PMP Today

We’ve been pretty excited about an upcoming player from RAmos. Wouldn’t you be excited when you read that possible specs include a 4.3-inch touch screen, WiFi and even Net radio. But it turns out the V8 is a more typical RAmos PMP than we had expected: 3-inch screen, 4GB storage with a Rockchip processor and PlayFX… I hope next time RAmos hypes up a PMP, it will at least get some specs right. Price is 599 Yuan or $86.

[zol via mp4nation, engadget]

WINDOW’s G30 PMP is a 2.8-inch player. It fits in your pocket, plays RMVB, AVI, FLV and Lossless audio files. Our source article also mentions the rather brick-like form factor of the G30 is comparable to old iPod models. I beg to differ. Though the G30 can be quite thin from some angles, it does not remind me of the iPod classic or any old iPod model but of something far older than iPod. This PMP has a fascinating similarity to my old 80’s Walkman Portable Cassette Player. Yep, this WINDOW is a Sony.

We found an 8GB version already being sold here for $114.99. Read on for a comparison with a Sony Walkman model and a rear shot of the G30

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Let’s face it, Apple will never go back to the second-gen Nano design, but if you’re really missing the slim form factor of Apple’s most popular player, there are a lot of Chinese alternatives to choose. The latest of these class of Nano clones is the Mumu’s iCan Q16. The Q16 doesn’t only bring you back to the year the Nano second-gen ruled, it also brings video playback to the old Apple design, plus an extra button or so just to make things a little cuter.

The Q16 is available with 2GB of storage and an FM tuner - something the old Nano or other Apple PMPs do not have and probably never will. The MP3, WMA, APE and FLAC files support is enhanced by PlayFX. The built-inmic records in WAV, no line-in though. Syncs in with PCs running XP and Vista. Price is 299 yuan or $43.

[source]

Had any doubts that Samsung’s S2 “Pebble” player has any chance against the iPhod Shuffle? Newman’s COOL MAN may put the question to rest, because once a PMP get its Chinese clone there’s no stopping it taking over the world. And if you’ve got many clones, then, well, you’re the Jesus Phone.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the COOL MAN is that you can clip it on using a safety pin. Yep, it’s probably not so much an S2 clone as an adaptation of the generic button pin. Too bad the COOL MAN didn’t make it to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but Obama and McCain could still have a go at this MP3 player. The “Button MP3″ plays WMA and MP3. It has cute buttons below the monochrome screen. It’ll probably come in 1GB at least and should be as cheap as a button.

[via imp3]

Tired of the iPod clones from China offering the usual bland touchscreen user interface that, most likely, only supports stylus input… here’s a preview of the Onda VX777. The VX777 is perhaps the best designed PMP for Onda’s “Boeing” series… you know, the line that includes the VX747, VX757, etc.

To recap: the VX777 supports FLV, AVI, MOV, ASF, MP4, WMV, 3GP, MPG and audio files such as FLAC and APE Lossless. The 3-inch 400×240-pixel screen looks ok. With Real Player 11 and up to 32GB of microSD support, you could totally defend this guy from your scornful iPod-loving friends, especially when you show them how pretty decent the built-in speakers are on your Onda. You can be particularly proud about the gaming support (watch it near the end of the video).

[source: b4tech]

We love our position as the English-language destination for cheap gadgets from China. We love it even more that our advertisers share our interest in cheap iPod and iPhone alternatives and sometimes our sponsors themselves become a great resource for  PMP news.  For instance, I just noticed Totobay’s new  banner ad. In fact, I’m amazed that I didn’t notice it sooner. Is it a perfect Nkia N95 clone? Why didn’t I hear about it before? Turns out, the Leady MM95 is much better than a typical N95 clone because it is an N95 clone at 1/2 the size. A mini-me of Sorts for the N95 multimedia computer measuring 75 x 35 x 15 mm - much smaller than the 99 x 53 x 21 mm N95. The specs aren’t that impressive: dual-band GSM, 1.3 MP + VGA camera, video playback for MP4 and 3GP, but for a cellphone that is sure to elicit second looks, $156 is a fair price.

[product, photo: clamshell]

Korean manufacturer mobiBLU gets closer to the iPod Touch by launching the mobiBLU i30 for the Chinese market. Th mobiBLU i30 has a 3-inch WQVGA (400 × 240) screen and uses a Rockchip2706 processor. It has respectable multimedia support with direct playback of RM, RMVB (720 × 576) and FLV, AVI (800 × 480) and MP3, WMA. It also tunes in to FM radio. Price set at 488 yuan ($70) with a free Wrist-U-1 as a gift if you buy between June 1 and August 1. The word is that what the Chinese really want is the Cube3.

Photo of the freebie after the break.

[via imp3] Read the rest »

Features have been finalized for the Onda VX777. This is a player Onda began to hype a bit a la iPhone leaking features such as camera, WiFi and Net radio. The real VX777 is a more straightforward PMP: 3.0-inch (400 × 240) 16:10 touch screen, TV-out, RMVB support with embedded Real Player 11. It has multiple flavors of other video playback (direct): FLV/AVI/MOV/ASF/MP4/WMV/3GP/MPG, with APE FLAC lossless support as well. WiFi would’ve been grand, though. The VX777 supports 32GB microSD cards.

More specifications after the break.

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If you thought that only the iPhone gets clones, you obviously have never heard of the LG Chocolate. RAmos’s V85 (no relation to RAmos V8), however, is not a clone of the iPhone iPod Touch or LG Chocolate. Only the absolutely best designed device will do for the V85 and that device turns out to be the Giorgio Armani Samsung phone. The V85 boasts a 2.8-inch touch screen , somewhat bigger than the Armani Samsung. Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR is available. Former specs indicate only AVI (MPEG-4) video support but now they’ve added RMVB. Price is 499 yuan ($72) for the 2GB.

[pcpop via mp4nation]

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The 2.8-inch multitouch (!) MAK003 from Maxspeed Industry Development Limited glows threateningly from a peephole right where the iPhone clone Home should be. It plays RM/RMVB,FLV, AVI/ MPEG-4 and MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, AAC and WAV. Dgital recording and a 3D equalizer (presumably via Microsoft PlayFX) is its other attributes.  The writte specifications of the MAK003 isn’t all too clear and neither is the product photo, which is too low-rez for us to fully appreciate how different this PMP/ MP5/ MP4 player is from the iPhone or iPod Touch, it’s genetic fathers.

[via alibaba]