The folks at Gismodo have gotten their hands on a Zune HD Prototype, and are already smitten with the thing. Brain Lam says the it’s “more physically beautiful than the iPod Touch and it’s got a better UI…” Check out the the video below to see the super smooth Zune HD in action
Zune HD Video Hands On from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
More Pictures at Gizmodo
It looks like the rumors about a new Zune were true. Earlier today, Microsoft officially announced the Zune HD, a player that I believe will be the first serious competitor to the iPod touch. The ZHD has a 3.3″ OLED touchscreen display, a built-in HD radio tuner, and can output in HD (720P) with an optional docking station (hence the HD name). WiFi will finally be useful on the Zune with the new multi-touch web browser. The player will also be integrate with Xbox Live, though details on that hook-up are sparse. Here’s a snippet from the press release:
Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.
The full specs have not been provided yet, but if we’re to believe the earlier leaks, there will be a 16 and 32GB model. We’ll provide you with more information as it becomes available.
Let us know what you think about the Zune HD in the comments section!
(via engadget)
I don’t visit iriver’s US page often, but I’m sure glad I did today. I just found a teaser banner, indicating the arrival of the P35 in the US this Fall. The P35 was originally thought to be exclusive to Korea, due in part to the players’ built-in DMB tuner. We soon found out that there are actually three different versions sold in Korea, including a Basic, WiFi, and a DMB variation. I’m not sure why we have to wait so long, but from what I’ve read about this PMP, it’ll be worth the wait. We’ll do our best to secure more information from the often tight-lipped folks at iriver America.
SPECS:
Capacity: 8/16GB w/ microSD/SDHC (up to 16GB)
Size: 128.3 x 79.7 x 17.8mm @220g
Battery Life: 16hr audio / 8hr video / 7hr dmb
Display: 4.3″ WQVGA @ 16M colors
Audio: MP3 / WMA / WAV / OGG / APE / FLAC
Video: MPEG4 / Xvid / WMV7/8 / WMV9 @ 720 x 480
Interface: Touchscreen and Spinn Controls
US Release: Fall
The .30 series of firmware has just gone out of beta. There aren’t too many changes and sadly, the performance of the matrix browser hasn’t changed. Click here to see the new upgrades that came with the beta firmware.
- Added to display the title of the music file on the screen when you start music in matrix browser.
- Improved displaying picture quality of album art in Music mode.
- Improved conducting speed when you play music.
- Added settings that you can choose sharpen or soften tone in Video mode.
- Fixed the error that resume functionality were occasionally not working.
- Fixed errors in UCI FSCommand ‘EtcUsrSetString’, ‘EtcUsrGetString’.
As it was predicted before, iriver has just released the all new B30. As you can tell by the name already, it is the successor to the B20, meaning that this device is all about DMB. The B30 has an accelerometer for a cover flow feature, and apparently comes packed with a pair of SRS CS headphones. The device supports UCI and comes with a unique UI which I personally think is rather ugly (which is rare for iriver). There aren’t too many features, but keep in mind that the B series is mainly for DMB performance.
There are some details that are quite bizarre about this device. First of all, iriver will only be selling 500 units, which clearly shows that they didn’t intend on investing too much time/money into this device. It may show why the UI and design aren’t up to par with other iriver devices. iriver actually didn’t even make a product page for the B30. Nevertheless, the B30 goes for $155 (4GB) and $183 (8GB). BTW, the spec sheet shows a 16GB model, which isn’t showing up in iriver’s store for some reason.
TECH SPEC
Capacity: 4/8/16GB (w/ microSD)
Color: white/black/silver
Size: 109.5 x 56.9 x 11.15mm (84.7g)
Battery life: 40hr (music) / 6hr (video) / 5.5hr (dmb)
Display: 2.8″ QVGA
Music: MP3/WMA/OGG/ASF/FLAC/APE
Video: AVI/WMV/MP4
Ever wonder what the inside of Sony’s X1000 series looks like? Well even if you haven’t, you’re about to find out. The embargo on the player’s FCC report was just lifted, allowing us to get our first glimpse of its circuitry. I’m not geeky enough to know what the hell I’m looking at, but I’m sure someone here will find this stuff exhilarating. Plus, these images might een help the folks at Rockbox to get started on a port. Can you imagine how Rockbox would be on the X1000? Be still, my beating heart.
With the help of Sony Insider, we were also able to learn about the player’s processor.It has a 250mhz ARM processor made by NEC called the MP201. Here’s a diagram and its specs:
I think we can now see why the X1000 has such weak video support. The processor can playback QVGA , or 320 x 240 resolution videos. I expected more from a device meant to compete with the iPod touch, with a price to match it.
FCC Documents (PDF)
A few more pictures of the Newsmy X0 have been released. The player looks as sleek and sexy as in the previous mock-ups, but then again, some of these photos don’t look too real either. We joked about the player looking more like a fashion accessory, but it looks like Newman is taking us seriously. They have a few pictures of the X0 being used as a cosmetic mirror to put on lipstick, and mascara. I hear this thing plays music too!
Continue reading to see a few more pictures…
| After years of failed attempts, Napster is trying to make another comeback. The company, which is now owned by Best Buy has lowered their subscription plan to $5 a month. That gets you unlimited streaming of their music collection, as well as 5 DRM-free downloads a month. The on-demand plan works with any computer connected to the web, and requires no client software to download. |  |
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I was walking past an Avon shop, when I spotted their new catalog. On the front cover was a big golden iPod shuffle. They claim it’s a limited edition that’s “Only at Avon”. Of course that’s probably because Avon painted it themselves. It costs $29 with the purchase of two skin products. People have to do something with those last gen Shuffles I guess.
There’s two things I’ve learned while writing this up. One, no matter how big of DAP news drought there is, never sink down to talking about Avon exclusives again. And second, Avon spelled backwards is Nova. I’m such an anagram genius! |
