Posts in Music & Play
CeBIT 2007: Archos 204
CNET.co.uk | Mar 15, 2007
After the announcement of the new Archos 704 PMP, we weren't expecting any more news from the company, but how wrong could we be?
Archos has just announced the 204--a very small 20GB MP3 player that's exclusive to the European market. We're very pleased to be European because this little beauty is, well, a beauty. It's got a 46mm (1.8-inch) OLED screen, just a touch bigger than Apple's iPod nano, and it plays music in MP3, WMA and WAV format. We're also told it'll support music bought from online stores such as Napster and MusicMatch.
What we like most about the 204's appearance is its professional style. Some smaller MP3 players tend to appeal to the younger market, thanks to their low cost, their lower capacity (most kids won't use more than about 4GB) and their typically more vibrant coloring. We're pleased to see that this small yet reasonably high-capacity MP3 player has been given a trendy metallic finish, which will certainly appeal to older consumers.
Photo support is also included, and you're free to personalize the theme of the navigation display by using a selected photo as a background--a nice touch and one not often seen as an option. Thankfully, Archos will let us enjoy 20 hours of music from a single charge, which brings it on par with Apple's hard disk-based iPods. Nice.
Crave can't wait to get its hands on the 204 and expects it to be a success in the UK. To get over 8GB of storage in an MP3 player, you really need to be looking at either a 30GB iPod or a 30GB Creative Zen Vision M, and these are much larger than this new Archos player.
With 20GB of storage, 20 hours of battery life, photo libraries and support for online music stores, this could really be killer product. At around £130 it's an incredible purchase--check back later this year for a full review. -NL
Read more CeBIT tidbits here
Bass to the bone
John Chan | Mar 15, 2007
In bone conduction technology, sounds goes through the skull to the inner ear, bypassing the ear for hearing. This is how the Vonia Sports HeadBand works, allowing you to plug in a small MP3 player like the iPod shuffle before putting on the headband. This leaves your ears free to hear approaching traffic, which ensures that Megadeth remains an item on your playlist, not a description of your condition after a jog. There's no guarantee that jocks you might meet along the jog won't kill you for looking incredibly dorky, though.
Read more gizmos here | via Crave
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Iconic speakers
John Chan | Mar 14, 2007
Art Lebedev Studio has always had interesting designs, and the Sonicum speakers are no exception. Each of the two speakers bears the volume icon shape when viewed from the side. You may not be able to see the shape when it's facing you, but the Sonicum will make for a great conversation piece among your colleagues and friends. The set comes with a sub-woofer which has a smiley face for bass control. Now, that, we don't get. Available from May 7 at the Art Lebedev store for US$120.More info here
Read more gizmos here | via Uncrate
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Creative dieting
John Chan | Mar 13, 2007
In a very long press release, Creative revealed slimmer versions of its Zen Vision:M and Zen Vision W players. This was found by AV Watch on Creative's Japan site, and also came with side profile comparison shots of the two video players. The reduced thickness is 19mm (from 22.1mm) for the Vision: M and 22mm (from 26.4mm) for the Vision W, down about 15 percent each. Still not the slimmest video players around, but every little millimeter helps.
Read more gizmos here | via dapreview
Sega Toys mu-bot earphones
John Chan | Mar 09, 2007
There's no shame in not being able to identify the Sega Toys mu-bot as earphones. The arms of this figurine extend to reach the ears, while the body is clipped onto your shirt or bag strap. It's a neat way of cable management, and incredibly cute to boot. Where do you plug in the MP3 player in then? Well, let's just say it's in an unsavory position at the rear of the mu-bot. Goes on sale on April 21 in Japan for about US$24. More info here
Read more gizmos here | via Gizmodo
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