November 2009 Archives

Here is a selection of MP3 Player deals available at Amazon.com

1. Archos 5 250 GB Internet Media Tablet Features: 250 GB capacity for up to 300 movies, 2.5 million photos, or 145,000 songs; Up to 22 hours music and 7 hours video playback time on a single charge; 4.8-inch TFT LCD touchscreen; 800 x 480 pixel resolution; 16 million colors; Video support: MPEG-4, WMV, and M-JPEG; Audio support: MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV; plug-ins available for further video and audio format support. Price: $199.99

2. Latte Espresso 16 GB Video MP3 Player with Haptic G-Sensor and Touchscreen (Metal Gun) Features: 16 GB capacity for storing about 4,000 songs; 15 hours of audio or 4 hours of video on a single charge; 3-inch, 262,000-color TFT LCD touchscreen with 420 x 240 pixel resolution and haptic feedback; Supports MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, APE, and OGG audio formats; AVI, RM/RMVB, FLV, WMV, 3GP, MPG, DAT, and MP4; video formats; JPG, BMP, and GIF image files; TXT text files and LRC lyrics files; 1-year limited warranty Price: $99.99

3. Visual Land V-Touch 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Black/Silver) Features: 2.8-inch color TFT touchscreen; Built-in 2.0 megapixel camera for stills, video, and webcam; Video support: AVI, 3GP, MP4 / audio support: MP3, WMA; Picture viewer, FM radio, voice recorder, and ebook reader; Expandable miniSD card slot and built-in frontal speaker Price: $54.99

4. Creative Labs Zen MX 16 GB MP3 Player (Black) Features: 2.5-inch color TFT display; 16 GB of storage with SD card expansion; Up to 30 hours of continuous audio playback; FM radio, voice recorder, and clock with alarm; Supports multiple music formats, including MP3, WMA, and AUDIBLE 4 Price: $89.99

5. Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation) [Previous Model] Features: 8 GB capacity for 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video; Up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged; 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display with 480-by-320-pixel resolution; Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG Price: $224.95

6. Cowon S9 16 GB Video MP3 Player with Touchscreen (Silver/Black) Features: 16 GB capacity for about 4,000 songs; 55 hours of audio or 11 hours of video on a single charge; 3.3-inch, 16-million color AMOLED display with 480 x 272 pixel resolution; Supports MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV, and APE audio formats; AVI and WMV video formats; JPEG image formats Price: $199.99

7. Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum) Features: 32 GB capacity for up to 8,000 songs, 48 hours standard definition video, or 10 hours high definition video; 3.3-inch OLED screen with 480 x 272 resolution and 16:9 display; HD Radio gives you access to many local stations with crystal-clear digital sound at no extra cost; Watch supported 720p HD movies, TV shows, and videos in high definition; Buy, stream, and update your music, download free games, and surf the web via a Wi-Fi connection Price: $269.00

8. SanDisk Sansa Clip 2 GB MP3 Player (Pink) Features: Robust and portable 2 GB MP3 player; Supports MP3, WMA, and secure WMA music file playback; Speedy USB 2.0 connectivity; Easy-to-read backlit screen; Built-in voice-recording feature Price: $34.79

9. Sony 4 GB Walkman Video MP3 Player (Red) Features: 4 GB capacity for up to 925 songs or 15 hours of video; Enjoy up to 45 hours of continuous music or 8 hours of video on a single charge; 2-inch TFT color display with white LED-backlight, QVGA (240 x 320 Pixels) resolution, and 262,144 colors; Supported audio formats: MP3, WMA, AAC-LC, and Linear PCM; supported video formats: AVC(H.264/AVC), MPEG-4, Windows Media Video 9 Price: $49.99

10. Philips GoGear 4 GB Vibe MP3 Video Player with 1.5-Inch Color Screen Features: Playback MP3, WMA or DRM music from subscription services; FM radio with RDS and 20 presets for more music options; 1.5" Full color display for easy navigation and album art; Up to 25-hour music or 4-hour video playback; Easy video downloads from the Internet to your GoGear Price: $49.99

Press Release

Kenwood, in addition to built-in memory, the memory capacity that can be easily expanded with a microSD card slot Dejitarumemoriodiopureya "Media Keg" "MG-F Series," the 12 will be released in early June.

As the overall flash memory and HDD and dissemination of digital media, has greatly changed by the user enjoy music style, and a large amount of music data recorded on digital audio players, high-quality styles that easily enjoy your favorite music has become mainstream. Will launch "Media Keg" "MG-F Series" is a built-in memory plus microSD card slot so that the market capacity microSD memory card expansion can easily be added. Without having to worry about the amount of memory, you can enjoy your favorite music freely. .

PC Magazine have published their review of the FLO TV Personal Television. 'Measuring 3.1 by 4.4 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighing in at 5.4 ounces, the Personal Television has some heft, but it's not awkward to carry. It can be cumbersome when you're also toting, say, your cell phone, however. (I kept my iPhone 3GS and the Personal Television in separate pockets.) The device is significantly larger and heavier than the 3.7-ounce Samsung Mythic, which measures 2.2 by 4.5 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and also offers FLO TV service (branded AT&T Mobile TV). The Mythic also features a 360-by-640-pixel display, compared to the 320-by-240-pixel screen on the Personal Television, and, of course, it's also a full-featured smartphone; so you only have to carry one device.'

The RCA M4102 2 GB Digital Media Player/FM Radio with voice recording (Silver) has been reduced from $49.99 to $38.98 over at Amazon.com. 'Enjoy watching your favorite videos on the full color 1.8-inch full color TFT display on the M4102 MP3 player by RCA. With 2 GB of memory you can store hundreds of your favorite songs and video. The player is compatible with MP3, WMA, DRM9/10, MPEG4/MP4, SMV, AVI, WMV, RMVB, and MOV file types. The built-in lithium rechargeable battery lets you enjoy up to 30-hours of music playback and 5-hours of video playback. Effortlessly manage your media library with the easyRip software.'

IT Reviews have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player. 'SanDisk continues to make small format portable music players, and its Sansa Clip range has just been updated with the Clip+. The Clip+ comes in three capacities: 2GB, 4GB and 8GB, priced at £37, £45 and £62 respectively. Each can be augmented with microSD or microSDHC memory cards allowing you to add up to 16GB of storage at current card size limits. The card slot is easily accessible on one edge of the device.'

Press Release

Seoul (Korea): Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leader in consumer electronics and digital convergence technology, has announced the South Korean market launch of its newest multimedia player, the R0 (YP-R0), featuring advanced audio and video capabilities together with a MicroSD external memory slot that frees users of memory constraints.

The Register Hardware have published a review of the iRiver Story e-book reader. 'The Story is heavily tapered on three sides with only the bottom having a flat surface. This is home to a 3.5mm headphones jack, the on/off switch, mini USB and SD card slots - the latter two being concealed by a plastic flap in typical iRiver style. The SD card slot requires just a little too much in the way of push to get the card to sit. Fine if you have long fingernails, a bit of a pain if you don't. Like Amazon, iRiver has done a service to both the left and right handed users by duplicating the page turn keys that sit next to the keypad and form part of the fascia on both sides of the unit. For one-handed use though, the page turn keys could have done with being placed a few centimetres nearer the top.'

Anything But iPod have published their review of the Cowon iAudio E2 MP3 player. 'The player is controlled with 6 buttons, three located on each side of the player. On the right are the power and skip/scan buttons. On the other side is the volume control and BBE/Shuffle button (short press for BBE, long press to toggle shuffle all). There are 8 different BBE setting that are announced by a female voice each time you press the button. These setting in addition to normal (off) are: BBE, BBE ViVa, BBE ViVa 2, BBE Mach3Bass, BBE MP, BBE Headphone 1, BBE Headphone 2, and BBE Headphone 3. Similarly the female voice will say "shuffle on" or "shuffle off" for the long press shuffle toggle.'

A review of the Philips GoGear Spark SA2925R/37 MP3 player has been posted over at Anything But iPod. The GoGear Spark is a very small player. Compared to a Sansa Clip with the clip on (or a Clip+) it has about the same physical volume, just a different shape. It's square with rounded corners, a flat back and a convex clear plastic front that essentially is a mirror when the screen is off. The concave front and the sloping sides that lead to a back that's smaller than the front makes the device look sort of like an old CRT TV cut off in the back. The screen is a 1.5" color OLED screen which really sets it apart from other small players. While it's low resolution, OLED means it has a perfect viewing angle and since the pixels light up instead of the back of the screen it looks awesome when dimmed; half glowing instead of the normal dimmed colors you get with LCDs.'

The Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) is on offer for $244.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'Cowon continues to master the personal media player with the O2. The player's sleek minimalism marries cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. The O2 is much more than an eye-catching MP3 player--it boasts support for more audio and video codecs than you can count on both hands, a brilliant 4.3-inch touchscreen, image and document viewing, voice recording, and plenty more. The O2 is a compact and versatile media player that'll keep you entertained no matter where, no matter when.'

The COBY PMP7040 7" TFT Portable Media Player (w/40 GB HDD & video recording) has been reduced from $429.99 to $299.95 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The COBY PMP7040 40 GB Portable Media Player lets you enjoy your favorite videos, music and pictures wherever you go. It boasts audio/video recording, an SD/MMC card slot for memory expansion/file transfer, built-in stereo speakers, and outputs for connecting to a TV, LCD, slide projector, or more. The PMP7040 may be used as a mass storage device, and its ÒUSB On-the-Go" feature allows you to download directly from other USB devices.'

The Philips PMC7320/17 Portable Media Player (30GB) is on offer for $125.00 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The PMC7230/17 boasts a bright 3.5` LCD color display for viewing your favorite movies, pictures or television recordings on the go. The familiar and friendly Windows-style controls help you navigate with ease. The li-ion rechargeable battery provides you with up to 3 hours of video playback and 16 hours of music. Your player automatically powers off in 10 minutes if there is no operation or music played. The last playback status and screen will be resumed the next time it is powered on. The device features an on/off lock to prevent accidental operation. Video The PCM7230/17 plays MPEG4 and WMV9 video. You can convert and transfer video files of other formats from your PC to your player with ArcSoft MediaConverter. Download video from your PC or record directly from a video source (DVD, Satellite box, TV output) in real time.'

A review of the Microsoft Zune HD (32GB) digital player has been posted over at Dev Hardware. 'The Zune HD is a music lover's dream. This is particularly true if you want to go "beyond the music" and learn background information on artists, or delve deeper into more of their songs or past albums. Rather than simply playing a song and showing album art, the software on the Zune HD offers users much more. For example, if you choose an artist, such as Jay-Z, to listen to, you will be taken to a screen that lists all of his album history, as well as sections detailing his biography, and photos. You will even be given suggestions on related artists you might enjoy, since you're interested in Jay-Z. You can think of this setup as something similar to the one offered on Amazon.com when you shop for music.'

Pocket-lint have published their review of the Creative Zen X-Fi 2 touchscreen media player. 'The X-Fi 2 ditches the keypad that used to sit alongside the display and now simply offers a "home" button to return to the main menu. The rest of the controls are operated via the touchscreen interface and aside from a microSD card slot for expanding the generous internal storage (the X-Fi 2 is available at capacities from 8 to 32GB) there are no other notable external features. Creative has gone the whole hog with touchscreen operation then, and it wasn't long before we were cursing the lack of a dedicated volume adjustor to avoid the rigmarole of unlocking and trawling through menus. Unfortunately this isn't too easy to do as this is far from the most responsive touchscreen on the market, paling in comparison to Apple's (admittedly far more expensive) recent efforts.'

Dev Hardware have published their review of the Sony PSP Go portable games console. 'The device measures 5 inches wide by 2.7 inches tall by 0.7 inch thick in its closed state and weighs 5.6 ounces. The Go has an overall glossy finish throughout its body, with the exception of a matte finish near the controls. Of course, with its glossy finish, you can expect plenty of fingerprints, so if you are not a big fan you might want to get the system in the available white color versus black. For extra grip, there are two rubber nodes on the back of the system to keep your hands from slipping.'

A review of the FLO TV Personal Television has been posted over at Pocket-lint.com. 'The Flo TV device sports a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a built-in speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack, and flip out stand so you can perch it on your desk. Made by HTC, the design of the device is fairly simple. Buttons are kept to a minimum (volume, mute, EPG and battery status) with the main control comes in the guise of that touchscreen display. The quickest way to access stations to watch is either via the EPG (electronic programme guide) or simply by flicking your finger from top to bottom or bottom to top of the screen. Doing so loads up the next channel for you to watch with the system letting you see what is on (via an EPG message) so you can keep scrolling if you don't fancy the station.

The Coby 4GB Flash MP3 Player with FM and Color Display (Black) has been reduced from $49.99 to $32.99 over at Amazon.com. 'Coby MP610-4GBLK MP3 Player with 4GB Flash memory with FM and Color Display, 1.8-inch color LCD display, integrated flash memory, Plays music, video, photos, and text, integrated FM radio, ID3 tag support for song information display, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed for fast file transfers, integrated rechargeable battery, Black.

PC Advisor have published a review of the BeBook Mini compact eBook reader. 'Like the Kindle, the BeBook Mini uses an e-ink/electronic paper display (EPD). This technology requires power to render a page but not to continue displaying it. In other words, you don't have to turn on the BeBook Mini every time you want to continue reading - the current page will just sit there without draining any power. The battery is rated at 7,000 page turns, and you can recharge it by connecting the included USB cable to your PC.'

CNET UK have published a review of the Panasonic DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player. 'The DMP-B15 really doesn't make a good first impression. There's just no getting around the fact that it's ugly. In fact, it's fat and ugly. It takes up a sizeable amount of room in a briefcase or bag, has a rather plasticky finish, and makes many old portable DVD players look positively cutting-edge by comparison. Or at least this is the case when the DMP-B15 is closed so that you can carry it. Thankfully, it looks much cooler when you flip the cover around and prop it up on the pull-out stand, ready for watching.'

A review of the Creative Zen X-Fi2 touchscreen media player has been posted over at Computeractive.co.uk. 'The X-Fi2 improves upon its predecessor by ditching the rather cumbersome tactile controls in favour of operation using a touch-sensitive screen. This allows it to make use of a large 3in display - it is also slimmer than the original model Zen X-Fi and feels more solid. Creative offers a typically impressive range of support for various media formats, a decent battery life of up to 25 hours audio playback (five hours for video) and a range of extra features that include an FM radio, clock, alarm, calendar and task and contacts list, which can be synchronised with a PC.'

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Sony Reader PRS-300 Pocket Edition. 'Physically, the Pocket resembles a shrunken and tidied up version of the 505. At 107 x 158 x 10mm, it's the same thickness as the Touch, but 14mm narrower and 17mm shorter. At 220g, it weighs a noticeable 66g less. Without a touchscreen, the controls are once again placed on the device's face, but there are only ten rather than the 17 the 505 had, and the layout is far neater. The ten number keys from the 505 have been condensed into five rocker buttons, while the navigation keys have been simplified into a circular navpad and four buttons to, respectively, take you to the Home menu, zoom in or out on text - though you only get three size options rather than the five you get with the Touch - add a bookmark, and go back a step.'

Pocket-lint have published their review of the Sony PSP Go games console. 'The PSP Go is dependent on the sliding screen which has a precise sliding action with plenty of pop. It feels like a quality device and is free from twist of lateral movement: when open, you don't need to be scared it is going to break off. The same goes for the rest of the build - it feels well constructed. The exterior finish is mostly glossy, which will attract fingerprints, whilst the inner deck is a matte finish, where you'll find the main controls. These controls are ringed in silver, matching the edge of the unit, giving it a distinctive and premium looking finish. It's a fetching design for sure, and one we like.'

A review of the Sony NWZ-S544 MP3 player has been posted over at Computeractive.co.uk. 'The Walkman has a 2.4in widescreen display, which is slightly bigger than the one on its predecessor the S639F, a well-laid out control pad that looks like Mickey Mouse's head in silhouette, side-mounted volume and output controls and a lock to stop buttons being accidentally pressed while it's in your pocket. A standard headphone socket allows earphones to be plugged in but there is an internal speaker as well as an internal microphone that allows it to be used as a voice recorder.'

The SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) has been reduced from $79.99 to $48.66 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The Sansa Fuze comes with 4 GB of built-in memory enough to store 12-hour video playback segments. Watch your favorite video clips from wherever you are. To ensure speedy file transfers, the unit features a USB 2.0 connection. Simply connect the player to a PC, and start dragging files from your Windows Media Player 10 or 11 applications.'

Crunch Gear have published their review of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android firmware. 'For audio and video playback, the device handles everything with ease. Videos look great on the crisp 4.8-inch screen and the 800×480 resolution renders downscaled HD videos and standard-definition videos phenomenally. Archos has really nailed down the core functionality of its portable media players. Music and videos come first, everything else comes second. I was skeptical of Archos' claim of 7-hour battery life for video playback, so I set a playlist up to repeat indefinitely at 25% brightness and 25% volume just to see how close we'd get to that number. To my surprise, the tablet hit 6 hours and 15 minutes before petering out. That's not too bad at all, especially considering I left the Wi-Fi connected the entire time.'

A review of the Philips GoGear Aria MP3 player has been posted over at the Head Fi Forums. 'The GoGear Aria has a hold switch on the bottom and volume controls at the top (similar to the SA6145). The controls are completely different from previous models, with separate back and options buttons at the top next to the screen , with next/previous buttons around the right side. A up/down navigator is in the center with a play pause button in the middle. The screen is very beautiful-2.0" and is quite bright.'

The Latte Ice 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Silver) is on offer for $69.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The Ice supports MP3, APE, FLAC, AAC, and WMA audio files, and gives you up to 8 hours of uninterrupted playback on a single charge. Dial in a custom EQ setting or use one of the seven equalization presets (Normal, 3D, Rock, Pop, Classic, Bass, Jazz). If you want to change things up a bit, or tune into the FM TV broadcast at the gym, just call up one of the 30 FM radio presets.'

Engadget have posted a review of the new Chumby One wi-fi device which displays useful and entertaining information from the web. 'For hardware, the Chumby One is in many ways a simplified Classic, starting with a complete and utter lack of stuffing (that's a good thing for mainstream users, we'd argue). Besides the battery cover, the base has a black antenna used for FM radio reception; we never bothered to even unfurl it and we were still able to pull in a variety of local programming in crystal clarity. Around back, you've got a 3.5mm headphone jack, power port, on / off button, loudspeaker, and just one USB port, down from two on the Classic -- you won't miss the second, unless you need wired Ethernet and iPod connectivity at the same time. On the right side, you'll find a welcome addition -- a dedicated volume knob, which means you don't need to hop into the control panel anymore and actuate the on-screen slider if the music gets too loud.'

A review of the SanDisk Sansa e270 MP3 player has been posted over at Tracy and Matt's Blog. 'The Sansa e270 is a sleek looking device, glossy black on the front with a metal alloy back which is said to be extremely scratch resistant. It measures 88 x 44 x 13mm and weighs in at a mere 75g. The alloy back feels nice in the palm of your hand. It has a similar look to the iPod Nano but is slightly larger and heavier. Personally I quite like this as I find the Nano just a bit too small. On the back you'll also find four screws. These allow you to remove the back and replace the li-ion battery. SanDisk sell replacement batteries for around £15. This is a great idea and one area that the Sansa shows the iPod a thing or two!'

CNET have published their "Hands-on" review of the Cowon E2 MP3 player. 'Aside from the lack of a built-in clip, the Cowon E2 further distinguishes itself from the iPod Shuffle by including actual buttons for volume and track skip control. The right edge offers a small square power button along with a rocker switch for track skip control. The same button configuration is mirrored on the left side, only the rocker controls volume and the small button toggles the shuffle mode with a long press and flips through JetEffect EQ presets with short presses.'

The SanDisk Sansa Clip 2 GB MP3 Player (Pink) has been reduced from $57.99 to $34.84 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'For the movers and the shakers who want to shed the baggage of a bigger MP3 player--it';s time to get the skinny on the Sansa® Clip player. Offering five colors to choose from, this lightweight MP3 player delivers major sound for its matchbox size, and storage capacity of up to 2GB*. And with its smart design, you can clip your Sansa® Clip player to your bag, pants or sleeves, allowing you to enjoy all the perks of an MP3--hands-free.'

IT Reviews have published their review of the Creative Zen X-Fi2 portable media player. 'The Zen X-Fi2 has been designed as a significant upgrade and improvement on the original model whilst trying to match the current enthusiasm for all things touch screen. The X-Fi2 is almost unrecognisable from its predecessor as it's a lot thinner and longer (102 x 57 x 11.6mm), weighs marginally more (75g) and now boasts a 3.0-inch TFT touch screen LCD, with 262,000 colours and a 400 x 240-pixel resolution. Also, the array of control buttons on the front has largely been dispensed with, leaving just a Menu button and a speaker. The earphone socket and the USB port are still in the same place on the side but the on/off button is now on the top alongside the mini SD slot.'

CNET have published their review of the Amazon Kindle wireless reading device 'If you live overseas and are thinking of buying this "American" Kindle, you should check the Kindle's product page to see what you're up against. There's a box right under the pricing information that asks, "Live outside the U.S?" You can then select your country from a pull-down menu and read the pertinent information. The long and short of it is that while the Kindle presents a convenient way for you to download English-language books if you live or are traveling outside the U.S., you're simply not going to get the same deal as U.S. customers. Still, we can see how certain people--particularly expats--wouldn't mind paying the extra charges to have immediate access to books they want to read.'

The Gadgeteer have published a review of the WikiReader "electronic encyclopedia". 'WikiReader is a copy of WikiPedia in your hand. For those of you not familiar with WikiPedia, it is a collaborative information website that was started back in 2001 and has grown to be one of the top 10 visited sites on the web. WikiReader is a handheld touchscreen device that gives a physical form to the same information found on the Wikipedia website. You can carry over 3 million topics with you wherever you go and you won't need a WiFi connection or subscription fees to use it.'

A review of the Samsung YP-R1 MP3 player has been posted over at TechRadar.com. 'The YP-R1 is very intuitive, too, with a tap of a light bulb icon to adjust the brightness, and a sweep of the finger to change tracks or fastforward. Samsung has added some fun applications, such as a few touchscreen games and widgets, including SleepCat, which will turn your player off after a set interval. Gadgets aside, the Samsung is actually a remarkable media player, and certainly the best we've seen at this price point. Music sounded incredible thanks to what Samsung terms the DNSe sound engine, with James Holden's intricate "Lump" sounding rich and fleshed-out.'

The Coby MP305-4G MP3 Player with 4 GB Flash Memory FM Radio, USB Drive and LCD (Black) has been reduced from $59.99 to $25.43 over at Amazon.com. 'Coby MP305-4G MP3 Player 4 GB flash memory FM radio and USB drive with LCD, high-contrast LCD display with 7-color backlight, plays MP3 and WMA digital music files, plays digital music from most online stores and subscription services, ID3 tag support for song information display, integrated FM radio, mobile data storage function, convenient integrated USB plug( no cables required), USB 2.0 hi-speed for fast file transfers, black.'

The Register Hardware have published their review of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet Android-based portable media player. ''At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking we were re-running a review from last year - we originally put the Archos 5 through its paces in October 2008. The addition of two extra words to the end of the name may not sound that exciting initially, but while the Archos 5 Internet Tablet may look very similar to its predecessor there is one very significant change: it now runs Google Android. Gone is Archos' own - not exactly super swish - Linux-based OS and in its place sits Google's Linux-based mobile operating system, the first time that it's been seen in an official capacity on a shipping product that's not a phone.

A review of the Amazon Kindle International Edition ebook reader has been posted over at TrustedReviews.com. 'The Kindle model resembles digital music in another respect too, or at least Apple's original incarnation of digital music. You see if you buy a Kindle, you will only be able to read books purchased from Amazon, despite the fact that there is a plethora of free eBook content out there. Of course, this is the whole point - the Kindle is basically a seeding device for Amazon's Kindle store, in much the same way that the iPod was a seeding device for the iTunes store.'

CNET have published a review of the Haier America Video MP3 Player (4GB). 'The overall style of the HEC Video MP3 Player isn't really a problem, though the shiny black plastic body with the faux-chrome back plate seems played-out at this stage in the game. It's not an eyesore by any means, but it does come off looking rather cheap. More of an issue, though, is the blue-backlit touch-sensitive controls on the face of the device, which are overly sensitive. There are four arrow indicators in addition to menu and OK keys, but we found that touching the area around those last two had varied results; they're just not quite accurate.'

The Register Hardware have published their review of the Sony PRS-600 Reader Touch Edition. 'Like the 505, the 600 has an aluminium case which makes for a solid and flex-free bit of kit that should last the course. In order to keep the front as clear as possible, all the necessary ports, sockets and switches are crammed into the top and bottom edges of the device. Up top there are slots for both SD and Memory Stick Duo storage expansion, along with the on/off switch and a stylus - more on this below - while down below sit a 3.5mm headphones jack, mini USB port and power socket. Since Sony doesn't bundle a power adaptor, you'll have recharge the 600 using the supplied USB cable and a handy powered-up personal computer. This takes four hours opposed to just two with a 5.2V mains charger.'

The Creative Zen Portable Media Player (Black) is on offer for $179.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Zen is the first Creative player to support the unprotected AAC format, so you can enjoy all your favorite CD tracks that you've ripped through iTunes software. Zen also supports iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes store, in addition to MP3 and WMA music tracks. It is also compatible with music subscription services, such as Napster To Go and Rhapsody. Zen also supports audio books from Audible.com. Download your favorite books to keep everyone entertained on long road trips or download daily news reports every morning and listen to the news during your morning commute.'

PC Advisor have published a review of the Sony Reader Touch Edition. The Sony Reader Touch Edition looks like a refined version of Sony's previous full-size reader (the PRS-700), with a 6-inch, 8-grayscale E Ink screen framed by a metallic case (available in silver, black, or red). Though it's on the heavy side for a reader, 286g, it's only a couple of ounces heavier than its smaller sibling, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition. The stylus slides smoothly in and out from a slot in the top right of the case. Sony provides a neoprene pouch to protect the Sony Reader Touch Edition's screen in transit.'

Digital Trends have published their review of the new Sony PSP Go portable games console. 'Although you'll find all the same controls and buttons from the original PSP, they've been shuffled around a bit to accommodate for the new form factor. The directional pad, analog stick, start and select buttons have all been moved inside, along with the all-important triangle, square, X and O array. The shoulder buttons still sit up top, along with a volume rocker, display button and sound button. A Memory Stick Micro slot hides off to the left along with a Wi-Fi toggle, and the power switch is on the right.'

A review of the Interead Cool-ER e-book reader has been posted over at PC World.com 'The Cool-ER's display is based on the same E Ink technology that the Kindle 2, the Kindle DX, the Sony Reader Touch Edition, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition, and several other e-book readers use. Cool-ER has gone with the 8-greyscale version, operated by a 400MHz Samsung ARM processer. Page turns are on a par with those of most other current readers--sluggish, but not painfully so. According to Interead, the Cool-ER ships with 1GB of internal storage, of which 825MB is available for user content (my preproduction evaluation unit had a smaller drive, however). You can transfer content only via the USB cable, though Cooler Books CEO Neil Jones says that the company plans to offer a wireless model next year.'

Everything USB have published a review of the Archos 3 Vision 8GB MP3 Player, 'On to the bottom size of the Archos 3, we find a slider switch with 3 positions (off/on, lock and center default), a stereo minijack, and the celebrated mini USB jack. The bottom piece is chromed silver, but shows telltale mold lines, revealing its humble plastic origins. Something I found was that the Archos' size, while attractive, makes for very difficult one handed operation. It's too large for fingertip operation, forcing one to use the thumb for the majority of screen gesturing. Even worse, the on/off switch on the bottom of the unit is absolutely impossible to operate one-handed, and practically impossible to operate with two hands because it's so slippery and stiff at the same time.'

The Creative Zen X-Fi 16 GB Video MP3 Player with Wireless LAN and Built-In Speaker (Black/Silver) has been reduced from $199.99 to $151.47 over at Amazon.com. 'A pocket-sized player that weighs a mere 2.4 ounces, the Zen X-Fi sports attractive curves with a graceful finish. Immerse yourself in the brilliant 2.5-inch TFT screen with 16.7 million colors as you watch your movies and view your pictures. Build with X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology, the player lets you experience the very essence of music perfection as you listen to audio in crystal clear clarity.'

Anything But iPod have published their review of the Sony Walkman E340 digital player. 'The general look of the player is somewhat like a smaller version of the S540. The bottom has the same curved designed that the S540 has, but the top is a flat slope. It has no speaker so there are no speaker grills in the E340, so the design is all plastic. The main chassis is divided into two parts where the bottom part with the buttons is a single solid piece of plastic that is seemingly held in place by two exposed screws on the back. After trying if this was indeed the case I can tell you that it's not that simple (luckiy, as such screws sometimes fall out over time). While my player is black all over, there are version of this player that has a different color for the top and bottom, such as the 16GB model sold on Sonystyle.'

CNET have published their review of the Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android (32GB). 'On paper, the Archos 5 touch-screen Internet tablet comes across like an Apple iPod Touch on steroids. Every spec is designed to be over-the-top, from the 720p HD video playback and 4.8-inch screen, to the integrated GPS, Bluetooth, and FM transmitter. The capacities on offer are also beyond belief, starting with a $249 8GB model with a slender body and microSD slot, all the way up to a chunky, hard-drive-based 500GB version selling for $489.'