PMP Today

When we brought our readers news about a Nokia 5310 XpressMusic knock-off from KNC, we were censured for jumping the “cloning” gun on the Chinese manufacturer. Though the side buttons on the M-700 suspiciously look like a copy from the 5310, it doesn’t mean that KNC was deliberately ripping Nokia. But look at the comparison photo above and decide for yourself. Better yet, look at the brief review video on the source site (link below). We did get one thing wrong: the M-700 has a 3.0-inch (400 × 240-pixel) screen and not a 2.6-inch screen.

Click the link below for the video review and  the reasons why the M-700 will be very popular when it comes out in China, given the right price of course.

[via zol]

Apple sent a short letter announcing that the 8GB capacity iPhone and iPod Touch has reached end-of-life status in the U.K. There are no more stocks online and only a few units left in stores. This heralds the new iPhone with 3G connectivity rumored to be announced in June. Apple may also be deliberately phasing out lower-capacity iPhones. As you may know, Apple is quite the game-changer and their idea of high-capacity phones reminds us of their strategy on the MP3 market. BBC reports that iPhone, along with Sony Ericsson, has lost market share this quarter. Apple will be expediting new releases on their handset line to gain back their leadership in the smartphone market.

[via engadget, bbc]

We can’t deny that Minigigi’s C3000 is a handsome player. It has a 2.4-inch 320 x 240-pixel screen and competitively thin at only 7mm. It plays video and audio files AVI, APE, FLAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, JPEG, TXT and plays FM through the built-in FM tuner. Other features include USB 2.0 and microSD slot. No pricing yet.

Note: the Minigigi C3000 has some resemblance to the most recent Safa outings like the Dia and Casiopea. Anyone familiar with the UI of the C1000 and C2000 should appreciate how the Minigigi design has improved. Price is not available.

[enfun via generationmp3]

If you’re in the market for a little clip-on or not so clip-on MP3 player, our friends at Generation MP3 has prepared a comparison chart for us. The lightest is Samsung’s YP-S2, which is shaped like a pebble, and also ties the Zen Stone for cheapest at $39 for the 1GB. The priciest is the Mickey-inspired MPlayer fro a partnership between iRiver and Disney. The MPlayer costs $59 for the 1GB but not nearly as pricey as the original price of the iPhod Shuffle.

Comparison table after the break.

[via gmp3] Read the rest »

Gizmodo doesn’t say the photo of the shiny black rear of the iPhone 3G was a hoax, not exactly. What they said what it was mistaken for the iPhone 3G, which Engadget claims has a shiny and black rear. At any rate, even if the iPhone 3G had a black and shiny back, it wouldn’t look like the photo above, which, as it turns out, is just a protective plastic. The shiny, black back isn’t totally off the table and neither is the GPS and the other stuff rumored about the iPhone.

[via gizmodo]

So what is LG doing partnering with Italian designer label Prada again? LG Prada I could’ve been a major hit but its high MSRP (twice the price of an AT&T iPhone) and lack of 3G connectivity. Prada II, if the unofficial press release, is to be believed, is going to add 3G, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi and slide-out QWERTY. The LG Viewty is quite nice, but lacking Wi-Fi and a QWERTY, the Prada II (if rumor be correct) will be the hands-down LG’s flagship phone. Read the rest »

More from analysts. Citi analysts Richard Gardner and Yeechang Lee, the 3G iPhone will only be one of a series of very impressive Apple products (honestly, we’re more interested in this news). The old 2.5G iPhone will change slightly, specifically on the exterior and will be priced lower, somewhere between the $299 and $349, probably for all models. More promising news: Apple sold more iPhones in the quarter than they expected and demand is actually brisk, too brisk for the supply in stores. It’s about time the lineup is freshened up.

[pcworld via crunchgear]

Remember Charbax? If you’re a long-time fan of this site, you’ll definitely remember our video journalist for CeBIT 2007.

Charbax just got the new firmware for GPS capability on his Archos 605. The GPS function on his Archos 605 demo is fully dependent on WiFi connectivity. The user interface on the navigation software is pretty good and if should be a pleasure to use with a GPS receiver in your car. It’s a real navigator, too, which you can use to plan your journey. For use with an In-Car Holder, the Archos 605 will be powered by a Sirf 3 GPS receiver

[via archosfans]

Right now only about 9% of all PMPs and MP3s have Wi-Fi connectivity but iSuppli has a projection that claims Wi-Fi on a media device will be more sought after than touch screen or Bluetooth. It’s surprising to me that Bluetooth market penetration is very low, currently in less than 4% of MP3 players and PMP and this feature will not get much popular four years from now. As for the bigger picture, the PMP market is near saturation and iSuppli predicts only a 4.3 percent annual growth in 2012, which comes around to 197.1 million increase from 2007 to 243.3 million units in 2012. For fans of touch screens, iSuppli’s research says only higher end devices will be able to have touch screen as a feature.

[via zol]

If you’re one of those people pining for the good old days when the iPod Nano was thin, you can now relive those days albeit using another PMP brand. Samsung has just announced, along with their Shuffle beater S2 Pebble, the S3. The screen is 1.8-inches and plays a MPEG-4 videos and unlike the Nano it tunes into FM music. The S3 sells for $130 with 4GB of storage.

It looks like a great player and the Samsung touch keys is a breath of fresh air after all the years of using a clickwheel.

Samsung S3 Slim PMP Specs :

[via mobilewhack]