Now why do I think that the Kenwood MG-F516, MG-F508 and MG-F504 MP3 players should be sold at under $100 for the highest capacity version? For one thing, there are a good number of fancier-looking DAP (digital audio players) out there and most of them in slimmer hardware. Kenwood, of course, is a well-known audio brand, but come on it doesn’t even support FLAC or APE. OK, so you can drag & drop the MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV files but the 6 EQ presets cannot compare with JetEffect, BBE audio or even Microsoft’s PlayFX. Anyone out there things the MG-F500 will sell above $100?

[via akihabaranews]

This is not the thinnest PMP we’ve featured but it’s pretty thin for a 720p player, especially if it functions well, and it looks like it would. The 3-inch LCD screen has a 400 x 240, not nearly good enough for 720p but you can connect it to a bigger screen with TV out. If China is serious about HD, and they’ve been busy churning out HD players this year, they should at least consider releasing higher-capacity flash players. The Newman A36HD is available in 4GB and 8GB. It plays RM, RMVB, AVI, and FLV videos.

[via akihabaranews]

For all the talk about HD PMP player, we have yet to see a portable with enough screen resolution to play HD videos without being connected to a bigger screen, until now. The Japanese (surprise, surprise) will have first dibs of this magical device with the 4.3-inch 1280 x 720p LCD screen. Yes the Harrods F43 plays 720p videos natively.That is quite amazing in itself. Just to prove its point, the Hallods F43 doesn’t have HDMI out, though there’s regular TV out. Unfortunately the Hallods F43 doesn’t have much in terms of built-in storage–only 8GB, though you can use microSD/SDHC cards of up to 16GB.

The Hallods F43 will play 30fps MPEG4, FLV, H.263, AVI, RM, RMVB, DivX-WVGA videos and MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, APE music files. This is an exciting development as far as MP4 players are concerned. Hopefully, we’ll soon find out how much putting an HD-quality screen on a small portable device would cost consumers, and if it’s worth it. It’ll soon appear at this store. We’ll sure to keep an eye on this player, which will retail for 16,800 yen or around $188.

[hallods via engadget, akihabaranews]

The Vega tablet runs on the latest Android 2.0 Eclair and packs an Nvidia Tegra processor under the hood. It also boasts of 1.3-megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 3G connectivity, a microSD card for additional storage, 3.5mm jack, accelerometer, and a magnetic dock. The model above is features a 15.6-inch touchscreen, but there is a smaller 7-inch version as well.

It only comes with a resistive touchscreen though and lacks GPS, but its other specs should more or less make up for these minor drawbacks. No word on its pricing or availability yet, but rest assured, we’ll keep you guys posted once we get a hold of the necessary info.

[product, android france via engadget]

Google Android on a digital frame? The Japanese thought of the idea too. The 7-inch touchscreen device is actually a tablet PC with WiFi and a user-friendly interface. Meant to stay on your bedside table or the kitchen counter, the Hikari iTablet has an alarm clock and will display weather, news and other homely information like recipes. NTT Japan will be distributing it via NTT East and will sell for $220 to $330. Oddly enough, testers are sought but you’ll have to be a woman in your 20s. Come to think of it, I’d rather get a bigger touchscreen device with cable TV and TiVo. Video after the break.

[site via crunchgear]

One would expect more ambition from a prolific manufacturer of computer monitors would be more ambitious about their portable media player. But then again, maybe this is to be expected from such a company. The VPD400 MovieBookis your basic non-touchscreen PMP. The 4.3-inch LCD display should be any less reliable than ViewSonic LCD monitors. There’s an AV out and microSD card slot. It plays 6 hours of video at a full charge or 12 hours of music. It supports 720p videos. For the 8GB you have to dish out $129.99.

video support: AVI, RM/RMVB, FLV, MP4, MOV, PMP, MPG, VOD, DAT, H.264, H.263

Audio support: MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, APE, OGG

[viewsonic via engadget]

Okay, so the title is an exaggeration but one has to admit that eStarling’s new touchscreen photo frame is impressive–as far as digital frames go. Each unit will have its own GMail address for photo uploading from via email. The WiFi lets you connect Facebook, Photobucket and Flickr and display photos from there. It makes sense for photo frames to have access to photo-sharing sites and social networking sites. The eStarling 802.11n plays videos as well and with the touch-operation, even grandmother can operate it. The 10.2-inch screen should be enough for home use, and the $249.9 price isn’t too bad considering the functionality. I also like the matter-of-fact name this device goes by.

[via pcmag]

The 7-inch touchscreen Cyberus ID700WTA is, practically speaking, a PMP but it does support eBooks, which the company is touting as an alternative to the E-Ink readers like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook. It also has WiFi connectivity and a user-interface that resembles the iPhone UI. Movie support is a big one on the Cyberus: AVI, MPEG4, DIVIX, XIVID, WMA, JPG, BMP, TIFF, PNG. As for eBooks, you have PDF support and TXT. For a product like this one, user-friendliness means a lot. Unfortunately, Sungale hasn’t accompanied their press release with a demo video. Suffice it to say that the $279 price tag is hardly reasonable if it didn’t come with leather case and support for YouTube, Picasa and GMail.

[via engadget]

The XING LED MP3 player measures 40 x 40 x 12mm, plays 12 hours of music and is equipped with 27 LED dots. No price yet has been announced.

[safa via moveplayer]

Update: And here is the video (sans Seline10):

For actual shots of the eviGroup Pad hardware, we’ve pasted it below the specs list:

• 10.6 inches of touchscreen LCD space
• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor
• Windows 7 Premium OS and Seline10 software
• WiFi, 3G connectivity
• 1.3 megapixel camera and video camera
• 160GB memory storage (SATA)
• Ethernet, VGA port, 2 USB ports, mic jack
• Price €499 (Standard model with no 3G and Seline10; €599 (Elite)
  

The 10-inch eviGroup Pad below a smaller device

[via gmp3]