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June 30, 2006

The i-Station T43 From Digital Cube

Running on Linux 2.6, the latest offering from Digital Cube is the T43 i-Station, successor to the V43 released last year. There's a 4.3" TFT screen that displays all the popular formats -- DivX, xVid, MPEG, and WMV.

Aditionally, a USB 2.0 port is built right into the player, allowing for immediate transfer from flash drives and other USB devices. With 64 MB of DDR RAM and up to 30 GB of storage space, it's not a bad little gadget. Finally, there's a DMB tuner and built-in GPS navigation. Right now we don't know how much this will cost nor if and when it will make a stateside launch.

Via Akihabara

Posted by mark at 9:48 AM

Calvary CAPP06 Player

If you're looking for a basic, inexpensive portable video player, Calvary's CAPP06 may be just what you're looking for. It's got a 2.5" TFT screen and flip-out speakers that make it look like somewhat awkward. All menu navigation and controls are done with the buttons on the side of the unit.

With MPEG4, JPEG, MP3, and WMA playback, it's not the most compatible device we've ever seen. Additionally, there's only 512 MB of internal memory, which can be expanded with SD cards. Again, you can tell just from looking at it that this is a low-end player, so it's not for those who want a totally pimped out device, but if you're on a budget, you should check it out. Its $119 price won't bankrupt you.

Via Uber Gizmo

Posted by mark at 8:16 AM

June 23, 2006

Odd-i's New Feature-Packed Device

One thing we've learned about the cool video devices from Odd-i is that they are anything but "odd". The PVP pioneering company now has a new product in Korea, the P15DN. This thing looks pretty slick. It sports a 4" wide screen with a user-friendly feature-exhaustive menu screen.

We've said that some portable media devices look like portable computers before, but few have taken it to this level. The P15DN supports BMP, BMV, EMF, GIF, JPEG, WBMP, WMF, MPEG1, MPEG4 SP, Xvid and DivX files, and it also can read MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and HWP documents. As if that's not enough, GPS is built-in standard and it's got 20 GB and 30 GB HDD versions.

With its built-in FM tuner, and the ability to directly record audio and video, in addition to a pre-installed audio dictionary, this is one of the most full-featured devices we've seen in a long time. Pricing and availability details are not on Odd-i's site, but you can bet this thing will hold a pretty heft price tag.

Product page (Korean). Via Akihabara.

Posted by mark at 2:52 AM

June 22, 2006

RoverTv For Media Recording/Playback

If there's one thing I hate about most portable video devices out there, it's that there's way too much space on the front reserved for buttons and controls. That's why Doghouse Electronic's RoverTv looks so appealing to me. It comes in both a 3.5" screen and 4" wide-screen size, and from the looks of it the video screen takes up about 95% of the front of the device, leaving just enough room for holding it without obstructing the view.

It also looks very thin, unlike TwinMos's more bulky-looking thing. The RoverTv has a Samsung TFT screen with resolutions of 320x240 and 480x272 for the 3.5" and 4" screens, respectively. It runs exclusively on SD cards (no internal memory), but get this -- you get 3 GB of SD cards (a 1 GB and a 2 GB) in the box! RoverTv supports MP3, MP4, WAV, JPEG, BMP, and GIF. In addition, it's got AV input and a built-in FM tuner. Plus, it supports TiVo To Go and iTunes. It's clearly geared towards those who want to record directly to the device. What's cool is that it also has a timer, so assumedly you can plug it into your TV and set it to record a certain show at a specific time. One battery charge will last for 6 hours of video playtime, or 12 hours for music.

The 3.5" version costs $299, while the 4" counterpart goes for $349. It looks like a great device for those who really want to just record video from other media.

RoverTv.net

Posted by mark at 2:49 AM

June 20, 2006

TwinMos's ''Big-Boned'' PMP525

It seems everyone wants to get in on the portable video player action lately, and TwinMos is the latest company to jump on the bandwagon. It looks a little bit fatter than most other modern players, even though it's only 22 mm thick. It only has a 2.5" screen and does not add a lot of excess space around the screen, so the thickness just ends up being much more proportionally wide than the competitors.

It's a flash player and runs off CompactFlash (types I and II) up to 4 GB. It supports MPEG 1/2/4, MP3, WMA, and OGG, as well as JPEG photo viewing. There's also a built-in MIC and line-in jack so you can record your own audio files. Rounding out the features are USB 2.0 compatibility and an optional FM radio. Battery life on video is 4.5 hours. This early entry from TwinMos is most likely geared towards the portabilitiy freaks. 2.5" is small in today's market (see the Odd-i 7" video player).

More at dapreview

Posted by mark at 11:10 PM

June 17, 2006

Odd-i N700D

Taking the "portable" just a little bit out of "portable video player", the Odd-i N700D sports a wide 7" screen. Most devices are around 4" or 5" so they'll fit in your pocket, but you may have a little tougher time doing that with the N700D. There is an attempt to scale down the size by having no internal hard drive, and instead just an SD slot. Although, it's possible that you will also be able to attach an external HD to it.

It's also got USB connectivity, which will help since you'll obviously be swapping your video, music, and image files frequently. There's built-in GPS and to go along with that, a feature they're calling "picture-in-navigation" which lets you see maps and video at the same time. It's not the most format-compatible device we've ever come across, but it does support MPEG1, MPEG4 SP, xVID, DivX., & WMV. Additionally, it has a TV-out slot. It will be out in Korea in the next week or so, though no pricing details are apparent at this point.

More at DAPreview

Posted by mark at 6:10 AM

The Fully Loaded WXP350 from Wizxer

Recently announced was the Wixzer WXP350, a portable media player with a ton of features. It runs on Windows CE, the typical Windows Smartphone software. In fact, it is pretty much a high-end Smartphone, without the phone part. It's got Bluetooth, wireless Internet, and GPS. In addition, it includes a 1.3 Megapixel camera and likely substandard digital camcorder.

More technical specifications include that it has an ARM9 processor, it is a 4" touch screen, and can run 6 hours of video on one charge. It's got USB functionality and comes in both a 20 GB and 30 GB model. This is the PVP for me. The CE platform makes it essentially a pocket-sized tablet computer. Also, its 16:9 resolution makes video watching more ideal than other devices out there. And hey, you can never have too many digital cameras, right? Although, I am a critic when it comes to expandable memory, so no matter how large the hard drive, I am always a little disappointed when there is no memory card slot, which is the case with the WXP350.

Pricing and availability are still under-wraps at this point.

More at Wizxer. Via dapreview

Posted by mark at 1:44 AM

June 16, 2006

Philips Announces PMC7230 Portable Media Center

Equipped with a 3.5" screen, the PMC7230 from Philips is one of the newest entrants into the portable media device fray. It comes equipped with an impressive 30 GB hard drive, which will hold about 15,000 audio tracks. With the PMC7230, you'll be able to download video or audio directly from sources like your TV. One downside is that it does not have a memory card slot, and considering how quickly video files can eat up space, this device is most likely intended for people who want to swap out their content from time to time.

It's also compatible with Microsoft's PlaysForSure platform. What's also nice about this device is that you will be able to watch videos for a good 5 hours (or music for 18 hours) before needing a recharge. The Philips PMC7230 Portable Media Center currently has a scheduled street date of September 2006 in the US, with an estimated retail price of $349.99, which is about the going rate for a PVP with this level of functionality.

Via Everything USB

Posted by mark at 8:56 AM

Acer MP-500

It looks like Acer's got a new portable media player on the way, at least in the European market. The MP-500 sports a 3.5" QVGA screen with support for an impressive list of formats: DivX, XviD, WMV9, MPEG-2/4, JPEG, BMP, GIF, WMA, and MP3.

The device can record both audio and video, and with the built-in 20 GB hard disk drive, you'll be able to capture a ton of content on this incredibly slim device. There's also an SD slot for increased memory capability. Right now, it's going for 350 Euro (about $430). It looks pretty easy to use but is not one of the most stunningly appealing designs we've seen for a PMP.

Via Engadget

Posted by mark at 5:28 AM