Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Finally we can toss out that old, boring Gemei X760 we’ve been fooling around with, and step up to some legitimate action. That’s right, the X760+ is on the scene, and that + isn’t just for show. The new iteration of the Chinese-made PMP / game playing device boasts 4GB of onboard storage, a 3-inch, WQVGA screen, a 400MHz CPU, FM tuner, and a TV output. The handheld is capable of playing MP3, WMA, APE, RM, MPEG, FLV, AVI, and VOB files (amongst others), but the main selling point here seems to be its built-in ability to emulate the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, as well as play “3D games.” The price? 599 yuan (or about $87). Availability? Call an importer.

[Thanks, Raz]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

These days, the cool kids are looking to do more than just play back the freshest jams on their portable media player. We’re talking video, PVR, WiFi, the works. Have a listen at Marco’s question, and if you think you could do one better, send in your inquiry to ask at engadget dawt com:

“I’m looking for a new PMP, but I want a unit that can do it all. A large screen, big hard drive, support for lots of codecs, PVR functionality, TV output, etc. I’d also like Bluetooth and / or WiFi if possible. I don’t mind units that are somewhat bulky, but I want one with a great user interface and decent battery life. Any help here?”

Yeah, he totally just called the Archos / Cowon fanboys from the woodwork, but seriously, what would you recommend to this fellow? Is your current PMP a dream come true? Would you advise against getting whatever you’ve got? Spill your soul in comments below.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

You’ve seen it toyed with, you’ve seen it unboxed and you’ve read the review. Now, the moment of truth has arrived. iriver’s Lplayer is officially on sale here in the USA, with the 4GB models going for $109.99 and the 8GB editions demanding $159.99. You’ll also have to choose between white, pink and black, but don’t sweat the details, okay?

[Thanks, Jenn]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

When we asked you to list the things you’d change about Samsung’s YP-P2, a number of you yearned for mobile TV. Granted, you’d have to set up shop in South Korea for your dream to be fully fulfilled, but Samsung’s definitely making it possible. The YP-P2 DMB will arrive packing an obligatory T-DMB mobile TV tuner for youngsters and hipsters alike to find their favorite program when those hundreds of albums grow stale. We’re hearing that the unit will feature a 3-inch touchscreen along with Bluetooth 2.0 and your choice of black or white motifs. Price wise, you’ll be laying down ₩239,000 ($231), ₩309,000 ($299) or ₩389,000 ($377) for the 4GB, 8GB or 16GB version.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Podcasts, Portable Video

iriver’s Lplayer, which we just got done handling ourselves, made it over to the review crew at PC Magazine. As expected, both design and interface were smiled upon, and critics also felt the price was fair. Upon using the admittedly wee device, they seemed to have problems getting the click buttons to respond like they wanted, but aside from that, hardly anything negative was said. The broad codec support was praised, the built-in equalizer worked as advertised and the FM tuner / voice recorder were welcome extras. All in all, it was seen as a worthy rival to the iPod nano, and if you’re the type that prefers something different in the pocket, this puppy just might be the ticket.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

These days, it’s pretty wild and crazy if a PMP manufacturer manages to do anything different than what’s already out there, so we’ve got a soft spot for Shenzhen’s EM-2811, being sold as the “Latte ICE.” Sure, nothing spectacular, and the 1GB-4GB capacity is seriously amature hour, but we like the look of the device, and the interface is pretty strong for a no-name DAP. There’s a miniSD slot to overcome that capacity handicap, a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, FM radio, voice support, AVI / MPEG video playback, and a built-in speaker. Tetris is included, but with the button layout we’re hoping they can finagle a couple emulators on there. Battery life of 4 hours video and 8 hours audio is painful, but overall the Latte ICE isn’t at all bad for a $70 starting price. Video is after the break.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Shenzhen EM-2811 “Latte ICE” is actually kind of neat

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

It looks like those that prefer their gadgets to call as little attention to themselves as possible now have yet another new PMP to consider from Nextar, which has just pulled up its new T30 model from OEM-land (from the looks of it, at least). This one packs a 3.5-inch QVGA display (not a touchscreen), along with 4GB of memory, an SD card slot for expansion, a built-in FM radio, and support for all the basic audio formats, although you’ll have to convert videos to AVIs using the included software. If that sounds like it’ll do, you can apparently pick one one of these up now from a whole host of retailers, including Wal-Mart, for a $100 (or less, it seems).

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Newsmy, which we can only presume is really Newman based on history, has just introduced its latest portable media player: the F4. Not a lot is known about this critter just yet, but we do know it packs a 1.3-megapixel camera, movie recording mode and enough file formats to not even mention specifics. Heck, we’re told it will even upload clips to YouTube, though we’re pretty far from believing that it’s true. Best of all, it’s attempting to disrupt the space-time continuum with MP6 support, though we suppose it could land softly between MP5 and MP7 if all the stars align correctly. No word on a price or availability date, but it’s probably for the best.

[Via PMPToday, thanks BrianB]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

We’re sure there’s some small corner of the planet where this has created a maelstrom of interest and speculation, but seriously, we’re just not feeling it. Chinese PMP-hub iMP3 has nabbed some “spy shots” of the Chuwi T8, a touchscreen media player that looks like the unholy union of an iPhone and Zune. As far as features and release information goes, we haven’t heard specifics, but you can assume it will play a ton of different audio and video formats, will emulate some old consoles, and won’t ever be available in the US.

[Via PMP Today]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Just when we were all excited about seeing a RAmos V8 in the wild, it turns out the PMP has had a bit of shrinkage. Instead of the generous 4.3-inch screen we expected, the final unit is listed as having a more realistic 3-incher. Meanwhile, instead of the 16GB of storage for which we lusted, this unit has a measly 4GB. Now, it’s entirely possible that this is an entry-level unit at just 599 Yuan ($86 US), but we still feel a bit cheated. Other confirmed specs include a 400 x 240 resolution at 26K colors along with — get this — TV output. Supported formats include MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, AVI, and RM/RMVB.

[Thanks, Toly]

[Via MP4 Nation]

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

That 80GB Zune above looks mighty familiar, now doesn’t it? At least it does if you checked out our totally wild guess mockup that we created upon hearing of this gem. The limited edition Joy Division-themed Zune has finally been pictured (officially) and priced, with just 500 of ‘em to be offered up through the Zune Originals website. Of course, we have no idea how quickly these will (or won’t) go, but if you’re looking to grab one, we’d have that trigger finger ready to roll on June 17th.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Don’t deny it — the render / picture / whatever the heck that was of Onda’s WiFi-equipped VX777 looked pretty mighty rough. Thankfully for all those potentially interested in this portable media player, the real deal actually looks a good bit nicer than we were led to believe. Not that it’s touting a revolutionary design or anything, but like gramps always said, don’t fix it if the cool kids aren’t fed up yet.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless

Creative got some Jello-O knees in the run-up to launching Zen Share, its WiFi-enabled PMP, and decided to quit the project altogether. The company is blaming “technical complications,” which we have a suspicion is shorthand for “building the necessary software to make WiFi helpful in a DAP is harder than we anticipated.” That’s too bad, but have no fear: Creative is replacing the project with a player due in the next two months that will sport an “exciting” design. We know, you’re so excited right now. Rumor has it that the player could be an X-Fi-branded DAP with a metal back and X-Fi audio processing. Creative also confirmed that it’s moving exclusively to flash memory.

[Via Electronista]

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Just in case you felt there wasn’t quite enough screen real estate on the ultra-sleek V8, RAmos is giving the display even more attention on the Blue Magic T8. The player features a 4.3-inch display, 10-millimeter thick enclosure, built-in FM radio tuner and the potential to play nice with a not-yet-developed dock that would enable video output. Beyond that, details are freakishly scarce, so it looks like you’ll have to put away your excitement for the time being.

[Via PMPToday]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Given MemUp’s recent past, we wouldn’t be too shocked to find that the outfit’s latest bundle of media players were all rips of other units, but we’ll assume innocence until proven guilty. Up first is the K-SLIM, a simplistic DAP with a 1.8-inch display, FM tuner and 2GB / 4GB of internal capacity. Moving on, we’ve got the all-too-similar K-TOUCH, which gently ups the ante with a 2-inch touchscreen and 4/8/16GB of space. The V-TOUCH gets oriented horizontally and boasts a 2.4-inch panel, while the M430 TR PMP arrives with 4.3-inches of screen real estate. Lastly, we’ve got the M430 DTV, which obviously trumps the latter with its integrated TV tuner. Hit the read link for more details on the whole lot, and don’t be surprised if you notice any similarities in design.

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Original post by Darren Murph