Click to see Full Image
So those rumors were true! Cowon just put up a teaser image of the iAudio 9 on their front page It has a pretty clean looking design, with a simplistic interface to match. The GUI reminds me of the iriver E100 actually, which it seems to be competing with on paper. It has a 2.0″ display, a uilt-in speaker, FM tuner, and recorder, and the great codec support we’ve come to expect from Cowon (FLAC, OGG, APE, AVI, WMV, Xvid). It even supports AV-Out. No word on capacities, or release date yet, but we’ll make sure to update you when we find out.
Cowon
| I just looked in on Cowon’s Korean site to see if that rumor about the E2 and iAudio 9 was true. Instead, their front page greeted me with a flat piece of metal with the words ‘Don’t Forget Me” on the front. A new MP3 player perhaps? Nope. It looks like Cowon is now in the flash drive business.
The UM1 is a fairly thin USB drive ranging in size from 2 to 16GB’s. It comes in “Chrome Black” or “Glossy Gold”, which gives the drive a high-end look. It has a loop-hole at the top, and is apparently waterproof according to Cowon. The UM1 ranges in price from 18,900 to 75,900 Korean Won, or about $16 to $64US. As long as Cowon remembers to keep making great MP3 players, I’m fine with whatever else they want to get into.
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Imagine having to compete with Cowon, Samsung, and iriver for home turf. That’s what it’s like for Korean company Digital Cube. Though we’ve been covering their i-Station line of players for years now, they’ve yet to gather as much attention worldwide as their fellow countrymen. Perhaps it’s because they made beefy PMP’s that focused more on functionality than form. The newly announced i-Station E9 has both. It supports a ton of formats, has plenty of features, and is nicely packaged in a mainstream design. And by mainstream, I mean, it looks like an iPod touch. Check out the specs below:
SPECS
- Capacity: 4 and 8GB
- Display: 3.0″ Touchscreen
- Audio: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, and APE
- Video: MPEG-4, Xvid, Divx, AVI, WMV, FLV, RM/RMVB, DAT, 3GP
- TV-Out
- Built-in G-sensor
- Extras: FM Tuner,Voice recorder, E-Book, Calendar
- Battery Life: 12 hours for audio, 4 hours for video
- Dimensions: 92×54×13mm
Okay, 12 hours of battery life is pretty awful, and what’s up with the small capacities? At least it’s priced well, with the 4GB retailing for approximately $115, and the 8GB for around $132. The E9 is a good start, but Digital Cube still needs to step it up if they’re going to compete.
After dabbling with convergence devices for a few years now, it was only a matter of time before Archos released their own mobile phone. Archos showed off their new “phone tablet” to some members of the press recently, with a full unveiling coming at CES 2010. It’s a 3.5G phone running on Android, with a 4.3″ touchscreen display (854 x 480 resolution), and a 1GHZ ARM Cortex processor. You can see footage from the small keynote event below:
via engadget
In our last article, we summed up a few Zune HD reviews we found around the web. Many loved the device, but thought it would be even better if it was a phone. That’s where “Project Pink” comes into the picture. It’s Microsoft’s codename for their new mobile phone venture. Two phones have just leaked out, the Turtle, which Gizmodo describes perfectly as a “chunky child’s version of a Palm Pre”, and the Pure. The phones are made by Sharp, who also made the T-mobile Sidekick (AKA Hiptop) for Danger, a company acquired by Microsoft in 2008.
The phones are rumored to run on Windows Mobile 7, and have support for many Zune services, including Zune Pass. It will also have its own App store of course. While this isn’t the Zune Phone we were looking for, it’s probably the closest we’ll get for now.
Back in July, Cowon put up a teaser page for the iAudio E2, a screenless DAP from the looks of it. Naturally, we said it was coming soon, but here we are in September and Cowon has yet to announce it. According to fansite ccowon-news, the wait will soon be over.
Not that many people here really care about this shuffle competitor, but apparently it’ll be joined by the iAudio 9. It’s been over two years since the iAudio 7 was announced, so a successor is long overdue. We don’t have any details on the iAudio 9, but if these rumors are true, we’ll know by the end of the month.
via Le Journal du Geek
It’s taken a few years to get right, but it looks like Creative has finally added true SD integration to one of their devices. The Zii EGG just received its second firmware update, which among other things, allows you to play music directly off your SD cards. This was confirmed by staff member ramakandra at our site site, epiZENter.net. This is a promising sign for all future Creative players, and perhaps for existing players as well.
Rama also provided us with this cool video of the EGG’s new “clothes line” album cover mode. You can also hear the excellent quality of the players’ built-in speakers in this clip.
I’m really happy to see Creative actively working to improve the player and its software. Hopefully we’ll see the end result of all that polish in a consumer model one of theses days.
Thanks ramakandra!
LINK
In the midst of this whole touchscreen craze, it’s nice to know some companies haven’t forgot about tactile controls. Today, Sony revealed their newest Walkman lineup, and I must say, they look pretty damn hot.
Sony A840 series
Click to EnlargeThe new A-series happens to be the thinnest Walkman to date (just 7.2mm’s), but don’t let its size fool you It packs in a 2.8″ OLED screen, Noise cancellation, and capacities up to 64GB’s. Like its bigger brother, the X-Series, the A840 also has an S-master digital amplifier built-in. The player even comes with a premium pair of MDR-EX300SL earphones.
SPECS
- Capacity: 16, 32, and 64GB
- Display: 2.8″ OLED (320 x 240)
- Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, and ATRAC (for Japan only)
- Video: H.264, WMV, and MPEG-4
- TV-output (up to to 720×480)
- FM tuner
- Digital Noise cancellation
- S-Master digital amplifier
- Battery Life: 29 hours for Audio, 9 hours for video
Despite Sony’s persistence to stick with that silly Mickey Mouse control layout, this player is sexy. The thin profile, the vivid display, and yes, even that brown/copper color looks fantastic. It goes on sale in Japan on Oct. 31st with prices ranging from 24,000 Yen (~$263US) to 40,000 Yen (~$439US).
Sony S740/640 series.
Click to EnlargeAs usual, Sony has also announced their lower-range S-series models today. Like the A840, the S740 series has a digital noise cancellation feature, and the ability to output video. It does however lack an OLED screen, going with a standard 2.0″ LCD. It also maxes out at 32GB’s. Battery life is great though, with 42 hours of audio, and 10 hours of video playback on a single charge. Aside from the rad colors of the S640 series, the only thing it from the S740 is noise cancellation.
While it’s nice to see an OLED display, and higher capacities on lower range players, Sony hasn’t exactly released anything groundbreaking here. These new players have the same interface, feature-set, and codec support we’ve been seeing for years. Then again, there’s another thing we’ve seen from Sony generation after generation: excellent sound quality. I expect no less from this new lineup.
via Sony Insider
For me I just love it when our community takes it upon themselves to provide information and content for our members, it shows real initiative and is good for the sites moral. So, when I saw this unboxing/first look video provided by Saijin_Naib and 34.50 in my inbox I was just delighted! It’s only fair that everyone else gets to see it too.
I’ve gotta hand it to you guys, you covered a fair bit in that 10 minute clip. I’m jealous too because you have a 32gb Zune HD and I do not, but then what good would it be to me given Microsoft don’t want to provide mac support - and why would they I suppose.
Great work 34.50, Saijin_Naib, you’ve done us proud 
Four months after it was announced, the Zune HD has officially been released. You would think those months of waiting might backfire on Microsoft, but on the contrary, the hype for this player has increased steadily. Also out today is Zune software 4.0 (which is required to use the ZHD). The software has a redesigned interface, and includes new features like SmartDJ (similar to Apple Genius), quickplay, and mini moder. Here’s a quick run-down of what you need to know about the Zune HD:
The Player
Capacity: 16 or 32GB
Display: 3.3″ Multi-touch OLED Touchscreen (480 x 272 resolution) and Built-in accelerometer
Audio: MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, AAC, and WAV
Video: WMV. WMV HD, MPEG-4, H.264, MS-DVR (up to 1280 x 720 at 30fps for WMV HD and H.264). HD Output with optional Dock
Wi-Fi: 02.11b/g compatible, Built-in Web Browser, Sync with Home computer, Stream from Zune Marketplace
HD Radio: Free HD radio, plus the ability to tag music to purchase later
Apps and Games: Many Apps coming later including Twitter, and Facebook. Games are also on the way, including Project Gotham racing.
Battery Life: 33 Hours for Audio (w/wireless off), and 8.5 hours for video
Powered by Nvidia Tegra processor
Dimensions: 52.7 mm x 102.1 mm x 8.9 mm (74 grams)
Price: $219.99 and $289.99 respectively
Ironically, one of the features that originally made the Zune unique has been removed. According to Cnet, Microsoft has removed Zune to Zune sharing, AKA “squirting”.
Product Page
The Software
If you happened to get the Zune HD early, it was as good as a paperweight (albeit a very sexy one). The player needs to be synced up with Zune software 4.0 which just went live a few hours ago.
quickplay: Get instant access to the stuff you care about most with shortcuts to favorites, recently downloaded or played music, videos, and more.
smart dj: From any artist, album, or song, Smart DJ will generate a related playlist from the music on your computer and new music from Zune Marketplace.
mini mode: Putting the Zune software into mini mode while listening to music allows you to use your other programs while continuing to see what’s playing.
Download
We’ll take a more in-depth look at Zune 4.0 later on.
image credit: Cnet
Zune Originals
If you want a red, or green ZHD, Zune Originals is the place to go. Along with various artist designs, you can also engrave your player with MLS (Major League Soccer) insignias, or Xbox video game logos such as Fable II, Halo 3, and Forza Motorsport.
Where to Buy
Amazon
Best Buy
Zune Originals
Reviews, Previews, etc…
ABi Preview
Zune HD Tear-down
Q&A with Zune Marketing manager
So that’s about it for now. Now the question is, who’s getting one. Leave a comment to let us know! (make sure to cast a vote in our poll as well)
