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New iPod touch gets a speed test, zips right on by
The new generation of the iPod touch, we've been told, is roughly 50 percent faster than the previous iteration. Well, the fine folks over at the iPhone Blog have done a bit of information collecting on just that topic -- to see if Apple's latest is actually that much faster. Macworld did testing which showed a reduction in boot times from 31 to 19 seconds, web page loading (using the New York Times) went from 34 to 15 seconds, while app launching saw time reductions across the board. So -- in essence -- yes, the newest iPod touch is about 50 percent faster than the previous model in terms of performance. Hit the read link to hear even more tantalizing details.
Microsoft releases XNA update for Zune HD developers, multitouch drawing app created
A lot of people had differing emotions when reading the Zune HD launch announcement yesterday: joy that the system would indeed sport a selection of apps and games, all free; dismay that those apps would be developed almost exclusively by Microsoft. Today you can turn that frown upside down, sweetheart, as it seems that exclusivity won't last long. An update to the XNA Game Studio development environment has already been released, enabling coders to target the Zune HD. The new version, 3.1, adds libraries for handling the system's accelerometer and multitouch screen, both put to use by developer Elton Muuga to create a simple drawing app, shown in video form after the break. It makes lines on a screen with finger touches and, like a ridiculously expensive Etch A Sketch, erases with a shake. It's not much, but impressive given the thing's only been available for a day now, and while we're still unsure how apps like this will find their way into the Zune's app store, we're sure all will be answered soon enough.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read - XNA Game Studio 3.1Read - First Zune HD Multi-Touch Drawing App
Semi-customizable Zune HDs now available at Zune Originals
It wasn't exactly a surprise, given that Microsoft told us last month exactly when they would be available, but sure enough you can now get yourself a Zune HD with some funky wallpaper on the front and a fresh etching on the back. The artistic designs are just as interesting as the earlier ones applied to the dearly departed models, and as before you can get custom inscriptions added to the top, like the example above we created to mark the budding romance between our own Joshua Topolsky and his Zune. Best of all, custom designs and inscriptions are totally free -- if you don't mind paying MSRP, of course.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Video: Sony Walkman S640 and S740 arrive in Technicolor
Maybe it's a byproduct of the phosphorescent Disney babysitter that raised us, but it's near impossible to look at Sony's Walkman players and not think whimsically of Mickey Mouse. An unfortunate emotional response to otherwise very serious competitors for your portable audio dollar. Joining the S-series are the new S640 and S740 Walkmen officially unveiled today in Japan. Both feature 2-inch LCDs, 720x480 TV-out, and the same quality MDR-EX300SL earbuds shipping with the better-speced A840. The S740 (8GB/16GB/32GB) brings noise cancellation while the S640 (8GB/16GB) saddles your brain with ambient noise filtration. Shipping later this month in prices ranging from ¥16,000 (about $155) to ¥25,000 (about $277). The promotional video after the break featuring an overly expressive teenager is, however, free.[Via Sony Insider]
Video: Sony NW-A840 packs OLED, noise cancellation, and 64GB of flash heat, still thinnest Walkman ever
Sony's keeping the pressure on the dedicated portable media player market with the launch of its latest OLED Walkman. The NW-A840 series is the thinnest Walkman ever at 7.2mm and comes packing a 2.8-inch OLED display and up to 64GB of flash storage. The players also feature Sony's digital noise cancellation, premium MDR-EX300SL earbuds right in the box, and the ability to pump 720x480 pixel video out to your TV. Sony rates the battery at 29-hours of continuous music or 9-hours of video. The A-series ships in three models -- 16GB NW-A845 (¥24,000/$263), N32GB W-A846 (¥30,000/$329), and 64GB NW-A847 (¥40,000/$439) -- starting October 31st. Also available in black for those who detest downtown hipster-brown. Video preview after the break. [Via Sony Insider]
New Zune HD colors found in source files: pink, magenta, purple, and atomic
Well, here's something interesting. According to tipster Josh S, a perusal through the Zune Software source files will net you pictures of four as of yet unknown Zune HD palettes. From left to right, we've got pink, magenta, purple, and "atomic." We're still looking through the source code ourselves to confirm. It's not like early adopters wanted anything other than platinum and black anyway, right?Update: We've finally come up from digging through source code and, sure enough, those images are all in there.
"Other touch-screen Zune players" referenced in Zune HD manuals
So were poring through the Zune HD's various manuals and documentation, like you do, and we noticed this little line in the A/V dock's quick start guide: An HDMI cable (included) and a high-definition TV are required for high-definition viewing. Zune HD and other touch-screen Zune players also work with the composite A/V cable (included). Now, that's pretty interesting, since, you know, there aren't any other touchscreen Zunes out there. We'd say that's either solid evidence the boys in Redmond are planning to give the Zune HD the family it's always wanted -- or it's just a huge mistake. Only your doctor knows for sure.
Archos 5 Internet Tablet makes an honest PMP out of Android
Android has become many things to many people, but high-powered media devices haven't latched on to the OS just yet. Much of it has to do with the Android's immaturity: from what we hear, it doesn't even support hardware graphics acceleration, much less embrace multimedia and games. Archos has punched through that barrier by porting over its existing media-happy application layer from Linux to make good use of the 800MHz OMAP3440 processor they've stuffed inside the brand new (much leaked) Archos 5 Internet Tablet. The tablet runs a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 screen, and can pump out 720p video (including WMV and H.264) over HDMI. Because it's Archos' own special sauce, the device also supports protected WMV and protected WMA (hooray PlaysForSure), a rarity for Linux. With the optional DVR Station the device can do VGA TV recording, though you'll probably want to spring for one of the beefy HDD models, which offer capacity up to 500GB, but double the girth of the basic 0.4-inch thick flash player. There's also 802.11n WiFi, a bit of a rarity in portable devices like this, and quite a treat for 2.4GHz-addled city dwellers. But that's all pretty regular Archos-ey stuff. The newness for Archos comes in the form of Android, which has been fairly seamlessly melded with the Archos layer -- which hovers over the vanilla Android install when needed. The OS scales up pretty nicely to 800 x 480, which is a relief because the touchscreen keyboard is a bit of a chore with the 5's resistive touchscreen. Since it's not a Google-blessed device, you'll have to score a copy of Gmail on your own time, but the regular Market is available if you want to risk going around the 5-optimized AppsLib store. Several third party apps are included out of the gate, including ThinkFree Mobile, which should be updated to allow for document editing in the near future. When plugged into a dock and paired with an optional mini-QWERTY keypad (or any regular Bluetooth keyboard and mouse) the 5 becomes a rather nice way to surf the internet on your TV. It's missing in-browser Flash, but there should be an update to rectify that soon. Out of the house the tablet offers a high-end GPS experience, including hugemongous birds eye photo maps of major cities, and can tether with a 3G phone over Bluetooth for a bit of data. So, Archos 5 might not be Android's killer device, mainly because it isn't a phone and doesn't make for pleasurable mobile data entry or consumption. Still, it's doing stuff with media that the relatively sluggish crop of Android handsets have failed at so far, and hopefully will spur the community to greater heights. The player is available as of today, with prices ranging from $250 to $440, not to mention accessories galore. Check out videos of the tablet in action after the break. %Gallery-72936% %Gallery-72937%
Battle of the homebrew LEGO iPhone docks
You know, a beanbag might be good for the occasional portable movie viewer, but if you're cubicle bound and liable to look to your iPod touch or iPhone for news and entertainment on a regular basis, you're going to want something with legs. Here we have a couple prime examples of devices fashioned from good ol' fashioned LEGO brand building blocks that do the trick with the style befitting one of America's favorite childhood choking hazards. Itching to get in on the action? Hit the read link -- but not before peeping the video after the break.Read - LEGO iPhone/iPod Touch Rotating DockRead - iStand
Archos store is down, you know what that means?
Here we go again... it's Tuesday and the store's been taken off-line as rumors of a new touch-screen tablet flood our tips box. That can mean only one thing: a new Android tablet from Archos. What, were you expecting something else?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft's Zune HD already cracked open and photographed (updated)
Considering that even now only a swath of Zune HD owners are able to update their software in order to -- you know -- have a working device, we can understand Anything But iPod's eagerness to stop trying and just crack open Microsoft's newest entrant into the portable media player market. Without getting too gushy, we can definitively say that the innards look just as sexy as the exterior, but unfortunately the make and model of the internal WiFi chip (amongst other things) remains a mystery. Hit the read link for a nice gallery of closeups, but be sure and shield your screen from any lingering cube passers.Update: iFixit just went live with their teardown as well!Update 2: The iFixit teardown is complete. While there aren't any 802.11n WiFi or vacant camera-space surprises like those found inside Apple's iPod touch, the Zune HD doesn't need any to pique our interest. What you will find photographed in exquisite detail is the NVIDIA Tegra SoC, SiPORT HD Radio module, Toshiba-sourced flash NAND, a 2.45Wh battery, Wolfson MIcro WM8352 audio subsystem, and Foxconn logo confirming its manufacturing origin. There's also a "for our princess" inscription meant as a tribute to a Zune team member who passed away during development. Check the gallery for a tease or head over to iFixit to get knee-deep in it.%Gallery-72950%
Zune HD gaming and app downloads confirmed: Twitter, Facebook, and 3D games on the way (updated)
The promotional video and leaked shots already made it clear but now it's official: the Zune HD will be a gaming and application platform. In addition to a few casual games, calculator and MSN Weather apps pre-loaded onto the Zune HD, the official Microsoft press release touting the launch contains this little nugget of gaming gold:"Later this year, Zune plans to release free applications such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, in addition to fun 3-D games such as "Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition," "Vans Sk8: Pool Service" and "Audiosurf(TM) Tilt." Games can be added to Zune HD via Zune Marketplace over the Wi-Fi connection or when connected to the Zune PC software."Hear that Nintendo, Sony, and Apple? There's a new handheld gaming platform in town. All that remains to be seen is how it will integrate with the Xbox 360.Update: A bit more is revealed in a Seattle Times Q&A with Brian Seitz, Microsoft's Zune marketing manager. At the moment, the strategy is to keep all the apps and games free and developed in-house or in close collaboration with third parties -- no third-party SDK for devs to freely crank out apps just yet. Seitz is clear that games will be the primary focus of the "sometimes-connected" Zune HD and the Windows Marketplace is Microsoft's priority for handheld app development:"So what we didn't want to do was build two parallel app store experiences that didn't work together. Right now our product roadmaps didn't line up perfectly for us to snap to what they're doing or vice versa... Down the road if there's a way we can work with Windows Mobile or another group inside the company that's building an app store and take advantage of that, that's something we'll look into."Man, Windows Mobile 7 and the rumored OneApp app store can't get here soon enough.
Zune 4.0 software is out, ready to fulfill your dreams (update: kills "squirting")
If you're one of the few Earthlings with a Zune HD sold ahead of its US street date... and still awake, consider yourself obsessive. And lucky: the Zune 4.0 software just popped and is ready to download for the newest must-have portable media player. Our full review is on the way, 'till then check our hands-on and official launch-day press release just beyond the read link.P.S. Looks like older Zunes are getting a version 3.2 update -- screengrab after the break.Update: The new Zune software is fully Windows 7 optimized as you'd expect. That means it supports Windows 7 Jump Lists (for quick access to your music controls and playlists from the Taskbar), Previews letting you glimpse and control media by hovering your mouse over the Zune button on the Taskbar, and Aero Snap auto-resizing of the Zune software window. Here's a quick overview of what else is new: Quickplay menu: quick access from your Zune HD to your favorite media including those you most recently added or played Smart DJ: Like Apple's Genius, Smart DJ creates like-minded music mixes. It also adds music from the Zune Marketplace if you have a Zune Pass. Mini Player Mode: Keeps a mini version of the player on top of your PC apps Download to own: For the first time you can download-to-own or rent full movies and TV shows in SD or HD formats. Surprisingly, CNET says that Microsoft has killed the ability to "squirt" DRM-crippled music directly between Zune users. Not that it will be missed.[Thanks to Mario H., Travis, and everyone who sent this in]
Zune HD unboxing and hands-on
The Zune HD is soon to be officially out on the streets, and we've got the official Engadget hands-on / unboxing. Now, we were excited as all get-out to wrap our paws around the Tegra-powered PMP, but some of that luster has worn off since popping this baby out of its extremely attractive packaging. Why is that, you ask? Well, Microsoft decided to hold on loading up any usable software until the new Zunes were out to market. What that means is that we have yet to do any serious testing with the new device -- despite having the gem sitting right here. We can tell you that the Zune HD is most definitely a thing of beauty as far as gadget standards are concerned, and while the only media we've been able to enjoy is the big M's demo video, we have been marveling at the clarity and crispness of that OLED display. Obviously we've got a proper review coming soon, but we take this stuff pretty seriously and don't like to offer our opinion till we've spent some quality time with a device. You can expect a look at both the music and media playback capabilities of the ZHD, as well as the new Zune integration into Xbox Live, Windows Media Center, and all other kinds of connected-world goodness. Till then, feast your eyes on the galleries below, and quietly curse Microsoft for handing us a neutered Zune. Update: As a commenter points out below, these devices are being sold to end users in the same condition our unit is in -- namely, without any real functioning software. It's a pretty unusual move for a company like Microsoft to put devices into the hands of consumers with no functionality at all, but it seems the Zune team was cranking till the last minute. Let's hope all the hard work pays off! %Gallery-72768% %Gallery-72771%
Zune portals close up shop for the day, should re-open with Zune HD launch
No shock here, but it seems as if the Zune world as we know it has closed up for the day. The Zune homepage is currently displaying the banner shown above, while a good number of our tipsters and staffers have confirmed that signing into Zune Marketplace is impossible. Of course, it's not like a major new product (and software update, most probably) is slated to officially ship on September 15th or anything, so we'd say a little patience could go a long ways here.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Zune HD sold early, still unusable until tomorrow
See that there? That's a shiny new 16GB Zune HD, which isn't supposed to ship until September 15th. Why bother to honor the street date? Ask the cool cats at the Fort Myers, Florida Best Buy, who has no qualms selling our tipster a unit over the weekend. At the time, no 32GB versions were available, and even now, this 16GB unit won't sync with one's PC or do much of anything useful. Of course, Microsoft's pretty much shutting itself down tonight as it readies a new software update, so we suspect all systems will be go within the next 24 hours. While we're on the topic, has anyone else managed to snag a Zune HD early?[Thanks, Everett]
Dell gives Zune HD a 15 percent discount for launch
Chances are if you're wanting a Zune HD on launch day, gaming capabilities in tow, you've already gotten one pre-ordered, but if you're not already financially committed elsewhere, this deal from Dell's website might sway your opinion. Entering the right coupon code will net you a 15 percent discount -- that's $43 off the 32GB model's price tag, or $33 off the 16GB -- and free two-day shipping. It probably won't get to you by Tuesday, but it is one of the best deals we've seen. LogicBUY has all the details, so if you're game, find your credit card / PayPal account and hit up the read link. Read - 32GB Read - 16GB
Earlier iPod touch with camera leak vindicated in light of 3rd gen teardown
That mysterious 6- x 6- x 3-millimeter slot found within the most recent iPod touch teardown? We were pretty sure it was the eventual resting place for a camera sensor, but now we've got mounting evidence with the discovery of a missing link. If you recall, there was an August-borne leak of an iPod touch with camera that showed said slot filled with a chip that, in hindsight, looks to match up well with the video camera sensor in the 5G iPod nano (check out step 17). This revelation doesn't get us any closer to snapping videos with the touchscreen PMP, but we do have a few more questions for Steve to dodge.
Zune HD promotional videos offer brief glimpse at 3D gaming
Zune HD may really be just around the corner -- this Tuesday, in fact -- but there's still a few things we don't know about. Enter a handful of promotional videos care of Buy TV to fill in some pieces. There's a couple of really nice overviews of the car dock, built-in radio, Xbox integration, Zune video, and AV dock (it outputs 720p video, just to clarify). More importantly, though, in the video entitled "Portable Perfection" around the 30-second mark, you catch a quick view of what appears to be a racing title as the narrator discusses the ability to "play games" on the device. For a company that's been about as coy as possible when it comes to the status of applications for its forthcoming Tegra-powered monster, this isn't exactly subtle. There's also what looks like some new Zune marketplace images in the Zune pass video around ten seconds in. Be honest, you had nothing else to do this Friday, and now you can at least watch some gadget noir. Check it out after the break and form your own wild opinions. [Via Zunited, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
3rd gen iPod touch gets torn down, 802.11n and possible camera slot found
There's no denying that Apple let the entire world (yes, even the native Easter Islanders) down by not shoving a camera of some sort into its iPod touch, but if a delicate teardown completed by the screwdriver-wielding fiends over at iFixit is any indication, a seasoned modder could certainly add one. A 6- x 6- x 3-millimeter space was spotted between a Broadcom chip and the wireless antenna, which is reportedly not enough room for an iPhone-esque sensor, but just enough space for the video camera module found in the 5G iPod nano. In potentially more interesting news, the aforesaid Broadcom BCM4329 chip actually supports 802.11n. For the nerds in attendance, you'll recognize that even the iPhone 3GS can't handle those high-speed airwaves. Furthermore, the chip supports FM transmission, so at least theoretically, the device could stream tunes to your old school stereo through an open FM station. Eager for more? Tap that read link, buster.
