October 2009 Archives

A review of the ibiza Rhapsody HV18A portable media player has been posted over at SkatterTech.com.'The design of the Haier media player is very simple. The face is slightly elevated, and the edges curve off into the side. Below the 1.8″ screen, the player includes touch sensitive buttons for the menu, volume, left/right, and "ok". All these keys light up blue and are embedded into the body. That unfortunately means buttons are difficult to find when you aren't looking at the device. The built in microphone and the power button slider, which also locks the device, are on the left side. There's a small reset pinhole on the right side, which I hope doesn't need to be used. Despite the player's sleek and simple look, the glossy finish and mirrored back makes it a great finger print magnet.'

The Electric Pig have published a review of the Archos Clipper MP3 player. 'The Archos Clipper works on the same basis as the iPod Shuffle, as its name suggests. Take it out on a run and you use the clip round the back to keep it secure on your sweaty T-shirt. With 2GB on board, it can't rival the top-end Shuffle for space, but with an MP3 player of this size, it hardly matters. Having 1,000 tunes shuffling can be an infuriating distraction: 500 is plenty. Plus the smaller size keeps the price down.

The Register Hardware have published their review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-S544 8GB portable media player. 'Like all Sony players the S-Class will hook up to any and all operating systems as either an MTP or MSC class device, while Windows users can use the handy Content Transfer Tool to load music directly from the iTunes desktop. The bundled headphones are the same MDR-E804Y type that Sony supplies with its E-class players. We didn't think much of them when we looked at the E class and time has not made us think any more highly of them. Sony can - and usually does - do better.'

Anything But iPod have published their review of the Zune HD video MP3 player. 'The majority of the Zune HD's housing is made of plastic, with the exception of the back which is made from a brushed aluminum. The screen is Gorilla Glass produced by Corning and seems to be what many of the manufactures are using. It has appeared on other players such as the Cowon S9. When holding the Zune HD it is very obvious that a great deal of time and resources were spent on the design and build. Its assembly is very impressive; there is no give or creaking at all. The lines where one material meets another are precise and buttons have the perfect amount of travel and tactile click. Simply put, the Zune HD is a premium piece of hardware.'

The Apple iPod shuffle 2 GB Black 4th Gen (Newest Model) player has been reduced from $59.99 to $55.00 over at Amazon.com. 'iPod shuffle is jaw-droppingly small and enormously colorful in black, silver, pink, blue, and green. And even more brilliant, the VoiceOver feature tells you what song is playing and who's performing it. It can even tell you the names of your playlists, giving you a new way to navigate your music with the controls located on the earphone cord. Clip a 2 GB or 4 GB iPod shuffle to your sleeve, running shorts, or backpack and take up to 1,000 songs wherever you go.'

The Archos 5 500 GB Internet Tablet with Android is on offer for $489.99 over at Amazon.com. 'The ARCHOS 5 lets you easily surf the Web. With a Wi-Fi connection (802.11 b/g/n) and the new OMAP3440 processor running at 800 MHz, you get quick and responsive Internet browsing just like on a laptop, without the endless waits for page loads. Enjoy the Web in full width thanks to the 800 pixel wide screen, with no need to zoom in or out.'

The Sony Walkman X Series OLED Display Video MP3 Player has been reduced from $399.95 to $373.35 over at Amazon.com 'Watch videos, view pictures and surf the internet in breathtaking contrast, brightness and color on the astounding, 3-inch OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen. Hear your music as the artist intended. This player is equipped with Digital Clear audio technologies such as S-Master digital amplifier and a digital noise canceling function that delivers your audio without distortions or distractions.'

A review of the Zune HD digital player has been posted over at Ubergizmo.com. 'The Zune HD *is* sexy, slim and solidly built. It is actually smaller than it looks on the product photos and many people are surprised when they see it for the first time (which is good for a music player). It is also very light (2.6oz, versus 4.23oz for the iPod touch). The other day I was looking for it, after forgetting that it was in fact in my pants pocket... However, once you get over the first physical contact, the new user interface and experience is really what matters. So, is the Zune HD hot or not?'

CNET have published a review of the Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro (black). 'Measuring 6 inches high by 4.1 inches wide by .4 inch deep and weighing 6 ounces, the Pocket Pro is about the same size as the Sony PRS-300. It's hard to call it a true pocket device, such as the iPhone, but it will slip into the inside pocket of most sports coats (we tried it with a blazer), as well as cargo pant pockets. From a design standpoint, the Pocket Pro features a rubberized finish that Astak reps claim is less susceptible to scuffing than the finish on Sony's Readers. There may be some truth to that--and we did like the feel of the finish--but overall the Sony is sleeker looking.'

Anything But iPod have published their review of the Sony Walkman S540 player. 'The basic design of the S540 is a rectangle with the top and bottom being rounded compared to rounded corners on previous models. The chassis is plastic with speaker grills made of metal and a hard plastic part covering the screen. The back is dented in the middle (aka bulging on either side) due to the speakers sitting to either side on the back (when the player is held on the side/landscape mode). The shape when held on the side really reminds me of the first PSP, which had both rounded sides and bulging parts on the back to form a grip-like shape. Every time I hold the S540 I get the feeling I'm holding a tiny portable gaming device.'

CNETAsia have published their review of the Philips GoGear Muse (16GB) digital player. 'Sporting a 3-inch display, the Muse measures 110 x 55 x 8.9mm, acceptable for a player of such a screen size. The unit features physical buttons to control all the functions. Apart from those mentioned above, there are a noise-canceling switch and a volume control rocker at the top of the device, plus a Creative Zen-like slider power switch that also locks and unlocks the button functions. The headphone port still resides at the bottom of the player. While this location keeps the wires away from the hands, it also makes the Muse pocket-unfriendly since the headphone plug would jut out from the bottom. The headphone jack comes with extra contact points which the bundled noise-canceling in-ear headphones require for microphone operation.'

Mod Synergy have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Clip 8GB MP3 player. 'The Sansa Clip I am reviewing today is the sleek black color version. The MP3 player is constructed entirely of plastic and is visually the best it can be. It actually looks good. The plastic enclosure is coated in glossy black paint. Typical of such glossy products, the Clip attracts fingerprints and dust than if it were matte. But nonetheless, I am pleased with how well the Sansa Clip looks, flows, and functions. It's a no frills design and straight forward with the user having to use the multi-directional pad and enter button to navigate the menus.'

A review of the Philips GoGear Mix (4GB) MP3 player has been posted over at CNET.com.au. 'The Mix is like its more expensive brethren minus the video playback functionality. It plays MP3, WMA and WAV audio files and can hold about 1000 tracks on its 4GB of internal storage (depending on the lengths of tracks and how they are encoded). It also features an FM radio tuner and a built-in voice recorder, both handy features for the rare occasions you may have to use them.'

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Philips GoGear Muse personal media player. 'In the hand, the Muse looks more like a thin mobile phone than a media player. The lettering on the fascia clearly indicates that the device is supposed to be held landscape-style, with the controls to the right of the 3in screen. Yet, even after a week of use we still tended to pick it up and hold it so the controls were at the bottom. Physically, the Muse is a solid device, and a smart one too, with its brushed metal back and sides and glossy black fascia housing a flush screen. It won't take up too much pocket space either, measuring up at 110 x 8.9 x 55mm and weighing 95g, which is on a par with Samsung's P3.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet/portable media player. 'The Archos 5 Internet Tablet may look familiar, and for good reason--it very closely resembles, in appearance and name, last year's touch-screen Archos 5. The primary difference is significant, however: Archos has replaced its old operating system with Google's Android 1.5. When browsing music, video, and photo menus, the experience is more or less identical to what you get with the original Archos 5, but you can feel the Android presence in the main menu, which is dominated by Android apps. So does Android make the Archos 5 a better device? Yes and no. It's nice to have the apps, but in our tests, many of them didn't work very well. In addition, time is a factor here: The touch-screen PMP competition has become a lot more intense in the past year.'

The Creative Zen 20 GB Portable Media Center is on offer for $329.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The Creative Zen Portable Media Center is the ultimate portable player for audio and visual entertainment. Watch up to 85 hours of video, listen to over 9,000 songs and view tens of thousands of photos. Its intuitive Microsoft interface offers familiar, fast and easy access to all your favorite digital media and gives you the freedom to take it with you anywhere.Watch it, listen to it, share it or show it off - As the flag ship of the Zen family of portable media products, the Zen Portable Media Center truly delivers an unparalleled audiovisual experience for people on the go.Movies, TV, music and photos can be enjoyed on the Zen's bright 3.8-inch color screen, through high quality headphones or its built-in speaker.'

The Gadgeteer have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player, 'It's compatible with Windows and Mac computers and doesn't require any special software to load music on it. Just plug it in to your computer with the included USB cable and it will show up like a regular flash drive. From there, you can drag and drop audio files to the appropriate folders. You can also copy music to a microSD card and plug it into the Clip+. Any music copied to the player's memory or a microSD card will show up in the list of artist and songs.'

TweakTown have published their review of the Microsoft Zune HD and AV Dock personal media player. 'The Zune HD player is quite a nice looking piece of hardware and one that certainly catches the eye. Its sleek form has an industrial yet sexy look that gets attention. The model we tested was the Zune HD Black 16GB. The black color brings to mind images of exotic sports cars, especially with the glass covering the touch screen. The front of the player is where we find the new OLED screen. This 3.3-inch organic display is unfortunately surrounded by a bezel and not full edge to edge. While this does not take away from the picture quality, we feel that a full edge to edge screen would have really set the Zune HD even more apart in look that it already is.'

-The Creative Zen Mozaic 4 GB MP3 Player (Black) has been reduced from $79.99 to $60.57 over at Amazon.com.
• 4 GB capacity for 2,000 WMA or 1000 MP3 files
• Up to 32 hours battery life on a single charge
• 1.8-inch TFT color display with 128 x 160 pixel resolution
• Supports AVI video format MP3, WMA, WAV (IMA-ADPCM), Audible 4 audio formats; JPEG (BMP/GIF/PNG/TIFF) image formats
• 1-year limited hardware warranty

The SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) is on offer for $51.94 over at Amazon.com. 'Smaller than a credit card and as thin as a pencil, the new Sansa Fuze MP3 player looks great--and has the brains to match. With room for up to 1,000 songs**, you can listen all day long. Jam to FM radio with 40 preset stations, play with the built-in voice recorder, and listen to your favorite audiobooks wherever you go. And with 24 hours of battery life, you're free to listen, watch, and play all day--literally.'

The Archos 105 2 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) is on offer for $57.07 over at Amazon.com. 'At only 7 millimeters thick, the stylish and easily portable Archos 105 multimedia player packs in advanced features but won't weigh you down. The Archos comes packed with 2 GB of on-board storage -- plenty of space for hours and hours of nonstop multimedia playback -- and a sharp 1.8-inch color screen for crystal clear video playback and photo viewing. The Archos is compatible with WMV video files and can store up to 12 hours of video, plenty of room for at least two movies and a few must-have video clips. For music playback versatility, the Archos is compatible with MP3, CBR, VBR, WMA, and protected WMA files.'

Pocket-lint have published their review of the Microsoft Zune HD digital media player. 'Power it up and you'll quickly find that it's made by Microsoft. Why do we say that? Well because before you go anywhere you have to sync it with your PC. Once synced, you've then got to update it with the latest firmware version and that's after you've downloaded the Zune software to get the thing working in the first place. It's not the end of the world, but you expect gadgets these days to just work, not to have to be updated from day one. Mac users with the urge to sign up, take heed: the Zune software isn't Mac compatible and therefore you'll either have to find a friend to install the software or invest in virtualisation software to run on your Mac. If you don't it's a charming looking paperweight. Microsoft has teased with the promise of Mac software, but don't hold your breath.'

A review of the Samsung YP-R1 8GB touchscreen media player has been posted over at TrustedReviews.com. 'The centrepiece of the YP-R1 is, of course, its 2.6in, 400 x 240 pixel touch-sensitive display (yes I know that SamsungConnect lists it as 2.7in, but we didn't have a review unit to confirm with when we published the competition). As you might imagine, putting the player's controls on-screen frees up physical space, such that at 85 x 45.5 x 8.9mm the YP-R1 is barely any bigger than a Sony E Series Walkman, despite having a notably larger display (with a more useful aspect ratio to boot). The brushed metal finish, looks just as good, in an understated way, in black or silver and makes the price tag seem entirely justified; in the hand the YP-R1 really does feel like a quality piece of equipment.'

A review of the 16GB Zune HD portable media player has been posted over at Uncle Bubby. 'Let's start this review with the Zune 4.0 desktop software. The Zune software has much the same look and feel as previous versions but there are two new features/functions that I really like. First is the mini player. I don't generally use the Zune software for media playback and I don't generally play music directly from my computer but the mini player makes the playback experience much more unobtrusive. It's a bit like a mini Zune HD screen and allows you to shuffle all of your music or play Smart DJ playlists or pinned items. The Now Playing screen echoes the device display as well.'

Trusted Reviews have published their review of the Sony PRS-600 Reader Touch Edition. 'The PRS-600 looks quite different to Sony's previous eBook readers. Whereas earlier models had more buttons than a pearly king and queen, this one is a much more Spartan affair with just five long, thin buttons lined up beneath the display. Of course, this has been made possible due to the touch nature of the screen, with the user interface relying largely on touch input for navigation, which is no bad thing in our book (if you'll excuse the pun). The buttons may have largely disappeared, but thankfully the excellent build quality remains.'

The Cowon iAUDIO 7 Portable 8 GB MP3 Player (Red) is on offer for $101.98 over at Amazon.com.
Product Features:
• MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV, MPEG4 (video) playback
• FM Radio listening and recording, voice recording, Line-In recording
• TXT(Text), JPEG(Image) File Viewer (Image Zoom, Wallpaper)
• Internal flash memory 4GB, 8GB, (16GB)
• USB 2.0 Interface
• 1.3 inch 160x128 dot, 260,000 color TFT LCD
• Long Play Time: Up to 60 hours (Based on company test result)
• Multi-language Support
• Enhanced Integrated Navigator
• Play/Pause during Playback, Record/Pause during Recording
• Next Track/Previous Track, Fast Forward/Fast Rewind, Infinite Loop

CNET Australia have published their review of the Philips GoGear Vibe MP3 player. 'The face of the Vibe holds its greatest strength and weakness. The top half of the player's front includes a feature found on few MP3 players in this price range -- a colour screen. For about AU$120, you're lucky to get any screen at all, much less a 1.5-inch screen capable of photos, videos and album artwork. Sure the resolution is crud, and you'll really need to crank up the Vibe's brightness to read it in broad daylight, but it's still a feature worth bragging about to anyone dangling their Sansa Clip in front of you.'

CNET Asia have published a review of the Creative Zen X-Fi2 (8GB) portable media player. 'Is imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? The Zen X-Fi2's design may look similar to the iPod touch, albeit in a smaller, more pocket-friendly 102 x 57 x 11.6mm.The player is made entirely from plastic with a shiny metallic strip that surrounds the edges. The rear of the player gets a matte finish, while the front estate sports a glossy surface. The matte effect is great at resisting scratches, but the Zen X-Fi2's glossy finish attracts smudges and oil.'

The Apple iPod touch 32 GB (3rd Generation) [Newest Model] is on offer for $279.99 over at Amazon.com. 'The new 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch models boast improved performance, making them up to 50 percent faster than the previous generation. Listen to a mix of songs automatically put together by the new Genius Mixes feature. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Discover games and apps you're sure to love with new Genius recommendations for apps.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the new Sony PSP Go portable gaming console. 'With the PSP go, Sony is poised to compete with other portable gaming platforms, including the Nintendo DS Lite and Apple's iPod touch--at least as far as portability is concerned. The PSP go measures 2.7 by 5 by .65 inches (HWD), making it roughly half the volume of the original PSP-1000. This PSP will slide right into your jeans pocket; it's a far cry from the older model that really only fits in a bag or oversized jacket pocket. All the controls are where you'd expect them: The analog stick, the d-pad, and the game buttons are under the sliding screen. Controls for power, the shoulder buttons, and the switch for the 802.11b Wi-Fi are positioned near the bezel.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-S544 8GB player. 'While the feature set of the S544 is somewhat reduced from its predecessor, the most important aspect, its performance, is every bit as good. As long as the source files are of a reasonable quality (think iPlayer downloads, not YouTube rips) then videos look pretty snazzy. Colours are vibrant, the screen is bright, playback is smooth and clear, plus viewing angles are good enough that two could watch a video at the same time. I'll leave it to your imagination as to when that might be useful.'

A review of the Creative X-Fi2 16GB portable media player has been posted over at Stuff.tv. 'The X-Fi2 is no multi-tasking supergadget, and videos lack panache on the 3in screen. Pick up an A/V cable from Creative (£18) and you can feed composite video directly into a TV. Handy for occasional use, perhaps, but the quality won't satisfy true videophiles. That said, the X-Fi2 plays well to its strengths: you won't find another touchscreen device with FLAC support for this price, and if you do, it won't sound nearly as good.'

The SanDisk Sansa Clip 1 GB MP3 Player (Black) is on offer for $29.03 over at Amazon.
Product Details:
• Up to 15 hours continuous playback using internal rechargeable battery
• Supports MP3, WMA, secure WMA, and Audible audio file formats
• Includes digital FM tuner with 20 preset stations voice recorder w/built-in microphone
• Hi-speed USB 2.0 port for fast and easy transfer of files

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-E443 4GB player. 'The E Series, for example, which is now Sony's closest rival to the iPod nano as the S Series has lost its way somewhat (really Sony, speakers?) starts at around £65 for this 4GB NWZ-E443, with the 8GB NWZ-E444 and 16GB NWZ-E445 available for about £80 and £100 respectively. That beats the iPod in two respects. First, the entry point for the E Series is lower, if you don't mind the limited capacity and second for the same amount of storage, Sony is asking a lot less. It's not like the E443 feels cheap. It might be made of plastic, but there's a solidity that inspires confidence, so that even if you're clumsy enough to drop the player, it should survive the experience unscathed.'

A review of the Creative Zen X-Fi 2 portable media player has been posted over at TechRadar.com. 'As Creative's brand-leading MP3 player, you'd think its performance would be right up there competing with Apple's iPod touch, but that's not really the case here. The price of this 16GB model is just £129 - the same price as the new 16GB iPod nano and nearly half the price of the 16GB 3rd generation iPod touch. So that's why we'll be comparing the X-Fi 2 to the nano rather than the touch. So, the question on everyone's lips is bound to be - is the touchscreen on the Zen X-Fi 2 any good? Well, it's fairly safe to say that anyone who's been using devices like iPhone, iPod touch, HTC Hero and so on, will find the X-Fi 2's touchscreen an absolute nightmare to use.'

CNET have published a review of the Sony PSP Go games console. 'On the surface, Sony's PSP Go doesn't really look like anything radically new for the PSP franchise. Yes, it's more compact than the three earlier generations of the portable gaming and multimedia handheld device. And yes, it features such additions as built-in Bluetooth, slide-out controls, and a smaller, more pocketable overall design. But the real change here--the radical departure, if you will--is the fact that the Go is the first dedicated handheld gaming system to go completely digital and move away from cartridges or optical discs.'

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Apple iPod Shuffle 3G MP3 player. 'The iPod Shuffle is one of those products that reveals both Apple's strengths and weaknesses. The most obvious strength, of course, is the sheer quality of the design. When you stand it upright on a desk the Shuffle is a gleaming oblong capsule that measures less than 45.2mm high, just 17.5mm wide and 7.8mm thick - and that includes the clip for fastening it to your clothing. And with a weight of just 10.7g, it really is ideal for wearing when you're out jogging, working out at the gym, or hurtling around on a skateboard.'