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

Digital Trends provide a review of the Microsoft Zune portable media payer and are far from impressed:

The MP3 player market easily has more than 5 years under its belt. So you would think by now most manufacturers have the recipe for success down by now; copy the Apple iPod or create something innovative and new. Microsoft must have missed the company memo or something, because the Zune is nightmare wrapped in pretty packaging.

Read complete article: Microsoft Zune Review - Full Review - MP3 Players - MP3 & Media Players - I4U Reviews provided by Digital Trends

Technorati Tags: microsoft, mp3 players, portable audio, portable video, portable media player, zune

Ubergizmo reports on a neat little stand for iPods and other MP3 players

We all know how crappy in-flight entertainment is, so why not carry a whole bunch of videos with you the next time you board a long haul flight? Unfortunately, holding the iPod (or any other object for that matter) in the same position for long periods of time could lead to unnecessary muscle strain, which is why ezGear developed the EZL device that helps keep your portable media player in place on a tray table right in front of you. Non-skid pads located at the bottom ensure your favorite portable media player won’t pull a Tonya Harding on you. Once you’re done with the movie/video, just pick up the EZL and fold it into a quarter inch thick package. You can purchase this useful device as a gift for your loved one today for

Read complete article: EZL holds portable media player up

Technorati Tags: accessories, ipod, portable entertainment, mp3 players

Life in Tech has an interesting opinion piece about why they believe the Nintendo DS has out sold the Sony PSP despite all predictions to the contrary:

When I was looking for a portable gaming system the Nintendo DS was out of the question; It was a kid’s toy and nothing more. Sony’s PSP was much cooler with its larger screen, better graphics capabilities, music/video capabilities and decidedly more mature games (Grand Theft Auto, baby!).

Like many, I saw the DS touch screen as a gimmick. The same could be said for the dual screens. Nor did its cheap-looking plastic compare to the sleekness of the PSP.

Eventually, from the pressure of my girlfriend to play Mario Kart DS, I decided to give it a go. She was having so much fun with hers, after all. For a slick $149 I purchased the DS Mario Kart pack.

Now, nearly nine months later, I’ve found that I never (I mean never) play my PSP. The DS became my handheld of choice. I asked myself how this could be possible, citing all the reasons above and I’ve formed a simple conclusion: the DS is a better value, period.

Read complete article: How the DS beat the PSP (and how the Wii will do the same against the PS3) - Life in Tech

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds, portable entertainment, portable gaming, sony PSP, sony

Nintendo says of the DS:

With impressive 3D rendered graphics, Nintendo DS delivers cutting-edge portable games for fans of any genre. Plus, you can play all your favorite Game Boy Advance games in a single-player mode.
With Nintendo DS, dual screens and touch-screen technology allow you to interact with games like never before. Wireless communication allows you to experience real-time multiplayer gameplay, while built-in PictoChat software gives you the power to draw, write and send messages wirelessly. Nintendo DS revolutionizes the way games are played.

Visit the Nintendo DS web page

Over at [H]Console, they’ve provided a detailed review of the differences between the DS and the DS Lite. Thanks guys. Champions.

Reviews:
cNet on DS
cNet on DS Lite
PC World on DS Lite
Digital Trends on DS Lite
TrustedReviews on DS Lite (9/10) - 19 June 2006
Pocket Lint on DS Lite- 14 July 2006
(more…)

Kotaku reports that Nintendo are offering free repairs for DS Lites with broken hinges:

Nintendo, while still standing behind their claims that DS Lite hinge cracks are a minor problem, is now offering to repair DS Lite’s with the problem free of charge.

Yesterday a reader sent us word that when he called Nintendo’s customer service he was told they would repair his cracked DS Lite hinge free of charge. The customer service rep told the reader that the repair “came up on her screen” as being a free.

Read complete article: Nintendo Capitulates, Offers Free Repairs for Cracked DS Lites - Kotaku

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds lite, portable entertainment, portable game console, portable gaming

Engadget at other sites are reporting on a Japanese site with detailed steps on overclocking (if you don’t know what it means, you shouldn’t be doing it) a DS Lite:

If you’ve gotten just a little too good at your Nintendo DS games and are looking for more of a challenge — and also looking to void your warranty — now there’s a way to hack your console for making everything run almost twice as fast. A Japanese modder has just posted step-by-step directions (in Japanese, unfortunately) for re-wiring a DS Lite to perform at a claimed 1.7x speed, complete with a toggle switch in case you decide that turbo mode isn’t appropriate for all occasions. It looks like you have to be pretty handy with a soldering iron to tackle this particular project, so if you’ve got the skillz and about four hours to waste on tinkering around with your DS’s sensitive circuitry, then accelerated performance — and funny-sounding audio — will be your reward.

Read complete article: How-to overclock your Nintendo DS

The detailed steps can be found at: Overclock your DS Lite. You may need to know a little Japanese

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds, nintendo ds lite, portable game console, portable gaming, overclocking

GoNintendo report on news out of Nintendo that the DS was the biggest selling portable games console in the US in June, 2006:

In a triumph for innovation, the dual-screen Nintendo DS(TM) portable became America’s top-selling video game system of any type in June, according to independent sales numbers just released by the NPD Group. The introduction of the new DS Lite version, featuring a smaller profile and more brilliant display, boosted total sales to nearly 600,000 units, almost double that for any other game device, and alone represented more than a third of total industry system purchases for the month.

Nintendo was all but written off when the PSP hit the market. Likewise in the fixed console market. Now who’s having the last laugh? The DS and the Wii (which hasn’t even been released yet!) are dominating the mindshare, and in the case of the DS, that is being translated into market-share. The Wii will undoubtedly follow, and Nintendo wil finally be recognized as the number one games console maker.

Read complete article: Go Nintendo » Blog Archive » Nintendo News: Nintendo DS Becomes America’s Top-Selling Video Game System- What are you waiting for?

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds, nintendo ds lite, portable entertainment, portable game console, portable gaming

ubergizmo report on a new portable DVD player, the iLuv i1055, thhat has a unique and special feature:

The iLuv i1055 is able to display video from the iPod or any other DVD player via its 7″ widescreen LCD display. This tablet-style portable media player comes with a special dock for 5G iPods that is located at the back. Not only can it play video, the iLuv i1055 also supports audio CDs and the MP3 format as well.

Acting as both a player and an extended screen, this impressive device is both accessory and player, and could just be the perfect add-on for iPod video users. You can see in this image, the iPod docked snuggly in the back of the i1055. We want one!

Read complete article: iLuv i1055 portable media player

Technorati Tags: iPod, portable DVD player, portable entertainment, portable video, iluv

cNet provides a review of the Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB) MP3 player, giving it a 7.3/10:

The good: Plenty of cool color options; ultracompact design; comes with a belt clip, a case, and an armband; impressive, but not great, sound and recording quality; supports DRM-protected songs; includes FM, voice, and line-in recording features.

The bad: Small LCD; no true playlist support.

The bottom line: If you’re looking for a feature-packed flash player but you don’t want to spend a ton to get one, Creative’s Zen Nano Plus is the device for you.

Read complete article: Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Gray) Reviews. MP3 players Reviews by CNET.

Lookup on Amazon: “Creative Zen Nano 1 GB MP3 Player Grey” (Creative Labs)

Technorati Tags: mp3 player, portable audio, portable entertainment, Creative, Creative Zen Nano

Would you still buy an iPod if Apple licensed FairPlay to other MP3 makers? We see a lot of nice players out there, but as ipod owners ourselves, sadly have to give the others a miss. What do readers think? Should licensing be good or bad for Apple? For the iPod?

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPod