MPIO has launched what it is claiming is the worlds smallest Personal Media Player in the UK with a screen measuring an eye straining one inch in size. The unit itself itself measuring only 32 x 55 mm and weighs less than 35g.
The player will come in three memory sizes, three different colours and allow you to watch MPEG4, DivX, AVI, WMV movies as well as view JPEG images and slideshows.

Audio playback is via WMA, OGG and MP3 files while compatibility with WMA DRM means that you can play your downloaded music files on the player. The central joystick promises to offer three axis control and the corners of the outer facia also act as EQ, REC, FUNC and PLAY buttons.

15 Hours battery life is possible from the built in battery that can be charged via USB or the optional power adapter.

Digital audio player adoption will reach more than 65 million by 2010, but the number of first-time buyers will decrease, according to a new research report. The Yankee Group DecisionNote foreceast indicates that MP3 manufacturers will face a shrinking market of customers new to the digital music era, as the number of first-time buyers will decrease beginning next year. “By 2010 the U.S. install base for Digital Audio Players (DAP) will reach 65.6 million…. As the total installed based of digital audio players increases, Yankee forecasts the number of first-time owners will decrease. The trend will begin in 2006 and continue to gain speed. By the end of 2007, less than half of digital audio player sales will be to first timers. The precipitous decline in new user adoption will fall to below 5 percent by 2008.” According to the Yankee Group’s numbers, Apple’s iPod represented three-quarters of all players shipped in 2004, which the company expects Apple to maintain–due in part to its marketing and iTunes initiatives.

Australian children grow-up with the PlaySchool classic song I Can Sing A Rainbow that exhorts us to “listen with your eyes” as well as “listen with your ears”.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that many of us love going for colour when selecting an MP3 player. OK, sure, great sound and ease of use are important considerations, but so is sporting a device that reflects your personality.

If you’re the serious type or just care about having something that works, a matte-black or ice-white MP3 player probably suits you just fine. But for those of us who like our tech to match our favourite outfit or who at least want stylistically distinguished electronics, a colourful device can make all the difference.

If this sounds like you, then consider one of the options below. The Creative Zen Micro tops the list with a range of ten coloured players to choose from, but most of the others offer up a selection of three, four or five case colours options.

If you want a slick alternative to the iPod and you’re into Sony’s Connect music store, then the NW-HD5 is a stellar choice.

The colourful and versatile Zen Micro will make lots of users happy.

In the iPod Mini redux, Apple offers two capacity options and a more competitive pricing scheme — welcome improvements in an already fantastic player.

As iRiver’s first 5GB entry, the H10 includes nearly every coveted feature, but navigating the player controls can frustrate some users.

If you can afford it, the Thump is just about the coolest thing you can put over your eyes and ears.

cnet.com.au

The Cowon IAudio X5 is an all-around class act, from its stylish black case to its bright color screen. Weighing in at less than 6 ounces, and measuring about a half-inch thick, this hard drive-based digital media player packs plenty of features into a small package.

The player lets you play back MPEG-4 video, record from the built-in FM radio, and record from a line input. You can also use the device as USB host, which allows it to copy files from other USB devices such as digital cameras without requiring a PC as the intermediary.

Buy the Cowon iAudio X5

Cowon iAudio X5 Reviews

CNET Reviews reviews the Cowon iAudio X5 and gives it a ‘Very Good’ rating. They write – ‘The iAudio X5 looks like an iPod killer on paper, but this palm-size video and music player suffers from poor music browsing and some key design missteps. Small size; video player with 260,000-color LCD; customizable wallpaper; FM radio; line-in and voice recording; photo viewer; text-file reader; excellent sound quality; reads photos directly from digital cameras; compatible with OGG and FLAC formats.’

PCWorld reviews the Cowon iAudio X5 and writes – ‘The X5’s controls are a pleasure to use. The joystick makes navigating through a large music collection easy, and the player supports M3U playlists created in programs such as WinAmp. You can also create playlists on the device itself. As an audio player, the X5 is very good, with bright, clear sound and the ability to drive even larger headphones. It’s also very versatile: The X5 can play back MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, and WAV files, though it doesn’t work with any of the online music subscription services at the moment. Nonetheless, these minor quirks aside, I found the X5 to be a great little digital media player for the price–one that packs a lot of features into a small, easy-to-handle package.’

Cooltechzone reviews the Cowon iAudio X5 and writes – ‘Before we even begin, it would be difficult to criticize iAudio X5 in terms of features. Let’s just put it this way – if everything works, as it should, then the iPod doesn’t stand a chance. The only thing that iPod has it going for is Apple’s marketing, and the fact that it’s perceived as a cultural accessory than an electronics gadget.’

PCMag reviews the Cowon iAudio X5 and writes – ‘The X5 delivers sound quality that rivals the Apple iPod — and a feature set that buries the iPod. So many features, however, hamper the player’s ease of use. Very good sound quality. Solid recording capabilities. Interesting sound enhancement options. Broad audio file format support. USB Host port lets you transfer images directly from a camera. Doesn’t require drivers. Joystick navigation can be tedious. Screen is small and blocky. No online music store support. Requires a small adapter for charging, line in/out, and USB.’

Cowon iAudio X5 Press Release

From the Manufacturer
Sturdy, versatile, and remarkably compact, given its voluminous storage capacity, iAudio’s X5 portable multimedia device is sure to be a hit. The 20 GB audio/video player and recorder can store about 5,000 songs (4 minutes each, 128 kbps) in a nearly unparalleled choice of formats, from MP3 and WMA to linear (uncompressed, CD-quality) WAV files, Ogg Vorbis files (which sound a bit better than MP3 for files of comparable size), as well as FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec, compressed but designed for 1:1 encode/decode). The X5 can recognize up to 2,000 folders and 10,000 individual files, and its super power-saving circuit provides up to 14 hours continuous playback on a full charge.

Cowon iAudio X5 Features

MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV, MPEG4* (video) playback, FM Radio Receiver and Recording,
Voice Recording, Line-In Recording
TXT (Text), JPEG** (Image) File Viewer (Image Enlargement, Background Screen Designation)
Built-In HDD (20GB/30GB)***, USB Host****, File Copy/Delete
USB 2.0 Interface
260,000 Colors TFT-LCD, Resolution 160×128
Long Playback Time : Up to 14 hours playback (35 hours for iAUDIO X5L)
(Based on company’s self-test, The playing time may be shortened according to settings.)

Multi language support
Enhanced Integrated Navigator
Play/Pause, Recording/Pause While Recording
Next Song/Previous Song, Fast Forward/Rewind, Section Repeat
Resume, Fade-In, AutoPlay Features
Search Speed, Skip Speed Setup
Volume (Digital 40 Levels)

Various EQ and Sound Field Effects
-User-Adjustable 5-Band EQ
-Normal, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classic, Vocal, User
-Supports BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, and 3D Surround.

Clock, Alarm, Timer Recording, Sleep Function, Power Saving Shut down.
Power, LCD On/Off, Hold Combined Switch
LCD Auto Off Time Adjustment, Brightness, and Contrast Adjustments
Easy Firmware Upgrade
Supports ID3V2, ID3V1, FileName
Device Information Verification
(Firmware version, HDD capacity, HDD volume, total folder number, total file number)

Supports MAC OS (Data transfer only)
Supports Linux v 2.2 or higher (Data transfer only)

Software
-JetShell (File transfer, MP3/WMA/WAV/AUDIO CD PLAY, MP3 ENCODING)
-JetAudio (Integrated multimedia player software, music/video conversion feature)

Playback format MP3 : MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, ~320kbps, ~48khz, mono/stereo WMA(ASF) : ~256kbps, ~48khz, mono/stereo OGG : ~q10, ~44.1khz, mono/stereo FLAC : compression level 0/1/2, ~44.1khz, mono/stereo WAV : ~48khz, 16bit, mono/stereoXviD MPEG-4, CBR ~256kbps, up to 160×128, 15 fps JPEG**

Capacity Hard disk (20GB/30GB)***

PC interface
USB 2.0 (Max. 480M bps)

USB Host (OTG) ****

Cowon iAudio X5 Specifications

Battery – Built-in Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (Up tp 14 Hours Continuous Playback)

Power Supply – AC adapter DC 5.0V, 2A

Charging Time – Approximately 3 hours when using the AC power adaptor (6 hours for iAUDIO X5L)

Buttons Main unit: 5-way Jog(NAVI/MENU, VOL+, VOL-, REW, FF), PLAY, REC, POWER & HOLD switch
Remote Control (Sold Separately) : PLAY/PAUSE, FF, REW, MENU, VOL+, VOL-, MODE, REC

Switch 1 switch (Hold)

Display 160 x 128 dot, 260,000 color TFT-LCD

SNR 95 dB

Max Output 16 Ohm earphones : 20mW + 20mW

Frequency Range 20Hz~20KHz

Size (excluding the LCD) iAUDIO X5 : 4.08 X 2.39 X 0.56 inches (103.7 X 60.8 X 14.3 mm)
iAUDIO X5L : 4.08 X 2.39 X 0.72 inches (103.7 X 60.8 X 18.3 mm)

Weight
(including the built-in battery) iAUDIO X5 : 5.11 oz (145g)
iAUDIO X5L : 6.35 oz (180g)
including the built-in battery

Compare Price on the Cowon iAudio X5

Sony Ericsson has extended its Walkman phone range with the W550.
The entry level entertainment mobile has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a 4x digital zoom, a 176 x 220 pixel TFT display, runs Java games and is pre-loaded with Adobe picture PC software, but music is the main angle for the new model.

Headphones are provided with the phone and music (MP3 or AAC format) is loaded into the 256MB of memory via Disc2Phone PC software. Sony Ericsson claims a battery life of up to 30 hours of music.

Should you be listening when a call comes in, the music automatically cuts off to let you take the call. The Walkman music player can also be used independently of the phone, allowing the phone to be otherwise turned off.

‘This new Walkman phone is aimed at fun seekers who enjoy a good party and like to share enjoyable moments with friends,’ said Steve Walker, Sony Ericsson’s Head of Product Marketing. ‘There are so many entertainment features crammed into this small, sleek handset that whether you are alone or with a group of friends, the W550 can satisfy all your entertainment needs.’

Other elements of the spec include support for video recording and fullscreen playback and multimedia messaging. In terms of connectivity, the tri-band GPRS phone supports USB and Bluetooth and there’s an Access NetFront HTML browser.

The W550i triple band GPRS 900/1800/1900MHz version will be for European, African, Middle East and Asia Pacific markets. No recommended UK pricing has been confirmed at time of writing.

Standard & Poor’s Equity Research reiterated a “hold” rating on American depositary receipts of Nokia and raised estimates.

S&P Equity Research raised the 2005 earnings estimate to $1.00 per ADR from 98 cents, and raised the 2006 estimate to $1.11 from $1.00.

“We expect handset competition to intensify at the mid-range and at the top end, particularly from Motorola this year and Samsung next, keeping handset prices and operating margins under continuous pressure,” the research firm said.

S&P Equity Research said Nokia could gain more market share if its planned launches of MP3 player-enabled handsets take share from Apple Computer iPods.

The firm maintained a 12-month target price of $17 on Nokia ADRs.

Gateway’s MP3 Photo Jukebox is an interesting combination of good ideas poorly implemented. The $250 player has some intriguing features–including the ability to store and display digital photos–but in the end its weaknesses far outweigh its strengths.

Buy the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox

Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox Reviews

PCWorld reviews the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox and wrote – ‘The Jukebox’s laundry list of near-miss design decisions would be easier to live with if the unit were simply more fun to use. Unfortunately, the interface is strangely unintuitive (due in part, perhaps, to the lack of any sort of Enter button), and the graphics look a bit cheesy.

Sound quality is decent, but Gateway doesn’t throw in any extras like an FM receiver or a voice recorder. Moving files (music or photos) onto the unit is a straightforward affair, but even charging the unit is onerous: You’re forced to connect the AC adapter cable to the USB cable through an add-on jack before you can plug the whole mess into the wall.’

PCMag reviews the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox and wrote – ‘The Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox is a surprisingly good music player. Even though Gateway had no background in portable digital audio devices, its player outperforms many popular and highly touted competitors. With the upgrade from 4GB to 6GB, it becomes a more viable choice if you want to keep a large portion of your music collection with you. It also handles lossless WMA files, so you can have full CD fidelity too.’

CNET Reviews the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox and gives it a ‘Good’ rating. They write – ‘Intuitive, well-designed user interface; plays DRM-protected WMA files, including subscription downloads; displays photos; supports direct photo uploading from USB memory card adapters and compatible digital cameras; removable, rechargeable battery; reasonable price. Digital photo display and subscription-based music support are cool features, but the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox’s performance leaves much to be desired.’

Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox Press Release

Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox Specifications

Weight– 3.4 oz
Battery technology– Lithium ion
Service & support type– 90 days warranty
Device type– Digital AV player
Key multimedia features– Digital audio player, Digital photo viewer
Hard drive– 6 GB
Display type– TFT 1.6 in – Color
Supported still images formats– JPEG
Supported audio formats– AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA
PC interfaces– Hi-Speed USB
Battery– Internal – Rechargeable – Lithium ion – 820 mAh
Included accessories– USB cable, AC adapter, Carrying case, Stereo headphones
Dimensions (WxDxH)– 2.3 in x 0.7 in x 3.8 in
Battery– 1 x Lithium ion Rechargeable Internal

About Gateway

Since its founding in 1985, Gateway (NYSE: GTW) has been a technology pioneer, offering award-winning PCs and related products to consumers, businesses, government offices and schools. With its acquisition of eMachines now complete, Gateway is the third-largest PC company in the U.S. and among the top ten worldwide. Its products under both brands received more than 150 awards and honors last year. Gateway products are offered at major retailers, over the web and phone, and through its direct and indirect sales force.
eMachines products are sold by major retailers. See http://www.gateway.com for more information.

Compare Price on the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox

Domestic middle-standing MP3 player makers are breaking into the market in China via indirect channels like OEM or ODM supply, as they find it to be difficult to join the market directly.

According to industry sources, MP3 player makers such as MPio, S-CAM and Hyunwon have sealed contracts with local companies to supply MP3 players on OEM or ODM basis. Industry observers anticipate that other MP3 player firms will follow their suit, since a considerable number of Chinese enterprises are seeking to build partnership relations with them.

MPio has reportedly signed a contract with a leading consumer electronics appliance maker in China to supply its MP3 players, beginning in this month. Under the arrangement, MPio will provide the Chinese partner with 200,000 units of MP3 gadgets by the end of this year and 1 million units next year. Depending on response of local consumers, however, MPio will supply 600,000 units this year and 2 million units next year.

S-CAM is in talks with two Chinese manufacturers to supply its MP3 players either on OEM and ODM basis or establish a joint venture to produce MP3 players. S-CAM is also talking with a distributor in Singapore to provide 100,000 units a month on an ODM basis.

Another MP3 player maker Hyunwon recently began supplying 1,500 units of 3 models a month to J&C, the largest MP3 player manufacturer in China. “Given that it is not easy for small and medium-sized MP3 player makers to break into the market in China, it will be a wise solution to form partnership relations with local companies which have set up distribution networks,” said Kim Hong-gi, executive director at Hyunwon.

After promoting marketing campaigns for months for its premium MP3 players along with mobile phones, Samsung Electronics could make soft-landing in China. And, the largest MP3 player maker in Korea Reigncom constructed its plant in China this year to directly supply products in local market.

A part of industry observers point out that the supply of MP3 players to China on OEM and ODM basis may increase sales in a short term, but it may return as a boomerang in a long run.

english.etnews.co.kr

Adoption of MP3 players more than doubled to 10.8% of households; 8 mln households added laptops to their computer lineup; 15 mln households added digital cameras; and camera phones exploded from 2.5% to 12.8% of households, according to Forrester Research.

The Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z is a 1GB fixed memory portable MP3 player which offers up to 42hrs playback, and MP3 encoding at up to 128kbps of FM radio or connected audio on the fly. The small white YP-MT6Z has easy to use controls, and the white backlit LCD display is packed full of information in a decipherable and legible format.

Buy the Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z

Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z Reviews

CNET Reviews reviews the Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z and gives it a ‘Excellent’ rating. They write – ‘Samsung’s tiny YEPP YP-MT6 is a solid throwback of an MP3 player, with useful audio features, good street prices, and impressive battery life. Superior AA battery life; solid sound quality; compact and durable; highly readable display for such a small player; FM radio; voice, radio, and line-in recording; next-track readout; MP3, DRM WMA, and OGG playback. If you’re a Windows user, the YEPP YP-MT6 is a superior choice to the Apple iPod Shuffle, thanks to its compact design, its good sound quality, and its many useful features and functions.’

PCStats reviews the Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z and writes – ‘The Samsung YP-MT6Z player has its controls nicely arranged. The front LCD screen is white LED backlit when keys are pressed (though it looks blue here in the photos), and the joystick has a cool blue halo around it when being used. The joystick controls the Menu, and menu navigation, track advance, track fast forward, and the volume. Tap the joystick up and the volume is increased by a level.’

Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z Press Release

From the Manufacturer

Music just doesn’t get more portable than this! This MP3 player is big on features like a built-in FM Tuner, inline encoding,voice recorder and eight EQ pre-sets. One AA battery gives you up to 42 hrs. of playback. The 4-line LCD screen gives full view of ID3 tag information and SRS WOW technology which provides vivid 3D sound enhancement. You can also store and transfer PC files and music files with a simple drag-and-drop from your Windows OS.

Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z Features

Supports MP3, Secure WMA, ASF, WMA
1 GB Memory
Improved GUI & Navigation
Sleek Design with Metal Casing
42 Hours Playback
USB 2.0 PC Interface
4-Line LCD
Doubles as a Flash Storage Device
FM Tuner with Recorder
Voice Recording
SRS WOW Sound Enhancement
20mW Output Power
Product Dimensions: 1″(W) x 2.39″(H) x .95″(D)

Compare Price on the Samsung YEPP YP-MT6Z