The wait is finally over! Archos has just unveiled their newest line of PMP's. Well actually, they're not calling them PMP's, they're "Internet Media Tablets". As the name implies, the devices rely heavily on their ability to access the net, and connect all your media together. Whatever, they're still PMP's to me, but let's continue. There are three new models, and a bunch of capacities ranging from 30 to 320GB's.

Archos 5



Archos is going with a a simpler naming strategy this time. The Archos 5 (or 606 for traditionalists) is their flagship model, and oh what a sexy model it is. They've gotten rid of the silver look, and have a nice brownish exterior and a chrome backing. Who knew Archos could make something so mainstream? Oddly enough, the name "5" was meant to relate to the screen size, but the display is actually 4.8". Being an internet tablet and all, Archos is really touting the players' fast and smooth web browsing abilities. It has support for Flash 9, and is the first player to utilize an ARM cortex processor.

Features

• Capacity: 60, 120, and 250GB
• Display: 4.8" Touchscreen (800 x 400, 16 million colors)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, WMA Pro 5.1, AAC, and WAV (Plus AC3 using the DVR station)
• Video: MPEG-4 (AVI, Divx, Xvid, etc..), WMV, H.264, and MPEG-2
• Built-in WiFi connection and Free Internet browswer (Opera)
• PDF viewer
• Video recording via DVR station plus 720P output resolutions
• Battery Life: 12 hours for Audio, 4 hours for Video
• Dimensions: 127.5 x 78.3 x 12.9 mm for 60GB model, 127 x 78.8 x 19.4 mm for 120/250GB mode

Archos 5g



Perhaps taking advantage of the whole "3G" iPhone craze, Archos has announced an upgraded version of the Archos 5. It has most of the same functions, except it comes with 30GB's, and adds a 3.5G HSDPA network. That allows you to be connected to the net wherever you are (i.e. not just WiFi hotspots). Supposedly a "3G dongle" will be made available for the other models down the road.

Archos 7



Archos hasn't forgotten about you huge screen lovers. Their new 7" PMP Internet Media Tablet has the same features as the Archos 5, but ups the capacities to 160 and 320GB's.

As you can see, the GUI for these new players is completely redesigned. The icons look a bit large, but it's still a very clean looking interface They've also announced a bunch of add-ons to truly make it a media-centric device. You have your DVR station, a Mini-dock, a TV snap-on, an FM remote, and a Helmet cam. . Sadly, Archos has failed to improve the battery life for Generation 6. 12 hours for audio and 4 hours for video just doesn't cut it anymore. Notably missing is a flash model. I was hoping for a true iPod touch competitor.

Prices have not been provided yet for N. America, but on their French page, the prices for the Archos 5 are 349, 399, and 499 Euros respectively. More often than not, those pricing figures get transferred over directly to their US dollar counterparts. We'll update you when we get the official word.

Let us know what you think of these new IMT's. Yay or Nay?

LINK

GenerationMP3 already got their hands on the new players and have provided a full gallery of pictures for us to drool over

GenMP3 Hands-on

Although I wrote Zune 120, that is not an official name - it does make logical sense though. It seems a Zune armed with a 120GB HDD has been cleared by the American "FCC". This is good news for all lossless loving Audiophiles, absolute music junkies and general video fans.



If Microsoft is indeed releasing a 120GB mode, it still falls short of it's only other rival, the 160GB Apple iPod Classic. The Zune does have a lot more going for it though, including a larger screen, a more appealing GUI and in some regards, the software (wireless syncing for instance).

I'm surprised it took Microsoft this long to release a competitor to Apple's highest range model. Right now if you want a mainstream DAP larger than 80GB's, the only choice is the Classic. Hopefully sometime this year, we'll be able to have an alternative.

LINK (PDF file)

Thanks to istartedsomething.com

Sandisk wasn't the first company that came to mind when I thought of sound quality, but that notion began to change after listening to the Sansa Clip. Not only did it sound great, but it was also pretty powerful too. Not bad for a player this tiny. If you've yet to hear this player, Buy.com has the 2GB model in red for $29.99 shipped.

Specs:

• 2GB
• Audio: MP3, WMA, Audible, and Ogg (may need firmware upgrade for Ogg support)
• FM Tuner
• Voice recorder
• UMS/MSC support
• Built-in clip (duh)
• 15 hours of battery life

I just ordered three myself, to give to my family, and to one lucky member here down the road (yay for giveaways!). This deal probably won't last long so don't hesitate to order.


LINK

via SlickDeals

News this evening, it seems Sony will be releasing a new range of daps, the E430 range. The new daps will come in capacities of 2-8gb and look likely to take on the iPod Nano range and the Sandisk Sansa Fuze line up. However, the E430 will have one little advantage over the Fuze, itunes compatibility (no DRM tracks).



Some more specs: The E430 range will be very slim at only 8.5mm thin, and weigh as little as 50g. Battery life is expected to be in or around 30hrs, this will vary depending on your tracks bitrate of course. Supported Audio codecs are WMA/MP3/AAC and WAV.

On the video side of things expect the same sort of support as previous players (Mpeg-4/h.264 limited to 320x240@30fps) with a battery life between 4-7 hrs depending on your codec/settings, all played back on a 2" screen. The E430 range also has an FM tuner for those interested. Availability and price as yet unknown but will be updated when we know.

Thanks to SonyInsider

Thanks to an unmissable banner posted on the Archos website it appears that the gen 6 Archos line up that we all knew was coming has now been bumped up to "coming soon". I know this is not news, as I do not believe any of us thought the Gen 6 were not coming but it's great that they've let us know they're "coming soon".



Really and truly i'm looking forward to what Archos has to offer. Over the past few years they've been introducing the most minor improvements to their PMPs so this year I'm expecting them to come out with a real winner, something that will make me (not a fan of Archos) step back and say "me wants". I guess we'll have to hold our breaths for a little longer though.

Thanks Rockinamigo!

The ZEN X-Fi has been out a little over a month now, and reviews for it are starting to trickle out. The latest comes from PC Magazine, who provides a fair analysis of Creative's new flagship DAP. While they seemed pleased with the WiFi features of the player (wireless streaming, instant messaging), and the included premium earphones, they weren't too happy about the player's user interface, or its excessive amount of buttons (13 face buttons!). It seems anytime you're using the player's WiFi functions and jump back to the home screen, you lose your wireless connection. That seems counter-intuitive for a player these days and I can see it getting pretty annoying after a while. Here's a summary of the review:

Pros: Streams and downloads music wirelessly. FM Radio and voice recorder. Quality earphones are included.

Cons: User interface needs work. Most videos need to be converted with the included software. Loaded with buttons.

Bottom Line: Armed with wireless streaming features, but hindered by an irksome user interface, the affordable ZEN X-Fi is a solid player, but lacks the graceful navigation of devices from Apple or Samsung.

Score: 3.5/5

I've yet to get my hands on the ZEN X-Fi since it sold out pretty quick earlier this month, and now that it's back in stock I have no money! (being on vacation will do that to you). I'll try and pick it up within the next two weeks, as well as the Zen Mozaic.

LINK

Other Reviews:

Cnet
ABi

Thanks brahmasoccer09

[Update]
iriverfans.com managed to get the new iriver SPINN on video, the GUI is nice and spiffy, no lag seems present and all is fluid. The touchscreen seems to be well implemented but that album art is way too small, not sure what the designers intentions were in that regard.



The much anticipated iriver SPINN made its tantalising début at CES 2008, although at that time we were shown only a prototype - but that was enough to wet our appetites, we wanted more, more info, more pictures, a release date...unfortunately, in typical iriver fashion, we were given no definite release date.

Thankfully DAPreview member Design Fabulous has been keeping our members up to date in our forums with threads like the iriver SPINN thread, which he keeps updated with the latest information from S.Korea.



Now, we still don't have a release date set in stone but the Spinn is definitely hitting the market soon, and to keep the juices flowing iriver have set up a product page for the Spinn which is brimming with information I cannot read (it's in korean you see) and quite a few pictures. If you are the adventurous type i'm sure you can decode some of the information, so check it out by hitting the link below.



Thanks LostPhil

It's been nearly two years since we first reported on the Cowon P5. Details were scant back then but we described the player as follows "The P5 has a 5'' screen and is the high-end version of the upcoming Cowon A3. It also has a DMB antennae and runs Windows CE5. It also has navigation integrated and a touch screen. It will have support for HSDPA modems." That was more than likely the Q5 we were describing there, but the P5 shares most of the same attributes:



Features:

• Capacity: 60 or 80GB
• Display: 5.0" touchscreen (800 x 480, 18M colors)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, Ogg, FLAC, and WAV (plus AC3 support for movies)
• Video: DivX, Xvid, MPEG4, WMV up to 720 x 480 at 30fps (plus TV-out)
• DMB Tuner
• Bluetooth built-in
• Optional Wi-Fi add-on (USB Dongle)
• FM tuner and recorder
• Runs on Windows CE 5.0
• Battery life: 14 hours for audio, 9 hours for video
• Dimensions: 138.8 x 88.5 x 20.0 mm

There's so much I love about this new player. From the cutting edge industrial design, to the very user-friendly interface. The Premium P5 is currently available in Korea, and should be arriving in N. America later this year. It looks like Cowon has another great player on their hands, I just hope I can afford to put it in mine.

LINK

Creative sure are busy lately. They've just announced their 3rd new player in the past two weeks. It's called the ZEN Mozaic, and from what I've been told it's the successor to the Zen V series of players.



As you can see, the design of the player stays true to its name, having an assortment of grey and black titles across the front. On paper, the player is fairly similar to the ZEN V series, but increases the screen size to 1.8" and adds a built-in speaker. One notable improvement is in battery life. The Mozaic will provide 32 hours of audio playback. Another difference is the interface, which is closer to the ZEN series than the Zen V.






Features:

• Capacity: 2, 4, and 8GB
• Display: 1.8" TFT display (64K colors)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, and Audible
• Transcoded video support
• FM Tuner
• Voice Recorder
• Built-in speakers
• Battery life: 32 hours for audio
• Colors: Black, Silver, and Pink
• Dimensions: 79.5 mm x 40.0 mm x 12.8 mm

Creative already has a nice lineup of accessories to go along with this new player, including a travelsound speaker system, a skin pack, and a carabiner case. It's nice to see Creative being well....creative with their designs, but I'm not sure if eccentric patterns will gain the appeal of the masses. The ZEN Mozaic is currently selling at Singapore (and Japan) at prices ranging from 99 to 169 dollars, or roughly 73 to 124US dollars. No word on a worldwide release, but we'll update you when we find out.

Product Page

via epiZENter

Is anyone here still waiting for Meizu to release its iPhone competitor? I was pretty excited for it myself at one point, but after numerous delays, I gave up hope. Yesterday, M J. Wong (Meizu's CEO) showed off this picture of the Meizu M8. We've seen plenty of M8 shots before, but this appears to be the real deal. It's been said that Meizu will be running a closed Alpha program for the phone in China starting in August. Those are all good signs, but since the M8 was announced, Apple has released two more iterations of the iPhone, the iPod touch and the 3G. Will Meizu ever release the M8, or will it be vaporized? Will anyone care either way? Tell us what you think. via Meizu Me