lover who just can't go without a constant stream of Tweets. So, fair enough -- those of us who are more than a little tech savvy may find reason to smile at this, but supposedly this will be attractive to someone. Right? So how did the TwitterPeek fare when we got our mitts on it? Read on to find out.
Qooq recipe and cooking tablet launched for French speakers only
Cooking tablets and recipe readers have been pretty limited (and not very good) in the past -- but this one looks extremely promising. Called the Qooq, the 10.2-incher boasts -- in addition to a bunch of recipes, of course -- complete meal prep videos, instructions and advice on choosing ingredients, shopping lists, meal planners -- all which can be updated monthly via a subscription service. Specwise, we're looking at a glass touchscreen, Ethernet and USB ports, an SD slot, WiFi, and a built-in stand. The custom UI looks pretty attractive, but there are some drawbacks. The Qooq does not have a browser (though it's got built-in weather, digital photo viewing, and internet radio apps), and it's only available for French language speakers for now. If you do speak the language of love, you can get one of these puppies for €349 (about $513), with the subscription service running an additional €12.95a month (about $19). [Via Red Ferret]
Sony outs pink Vaio W, Pocket Reader bundles for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Sony's announced it will support Breast Cancer Awareness month by outing two new bundles -- and both of them are super pink. The first bundle will include a Berry Pink 10.5-inch Vaio W with an Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive, plus a matching sleeve and mouse. The second bundle will include the special edition Rose Pocket Edition reader with a gold clutch case, plus download codes for four e-books. Sony has said it will donate $110,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in conjunction with October sales for these bundles. The Vaio W bundle will run you $499, while the reader bundle is $199. Both can be ordered now at Sony Style.[Via Slashgear]
iriver B30 pmp finally on sale in the UK
Remember this little guy? That's right, it's the nearly forgotten iriver B30 which we caught our first glimpses of way back in May. This pmp packs DAB radio with RPG recording for listening later on, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a microSD expansion slot, and comes in 8 and 16GB varieties with a battery that's supposed to get you 40 hours of audio and about 6 hours of video time. The B30 is listed now on DAD's site for £139 -- though we assume that's for the 8GB model, and that the 16GB will run you more.[Via Pocket Lint]
iriver Story e-reader hits pre-order status in Korea, gets priced
We've been keeping our eyes peeled for any news of iriver's Story e-reader -- and it looks like it's on the verge of appearing in reality -- at least in Korea. The company is now taking pre-orders for the 6-inch, QWERTY keyboarded device, which runs 358,000 KRW ( around $290). The reader will come packaged with a 2GB SD card, the book-impersonating folding case we've spied it wearing in the past, and two free book downloads. While we've heard that the reader will eventually get global, we've still yet to heard pricing or release dates for the US of A. Until then, we'll just have to keep curled up on the sofa with our sad, dog-eared, public library copy of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
RAmos Android event scheduled for next week, mystery MID getting real?
Any time a good conundrum is solved there's bound to be mixed feelings -- and The Case of the Mysterious Android MID was certainly no different. Has it really only been a month? Certainly you remember the affair -- how pictures (and eventually video) of this handheld Internet device, running Android, kept popping up all over the place? Well, we were somewhat comforted to discover that it was a Rockchip-powered concept device, although at the same time we felt a little cheated: how dare RAmos flaunt such a thing and fail to deliver? But not so fast! According to a teaser that's made its way to us on the Internet machine, a press event scheduled for September 25th will feature some combination of: "Android" and "ramos digital." Whether or not its the Rockchip-powered device we've been taunted by remains to be seen, but it's definitely a fair guess to say that it will be. Besides, RAmos, after Apple's recent iPod event, we need this. [Via Pocketables]
Time looking to kick out the e-readers after all?
Hey -- this one makes sense, so we shouldn't be too surprised, but it turns out that Time, Inc. is seriously looking into getting into the e-reader business, according to a leaked presentation from June of this year. The slides, which are entitled "New Platforms & Business Models for Publishers," also contained notes which had been updated as late as this past August, indicating that Time has plans to launch a product as soon as the end of this year. Though Time had said back in March that it had "no interest" in getting into the e-reader biz, it's not terribly shocking to hear that they were either fibbing or changed their minds, considering how the market's been heating up lately, combined with the deaths of many, many print mags. NBC contacted Dawn Bridges -- a spokesperson for Time -- about the story, who said the company is "speaking with a number of hardware and software companies as well as other content companies about various projects." Vague enough for you? [Via Gizmodo]
DynaVox Xpress handheld communication device boasts WiFi, Bluetooth
Pittsburgh-based company DynaVox Mayer-Johnson has been making handheld communication devices (for those who have speech impairments or lack the ability to speak altogether) for years, but its newest device -- the DynaVox Xpress, is really stepping up the game. The Xpress, which weighs in at 1.5 pounds and has a 5-inch touchscreen, is mainly used to for "talking," and as such, boasts a menu of icons with various phrases and vocabulary, with speakers to vocalize the communications. The Xpress doesn't stop there, however. It also boasts an MP3 player, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, which gives it email capabilities, an integrated calendar, and the ability to download new vocabulary to the device. Pricing and availability for the handheld is expected next week.[Via CNET]
New Sony Reader PRS-300 and PRS-600 details leaked
You know the drill -- service manuals get posted for new / unannounced products, the kids in the forums pounce, and then Sony makes 'em disappear (the documents, that is -- Sony doesn't rub people out, at least not yet). In this case, user 'berboris' over at The Electronic Book found details for two Sony Readers as yet unheard of: The PRS-300 features a 5-inch display, roughly 440MB storage after system files are accounted for, and that's about it -- no touchscreen, no audio output, no card slots. The PRS-600, however, sports a 6-inch touchscreen, audio output (presumably for MP3 audiobooks and the like), SD/MS slots, and 380MB storage when all's said and done. The manuals don't mention any sort of lighting for the units or any kind of wireless connection, although both models will apparently be available in silver, red, and black -- which you can peep, conveniently enough, after the break.[Via Mobile Read]Read - Forum postRead - More info and PDFs at Sony Insider
Samsung jumps into e-book reader game with the SNE-50K
Samsung's announced it's jumping into the best game in town -- the paperless book trade -- with its SNE-50K e-book reader. With 512MB of onboard storage, a five-inch touchscreen and stylus, and a complete lack of wireless or internet capabilities, it's not the most advanced reader we've ever seen, but it's slim and light, at nine millimeters thick and weighing about 6.5 ounces. In South Korea, where the reader will be launched first, Samsung has partnered with Kyobo Bookstore, one of the largest booksellers in the country. There's no word on launches outside of South Korea at this time, but Samsung does plan on showing a prototypes for other countries at a trade show in January (most likely CES).
Garmin launches Dakota line of handheld GPS units for the great outdoors
Garmin's already firmly entrenched in the GPS for outdoorspeople game with its Oregon line of handhelds, and now the company's announced a new series, the Dakotas. Two models -- the 10 and 20, respectively -- have been launched. These bad boys supposedly have a 20 hour battery charge life, a 2.6-inch LCD (diagonally), and store up to 200 tracks. The higher-end Dakota 20 boasts a MicroSD slot, an electronic compass, a barometric altimeter, and wireless data transfer between compatible units. They're expected in the 3rd quarter and will run you $299.99 for the Dakota 10 and $349.99 for the 20. Full press release after the break.[Via GPS Tracklog]
Nintendo admits to scrapping new handheld plans in the past three years
Nintendo's talkative global president Satoru Iwata turned a few heads when he told CNBC that the company had another handheld gaming system completed and ready for production sometime in the past three years, but that it ultimately decided not to release it. Though he didn't give any details on the handheld, he did say that, "in the history of Nintendo cnbc_comboQuoteMove('popup_ntdoy_ID0EGF15839609'); there are several such examples." We can only hope that some kind of wild, awesome Gameboy prototype hits our desk one day. Nintendo's most recent handheld, the DSi, has moved over a million units, including around 435,000 during its first week of sale in the U.S. [Via Joystiq]
DigiCube unveils newest MID, doubles as a giant cellphone
Jkkmobile's gotten a hold of DigiCube's just unveiled MIDPhone-50 at Computex, and we have to say that from the looks of it, it's quite a wild affair. The MIDPhone-50 is a Windows XP, full QWERTY-boasting, touchscreen mid, and a 3.5G mobile phone to boot. The tilting, 800 x 480 touchscreen is 4.5-inches, with mini-USB, standard USB, and microSD slots, plus a docking station with VGA output. Specwise, the phone / MID has an Intel Atom Z-series CPU with up to 1GB of RAM, with Bluetooth and WiFi. The battery supposedly gets a quite sad two hours of life. There's no word on price or availability yet, but there is a video after the break. [Via Jkkmobile, Slashgear]
Smart Q7 reviewed, deemed fairly useful for fairly basic tasks
The folks over at UMPC Portal have gotten a hold of the SmartQ 7 internet tablet for a nice, long review. The MID, which has a 667MHz Samsung ARM S3C6410 CPU, 128MB of RAM, and 1GB of flash memory, seems to handle its basic tasks -- MP3 playback, light browsing, PDF viewing, and viewing / editing documents fairly well. It also apparently has a pretty great battery life, and can stay juiced in standby mode for over three days. The tablet (which is somewhat reminiscent of the yet to appear in the wild CrunchPad) does, however, have plenty of drawbacks -- a touchscreen that often responds incorrectly, limited RAM and storage, and a bunch of other limitations we're used to associating with MIDs in general. There's a video highlighting some of the SmartQ 7's apps after the break; hit the read link for the full review.
UMID mbook M1 spotted in black, keyboard and all
We've been seeing black models of UMID's mbook M1 since way back when -- albeit with a rather eye-burning, white keyboard -- though none of the non-white models have ever seemed to be available. Regardless, a black version, with a new, black keyboard has been spotted, and we have to say it's much-improved, looks-wise. This new version is probably that revised casing we'd heard was on the way after some build-quality issues were reported back in February. There is still no word, sadly, on if or when the M1 will ever head over to the States, but there is one more shot after the break to peek at.[Via Pocketables]
Retro Mini Handheld plays NES cartridges, brings tears of nostalgia to our eyes
We've seen scads of portable NES mods in the past but still: this is probably relevant to your interests. ThinkGeek's got a new portable gaming system on offer, the Retro Mini Handheld. It plays all those 8-bit cartridges you've had stacked in your room next to your hi-fi since the olden days, and it's got a pretty attractive look. Sure, the cartridge is essentially bigger than the handheld itself, but that's part of its charm as far as we can tell. It's got a 2.4-inch LCD and takes four AA batteries for about 8 hours of game time, and it's available now for $49.99. There's one more shot after the break.[Thanks, Adam]
UMID M1D making its way to Korea any day now
No, we still have no details on any upcoming releases of UMID's M1, but it seems that a slightly stripped down version -- the M1D -- is about to appear in Korea. This Mbook boasts a 1.1GHz Atom CPU (the M1 has a 1.3GHz Atom), and lacks both the webcam and the DMB module. Other than that, we're looking at the same cute little guy we've come to know and love. The M1D is launching in Korea next week -- but still no word on if or when it'll ever make its way to the States or elsewhere, or its official price. There's one more shot after the break. [Via Pocketables]
