So today is Cyber Monday, supposedly the busiest day of the year for online retailers. It’s been touted as online version of Black Friday, but since most sites already participate on that day, Cyber Monday just seems like overkill. Nonetheless there are great deals to be found, including an 8GB iPod touch for $158 Shipped from Amazon. It’s their Deal of the day, and will no doubt sell out quickly. Free free to post any other DAP deals you find in our comments section!
The official Zune Store is teasing three new colors coming slated for a December 1st release. They include Magenta, Red, and Purple, and may or may not look like the renders shown above. You’d think Microsoft would at least throw a little variation in there. All I’m seeing is Red, more red, and less red here. Give me some orange, or some yellow perhaps. And while I’m at it, can you bring back the Brown Microsoft? We know it’s been the butt of many jokes, but it has a certain… Je ne sais quoi, which basically is the French snob way of saying it exudes an air of sophistication. I guess for now these three new shades of lipsticks will have to suffice.
Here’s another deal that’s too good to pass up. Amazon is selling an 8GB Sansa Clip for just $40. That’s super cheap for one of the best players ever. They also have the 4GB for $30. The clip is great for kids and for older adults as well, which is why I’m getting a few of them to give away for Christmas.
I haven’t been a big fan of Sandisk’s Slotmusic concept, but Best Buy is selling Slotradio cards for just $24.99 each. Each card has a 1,000 songs from genres including “Oldies”, “Rock”, “80’s and 90’s” and so forth. The cards work with most Sandisk players making it a nice pairing item to go with the Clip deal above.
Know the best thing about Black Friday deals online? They started Monday. That, and you avoid being trampled by some overzealous parents trying to get their hands on something called a “Zhu Zhu Hamster“. Anyway, I’m going to do my best to provide some of the hotter DAP deals I find. First up is a recertified Zune 30 with a bonus Car Pack for just $68 and Free Shipping and Newegg. This won’t be around long. In fact, I’m concerned it might be sold out before I finish writing this, but what the hey.
From all of us here at DAPreview, Have a Happy Thanksgiving, except for you Canucks out there who already celebrated it. LINK
The ZEN X-Fi2 has received much criticism mainly for its sluggish interface and unresponsive touch screen. And Creative must have heard it loud and clear as in the latest ZEN X-Fi2 firmware released today, it has provided an almost complete re-design of its user interface. In what could be the most drastic firmware update ever (please ignore the dramatization), Creative has added in new features to the ZEN X-Fi2. The new features are:
-Colored icons UI -Accelerometer (for photos) -Sudoku game (shock!)
I must say that the colored icons should have been there in the very first place and why the accelerometer will only work while viewing photos is still a mystery to me. But it’s interesting that Creative added in the Sudoku game, which could be a signal of more applications to come. I have upgraded my ZEN X-Fi2 with the latest firmware and i must say that the responsiveness has greatly improved! If you have been considering buying the ZEN X-Fi2, this firmware update might have made up your mind for you. Now, could we have microSD integration next, Creative?
Amazon is feeling rather generous today, offering up a free $3 credit to use at their MP3 Store. I’m sure the skeptics just read that and asked “But what’s the catch?” Sorry, there is none this time. Just enter the code MP34FREE on the page linked below and you’re done!
It looks like Kenwood is still doing their thing over in Japan. They just announced the MG-F500, the newest in their long line of “Media Keg” players. In terms of features, you won’t find many here. In fact, it’s probably a good thing these devices are mostly sought out by audiophiles, as music is the only thing you’ll be able to play on the F500. Yep, while others put out convergence devices that can play everything under the sun, Kenwood sticks to what they do best. Thankfully they weren’t skimpy on battery life, which is rated at 50 hours. Check out the full specs below:
Specs:
Capacity: 4, 8, 16GB plus microSD expansion
Display: 2.0″ LCD (320 x 240 resolution)
Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV
Photo support
Battery Life: 50 hours for Audio
Dimensions: 46.5 x 98 x 13mm
The MG-F500 will be released next month in Japan with prices ranging from ¥13,000 ($146US) to ¥18,000 ($202US) Yen respectively
Remember when we poked fun at Sony for putting out players with Mickey Mouse controls? Well, they’re clearly having the last laugh. They’ve just announced a new Disney accessory set for the S740 series featuring Minnie Mouse. The set includes a silicone case prettied up with pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers., and a glamorous Minnie Mouse keychain. There’s just 500 of these to go around in Japan, at 3,980 Yen a piece, or about $45US.
Hopefully those who get a kick out of unboxings will enjoy this post. In recent years Cowon have been getting more and more economical with their packaging solutions, much in the same way Apple inc. have reduced their packaging requirements to the bare minimum. Cowon have gone from butt ugly cardboard boxes, to horrible vacuum packs, to mildly attractive cardboard boxes and now to this elegant, well thought out clear plastic shell.
I was as surprised as anyone when I received this wonderfully presented i9 in the post, I just don’t think of Cowon and pretty in the same sentence. I’m old school though, and to me Cowon represent the geek’s favourite tech - so I always forgave their lacklustre packaging, but it seems we are moving on to a new era in techgeekness, and that’s damn cool.
Click the “Read the rest” link below to the other images in the set. Each image can be viewed in fullscreen if you click on them.
It’s been a while since we’ve talked about Meizu around here. We tracked the progress of the M8 as it got closer to looking exactly like an iPhone its release date, but after it came out , all the hype surrounding it died down. Don’t tell that to Meizu fans however. The folks at Meizu Me have been working tirelessly to get Android up and running on the device. Below you’ll find a video of Android booting up on the M8. The port isn’t complete yet, but as you’ll see, they’ve made a lot of progress so far.
Meizu Me is also reporting that Meizu is working on an official Android port, designed to dual boot with the original OS.
