Archive for Convergence

Rimax Mystic VoIP-Enabled Media Player

rimax mystic Rimax Mystic VoIP Enabled Media Player

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a DAP with VoIP capabilities, and if the recent release of the Rimax Mystic is any indication of a new trend, it won’t be our last either.

The Mystic comes in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB capacities, and when it’s not doubling as a phone while connected to a PC, it supports the standard set of audio files and the nonstandard AMV video file. The folder-based player also has an FM radio, voice/radio recorder, JPG viewer, and tiny 1.5-inch OLED display.

The Mystic is available now with different colored casings for $105 (512MB), $131 (1GB), and $169 (2GB).

[Product Page via Tech Digest]

Cowon iAudio N2 – PMP GPS DMB With Windows CE Running on AMD

cowon iaudio n2 Cowon iAudio N2 PMP GPS DMB With Windows CE Running on AMD

The Cowon iAudio N2 is a series piece of hardware packed with a ton of features and is far from your typical portable media player. First off the N2 runs Windows CE 5.0 on an AMD Alchemy 500MHz processor with 128MB of ram. The screen is a 7” WQVGA (480×234) LCD touch screen which will come in handy when operating the GPS navigation system. The player also supports DMB which is basically over the air digital television, for all you DMB deprived Americans that don’t know. Not to leave out the shutter bugs, the N2 comes equipped with two SD memory slots and a USB host port for connecting cameras or other USB based media.

And yes, it will play your digital media like MP3, OGG, WMA, WMV, DivX, AVI, XviD, JPEG, MPEG… ect… ect. Just like Cowon’s A2, it supports nearly all of the major media types.

I doubt this will ever make it to the shores of the US due to the incorporation of DMB and the cost of localizing the N2 to a low demand US market.

[Cowon] thanks Noam

Tiny Xun Chi 138 MP3 Player Phone

xun chi 138 Tiny Xun Chi 138 MP3 Player Phone

Believe it or not, you’re looking at a GPRS cell phone.

The toy-like Xun Chi 138, available only in China, is so small (just 2.64 inches) that it doesn’t even have a numeric keypad! Not the most obvious or convenient design choice for a phone, sure, but that’s apparently what the touch screen (complete with handwriting recognition) is for. Weighing in at about 2 ounces, the Xun Chi may not be user-friendly for making calls but you can still snap some pics with the built-in 1.3-megapixel camera and listen to some tunes via the integrated MP3 player.

Price? No idea. Battery life? No clue. Silly little device? Absolutely.

[Ubergizmo]

FineDrive M300 Mulitasking Machine

finedrive m300 FineDrive M300 Mulitasking Machine

Korean company FineWorks announced recently that its svelte and multitalented FineDrive M300 device will be released by the end of this year. At just 1.8 centimeters thick, the 4.6-ounce gadget gives new meaning to that “Thin is in” saying. It features a 3.5″ touch screen, DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) tuner, GPS antenna, and 3GB of internal memory to store pictures, music, and videos. It seems one of the only things the M300 can’t do is swim across the ocean to U.S. shores. Well okay, it doesn’t do a lot of other things too, but you get the point. Anyway, when it rolls out in Korea, it’ll be waving a $210 flag (200,000 won).

[AVING]

Acer MP-340 DAP with Sudoku

acer mp 340 Acer MP 340 DAP with Sudoku

It looks like Acer is still trying to create a slight ripple in the DAP/PMP market by switching up its marketing strategies to target the legions of Sudoku fans out there. The addition of a handful of built-in games does make their new 20GB MP-340 player more appealing than the company’s previous offerings…assuming you’ve been blessed with superhuman eyesight, that is. Even though no one could comfortably view anything – much less a grid-based puzzle – on a 1.8″ TFT (262K colors, 160 x 128), the player supports ACV videos (and you have tons of those, right?), JPG images, and MP3 and WMA audio files.

If 20GB barely scratches the surface of your media collection, the MP-340′s SD/MMC expansion slot can take care of that. And don’t hold back when transferring all your music via USB 2.0 either: the device’s lithium polymer battery can provide up to 10 hours of audio playback time with the display turned off.

Measuring 3.47″ x 2.56″ x 0.81″, the 5.2-ounce player is available now in Germany for between $280 and $318, depending on where you shop. Whether the player makes it to U.S. shores remains to be seen, but the fact that it’s not (yet) listed on their website isn’t encouraging.

[IFA Virtual Market Place via MobileWhack]

iRiver D25 MP3 Player Dictionary

iriver D25 iRiver D25 MP3 Player Dictionary

More reminiscent of a Nintendo DS Lite than of its predecessor, the iRiver D25 is one of those more-than-just-a-dictionary gadgets that are quite the must-have in Asia. The clamshell device opens to reveal a 4.3-inch LCD sporting 260K colors and an English QWERTY keyboard complete with navigation buttons and function keys. And of course no multilingual dictionary would be complete without mp3 playback, FM radio, voice recorder, games, text-to-speech capabilities, and text/photo viewer.

The D25 ships with 1.3GB onboard flash memory and also has a built-in SD/MMC expansion card slot. An included lithium battery will provide 16 hours of dictionary fun and an unspecified amount of time for other activities.

Measuring 5.3 x 3.7 x 0.8 inches, the iRiver D25 will be available next week in Korea for about $400.

[Popco.net via dapreview]

Creative DiVi CAM 516

creative divi cam 516 Creative DiVi CAM 516

Creative announced yesterday the ultimate in convergence. Their new DiVi CAM 516, available at the end of August, combines a 5.1-megapixel digital camera (with 4x digital zoom), mp3 player, voice recorder, webcam, and camcorder capable of recording MPEG-4 videos (640 x 480, 30 fps). It’s also equipped with a rotating 1.7-inch TFT (480 x 240), 32MB integrated memory, SD/MMC expansion card slot, AV out, UMS compliance, and various camera settings.

The only downside to the new DiVi CAM is its slow USB 1.1 connection and the fact that it runs on 4 AAA batteries. But with a surprising MSRP of only $160, there’s really nothing to complain about.

[Press Release]

QCOX PMP With Windows CE

qcox QCOX PMP With Windows CE

We’re not sure why this new Korean PMP is called QCOX, but we do know that under its hood is an AMD Alchemy processor running Windows CE 5.0 Professional. Aside from a 30GB hard drive, 4.3-inch screen, DMB tuner, and FM radio, details about the device are still sketchy. It’s worth noting, however, that the Pro version of CE includes components for ActiveSync, Internet Explorer, and handwriting recognition. Whether these are actually features on the QCOX remains to be seen, but surely Pro was chosen over Core for a reason.

The player appears to be made by Curon, but since there’s no mention of it on their website, we’ll hold off on assuming it’s in their product catalog.

[PMPInside via I4U]

Sony mylo Personal Communicator

Sony mylo Sony mylo Personal Communicator

Sony announced yesterday the upcoming release of its mylo personal communicator. Combining the best features of just about every device out there, the mylo features Wi-Fi, QWERTY slide-out keyboard, VoIP, instant messaging, built-in microphone, and removable li-ion battery. The unit ships with a paltry 1GB of flash memory, but a Memory Stick PRO Duo expansion slot helps to soften that blow.

A 2.4-inch QVGA screen (320 x 240) offers 65K colors for organizing photos (JPG/PNG/BMP), watching videos (MPEG-4 SP), and listening to music (MP3/ATRAC/WMA). Measuring 4.8 x 2.8 x 0.94 inches, the 5.3-ounce mylo can keep your tunes spinning for up to an astounding 45 hours on a single charge! Battery life for other applications is also impressive: 7 hours for web browsing and 3.5 hours for VoIP.

The mylo comes in black or white and will be available next month for $350.

[Press Release via Gizmodo]

Merriam-Webster MWD-480 MP3 Player Dictionary

merriam webster mwd 480 Merriam Webster MWD 480 MP3 Player Dictionary

Merriam-Webster has a new twist on their latest dictionary. In addition to words, definitions, and phonetics, this dictionary can also contain beats, tunes, tracks and mixes. The device has no internal memory but it has an SD slot where you can add 2GB+ of MP3s via a built in USB connection. With the inclusion of a QWERTY keyboard I could imagine the “MP3 player” navigation could be quite good. The MWD-480 is available now for $80 on Franklin’s website, just in time for back to school shopping.

[Franklin via MobileWhack]