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

Anything But iPod have review the Toshiba S30 and S60:

The highly anticipated third installment of Toshiba’s hard drive based MP3 player has finally been released after many months of waiting. Released in two different capacities, 30GB and 60GB, this player is graced with an amazing interface, powered by Microsoft’s Portable Windows Media Center. This platform allows for many easy to use features such as FM radio, photo browsing, on-the-go playlists, and video-out. Lacking in the file support area, the Gigabeat S supports MP3, WMA, WMV, and WMA Lossless. This media player is compatible with many different music services and some of the new video services. It also integrates with the Xbox 360, Tivo Series 2, and Windows Media Center.

Read complete article: Toshiba Gigabeat S30 & S60 Review

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

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

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

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

Engadget reports Philips is releasing a new portable media player, the PMC7230:

Remember that Tatung Portable Media Center that first turned up at Computex almost exactly a year ago? No? Don’t worry about it, because it turns out that Philips is OEM’ing it. The Philips version, which is dubbed the PMC7230, comes with a 30GB hard drive (though the version we played with had only a 20GB drive), 3.5-inch display, PlaysForSure compatability, and a little kickstand on the back so you don’t have to hold the thing in your hands for two hours while you’re watching a movie.

Read complete article: Philips PMC7230 Portable Media Center - Engadget

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

Anything But iPod has provided new of two new MP3 players from MSI, the P610 and P630:

Better know for their motherboards, MSI has two new digital audio players. Both of them with pretty much the same functions and features except the P610 is a flash based (512MB/1GB/2GB) and the P640 is micro drive based (8GB).

Read complete article: MSI P610 & P640 MP3 Players

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

cNet put the MSI Mega Player 536 MP3 player under the microscope, but are less than impressed, giving it only a 5.3/10:

The good: The MSI Mega Player 536 has a sleek design and low price tag, and it supports protected WMA files purchased from online music stores. This MP3 player also offers good sound and high quality line-in and voice recording.

The bad: The MSI Mega Player 536 doesn’t play subscription WMA files, and it offers very limited video and image-file-format support, as well as limited ID3-tag support that’s dependant on Windows Media Player. The player also has a quirky interface, a subpar display, and mediocre battery life.

The bottom line: Attractive and feature packed, the MSI Mega Player 536 has a lot of potential on paper, but its many shortcomings make it difficult to recommend. Go for a Samsung YEPP YH-820MC instead.

Read complete article: MSI Mega Player 536 (4GB, Gray) Reviews. MP3 players Reviews by CNET.

Technorati Tags: mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment

Trusted Reviews tell of a new media player from LG with its controller built into its screen, albeit, confusingly named, MFJM53:

Now this may only be a new one on me, but I can’t remember having seen a dedicated MP3 player with touch screen navigation before so a hearty slap on the back to LG for making one.

First, however, some heavy criticism. Why oh why oh why do companies make players with such unmemorable names?! Of Apple’s competitors only Creative can really escape without much blame but really, this device is called the MFJM53! Can you really imagine going into a store and asking for a “Mmmphjuhmmm53” or would you just give up half way through and say “Pass me an iPod”?!

We look forward to seeing how well these go. And are they a clue to how the iPod video will work?

Read complete article: TrustedReviews - LG Makes Touchscreen MP3 Player

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

Creative’s Zen Micro Photo has been reviewed by cNet who, altho giving it 8.3, still seemed a little disappointed:

The good: The Creative Zen Micro Photo features a bright, colorful OLED that’s viewable from any angle, and it’s available in a choice of 10 body colors. This MP3 player also includes useful extra features such as a user-replaceable battery, a voice recorder, a photo viewer, an FM tuner, and an onboard calendar and task manager that syncs with Microsoft Outlook. The Zen Micro Photo is also out-of-the-box compatible with Janus (Windows Media DRM 10) and offers excellent sound quality.

The bad: Unfortunately, the Creative Zen Micro Photo doesn’t let you listen to music and browse photos simultaneously, and album art is not supported at this time. The touch pad on this device can take some getting used to.

The bottom line: The Creative Zen Micro Photo is an excellent full-featured MP3 player and, for its size, a decent photo viewer; it just doesn’t combine the two effectively.

It might also be a decent player if it hadn’t taken such a beating from the ugly stick.

Read source article: Creative Zen Micro Photo (8GB, light blue) Reviews. MP3 players Reviews by CNET.

Lookup on Amazon: “Creative Zen Micro Photo 8 GB MP3 Player Titanium Grey” (Creative Labs)

Technorati Tags: creative zen, digital audio player, mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment, creative zen micro photo

MobileWhack, via Aving, report the upcoming release of a new portable media player from MPIO, the MPIO HD-400.

MPIO will soon be releasing the HD-400, a hard drive equipped portable media player capable of handling MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG formats. You can also play video files and watch them on the 1.8″ TFT LCD. It also sports a radio tuner, voice recorder and photo viewer. Games are supported, but no details on this yet.

Equipped with an 8GB microdrive, it also features Microsoft’s Janus DRM - so it can also play audio/video protected by MS DRM. It can be charged using an generic cell phone adapter as well.

Read source article: MPIO HD-400 Media Player : MobileWhack.com

Technorati Tags: digital audio player, mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment, MPIO