August 2009 Archives

CNET Asia have published their review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-S545 player. 'The S-540 series sports a rather unique style that consists of a perforated texture. While these little indents in the body picked up dirt and dust over our test period, at least Sony has been brave with the design. The bulk of the player is covered in plastic with a matte finish. The cover of the screen, however, is made of what seems to be the same sort of plastic that endows the cheaper E-440 series. In fact, the matte finish of the S-540 withstood light scrapes better than glossy finishes, a good thing we like to see, especially when players are usually used outdoors more often than indoors. The rear of the unit is where the speakers are located, hidden behind the perforated plastic areas.'

A review of the Nextar T30 portable media player has been posted over at About.com. 'The Nextar T30 portable media player, about the size of a deck of cards, is not an overly attractive device. It feels light in the hand and pretty durable. The 3.5-inch TFT color display is pretty typical, smudging easily. Eight control buttons line the player's sides, including a power button which annoyingly must be held down for several seconds to start the device. Feature navigation, handled by the external buttons, is confusing because of the need for constant jumping between different sides of the player. This player is fully featured, with a wide array of customizable control options available. Digital media files are loaded through Windows Media Player or by dropping and dragging files through Windows.'

The Creative Zen MX 16 GB MP3 Player (Black) has been reduced from $149.99 to $120.55 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Enjoy your digital entertainment on the go with the Creative Labs Zen MX 16-GB MP3 Player. Offering up to 30 hours of continuous audio playback and five hours of continuous video playback, the compact Zen MX supports multiple music formats--including MP3, WMA, and AUDIBLE 4--and features an FM radio, voice recorder, and clock with alarm.'

CNET Asia have published a review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-E443 (4GB) player. 'The new E-440 series consists of the NWZ-E443, NWZ-E444 and NWZ-E445. These come in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, respectively. Memory capacity is the only difference between these three players. No big surprises as the layout of the E-440 range remains largely unchanged from the older E-430, but the size of the five-way D-pad has grown considerably, with the Back and Option buttons overlapping it (and giving it the Mickey Mouse look, as several sites point out). The bottom of the device is where we find the 3.5mm headphone jack and proprietary Sony WM-Port.'

A review of the Sony S-Series Walkman player has been posted over at GeekyGadgets.com. 'The display on the S-Series Walkman is pretty clear, and it features an easy to navigate menu, where you can easily select the various functions of the Walkman using the click wheel. It features a built in FM Radio, and a built in voice recorder function that lets you record memos and also record direct from the built in FM tuner.'

The Big Picture Big Sound have published their review of the Sony X Series NWZ-X1051 Walkman player. 'The X Series Walkman can't claim to be the thinnest or the smallest or possessing the biggest screen of any portable audio/video player, but its design does offer a solid heft in the hand, with a unique textured metal border. The selection and location of the controls take a little getting used to, but first things first. Connecting via the proprietary USB cable was as simple as plug, wait a second, and play. The hardware drivers were automatically installed and ready to use on my computer.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Viliv S5 internet device. 'Measuring 6.0 x 3.3 x 0.9 inches and weighing 14.4 ounces, the Viliv S5 falls in between the very pocketable iPhone/iPod touch and a netbook. It's significantly heavier than Apple's offerings, but smaller than mini-notebooks, making it a prime device for two-handed operation, much like a Nintendo DSi or Sony PSP. It's roughly the same size as the 6.6 x 3.7 x 0.9-inch Clarion MiND, another mobile Internet device, but about 5 ounces heavier. The S5 sports a sturdy build that feels quite solid in hand, and it looks good, too. The all-black device is highlighted by a glossy 4.8-inch display flanked on either side by navigation keys that glow a soft blue.'

A review of the Sony NWZ-X1050 Walkman portable media player has been posted over at ITReviews.co.uk. 'A small selection of buttons are dotted around the chassis (including volume, key-lock, etc.), but most tasks are performed using the touch-screen display. It's extremely responsive and even those with larger fingers shouldn't have a problem tapping their way through the menus. The screen also recognises gestures, allowing you to flick through photos or albums, for example. However, it's not multi-touch, so you can't zoom in using a pinching gesture as with the iPod Touch.'

Amazon.com has the Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) [NEWEST MODEL] on offer for $274.95 with free standard shipping. 'The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies--including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics--and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker. Play hours of music. Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.'

Computeractive have published a review of the Iriver P7 portable media player. 'Our review unit had an 8GB internal hard disk, and is priced at £100. There is also a 16GB model that costs £130. Battery life is about 35 hours if you are listening to music or seven hours if watching video. Like the iPod Touch, the P7's touch-sensitive screen is used to control playback and navigate menu options. One interesting aspect of the P7 is its so-called 'magazine' interface.'

A review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-X1050 MP3 player has been posted over at Pocket-lint.com. 'The X series Walkman (16GB) has an RRP at the same level as the 16GB iPod touch (£214), but can be picked up for quite a bit less online. So setting those comparisons aside, what does the NWZ-X1050 offer us? The design is interesting. Measuring 97.4 x 52.5 x 10.5mm and weighing 98g, it is easily pocketable. Rather than opting for glossy plastics or polished metals, the X series looks as though it has been carved out of the earth: rough textured sides give way to a smooth front and back with plenty of subtle sparkle.'

CNET Asia have published a review of the SmartQ 7 Mobile Internet Device. 'SmartDevices, a China-based manufacturer, made news earlier this year when it launched the SmartQ 5 MID. Not only is it very affordable at S$299 (US$200.09), the ARM chipset also allows the unit to last for days before requiring a recharge. However, the first revision of the firmware was so buggy that most of the uptime was used waiting for programs to launch or files to open. The company's latest MID iteration, the SmartQ 7, is a larger edition of the original SmartQ 5 with an updated firmware and the option to run Windows CE (the SmartQ 5 has these options as well). Could this be the MID that consumers are waiting for?'

CNET Asia have published a review of the Ramos T11 (16GB) touchscreen portable video player. 'At 130 × 84 × 12mm, it's a little on the big side, but most of the real estate goes to accommodating the large 5-inch touchscreen that occupies the front of the player. On the right side of the T11 is where you find the power button, microSD expansion slot for up to 8GB, a mini-USB port, TV-output and the headphone port. We do wish Ramos had included a stand of some sort so users can place the unit at a comfortable viewing angle on the table.'

IT Reviews have published a review of the new Cowon D2+ DAB portable media player. 'So, the real news with the D2+ DAB is the DAB radio. Once you've scanned Band III, you get the full range of BBC digital stations as well as a dozen or so commercial equivalents. Programme and track information is displayed on-screen, as you'd expect, though in a miniscule font. The exact DAB station mix will vary with the area you're in, but the quality is surprisingly good. OK the audio, compared with a good FM signal (FM is still provided here) is a bit like comparing MP3 with CD, but you'll get much less drop-off from DAB if you're in a car or train.

CNET have published a review of the Eviant T7 7-inch portable LCD TV (black). 'The T7, which online costs a little more than $100, comes in a variety of colors, including black, white, and red, and all of them have a glossy finish that gives the TV an elegant look at the expense of attracting fingerprints. You can watch the TV by either holding it in your hand--or rather both hands since it weighs 1.5 pounds--or you can prop it up on a flat surface using the built-in kickstand that supports the unit nicely (there's also a pair of keyhole slots if you want to mount it on a wall). The translucent shield that covers the display is reflective and creates some glare issues if you have the TV at the wrong angle--but at least the screen is protected.'

A review of the Philips GoGear Vibe 4GB portable player has been posted over at ChipChick.com. 'The GoGear Vibe's black glossy design itself is slick and easy on the eye. Its body is small with curved edges so the ease of portability is there, but unfortunately the quality of the operational buttons are a bit stiff. You can also hear a bit of clicking noise when you press on the buttons. However for this price point, I guess you can't complain too much since it is a MP3/Video player after all. Overall, the GoGear Vibe is a very portable device, fitting into the palm of my hand, it is great for running or using at the gym. I used it every morning for 1 hour in the gym and it lasted 7 days without having to recharge. The battery life is rated at 25 hours for audio and 4 hours for video.'

PC Advisor have published their review of the Sony Walkman X-Series digital player. 'The Sony Walkman X-Series has a lot of surprising design choices, such as the tactile hardware playback buttons on the top edge of the player. It is uncommon for touchscreen players to have physical volume rockers (iPod touch, we're looking at you), much less actual hardware playback buttons. But we found them handy, especially when we were digging around in a bag, searching for the Sony Walkman X-Series so we could skip to the next song. The X-Series also has a large hold switch on its back - a refreshing change from the tiny, inconveniently-placed switches we've seen on other players.'

A review of the Samsung S3 MP3 Player has been posted over at AssociatedContent.com. 'The Samsung S3 Slim is available in five different colors including black, green, red, blue, and white. This Samsung MP3 player also has glowing controls that are touch sensitive which are located below the exterior. The cool part about these controls is that they only light up when they are touched by your finger. The only setback that this creates for the Samsung S3 Slim is that it adds an extra navigation step. At the bottom of this Samsung MP3 player you will find a 3.5mm headphone jack and the main syncing port.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Samsung YP-Q2 8GB.media player 'Well, first impressions are definitely good. The YP-Q1 had a slick, elegant design, but the YP-Q2 is even better. At 49mm x 101mm x 10mm it's very slightly larger than the Q1, but also slightly slimmer and lighter. The diamond shape that used to show the limits of the touch-sensitive D-pad has gone, leaving the player stripped back to the 2.4in screen, a metallic surround around the face of the unit and decals for the 'back' and 'options' menu and the Samsung logo.'

The Washington Post have published a review of the new Sony X-Series Walkman. 'The X-Series Walkman has a lot of surprising design choices, such as the tactile hardware playback buttons on the top edge of the player. It is uncommon for touchscreen players to have physical volume rockers (iPod Touch, I'm looking at you), much less actual hardware playback buttons. But I found them handy, especially when I was digging around in my bag, searching for the player so I could skip to the next song. The X-Series also has a large hold switch on its back--a refreshing change from the tiny, inconveniently-placed switches I've seen on other players.'

A review of the Philips GoGear Opus MP3 player has been posted over at Pocket-lint.com. 'The Opus bears more than a passing resemblance to the previous generation of pocketable music and video players from the company. The front is dominated by the screen with controls sitting across to the right. The controls are kept basic, with a power/play button sitting in the centre of a four-way navigator, accompanied by "Options" and "Back" The Opus itself is slim, measuring 107 x 57 x 11, which means that it's about the size of a mobile phone, if not a little larger. The black and silver design is attractive and it feels well constructed: the plastics feel ok and it is free from creaks as you grip it. At 95g it feels weighty enough in the hand to feel like a quality product.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Sony Walkman X Series (NWZ-X1051) touchscreen digital player. 'The X Series utilizes a hybrid control scheme, which is Sony's term for a mix of touchscreen and physical input methods. On the top of the device you'll find playback controls, which help immensely when you have the player in a pocket and don't want to pull it out to touch the screen; the back has a hold button; the right side contains a noise-canceling switch, dedicated volume controls, and a small hole for those unfortunate times when you need to reset the device. The front of the X Series has a grooved Home button that returns you to the main menu when pressed, and shuts down and powers up the device when held for a few seconds.'