PMP Today

PMP manufacturer iRiver has announced so many players for this year, we’re likely to be inundated by more tech temptations than our wallets could take. I mean, how many small, sleek and capable portable multimedia players do you need. If you only need one, the LPlayer gives you 2 inches (320 x 240 pixels) of screen space that takes up most of the front. It uses the D-Click system of iRiver’s, which isn’t bad though SPINN is coming very soon to other new players. It’s available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB versions and will play MPEG4, WMV9, with support for MP3, WMA, OGG, JPG, GIF and BMP as well. An FM tuner is built-in. For such a small PMP, it’s packed with functionality.

[via gmp3]

Have you always been wishing the iPod Shuffle can tune to FM radio? Well, I do and Aigo may have the right device for people who love random music while they are working out. The Patriot A6 is one stylish MP3 player, which, unlike, the Shuffle, is equipped with a screen and an FM tuner. The clip at the back of the A6 may look like an afterthought; the front, though, is pure genius. I know the FSTN LCD screen seem to belong to more innocent times, but there’s something about the way the touch-sensitive keys light up and the 79 × 35 × 9mm dimension, which is shorter than the original iPod Shuffle, that makes you think you deserve better than 2GB or 4GB of paid tunes.

A photo of the back after the break.

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One unknown Chinese manufacturers that has done good lately is K-Touch. We know next to nothing about this manufacturer but they’ve just announced the C280, an 8 megapixel camera phone with 3x optical zoom. The camerais sensitive up to 1600 ISO. Presumably, it’s using a Samsung CMOS but tops the best Samsung camphone in the market. To tell the truth, the K-Touch C280 has a passing resemblance to a Samsung i8 8 megapixel digital camera but adds the optical zoom and the phone function. In fact, the specs of the C280 lens matches Samsung’s latest announcement in mobile camera technology.

[via cellphones]

Apple is taking more steps to be greener. The patent application, found by Engadget, specifies “solar power for portable devices.” This could also mean MacBooks but we’re betting that Apple will be focusing on iPod and iPhone-friendly solar cells to cut down on power coming from batteries. Reducing complaints on iPod battery replacements is a big enough motivation for Apple to develop a backup power source. Apple’s application is quite groundbreaking. Their solar panels could double as displays - “Solar cells are typically stacked with other layers made of transparent or semi-transparent materials… Some of these layers may be used for display or input purposes, and some layers may be coated with various materials or they may be etched with product logos or other patterns.” - which not only saves space on a small device will also improve their aesthetic makeup.

[via engadget]

Besides the F13, Pasen has also released (virtually unnoticed) the Pasen F12 (see it here) and now has introduced another MP4/ PMP: the Pasen F11. The F11 is a more interesting player in terms of design. The tactile buttons are small and subtle, distributed unobtrusively along the bottom of the 2.8-inch 400 × 240-pixel screen. It is powered by an RK2706 Swiss-core chip and can play RM / RMVB directly without encoding at 25fps with an 800 x 480-pixel resolution and AVI (MPEG-4) at 25fps at 720 × 576-pixel resolution. Playing MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC audio files, it uses Microsoft’s PlayFX audio enhancement software. Other file support includes JPEG, BMP, GIF format images, and GIF format animation and TXT. Sounds like a serious outing for Pasen - go to the break for additional photos and decide for yourself.

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RAmos may have done it again - astonish us with yet another iPod Touch-like device. The Blue Magic T8 PMP looks good with its 4.3-inch touch screen taking most of the front. It’s only 10mm thick - thin for a 4.3-inch player. We don’t know much yet about the T8 but expect an Fm radio and a outstanding video-playing support. This one is not dubbed iMovie for no reason.

[via zol]

iPhone Hellas may have gotten what appears to be a very believable scoop: 3G iPhone/ iPhone 2.0 will be slimmer than its predecessor and it will come in three colors. Fake or not, it’s a welcome improvement to iPhone’s original charms and the fact that it doesn’t stray too far from the original design speaks volumes about Apple’s loyalty to the original iPhone. Heck, iPod didn’t change that much over the years.

[source via gmp3]

The last Pasen player we’ve heard was the F10 and it plays DivX and Xvid. The new F13 is a brick-like 15mm 11mm, which makes us scratch our heads. There’s nothing truly interesting about the F13. With 3 inches of (400 x 240 pixels) screen real estate, some people wouldn’t mind the extra 8mm. You can play AVI, DIVX, XVID directly, which is priceless. It also supports these video and audio files: RM, RMVB, FLV, DAT, ASF, MP4, WMV, 3GP, MPG, MP3, WMA, WMA / VBR, APE, FLAC, AAC, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TXT. It also plays games and has SD / SDHC, 8EQ, an FM tuner, and a microphone.

Note: this post was written yesterday before we had some Wordpress problems. Sorry.

[product via generationmp3]

Memup’s prior outings weren’t very original but they did us all a favor with their new line of media players.

The M430 TR is a 4.3-inch touch screen flash player. It’s available in 4Gb and 8GB versions and supports line-in AV. Other features include FM radion, microSD expansion and a built-in speaker. It’s TNT-tuning brother, the M430 DTV shares similar features except the TNT tuner.

The Memup V-Touch has a rather disappointing 2.4-inch screen. No touch screen here but a touch-sensitive keypad. It’s available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB. Micro SD, FM tuner, 10mm thickness, mic and speakers all make for a usable PMP.

The K-Touch is the most interesting in Memups new lineup. Touch-sensitive keypad has gradated volume control. Casing is anodized aluminium. FM tuner, microSD, 4/ 8/ 16GB versions and 7.3mm thickness. Could be a great alternative to well-known brands if the price is right and the 2-inch screen is not too small for you.

Lastly, the Memup K-slim is a 7-mm-slim MP3 player and is the official successor of the Memup Kazz. Storage tops at 4GB.

[via gmp3]

We thought we’d never see another new portable media player with an analog display but here it is and it comes straight from China - where else. The I200 is only 6.5mm thin and supports MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC, APE lossless. It has a mic, which can be used to record audio and works with ID3 tagging (you know, you record a music you hear in a restaurant and the ID3 tagging software can tell you the name and artist.

[via imp3]