Music Player
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Marantz shows off CR502 all-in-one music system
While Marantz is still generally sticking to its bread-and-butter AV receiver offerings, there's nothing wrong with a little diversion every now and then to see just how successful a new initiative can be. The CR502 micro audio system possesses two stereo amplifiers, each of which pack 25-watts of power. There's a built-in CD player, a DAB radio tuner and a nice array of inputs and outputs (USB 2.0 included) to complement the clock radio function. Of course, that whole "Marantz" logo helps explain the lofty £499 ($718) price tag, but if you've got it to blow, your night stand will thank you ad nauseam.[Via Stuff]
Samsung's P3 unboxed and caught on video
Word on the street has it that the Samsung P3 will be getting its official launch at CES in January, and to whet your appetite we've got a video unboxing for you courtesy of those crazy kids at Generation MP3. Apparently the same form factor as the venerable P2 (but in an all aluminum enclosure), the PMP sports haptic touch, WQVGA 3-inch (480 x 272) display, Bluetooth, microphone, speaker, FM tuner, plays all the expected media formats, and will be available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB. Also in the video, we get a pretty extensive look at those widgets everyone's been talking about. But don't take it from us -- you can see for yourself after the break.
Skullcandy to cram color mirasol display into MFM Pro headphones
Remember that Freestyle Audio player that was supposed to blow folks away with its integrated color mirasol display? Yeah, that one that still hasn't shipped? Qualcomm is apparently uninterested in that tiny little factoid, as it's proudly pumping the MFM Pro headphones as the "second color mirasol-enabled design for the US market." According to Jim Cathey, vice president of business development for Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, the deal with Skullcandy is being made to "move mirasol displays into the hands of more consumers," but considering just how long we've been waiting for the aforementioned DAP, we'd say the burden of proof is squarely in its court. Oh, and the ship date for these cans? There isn't one.[Via Slashgear]
MMO features that haven't made it into Warhammer Online
Among the legions of fortunate Warhammer Online fans that have played through beta and the preview weekend is Syp from the Waaagh! blog. He's always entertaining and it's clear he's passionate about Warhammer Online. So when he writes about features in other MMOs that he'd like to see in WAR, you know he's not bashing a game that's not even out of the gate yet. Rather, he's genuinely looking at ways the game could be better. Syp puts forth his ideal WAR feature set, which includes capturable and trainable pets similar to World of Warcraft's system and the player-created content and sidekicks of City of Heroes. Syp would also like to see WAR include an in-game music player like EVE Online, and other features drawn from Everquest 2 and Lord of the Rings Online. Have a look at the Waaagh! "10 features" post and see if you agree with him on what could make Warhammer Online a better title. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
World of Warcraft music player updated
A few short days ago, Blizzard updated their browser-based music player with the fan favorite track "Power of the Horde" by Tenth Level Tauren Chieftain, now known as Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. If you've never heard of this music player before, don't feel too bad. Most players haven't. Heck, I hadn't heard of it until recently, which is a bit of a shame. There's a lot of great music available here, ranging from the World of Warcraft to Warcraft II. It doesn't provide all of the Warcraft music, you need to buy the CDs for that, but there's enough there fuel some nostalgia or get you in the adventuring mood. Plus, you can check out some of their old holiday specials, which lie somewhere between 'amusing' and 'hilarious.' Oh yeah, there's a dancing ogre. Those are always good. I... think.
Soda can "MP4" player will leave you thirsty... for dignity
Finally, an MP4 player that suits our lifestyle. When we're out on the street, feeling the hot rays of the sun, hustling to stay afloat, and generally just jamming, the Neux Corp. Ltd. NXMP324 is what we want. Sure, you can't actually crack this puppy open and gulp it down like a real soda, but you can take a sip of the funky combination of 128MB to 4GB capacities, MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV and ASF file support, built-in USB 2.0 jack, and bonus FM radio. Seriously though, the can comes in red or blue, but there isn't a color in the rainbow that would convince us to buy this thing.[Via PMP Today]
Oakley's Split Thumps: Jamiroquai style
Oakley's Split Thump MP3 player sunglasses' fashion offenses are too numerous to mention, and we're not sure this is helping matters. According to the folks over at Tech Digest, the wrap-around music players will be getting a very special 500-piece, 1GB Jamiroquai edition, replete with purple and white camouflage design and two new remixes from the disco-aping singer's 1993 album Emergency on Planet Earth. Grab your glasses, get out your floppy hat, slip on some Mickey Mouse gloves, and crack open a bottle of Vicks VapoRub -- it's time to party like you don't know any better.
Xs-Drive Vision 2500 stores your stuff, won't get you dates
Looking for storage you can take with you? How about ugly storage? Well, prepare to be semi-covered on all ends with the fancy new Xs-Drive Vision 2500. The mysterious box rocks all kinds of funky options, like a 60GB or 160GB internal hard drive, a 320 x 240 LCD display, support for CF type I and II, Memory Stick, SD, miniSD, microSD, MMC, and xD cards, video in / out player and recorder, MP3 playback, ADPCM voice recording, plus JPEG viewer, TXT reader, and USB 2.0 connectivity. No word on a street date, but the whole fantastic fantasy starts with the price tag of £139 (around $285) for the 60GB version.
Sony Ericsson gets official on the W910 and K850
For you Walkman / Cyber-shot buffs out there who've been dying to get your hands on some new phoneage -- look no further. The Sony-Ericsson dreamteam have just announced the official release of two of its new mobile phones sure to have player haters... um, player hating. The W910, which we took a look at back in June, apparently has music-playin' on its mind, though with HSDPA, a 1GB Memory Stick, and its "shake" feature (which allows you to jostle the device to switch songs or randomize playback), you might find other uses for it. If you're more of an Ansel Adams-type, you can get your mitts on the K850, a camera-minded phone that's got a considerable 5-megapixel camera (with a Xenon flash / video light), has more of that beloved HSDPA, and can do 30fps video -- if that's your thing. Both of these sweet babies will be available in "selected markets" this month, no word on price.
Hands-on with the super-tiny Sansa Clip
Are you interested in a really, really small DAP? As in: so small you will most definitely lose it some place, like, say... between your car seat cushions, or in a pile smooth skipping stones? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to look into Sansa's Clip -- just about the teeny-tiniest media player we've ever had the pleasure of handling. Actually, the thing feels pretty good when you get your mitts on it, sort of like a shrunken iPod, with a really nice, clear OLED display. At the low prices they're asking for these ($40 for the 1GB, $60 for the 2GB), you can probably afford to lose a few. Check the gallery -- we promise you won't have to squint... much.%Gallery-6677%
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.
MSI's Bluetooth-equipped MS-5552 DAP goes 50 hours nonstop
Looks like Aigo's A215 finally has some decent competition, as MSI's recently announced MS-5552 digital audio player matches the purported battery life minute for minute, but requires just a single AAA battery rather than the more traditional AA cell. Additionally, the larger, more vivid screen sure helps the MSI's appearance, but we're fairly certain that activating the built-in Bluetooth will knock those hours down in a hurry. Still, the aluminum alloy enclosure, D-pad styled controls, and integrated wireless functions aren't anything to sneeze at, but unfortunately MSI isn't so willing to unveil pricing and availability details just yet.[Via FarEastGizmos]
Amarok on the Way
When we posted a while back that OS X native ports of KDE applications were headed to the Mac, one of the biggest outcries was for Amarok, the KDE music player. Word now comes on the Amarok Blog that Amarok is being actively developed for the Mac. Although it's far from running properly (the back-end database support isn't working yet), it has been built and run on OS X as you can see above. While there's still a long way to go (and nothing yet to download), I suspect this news will make a few people around here very happy, even if the rest of us figure to stick with iTunes.[Via Digg]
Daisy MP3 Player Kit, a DIY DAP for $120
Looking for a weekend project, or haven't found a music player that'll satisfy your inner creative geek? Well, meet MAKE's Daisy MP3 Player Kit, an open-source setup that'll play MP3 and WAV files all from one little chip board. Of course, this is a kit, not a full-fledged player, meaning Daisy comes in parts -- you'll have to give it a power source and a case should you want to actually use it in the real world. You can buy whole kit (the caboodle is extra) from MAKE or direct from its Oakland-based creator for $115. By the way, if you manage to strap the Daisy to some sunglasses or other headwear, we figure that would place you right smack in the middle of the wearable MP3 spectrum, which ranges from the ridiculous iSoundCap to the sublime DIY Oakley Thump shades.[Via MAKE:]
