PMP Today

Macmillan Publishing Solutions, a subsidiary of Macmillan the book publisher (presumably), is putting its money on e-Book reader software for use in cellphones. Called the Global Reader, mobile companies Bango and Fli Digital are i as well. Global Reader is a full-service e-Book reader software ltting users buy books through WAP connectivity. Bob Kasher, the founder, doesn’t sound like he’s behind his own e-Book service: “We never envisioned people would want to read War and Peace on their phones,” he says.

Right now the site offers free reading. When it launches its paid service, you’d be able to purchase e-Books through your credit card or through PayPal. It’s a good alternative to Kindle, especially when Kindle cannot be used on airplanes and cellphones can.

You can access the Global Reader site on your cellphone through this address: globalreader.wap.com.

[via techdigest]

I always thought that digital frames were just there to show pictures but I didn’t know that they also had speakers and could play video files. Mustek is coming out with the PF-A950PS on May, a 9.5-inch digital frame that has NXT flat-panel speakers that are hidden behind the screen. The screen has a 800 x 480 resolution, a USB 2.0 port for easy file transfer, and supports JPEG, AVI, MJPEG, and XvID files. Although its internal memory is only 128MB, it comes with a multicard reader that can handle SD, MMC, MS, MSPro, xD, and CF formats. All this for $249.99. Watch out for it in May!

[via engadget]

Piper Jaffray says that Apple has suffered the worst growth rate for its iPod line and may be rethinking its strategy. “In order to achieve this level of year-over-year iPod growth, we are expecting Apple to introduce cheaper, innovative iPods with Wi-Fi and multi-touch technology,” analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray wrote in a report to clients. Munster adds that though the MP3 market is slowing down, Apple has a different vision for the iPod and that is to make it a “mainstream Wi-Fi mobile platform.”

Munster thinks that this will be good for the portable media player market. According to Munster, if Apple is willing to lower the prices of its WiFi-enabled iPods it will maintain growth and increase it market share. No response yet for this very optimistic view from Apple.

[via tech.co.uk]

Here it is. We earlier reported the delay in the implementation of the new added features of PSP, like Skype. All you have to do is go to Network Update. PSP Fanboy found this out first and are happy to report that Skype support comes with the update. The update also gives more Network support for game titles to PSP. Skype is only available to PSP-2000.

[pspfanboy via gizmodo]

Gemei’s new “United States” series model is a shiny piece of media-playing slimness. Sure it looks rather like an LG Shine in all its metallic glory, but imitating LG’s Chocolate II hasn’t exactly been bad for Chinese MP4 players. Looking at the X100 on profile on the left of the picture, this one has got th thin factor going (exactly 8mm) and maybe even a little more… does this one slide like the LG Shine? Screen is 2.4-inch QVGA, plays RMVB, MP3 and APE and FLAC Lossless. No price has been announced.

[via 3mt]

Stretching the definition of portability, the MP-50 from Hong Chung International comes with a 5-inch TFT LCD with a resolution of 320×234 pixels and a 4:3 aspect ratio. That doesn’t sound too bad, until you realize that the device comes connected to a large base that, while enhancing viewing stability, is somehow less than pocket-friendly. MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DAT, AVI, MP3, WMA, JPEG and M-JPEG formats are supported.

The MP-50 comes with slots for CF I and II, SD, xD, MS and MMC cards, and two 2W speakers. AV-in and -out capability are included. Dimensions are a hefty (surprised?)160×110x42mm, and weight is a workout-worthy 480g.

[via diy trade]

I’m not exactly sure what this thing can do as there isn’t much news about its specs yet. But this mobile phone from NEC features a touchscreen display, fuel-cell power, and a valve where you can charge the phone once the power runs out. No word on pricing or release date yet but I’d like to get my hands on one of those, just to see how it works. If that rectangular thing is supposed to be the touchscreen display, I can’t even begin to imagine how awkward using this would be.  Where are the buttons?  Navigation aside, I doubt that I’d actually use one because the NEC flask phones look too much like those cheap cigarette lighters you can buy off street vendors. Chances are, I’d end up confusing one for the other. Also, how exactly do you charge that thing? Butane gas?

[via engadget]

Pasen has released several nifty players last year and they are starting the new year with a little more of the same. The new Pasen F10 looks good in the artist’s rendering above. It has a 2.6-inch 400 x 240-pixel screen and plays AVI, XviD, Divx, RMVB, which is actually very impressive. The F10 is another Pasen player with Microsoft’s PlayFX audio enhancement suite. It’s thin, too at only 7mm.

Complete specs after the break.

[pasen via gmp3] Read the rest »

Aigo made an impression at CES but they would have positively killed if they had introduced their new iSonic sunglasses MP3 combo. The iSonic does not compromise on the quality of the sunglass. the lens are swappable and the frame is a durable nylon fiber that is also comfortable to wear. One possible problem for the iSonic is the 230mAh/3.7V rechargeable Li-Ion battery, which gives it up to 8.5 hours of MP3 playback. As far as we know, Li-Ion overheating is a rare occurrence but would you really put these batteries so close to your brain? As far as the iSonic, I could totally envision playing beach volleybal with a pair of these and playing the Top Gun soundtrack on the built-in MP3 player.

Aigo iSonic specs:

• MP3, WMA, ADCPM
• USB 2.0
• 256MB storage
• voice recorder
• LED indicators
• buttons on the left side

You can buy it here for $149.99.
[via gmp3]

Your eyes aren’t trying to deceive you. The BI-LV2008 from Babiken International does indeed come with a long lens that will, no doubt, be the envy of lesser (at least, non-optical zoom) camera-equipped phones and PMPs. And, yes, it also has seven speakers. Hey, something really different for once. In the interest of portability, though, let’s hope that lens is detachable.

The dual-band (GSM 900/1800) device supports MPEG-4 videos and MP3 audio files. It is equipped with a 3.2-inch touchscreen TFT display, dual SIM slots and a 1.3MP camera. GPRS, WAP, Bluetooth and e-book reader capability are built-in. Dimensions are 127×63x16mm and weight is 118g.

Editor: Very similar to Brando’s zoom lens for the iPhone but this one comes with the PMP player.

[via diy trade]