Jun 13

Brando’s Bombshell MP3 player gives the TSA something new to balk at

Posted in: mp3 player, Mp3Player, PMP, Today's Chili

Nah, grenade and bomb-shaped PMPs aren’t anything new, but we’ll confess to never seeing anything quite like this. Hosted up at the always-unpredictable Brando website, the USB Bombshell MP3 Player acts as a portable speaker, a radio and a markedly volatile MP3 player. There’s an inbuilt USB port and SD card slot for loading up your favorite Rise Against albums, and the integrated Li-ion battery pack should keep it ticking for an undisclosed amount of time. ‘Course, sneaking this one past airport security could be an adventure unto itself, but those willing to live life with the pin pulled can get one headed their way for $43.

[Thanks, Lawrence]

Brando’s Bombshell MP3 player gives the TSA something new to balk at originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 31

Patent reveals Microsoft’s Zune Nano, reminds us of an ambitious past

Posted in: Microsoft, patent, patent application, PatentApplication, PMP, Today's Chili, zune
See that there? That’s a hope and a dream, both of which are seemingly situated in a nondescript box six feet beneath the surface of reality. Thanks to a bit of digging by the folks at Techie Buzz, a Microsoft patent was unearthed containing pictures and descriptions of a bantam media player, not unlike the sketches here. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is an iPod nano competitor, and one has to wonder when exactly the plug was pulled from such an initiative. The application itself was originally filed in April of 2009, and was just made public within the USPTO database today — the last Zune device to be produced was the HD (which landed in the fall of ’09), and given Redmond’s insistence on making Windows Phone 7 its next Zune, we’re guessing this little guy won’t ever see the light of day. Maybe in another life, though. For now, feel free to pour one out as you think of what could’ve been, and give that source link a poke if you’re good at holding back tears.

Patent reveals Microsoft’s Zune Nano, reminds us of an ambitious past originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 31

Samsung Galaxy Player priced on Best Buy mobile app, dares you to rate it

Posted in: Android, BestBuy, PMP, samsung, Today's Chili

Look at what one curious tipster stumbled upon while thumbing through Best Buy’s mobile app — it’s the five-inch version of Samsung’s soon to be released Galaxy Player. The PMP is, for most intents and purposes, the Galaxy S handset devoid of that pesky 3G and calling functionality — in fact, it’s still known as the Galaxy S WiFi elsewhere in the world. Priced at $270, according to the app, the 8GB touchscreen player has two cameras (a VGA on the front and and 3.0 megapixel on the rear), a microSD slot, and an FM tuner. Back in March, we heard that the music player would be hitting our shores this spring, between this and its FCC appearance a couple of months back, we’ve got our fingers crossed that it will still make it in under the wire.

[Thanks, Josafat]

Samsung Galaxy Player priced on Best Buy mobile app, dares you to rate it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 20

iRiver’s T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video)

Posted in: korea, mp3 player, Mp3Player, PMP, Today's Chili, video

Been searching for an MP3 player that can do it all, including whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Behold the iRiver T9, a slim, Barbie pink number with screen savers that say, “I love you” and “enjoy your life.” For such a gimmicky device, it actually offers a healthy feature set, including an FM radio, voice recorder, step and calorie counters, a built-in USB connector, and the ability to shake to skip. Too bad the storage taps out at a puny 4GB. No word on pricing, but for now you can peep a less patronizing color palette in the gallery below and head past the break to play a game sweeping the Engadget staff: “spot the MP3 player in the video of dancing schoolgirls.”

Gallery: iRiver T9

Continue reading iRiver’s T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video)

iRiver’s T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 05

Creative debuts compact, Bluetooth-enabled Zen Style M300 PMP

Posted in: bluetooth, mp3 player, Mp3Player, PMP, Today's Chili
It may not be quite as convenient to wear as a watch, but Creative’s new Zen Style M300 PMP does have a leg up on the slightly smaller iPod nano in one key respect: it packs built-in Bluetooth 2.1 support so you can use wireless headphones with it. You can also expand the PMP’s memory beyond its basic 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB capacities thanks to its microSD card slot, although you won’t get a touchscreen here — the 1.45-inch display is simply complemented by a couple of touch buttons. Otherwise, you’ll get a built-in FM radio, a mic for voice recording, a promised 20 hours of battery life, and your choice of four different colors: black, white, red or yellow. Those that can do without Bluetooth can also opt for the slightly cheaper, and otherwise identical M100 model — look for both to be available in June, with prices running from $40 to $90. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Creative debuts compact, Bluetooth-enabled Zen Style M300 PMP

Creative debuts compact, Bluetooth-enabled Zen Style M300 PMP originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 01

Samsung’s Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 now rolling out to countries far away from you

Posted in: Android, froyo, gingerbread, PMP, samsung, Today's Chili

While Samsung has yet to announce an actual date for its new Galaxy Players in the US, their international counterparts are already heading towards other parts of the world for a head start. The Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 is said to be debuting in Russia followed by other countries, whereas its 5.0 sibling will be launched in Switzerland. In terms of specs, not much has changed since we last saw these 1GHz, DivX-friendly Android PMPs, and yes, they’ll still be shipped with Froyo “with a possibility to upgrade to 2.3 Gingerbread.” As always, we’ll let you folks know when we eventually find out about the US launch (if ever), though to be frank, we’d rather just go for the beefier Galaxy S II instead.

Continue reading Samsung’s Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 now rolling out to countries far away from you

Samsung’s Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 now rolling out to countries far away from you originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 May 2011 23:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 19

Philips GoGear Connect gets Gingerbread and some new threads, we go hands-on

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, hands-on, media player, MediaPlayer, MP3, mp3 player, Mp3Player, philips, PMP, Today's Chili

It’s been a while since we last saw Philip’s GoGear Connect PMP, and in the meantime it’s acquired a new look and a new flavor of Android. The new GoGear has gone from white to black, lost its trackball in favor of a capacitive touchscreen display, and exchanged the lowly Android 2.1 for Gingerbread. Like its competition from Samsung, the device also has access to the Android Market and all those apps that lesser PMPs lack. After getting some quality time with a prototype of the new device, we found the copper-colored buttons and speaker grill running along its right side to form an intriguing design, but the overall fit and finish — not to mention the lack of a backlight for the screen — demonstrated that it wasn’t quite ready for primetime. Luckily, there’s plenty of time to work out the kinks, as Philips has pegged a September debut for the 8GB and 16GB versions (at $179 and to-be-determined price points, respectively), and promised a 32GB iteration will come later. PR after the break.

Gallery: Philips GoGear Connect PMP hands-on

Continue reading Philips GoGear Connect gets Gingerbread and some new threads, we go hands-on

Philips GoGear Connect gets Gingerbread and some new threads, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 08

Cowon’s minuscule C2 PMP picks up where the D2 left off

Posted in: PMP, Today's Chili

At this point, Cowon’s D2 (and to a lesser extent, the D2+) is getting a bit long in the tooth, and it looks as if the Korea-based outfit will be taking an alphabetical leap backwards in order to supplant it. The newly revealed C2 is slated to land at the end of April or early May in order to give barebones PMP users yet another alternative, boasting a 2.6-inch resistive touchpanel (320 x 240), a composite video output, microSD expansion slot, 4/8/16GB of internal flash storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, an internal microphone and a rechargeable battery that’s good for up to ten hours of video playback (and a whopping 55 hours when listening strictly to audio). Per usual, Cowon’s supporting every file format under the sun (and the moon, for good measure), and we’re expecting nothing less than world-class aural performance based on the company’s past. We’re still waiting to hear back on a price, but you can use your limbo time wisely by deciding on white, black or gray.

Gallery: Cowon’s C2 portable media player

Cowon’s minuscule C2 PMP picks up where the D2 left off originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 31

Galaxy Player 5 stops by the FCC, only takes the easy tests

Posted in: Android, galaxy, PMP, samsung, Today's Chili, wifi
Galaxy Player 5 stops by the FCC, only takes the easy tests

When you only have WiFi to worry about, testing in the foam rooms of doom at the FCC gets a little bit easier. Or so we’d imagine, anyhow. Samsung’s WiFi-only PMP, the Galaxy Player 5 (aka YP-G70, aka Galaxy Player 70), just got rubber-stamped by our favorite federal body, passing with flying colors. While we weren’t treated to any teardown antics, we do have the lovely sketch above showing you where you can find the FCC logo. It’s the thing on the pointy end of the red arrow above, a label that hopefully you’ll be able to see in person very soon.

[Thanks, James]

Galaxy Player 5 stops by the FCC, only takes the easy tests originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 29

Cowon D3 Plenue Android PMP review (video)

Posted in: Android, PMP, review, Today's Chili, video

One thing’s for sure: Cowon’s D3 Plenue is vastly different (and superior) to the firm’s AMOLED-equipped S9 from 2008, and it’s also catering to a vastly different sect of consumers compared to its ultra-capacious X7. This beaut is one of the few pocketable Android-based PMPs available today, offering up a gorgeous 3.7-inch AMOLED capacitive touchpanel (800 x 480), dedicated media controls along the edges, Android 2.1, WiFi, 1080p video output, a built-in microphone and a battery good for up to 21 hours of use. As with every other Cowon player, this one also supports every file format ever conceived, including FLAC, APE and OGG — three that the audiophiles in attendance will definitely recognize. The real question here is simple: does having Android on a non-connected (cellular, anyway) device really do you much good, and moreover, is it really worth the $357.99 asking price? We’ll discuss these points and more in our full review just after the break. Join us, won’t you?

Gallery: Cowon D3 Plenue Android PMP hands-on

Continue reading Cowon D3 Plenue Android PMP review (video)

Cowon D3 Plenue Android PMP review (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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