Archos is planning some sort of event for June 11th in Paris. The invitation isn’t heavy on etails, but gives us a teaser image of the player. Archos updates their product lineup every Summer, so the timing seems right for a 7th generation announcement.
What will the 7g be like? Will they continue with their Internet Media Tablets, or go back to standard PMP’s? Will we finally see an Archos player running on Android? Your guess is as good as mine! We’ll provide full coverage of the announcement, so make sure to check back next month.
via ArchosLounge
Have we seen the last days of players with tactile controls? I hope not, but touchscreens are no doubt the hottest trend right now. Most major DAP companies have at least one touscreen model for sale, and companies like Microsoft are rumored to have one in the works. Now, the little guys want a piece of the action. In January, at CES 2009, Memorex unveiled the TouchMP. There wasn’t anything particularly special about its design, or its features, but it raised a few eyebrows with its $99 price tag. The player has a 2.8″ touchscreen display, 8GB capacity and a microSD slot, and has an impressive battery life of 50 hours. Perhaps the most important factor for a touchscreen player is its interface. While you can’t expect to get the same experience as an iPod touch, or Cowon S9 for this price, the TouchMP has a simple, yet intuitive GUI according to Cnet.
| The Good: The Memorex TouchMP is an affordable touch-screen media player that supports music, video, photos, radio, and audiobook playback, and also includes a voice recorder and a decent pair of in-ear headphones.
The Bad: The TouchMP’s construction feels as cheap as its price, and the interface isn’t much to look at
The Bottom line: The Memorex TouchMP is the first MP3 player we’ve seen that combines touch-screen technology, useful features, and an attractive design, for less than $100.
Score: 6.3/10
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The TouchMP doesn’t appear to be widely available yet, but I was able to find it in stock at Toys ‘Я Us.
Memorex TouchMP review at Cnet
Today, Sony officially announced the X1000 series in the US. The press release confirmed a pricing of $299 and $399 for the 16 and 32GB models, as well as a mid-June release date. The built-in WiFi just became more useful as well, with the addition of Slacker radio. The service allows you to select three radio stations of your choice, and stream hundreds of songs for free.
Features:
- Capacity: 16 or 32GB
- Display: 3.0″ OLED Touchscreen
- Audio: MP3, WMA, and AAC
- Video: H.264, MPEG-4, and WMV
- Audio enhancements: S-master Digital Amplifier, Digital Noise cancellation (premium EX-series headphones included)
- Built-in WiFi - Web Browsing, Podcasting, Youtube, and Slacker Radio
- FM Tuner
- Battery Life: 33 hours for Audio, 9 hours for Video
- UMS/MSC device
A few retailers, including Amazon and Sony Style have the player available for Pre-order.
Sony X1000 series at Amazon
Press Release
Thanks to all that sent this in!
Some might say Microsoft’s new Zune ad is smart. I’d say it borders on desperation. In the ad, you’ll find Wes Moss a “Certified Financial Planner”, (and someone who was kicked off The Apprentice), making his best sales pitch for Zune Pass. He argues that it’ll take $30,000 to fill up an 120GB iPod with songs from iTunes, and just $14.99 for unlimited songs with a Zune Pass. Check out the video:
I guess Microsoft forgot that iPods can also be filled with movies, games, free podcasts, audiobooks, and pictures, Or the fact that those songs purchased on iTunes can be kept forever. A Zune Pass subscription allows you to keep up to 10 songs per month, but the rest are gone as soon as you stop paying the monthly fee. The ad might be effective, but it’s also pretty ridiculous. Whatever happened to that Social/underground image that Microsoft was trying to build for the Zune? Now there’s some loser in a suit trying to plead to us why iTunes is bad for our bank accounts? Wow Microsoft, you’re too cool for school!
Additionally, does anyone else find this ad to be grossly misleading? They make it seem like you can fill up an iPod with a Zune pass, as an alternative to buying songs on iTunes. Moss says the following in the video: “So if someone is using iTunes, I tell them to consider a subscription service like Zune Pass”. A typical consumer might look at that ad and think think Zune Pass was another option for their iPod. In fact, Zunes are nowhere to be found in the ad.
Some might say Microsoft’s new Zune ad is smart. I’d say it borders on desperation. In the ad, you’ll find Wes Moss a “Certified Financial Planner”, (and someone who was kicked off The Apprentice), making his best sales pitch for Zune Pass. He argues that it’ll take $30,000 to fill up an 120GB iPod with songs from iTunes, and just $14.99 for unlimited songs with a Zune Pass. Check out the video:
I guess Microsoft forgot that iPods can also be filled with movies, games, free podcasts, audiobooks, and pictures, Or the fact that those songs purchased on iTunes can be kept forever. A Zune Pass subscription allows you to keep up to 10 songs per month, but the rest are gone as soon as you stop paying the monthly fee. The ad might be effective, but it’s also pretty ridiculous. Whatever happened to that Social/underground image that Microsoft was trying to build for the Zune? Now there’s some loser in a suit trying to plead to us why iTunes is bad for our bank accounts? Wow Microsoft, you’re too cool for school!
Additionally, does anyone else find this ad to be grossly misleading? They make it seem like you can fill up an iPod with a Zune pass, as an alternative to buying songs on iTunes. Moss says the following in the video: “So if someone is using iTunes, I tell them to consider a subscription service like Zune Pass”. A typical consumer might look at that ad and think think Zune Pass was another option for their iPod. In fact, Zunes are nowhere to be found in the ad.
| Newegg has a nice Zune bundle on sale. They’re selling a recertified 8GB Zune with a Car pack for $79.99 shipped. The car pack includes a car charger, and an FM transmitter. The offer is good till May 31st.
Features:
- 8GB
- 1.8″ Display
- Audio: MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, AAC
- Video:WM
- Built-in WiFi
- Battery Life: 24 hours for Audio, 4 hours for Video
- Dimensions: 41.4 x 91.5 x 8.5mm
- Colors: Black, Pink, or Red
- Zune Car Pack included: Car Charger, and FM Transmitter
8GB Zune + Car Pack for $79.99 Shipped
via SlickDeals |
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Are we looking at two new players from iriver? Some people at iriver’s Korean community site seem to think they are. My Korean is only as good as Google Translator allows, but the picture supposedly originates from a magazine article, where iriver was being interviewed. The players are thought to be the B30, and the E200. There’s hardly anything to go on here, but don’t let that stop you from speculating.
via MovePlayer
The rumors of a much larger Kindle were true. Yesterday, Amazon revealed the Kindle DX, an e-book reader with a 9.7″ screen. The bigger screen makes the DX better suited for newspapers, and college textbooks. Among other improvements, the Kindle DX features native PDF support, and has a built-in accelerometer that automatically switches from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the device.
Check out this comparison chart of the Kindle DX to the Kindle 2:
At $489, the Kindle DX certainly isn’t for everyone. Even the Kindle 2 is a bit pricey for my tastes. I want to know what you think about it. Was the DX a good move for Amazon to make so soon after the Kindle 2? It comes just 3 months after the Kindle 2 was announced, so I imagine some people out there have buyers remorse.
Kindle DX at Amazon
Continue reading to see a Guided video tour of the Kindle DX…
Ah, to be a big corporate-backed tech blog. You get all the cool stuff early! Like Darren Murph at Engadget, who got some hands-on time with a Sony X1000 test model from Japan. Check out the quick preview video below:
As Murph states in the video, the OLED screen looks amazing. He even gives it the edge over the S9’s AMOLED display. The GUI looked very responsive, without any noticeable delaysl. The album art screen (i.e. Cover Flow clone) looks to be implemented nicely as well, though it could have been improved with a built-in accelerometer. As you’d expect, sound quality is top notch. They say it’s “Hands down, this is the best sounding PMP that we’ve had the pleasure of using.”
It looks like the Sony X1000 is shaping up to be a pretty sweet flash PMP, which just makes the decision of what to buy even harder. Sony you could throw smaller tech blogs a bone too you know! Oh, will you excuse me, my jealousy is showing again.
Full impressions at engadget
Thanks 50 and PowerTorsk
For those of you who resisted getting an 8 or 16GB S9, in anticipation of a 32GB model, your patience is about to pay off. And for those out there who already picked up an S9, we won’t hold it against you if you trade up for this one. The new model is now in stock at Amazon, through Jet Mall for $299. The decision might be a little toughe with the recent announcement from Samsung of a 32GB P3. Which would you choose between the two?
Cowon S9 (32GB) at Amazon
Thanks SarahV (and Niney)!
