Go Play AV: Portable Audio, Video, Media and Game Players

MobileWhack report on new portable media player from Samsung, the SMU-D110 (somebody probably gets paid to think up these names!):

Samsung announced that its new SMU-D110 portable media player, soon to hit Korea, will have DMB receiver capabilities.

According to the grapevine, this square thing will also have an option to expand on the available memory on-board.

Read complete article: Samsung SMU-D110 Portable Media Player With DMB : MobileWhack.com

Technorati Tags: portable entertainment, portable media player

PC Magazine have rated the Toshiba Gigabit S portable media player a 4/5:

Bottom Line:I’m a little disappointed by the gigabeat’s short battery life and the lack of a voice recorder, but you get your money’s worth with a high-quality, elegant audio/video player that has plenty of style and polish.

Pros: Very good sound quality. Videos and photos look excellent. Interface is polished and easy to use. Very attractive. Supports WMA Lossless.

Cons: Buttons on the side should be on the front or integrated with the cross-shaped controller. No voice recorder. Short battery life for audio playback. No Audible support.

Read complete article: Toshiba gigabeat S review by PC Magazine

Technorati Tags: mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment, portable media player, portable video, gigabeat, toshiba

Engadget report on a stylish new portable DVD player, the Nakamichi Lumos:

If you’ve been looking for a portable DVD player that’s a little more stylish than the usual fare, you may want to head down to your local Nakimichi distributor to check out the company’s new 7-inch Lumos with its “jewel polished, sensuous black frame.” We have to admit that this slot-loading model does look rather sensuous, and is all the more appealing when you find out that it supports both DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW discs, MP3 and photo CDs, and even images and movies straight from your digital camera, thanks to the built-in SD slot.

Read complete article: Nakamichi’s stylin’ Lumos portable DVD player - Engadget

Technorati Tags: portable DVD player, portable entertainment, portable video, nakamichi lumos

cNet reviewed the MusicGremlin MP3 player and music service but came up with a disappointing 6.3:

The good: Lets you download new songs to your portable without a PC; music store has about 2 million tracks; can connect to other MusicGremlins through Wi-Fi or ad-hoc connections and share music; includes an FM radio.

The bad: Music subscriptions cost $14.99 per month (otherwise, songs are 99 cents per track); only subscribers can share songs; poor battery life; merely 8GB of storage for $299; requires open Wi-Fi connection to download songs; FM radio can’t remember presets; no video, photo, or messaging capabilities; doesn’t work with Macs.

The bottom line: The MusicGremlin is a novel first effort and a boon for people who want instant access to downloadable songs, but it probably doesn’t deliver enough value to attract many users.

Read complete article: MusicGremlin (MP3 player/digital music service) Reviews. MP3 players Reviews by CNET.

Technorati Tags: mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment, musicgremlin

cNet have reviewed the Creative Zen V Plus portable media player, giving it an excellent, 8.3/10:

The good: The Creative Zen V Plus offers a cute, pocket-friendly design without sacrificing screen real estate, and the vivid OLED display is viewable from any angle. The player is packed to the gills with features, including an FM radio, voice and line-in recording, photo and video playback, and compatibility with subscription WMA tracks. Oh, and the sound quality and battery life are great too.

The bad: The Creative Zen V Plus’s joystick is really small and has a cheap feel to it, and we wish Creative had included all the buttons found on the Vision:M. The screen is difficult to see in bright sunlight, and there’s no UMS support.

The bottom line: The Creative Zen V Plus is a superb choice for anyone looking for a compact and feature-filled flash MP3 player with great sound quality. If you’re looking for a more sophisticated design (or have large thumbs), check out the iRiver Clix instead.

Lookup on Amazon:

“Creative Zen V 2 GB Portable Media Player (Black/Green)” (Creative Labs)

Read complete article: Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, white) Reviews. MP3 players Reviews by CNET.

Technorati Tags: Creative, creative zen, mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment

MobileMag reviews the new Archos 104 MP3 player and rate it 80%:

Pros:
- large 4GB capacity
- good build quality and materials
- very nice OLED display
- decent battery life
- good sound quality
- song selection by artist, album, genre, etc.

Cons:
- loading times
- can get warm sometimes
- can’t turn off LED when in use
- keypad lock doesn’t lock volume control

Read complete article: Archos 104 digital audio player Reviewed

Technorati Tags: Archos, mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment

MobileWhack reports the release of the new Hello Kitty MP3 player:

Girls would love this; it’s a Hello Kitty MP3 Player from Sanrio Japan. Of course it does have the Hello Kitty shape with its earphones jack plug at the side of the kitty. This portable audio player has a built-in memory of 256MB which is enough to store up to 70 songs.

Read complete article: Sanrio Hello Kitty MP3 Player : MobileWhack.com

Technorati Tags: mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment, hello kitty, sanrio

FosFor Gadgets reports the availability of the Philips PET1002 portable DVD player:

Philips PET1002 is the latest portable DVD player from Philips. It’s capable of delivering a five-hour battery playback on the big 10.2″ screen. It can play all the usual formats including DivX and MPEG4. The price tag reads $399 and it’s available now.

Read complete article: Philips PET1002 - Fosfor Gadgets

Technorati Tags: philips, portable DVD player, portable entertainment

DailyTech via DAPReview.net, report that Acer is about to introduce a portable video player, the MP-500:

Acer Inc. will be making its way into the portable market when it brings the MP-500 portable media player to Europe, says DAPPreview.net.

The MP-500 looks very different from the prototype pictures presented by the company at CeBIT, but it is common to bring products to the market with completey different aesthetics than initially shown. The unit will feature DivX and MPEG2/4 capabilities as well as MP3 and WMA audio capabilities. Users will also be able to view JPEG and Bitmap images along with GIFs on the 3.5-inch TFT at 320×240 resolution.

Read complete article: DailyTech - Acer Set to Introduce Portable Media Player

Technorati Tags: portable entertainment, portable media player, portable video, Acer

ubergizmo report (via dapreview.net) the Wixzer WXP350 portable media player:

Well, the idea of integrating a digital camera into a Portable Media Player is not entirely new, but most of the attempts fell short to turn it into a “must-have” feature as found in cellphones. Wixzer decided to take the plunge by including a 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera into the WXP350. The WXP350 is powered by Windows CE 5.0, an ARM9+ Digital Signal Processor, and a lovely 4″ widescreen touch display. Other features include a 20GB/30GB hard drive, USB host functionality, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, a built-in FM radio, e-book compatibility, VoIP, GPS, UMS, and video/audio recording. The lithium-polymer battery can last for 6 hours of movie playback before running out of juice.

It is a bit hard to find what formats it supports, and the website is a slow and horrid Flash-based one.

Read complete article: Wixzer WXP350 PMP

Technorati Tags: portable entertainment, portable video, wixzer