Mp3 players are no longer considered as the “cool kids on the block,” though many of us are still quite happily using them. But the reality is that most people don’t, atleast not any more. Still, there are plenty of them out there, and one of the latest machines on ground is Cowon’s iAudio 10, which was recently announced in South Korea, and said to include a 3-inch 240 x 400 display, along with an FM radio, a mic, an integrated TV output and 4GB to 32GB at your choice. Oh! And there’s this cool Color Therapy UI that will make your background look a lot more interesting, but it might take some time before it hits some of the European shelves or lands close enough to U.S national seashores.

Update: Cowon just started shipping the iAudio 10 across the States, with pricing starting at $159.99 for the I10-16WH (the 16GB version) which comes in White, and $199.99 for the ebony I10-32BL model (that’s 32GB of internal storage).

[Cowon]

What we’ve got here is a new Sony Walkman Mobile Entertainment device running Android Gingerbread platform on board. Say that again? A new Sony Walkman? Sounds like a post from mid 2009, but apparently it’s truth. The Japanese corp has just announced at IFA 2011 a new 4.3-inch LCD toucscreen device, carrying the good old Walkman brand, and sporting an HDMI output, along with a bluetooth connectivity, a micro USB hub and Sony’s exclusive S-Master MX software suite which is supposed to improved your very favorite music when traveling on-the-go. Regretfully, there’s still no word about price or availability, but you can be sure you’ll hear more about it, in the coming future or so.

Update: Turns out this all new Android Walkman series from Sony is more fascinating than we had expected. According to the company’s official PR announcement, the  4.3-inch WVGA player (dubbed Sony Walkman Z) which runs an Android Gingerbread platform under the hood, is also said to sport a 1GHz Tegra 2 chipset, paired with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi connectivity, an HDMI output, 16, 32 or 64GB of storage capacities, red/black or black/blue flavors, and battery that delivers up to 20 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video. And while price details are still vague at the moment, the Japanese are saying that the new Z PMP will probably go live in Japan on December 10th and not one day before. Wow!

[via techcrunch]

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Although some of you might have already forgotten, most don’t, and we thought it would be nice to bring in a little piece of info about it. You know, those tiny MP3 players that hang around your neck? Well, they still do exist nowadays and for the record, still make a few headlines. The latest news in that regard is that South Korean giant, Creative is rolling out a new line of products, dubbed Zen Style M300. So what’s inside, you may ask? A built-in Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, along with your choice of 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB capacities, a microSD card reader and a 1.45-inch screen display, right on top. In addition to that you’re getting an FM radio, paired with an integrated mic and estimated 20 hours per battery set – covered by variety of nice and lavish colors, including black, white, red or yellow. Availability wise, we’ll have them up sometime in June, with prices starting at $40 for the basic version and up to $90 for the most expensive one. Full PR after the break.

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Microsoft is going to kill the Zune player, if a Bloomberg report is to be believed. According to “A person familiar with the decision” the Redmond giant will stop the Zune production entirely, and will put considerable effort into the Zune software that already has a good and seamless integration with the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 platform. And while uncertainty remains regarding Microsoft’s final decision, the stakes unfortunately are extremely high. That being said, we’re definitely likely to see Microsoft keep on selling you their Zune product piece-by-piece until the stock runs out.

[Bloomberg]

Say hi to the new Cowon D3 Plenue: At first sight, it looks like a basic mobile phone, same size, same shape, same overall appearance. But beneath the 3.7-inch, 800 x 480 AMOLED face lies an Android 2.1 PMP with 32GB of storage, SD card expansion, a built-in accelerometer and a T-DMB tuner. And if it wasn’t already cool enough, it also comes with an HDMI output, WiFi connectivity and Bluetooth 3.0 support. Sadly, we’re still not sure whether it is going to include an Android Market access at this stage – though we’re surely going to see some sort of applications on board – but one thing’s for sure, you can definitely expect to hear more about it in the coming months, weeks or perhaps in early January, at the 2011 CES show. Stay tuned.

Update: Amazon has just now listed a pre-order page for Cowon’s latest and greatest Android D3 Plenue player, priced at $370 and set on an undetermined release date. Is it just us that think this is way too much for a player, at this point?

[Cowon]

Rumor has it that Samsung is planning to showcase a new Galaxy Player at CES 2011, early next month. The player, which purportedly boasts a 4-inch Super Clear LCD display with 800 x 480 screen resolution, is said to run a Google android 2.2 platform, together with Samsung’s most efficient TouchWiz layer, right on top. Additionally, it’s also been reported to pack a 1GHz processor, along with a 1200mAh removable battery, WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB storage capacities and a rear 3.2 mexapixels camera plus another one (VGA), conveniently located up front. Software-wise, we’re looking at SoundAlive audio enhancement technology which Samsung has wisely embedded inside along with GPS navigation capabilities, HD video playback and T-DMB support. Unfortunately, there’s still no official announcement about price, full specs and release date from Samsung, but you can be sure we’ll be on-hand to bring you all the details as soon as they come out. The only question that left: Can Apple maintain the iPod’s relevance? The only answer we can come up with is: Only time will tell.

Update: And looks like Samsung’s 3.2-inch Galaxy Player has just made it into the pre-orders section at Amazon UK with a January 7th shipping date, full Android Market access, and two capacity flavors to choose from: 8GB that will run you for £150 (about $235), and 16GB that costs only £30 more (or about $280).

[via Samsung Hub]

It’s nice to know some companies still believe in portable media players, these days. One of them is Korean giant, iRiver that is teasing us with a new line of top-notch media players which come in a series of fancy colors and intriguing rectangular looks. And while details are scarce at the moment, the only thing we can all be sure about is that the new series will offer three different models, U100, P100, and D2000, which are likely to be out sometime at the first quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, while we’re gathering more details, make sure to checkout the video after the break.

Update: You can watch the video here.

[Akihabara News]

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Do you think that wearing 3D Glasses to watch TV is silly? Well, how about ditching the discomfort of wearing over-sized plastic 3D shades but watching the third dimension over a 4.8-inch media player, eh? No, we’re not kidding. Want more proof? make sure to check out Cowon’s latest 3D PMP revelation – the world’s first official device ever to support non-glasses 3D visualizer in portable players. 3D on-the-go, can you believe it? Of course you gonna get an HDMI output with it, and up to 64GB to store your high-def videos, but most importantly (at least for some of you), it has WiFi within, and its battery can deliver up to 10 hours of continuous video playback. Sweet!  Interested? You may want to start saving the pennies for this high-end number; we’re adamant it won’t be cheap. In fact, it’s gonna cost you (when it gets out in south Korea on December 10th) KRW499,000 (around $430) for the 32GB flavor or KRW589,000 (around $510) for the 64GB version.

[Cowon]

What do you think the new trend in media players? For those of you who answered “Android OS“…you were right. First it was Archos who wisely added Google’s burgeoning platform into its latest PMP series, and now it’s Creative’s turn to do exactly the same. The new model on stake is the Android 2.1-based Zen Touch 2 player which packs a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen on top along with WiFi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer module and inbuilt speaker under the lid. In addition, there’s also a 2 megapixels camera, an FM radio, GPS, digital compass, and microSD slot. Storage wise, you get to choose between 8GB and 16GB capacities while the smallest one runs for £149.99 and the bigger edition is priced only £10 more. Let’s go Android! let’s go.

[Creative]

It looks like jailbreaking season has finally started folks, with Apple’s iOS 4.1 most anticipated hack tool, “Greenpois0n”, officially been announced and released to the pond. And while still available just for Microsoft Windows users at the moment (Macs should wait or use VMware/VirtualBox apps to install), this latest update, courtesy of Chronic Dev Team labs, will shine only with Cupertino’s iPhone 4 / 3GS, iPod touch (3rd / 4th generations), and iPad 1st gen devices, already preloaded with iOS 4.1 firmware which turns to be vulnerable to George “geohot” Hotz recent limera1in USB boot ROM jailbreak exploit, that Steve Jobs is likely to block. On his next firmware roll out, that is, of course.

Update: Well…it didn’t take long for both Geohot and the guys at Chronic Dev Team to introduce their own proprietary Mac format into the market (limera1n and greenpois0n), each with varying degrees of advantages and disadvantages of its own. As always, proceed with caution and back up your stuff first, you just never know where troubles might come from.

[Chronic Dev Team]

While some folks strangely cling to the belief that PMPs have gone obsolete, others hold on to the idea there is still a lot of untapped potential with this specific department. Well, mainly strong names like Cowon, that has recently launched a brand new player of its own. And it’s been pre-named for your convenience as Cowon X7, so if you’re planning on getting one, mind you it’d cost 339,000 KRW in local currency or about $304 in US silver coins. The 4.3-inch player which was designed explicitly to consume audio and video content will pack 160GB of storage and is allegedly capable of playing up to 10 hours of video playback or 103(!) hours when switched to audio mode. Besides that it will also include a Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, and is said to deliver a very wide range of codecs support. Availability wise, the South Korean users will probably be able to get one immediately, but Western fanboys will likely have to wait just a little bit more.

Update: While still unavailable Stateside, the new 4.3-inch Cowon X7 player has apparently begun to show up in some European countries. With a built-in bluetooth connectivity on board but NO WiFi at all (shame), the 480 x 272 screen resolution PMP will run you in France for €299 (120GB) or €329 (160GB). Wanna see more? Check out Le Journal du Geek hands-on cover before you buy your own.

[via Akihabara News]

So Archos has a new “internet tablets” lineup, and the first model to roll out in the coming days will be the 3.2-inch Archos 32 – a mini tablet and a media player hybrid which runs for $149.99 and offers a 400 x 240 touchscreen display (resistive) that packs underneath an 800MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, along with 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, G-sensor, and Android 2.2 for the OS. Formats support is apparently pretty impressive and battery is claimed to deliver up to 24 hours of audio and 6, in case you’re just interested in watching videos. stay tuned for more updates from Archos.

[Archos]

Everywhere I turn it seems I hear about Samsung’s portable media devices, these days. And now that the South Korean electronic giant has officially launched its most hyped 7-inch Android Galaxy Tab at the IFA show in Berlin, there are numerous other cool products in Samsung’s Galaxy lineup one could definitely see them coming. One such example is the new Android-powered Galaxy Player 50 that Sammy has just announced – which looks pretty much like a mobile smartphone at first glance – But it’s not. As a matter of fact, this small whitish bad boy is actually a 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD player, which boasts an Android 2.1 OS, 8GB or 16GB of storage, a microSD slot expansion (up to 32GB), a 2 megapixel camera, 802.11n WiFi connectivity, and the ice on the cake – multitouch screen support. Regretfully, at this point there are no pricing or availability details to share with the world, but the full PR is just around the corner, so hit the break and read the note.

[via Android Center]

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One of the most interesting products that Apple has just rolled out at the Music event yesterday morning is the new iPod nano device which the company has completely revamped and transformed it into a nice squarish touchscreen player. Yes, the 6th generation iPod nano is actually equipped with a neat multi-touch user interface, while the body itself is now 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter than previous models. In addition to that, the Cupertino guys have also added couple of hard volume buttons on top and a tiny clip on the back (no more armbands needed). And despite the fact that Apple has officially ditched cool features like the integrated camera or video playback support, It would be still reasonable to shell out $149 for 8 gigs or $179  for double the storage in order to get yourself one, especially now when the new nanos boast a 24 hours battery pack, along with a pedometer, FM radio tuner and even Nike+ support. Full PR and a quick hands-on video (courtesy of Engadget) after the break.

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Apple has just updated its iPod Touch PMPs lineup with a new slick model which apparently includes iPhone 4 stunning Retina Display screen, together with a 3-axis gyroscope and that strong Apple A4 chip that will easily support all those brand new features inside such as the great Game Center and the Face-time capabilities which can now be used on iPod Touch players thanks to the latest rear and front-facing camera additions. Cupertino will start taking your pre-orders today as prices start at $229 for 8GB and climbs to $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. Full PR after the break.

Update1: We’ve just added a quick hands on video, courtesy of Engadget, so check it out after the jump.

Update2: And looks like the iFixit team has done it again and managed to nab one of Apple’s latest and greatest 2010 Apple iPod Touch player in order to tear it apart and eventually expose its inner parts to the world. First results indicate that the new 640 x 960 LCD touchscreen is actually fused to the external glass, while the area between the front end and the battery is protected by an 11-gram EMI shield. Other than that, you’ll find a 3.44Whr Li-Pol cell, firmly soldered to the board, but the headphone jack isn’t. There’s plenty more info at the iFixit website and one image that says it all right after the break.

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Apple’s just announced iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch devices, coming up free of charge via iTunes sometimes next week. According to Steve Jobs, the new update is going to fix a few bugs (including Bluetooth, proximity sensor and some iPhone 3G issues) along with some pretty neat add-ons such as High Dynamic Range photos, HD video uploads over WiFi, TV show rentals and the most anticipated Game Center which proved to be very impressive and will match you up with other players on the net.

Next on Apple’s future plans is the iOS 4.2 version, which was specifically designed for iPad devices and is supposed to bring in the entire iOS 4.1 features along with additional dedicated capabilities including the AirPlay feature which lets you stream music and video content over WiFi, or the wireless printing option that enables to remotely manage your entire print jobs. This new iPad iOS edition is claimed to go live somewhere around November.

Update: iOS 4.1 is officially live n kickin’ through your iTunes. That’s of course in case you own one of the following devices: iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 2nd gen, iPod touch 3rd gen, or iPod touch 4th gen.

We’ve already seen a bunch of Archos Internet tablets based on Android 1.6 landscape, in the past. Thankfully, the next wave, which will happen this year, will focus on Google’s upcoming Android 2.2 platform (Froyo), as the upper level models will also include multitouch capacitive touchscreens inside. We’ll see a mix of 5 different Android versions getting unleashed – some are more of media player devices and some will likely go live as tablet machines.

Archos 28 ($99.99) – A budget version. Comes with a 2.8-inch, 320 x 240 resistive touchscreen which packs underneath 4GB of storage along with a pretty impressive 800MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and a wide range of audio / video codecs support. It also boasts an Android Froyo operating system and a new Archos music app that will display your album art in the most convenient way. Regretfully it won’t have Market Apps access nor Google apps preloaded, but fret not, you won’t be left with nothing inside. Get yours, starting this September.

Archos 32 ($149.99) – Another basic PMP version. This one, however, comes equipped with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, boasting 8GB of storage and a rear 720p camera to catch your very precious moments. In addition, if you want this one you can get it somewhere around mid-September with a slew of touch buttons down the lane and a composite port for TV connection.

Archos 43 ($199) – Up next in this new lineup is the Archos 43 which looks like a new Archos 5 version with a much slimmer design and a more powerful 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. In addition to the 4.3-inch touchscreen you’ll also get (somewhere around mid-October) that rear 720p camera, along the Android Froyo platform and an integrated screen accelerometer.

Archos 70 ($274.99) – A 7-inch Android Froyo tablet that is supposed to go live somewhere around mid October and replace the previous Archos 7 flavor, yet again with an Android 2.2 OS running inside and a slick capacitive multitouch display placed on the top. This one has a mid-October availability dates as well.

Archos 101 ($300) – The most interesting member in that gang, probably because of the 9.7-inch Apple iPad analogy. Comes fully equipped with a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, along a slim .5-inch thick chassis and only .93-pound of weight. It houses that same strong 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and runs Google’s latest Android 2.2 platform onboard. In addition you get a front facing VGA camera for video conference chats and in term of ports it is said to include an HDMI output, a microSD reader and one single USB host. It’s going live somewhere around mid-October as well, but at the meantime you can checkout the full PR, specs chart,and  Engadget’s Johanna Stern quick hands-on video right after the break.

[via Engadget]

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Android media player – that apparently looks like the latest greatest trend among audio-video gadgets across the pond, and the new joiner within that sphere is Philips and its most awesome GoGear Connect PMP. The slick silver device which you can find listed in online retailer store Argos, priced at €264.99 (about $340), boasts a 3.2-inch 480 x 320 display, running Android 2.1 platform and tucked with 16GB of flash storage, an integrated GPS navigation system, an FM tuner, a microSD, a 3.5mm headphone jack and battery pack delivering up to 25 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of continuous video work. It should already be available throughout the European continent while US release is yet to be determined.

Update: Philips just went official with its brand new 3.2-inch GoGear Connect PMP which apparently supports a very wide range of audio and video formats, including mp3, wma, .m4a (AAC), ogg, and flac audio; wmv, mp4, H264, and avi video; or JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF images. It is also said to have a built in camera inside, paired with microSD slot, android 2.1 for the OS and an integrated GPS platform to navigate your way on the go. Worldwide release (including the US) is scheduled for October of this year, with prices at €249 (about $315) for the 16GB flavor.

[Argos via Engadget]

Hey! What’s this…A new Samsung PMP running Android OS inside? Though not official yet, it still looks and feels like the real thing for us, and judging from the rumors, it’ll probably make an official debut soon – South Korean style. For a nondisclosure price you would get yourself a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, paired with 1GHz processor, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3mp camera and last but not least – Google’s Android OS platform swiftly running inside. The name is YP-MB2, in case you wondered, and y’all should stay tuned  for more juicy details to come.

[via Samsung Hub]

Do they still create mp3 players these days? Apparently yes. Take a look at Sony for example. The company has recently announced a new E350 Walkman lineup, and reportedly plans to sell it around the globe either on Red, Blue or Black flavors at your choice, priced at merely $70 for the 4GB model or double the size for only 10 bucks more. Battery wise, you get to play up to 50 hours of music playback with this gadget, or up to ten hours, in case you prefer the video mode. Full PR is just after the break while the official release is due to September.

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