Haier’s iPod killer, now dubbed ibiza Rhapsody, has finally shown up and besides having AOL Video on board, it also boasts Rhapsody internet radio integration. Perhaps the best feature of the Haier ibiza Rhapsody (official name does not capitalize “i” in Ibiza) is it’s wireless download and streaming of songs and videos. No PC is required from this WiFi-enabled PMP and you bet it supports podcasts. We have yet to see how good the integration of the Rhapsody-To-Go and the AOL video service on the ibiza Rhapsody. As we noted months ago, the Haier device is well-built with an attractive form factor. It is equipped with an FM tuner, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0 and supports various video (MPEG4, WMV, M4V, AVI, H.264, MPG) and music (MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC) files.
Update via Technabob: the 30GB Haier ibiza Rhapsody sells for $319.95 at this store, while the 4GB and 8GB flash players are available at Amazon for $229 and $249.99. Pricey even for a player with wireless streaming.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:14 am
No Ogg Vorbis? I’m sorry they have already failed.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Is it just me, or do the included headphones in the picture on Amazon look just like V-Moda Vibes?
November 15th, 2007 at 5:54 am
The first thing I’m going to try to find out about this player is how it compares Sandisk’s Sansa Connect, which seems to have the same WiFi features (though it connects to Yahoo music streams and store).
Re: the person who said it had “failed” due to lack of Ogg Vorbis support. Failed in your eyes, maybe. The vast majority of players out there do not support that format. Ask Steve Jobs if it bugs him that the iPod doesn’t support it.
November 16th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
I will be covering this WIFI Player on my fanblog
ibiza-LIVE
http://ibizalive.blogspot.com/