Marc Policani's Digital Media Blog: Mobile Devices (MP3 Player / Phone / PDA)

Web Calling Cuts the Cord

Wed, 17 May 2006 03:16:33 GMT

I've been waiting for one of these to come out for a while and cant wait to get one... Michael Myser for Popular Science writes:

Forget AT&T and the like. The only phone company you need is Skype, which routes your calls over the Internet and, as of May 15, 2006, costs nothing for outgoing calls made by users in the U.S. and Canada. And now you can almost forget your cellphone provider too—with this new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gear, you can make calls using Skype (or Vonage, another VoIP provider) from just about anywhere. No computer or dorky headset required.

Will the availability of free VoIP, teamed with the convenience of Wi-Fi handsets, spell trouble for the major phone companies? Discuss this, as well as Skype's move to free service, on the PopSci Blog.
Netgear Skype Wi-Fi Phone
$250; netgear.com [pictured above]
Power up the phone on any wireless network, enter your Skype username and password, and your Skype contacts will populate the handset’s color LCD screen. Call them instantly or phone outside numbers—either way, it's free.
Size: 4.3 x 1.8 x 0.8 in.
Weight: 3.8 oz.
Battery life: 3 hours talk; 50 hours standby
Service: Skype

Coming Soon: In-Flight VoIP Calling

Mon, 15 May 2006 15:16:24 GMT

In an article for TechWeb.com, David Gardner reports:

Like it or not, airline passengers in U.S. skies are likely to be listening to their fellow passengers talking on phones in a year or so. An FCC frequency auction underway this week will likely pave the way for VoIP calls in-flight.
Nine companies ranging from Verizon Communications' Airfone to JetBlue Airways are bidding for the frequencies. Airfone already offers phone service on many flights, but its high cost has limited its use. JetBlue has declined to say what its LiveTV LCC unit would do with a winning frequency.

More...

Creative's Loss Surges on MP3 Woes

Thu, 04 May 2006 04:39:47 GMT

Ed Oswald reporting for BetaNews.com writes:

Creative's losses widened in the third quarter as the company's digital music player business continued to struggle in the face of price pressures and fierce competition from the Apple iPod. But Creative showed no signs of a willingness to abandon the effort that has been spearheaded by its vociferous chairman.

Sim Wong Hoo made digital media players Creative's premier business two years ago in a bid to take on the iconic iPod. However, while vehemently defending his decision and products since then, none of the company's players have caught on with consumers.

For the three months ending in March, Creative posted a loss of $114.33 million, compared with a $15.91 million profit in the year ago quarter. Revenue also shrunk by a third, from $338.8 million last year to $225.7 million in the current quarter.

The loss included a charge of $41.60 million due to restructuring related to Creative's 3DLabs division. The company said the charge was necessary in order to reduce operating expenses so it could focus on its handheld device market.

In a statement announcing the results, Creative Labs president Craig McHugh explained the factors causing the company's financial woes, which included the 3DLabs restructuring.

Cell Phone Industry Steps Closer to VoIP

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:37:15 GMT

For years, Wi-Fi telephones and walkie-talkie-like communicators have been available for hospitals and offices. Now, manufacturers and mobile carriers are preparing to link standard cellular networks to the mishmash of Wi-Fi hotspots, a move that will expand coverage and perhaps make cheaper mobile minutes a reality.

The technology, called Unlicensed Mobile Access, or UMA, will help those who have high-speed Wi-Fi routers overcome any poor coverage in their houses or apartments. It's also a way for mobile carriers to expand their footprint without spending lots of money on new infrastructure.

UMA could enable users of souped-up handsets to wirelessly download content at broadband speeds at home and take that on the road when they leave.

"Everything from multimedia to audio, video - when you look at the capabilities of phones now, the options expand pretty quickly," Nokia spokesman Eric Estroff said. | source...

Samsung slims down TV phone even further

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 16:05:54 GMT

Samsung has taken the wraps off a super-slim satellite DMB phone. The SCH-B340 is a mere 17.3 millimeters thick, a full 4.2 millimeters slimmer than the company's previous "thin" offering for the mobile TV market.

Along with the TV functions, the phone has more standard functions like an MP3 player and a 2-megapixel camera. The phone's LCD screen resolution is 240 x 320. One unique feature is the built-in motion sensor, which allows you to access the function menu by shaking it.

Initially previewed at the 3GSM World Congress, the SCH-B3340 is available now. Initial price figures put the phone at US$725. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has added to their Mobile TV gear line-up with the new slim. [ source.... ] [ source... ]

Microsoft free internet voice service challenges Vodafone

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 00:12:30 GMT

MICROSOFT has developed a Skype-style free internet voice service for mobile phones that City analysts believe could wipe billions off the market value of operators such as Vodafone.

The service is included in a mobile version of Microsoft Office Communicator due to be released this year. It will take the form of a voice-over internet protocol (VoIP) application that allows Office users to make free voice calls over wi-fi enabled phones running Windows Mobile software. It uses the internet as a virtual phone network as well as accessing e-mail, PowerPoint and other Office applications.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer dropped his bombshell at the mobile operators’ annual 3GSM show in Barcelona last week. The significance of his remarks was missed because of his effusive and eccentric delivery.

Trying to downplay the havoc Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile will wreak on the mobile telecoms industry, Ballmer chose a topical Valentine’s Day theme for his announcement. “I love the mobile industry and I love our operator partners, and I want to have that message precede all we’re about to show,” Ballmer said in Barcelona. He went on to demonstrate how a mobile phone running Windows Mobile can be used to make a free voice call over the internet. Ballmer told the audience: “That was a VoIP call.”

But Ballmer’s announcement may be closer to a St Valentine’s Day massacre than a love letter for the mobile operators concerned.

Cyrus Mewawalla, an analyst at Westhall Capital, believes VoIP, when backed by Microsoft, will have a more devastating effect on mobile operators than it did on the fixed-line operators, which saw their voice revenues slashed after the introduction of VoIP services such as Skype. [ more... ]

Nokia 6136

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:39:45 GMT

Nokia's new 6136 phone "probably spells the end of the road for Skype, Vonage and any other hopeful independent VoIP companies," claims the Register. The UMA (unlicensed mobile access) phone allows users to make calls via an open Wi-Fi hotspot or cellular network, and float between networks without dropping the call. Some impressions of the device can be had over at TechDigest.

If your incumbent offers you a phone that offers free voice from any hotspot, and connection to the cellular network while on the go, where does that leave traditional VoIP providers?

Cingular Markets to Broadband Globetrotters

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 19:22:06 GMT

Cingular has unveiled a new laptop card and pricing plans for world-travelers who need bandwidth at all times. The new $100 card allows users to access UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, or HSDPA networks & specs. The $110 monthly plan includes unlimited domestic use and a 100MB data cap in Canada and Mexico. The $140 plan includes unlimited domestic use and the joy of experiencing a 100MB data cap in 24 countries, including Australia, China, France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Japan. [ more... ]

Mobile push for instant messaging

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 18:20:17 GMT

Some of the biggest mobile phone networks have joined forces to push instant messaging (IM) over mobiles.

Fifteen operators, including Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and China Mobile have agreed to work together to make it easy to IM across networks.

The motivation to get IM working on mobiles is driven by its huge success on the net. By getting people using IM on a mobile instead of a PC, the operators believe they can start to generate decent amounts of money for data services.

The mobile phone industry is looking to repeat the success of text messaging.

In December, British mobile users sent 3.1 billion text messages, more than ever before according to the Mobile Data Association.

All those short messages add up to big bucks for operators. Up to 20% of their profits, according to some estimates, result from the relatively high price customers pay every time they tap out a text. [ more... ]

Motorola to make Windows Media phones, keep iTunes

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 00:47:56 GMT

Mobile handset manufacturer Motorola has announced that it is integrating Microsoft's digital rights management (DRM) technology into a number of its handsets.

Announced on Monday, the first day of the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, the deal will see Motorola add support for Windows DRM, Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Audio Professional, and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) to a range of its handsets.

The companies claim that when the Motorola handsets are released later this year, customers will be able to connect to Windows-based PCs via USB 2.0 and automatically synchronize the music on their computer with their phone using MTP.

"Our relationship with Microsoft is about making the mobile world seamless with the desktop world and allowing consumers to experience music wherever and whenever they want," said Richard Chin, Motorola's corporate vice-president of global product marketing.

Motorola has been using Microsoft technologies on its some of its handsets since 2005 and plans to offer Windows Media-enabled handsets worldwide in the second half of 2006.

Motorola, which launched its first iTunes phones last year, will keep Windows Media phones as separate products, said Chris White, the company's senior director of global product marketing for music handsets. [ more... ]

Using cell phones to track employees

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 15:57:53 GMT

Advances in mobile phone tracking technology are turning British firms into cybersleuths as they keep a virtual eye on their staff, vehicles and stock.

In the past few years, companies that offer tracking services have seen an explosion in interest from businesses keen to take advantage of technological developments in the name of operational efficiency.

The gains, say the converted, are many, ranging from knowing whether workers have been "held up" in the pub rather than in a traffic jam, to being able to quickly locate staff and reroute them if necessary.

Not everybody is happy about being monitored, however, and civil rights group Liberty says the growth of tracking raises data privacy concerns. [ more... ]

Sony Ericsson phones support Exchange Server

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:54:01 GMT

Microsoft announced Monday that Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of consumer electronics maker Sony and cell phone maker Ericsson, has licensed the Exchange ActiveSync protocol to enable Sony Ericsson's P990 and M600 phones to directly synchronize with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003.

The new capability will let mobile workers access their e-mail, calendar and contact information from anywhere using their Sony Ericsson handheld devices. For companies that have deployed Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2, additional mobile enhancements such as Direct Push are also supported, providing instant access to newly received e-mail messages. Both of the new phones will be available in the second quarter of 2006. Microsoft has similar licensing agreements for its Exchange ActiveSync technology with companies, such as Motorola, Nokia, Palm and Symbian [ source... ]

Crave privacy? New tech knocks out digital cameras

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:36:49 GMT

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with an inexpensive way to prevent digital cameras and digital video cameras from capturing that secret shot.

The technology they've devised detects the presence of a digital camera up to 33 feet away and can then shoot a targeted beam of light at the lens, according to Shwetak Patel, a grad student at the university and one of the lead researchers on the project.

That means that someone trying for a surreptitious snapshot of, say, a product prototype or an amorous couple gets something altogether less useful--a blurry picture (or a video) of what looks like a flashlight beam, seen head on. (A video of how the system works can be viewed here.)

Camera phones will be high-precision scanners

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:55:08 GMT

The software, developed by NEC and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in Japan, goes further than existing cellphone camera technology by allowing entire documents to be scanned simply by sweeping the phone across the page.

Commuters in Japan already anger bookstore owners and newsagents by using existing cellphone software to try to take snapshots of newspaper and magazine articles to finish reading on the train to work.

This is only possible because some phones now offer very rudimentary optical character recognition (OCR) software which allows small amounts of text to be captured and digitised from images.

But with the new software entire documents can be captured. As a page is being scanned the OCR software takes dozens of still images of the page and effectively merges them together using the outline of the page as a reference guide. The software can also detect the curvature of the page and correct any distortion so caused, enabling even the areas near the binding to be scanned clearly. [ more... ]

WSJ Reviews: IPod's Latest Siblings

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:40:14 GMT

WSJ | Grab a standard American business card. Now, get a pair of scissors and trim the long side of the card by 20%. That's all the space you need to hold over 1,000 songs, plus audio books, podcasts and photos if you buy Apple Computer's newest iPod model, the gorgeous and sleek iPod nano.

This latest iPod was publicly revealed yesterday at a razzle-dazzle marketing event orchestrated by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. But I have been testing a nano for the past few days, and I am smitten. It's not only beautiful and incredibly thin, but I found it exceeds Apple's performance claims.

4G prototypes reach blistering speeds

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 14:18:26 GMT

Cellphones capable of transmitting data at blistering speeds have been demonstrated by NTT DoCoMo in Japan.

In experiments, prototype phones were used to view 32 high definition video streams, while travelling in an automobile at 20 kilometres per hour. Officials from NTT DoCoMo say the phones could receive data at 100 megabits per second on the move and at up to a gigabit per second while static. At this rate, an entire DVD could be downloaded within a minute. DoCoMo's current 3G (third generation) phone network offers download speeds of 384 kilobits per second and upload speeds of 129 kilobits per second.

The technology behind NTT DoCoMo's high-speed phone network remains experimental, but the 4G tests used a method called Variable-Spreading-Factor Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (VSF-Spread OFDM), which increases downlink speeds by using multiple radio frequencies to send the same data stream. | more...

European cell phones to get faster data

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:51:58 GMT

T-Mobile International, Deutsche Telekom's mobile division, plans to launch a new high-speed mobile service in four European countries by March to improve Internet speed on mobile phones.

HSDPA, or High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, is a special version of third-generation (3G) mobile phone services. It offers data speeds that allow clients to watch television on mobile phones and is even faster than many fixed-line broadband connections.

"High-speed 3G will be available wherever T-Mobile already offers 3G coverage," T-Mobile Chief Executive Rene Obermann said at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. T-Mobile has 3G services in Germany, Britain, Austria and the Netherlands.

Mazda throws away key for USB

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:50:46 GMT

Mazda has created a concept car that uses a USB drive as its ignition key.

The USB (universal serial bus) feature will be part of its Sassou concept car, a small hatchback aimed at the youth market, Mazda said this week. The car will be unveiled at this month's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Sassou uses a USB "key" and interface port that will let drivers program and load files onto the car's hard drive. But auto industry watchers note that such a feature may take years to show up on showroom floors--or it may never make it that far.

"Concept cars are used to introduce a new body style and, on top of that, the manufactures throw in all kinds of features. Often, those ideas are not ready for production," said Csaba Csere, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine. "It usually takes three years from design to production." [ more... ]

Virus-infected Creative Zen MP3 players found

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:49:29 GMT

A number of Creative's Zen digital-music players infected with the Wullik.B virus have been shipped to consumers in Japan.

According to the firm's Japanese Web site, the problem has affected 5GB Creative Zen Neeon with serial numbers between 1230528000001 and 1230533001680. Wullik.B, which runs on the Windows operating system, first appeared in early 2004, spreading by e-mail.

Several thousand Neeons are thought to be affected, according to reports. The problem, however, is only restricted to Asia-Pacific countries, as the Neeon is not available outside the region.

According to antivirus companies, it's unlikely--although not impossible--that users will transfer the worm from an infected Neeon to their computer. For a PC to be potentially infected, a Neeon user would have to connect their MP3 player to the computer, browse the files and copy the worm to the PC's hard drive.

Infected Neeons, which have been on sale since May, will not be affected by the virus as the digital-music players do not run on Windows itself. [ more... ]

Tapwave Closes its Doors

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 20:06:56 GMT

AOL Releases New Mobile-Search

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 18:28:28 GMT

AOL is beginning public testing on their new mobile search, allowing users to search the web from a variety of handheld, mobile devices.

The new AOL search, available at mobile.aolsearch.com in a WAP enabled devices, will allow users to search the AOL Search-Engine (Google-based) from a cell phone.

The mobile AOL search is not currently available through SMS as Google’s are (via GOOGL (46645)). However, AOL’s service offers price comparison, and a few other services, which Google currently does not offer from mobile access. | Source: BetaDot

Samsung to Build MP3 Players with XM

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 15:35:45 GMT

Satellite radio service XM announced on Tuesday that it would partner with Samsung to introduce MP3 players with satellite radio capability by year's end. The players would use XM's Connect-and-Play technology and come with a home accessory kit to allow access to the satellite radio.

"XM's award-winning programming and technology provide us with a unique opportunity to offer products that empower consumers and fundamentally change the way people listen to music," D.J. Oh, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics of America, said in a statement. | Source: BetaNews

Big Screen Viewing Effect For Mobile Phone Videos

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:39:35 GMT

"France Telecom’s wireless unit, Orange SA, will soon roll out a new mobile video service that will let cellular phone subscribers view TV, movies, photos and broadband Internet content with a big screen viewing effect using Kopin®-enabled video eyewear from U.S.-based MicroOptical Corp. Kopin Corp. (Nasdaq: KOPN - News), the largest U.S. manufacturer of microdisplays for mobile consumer electronics and military applications, has received an order for CyberDisplay® 230K microdisplays from MicroOptical for this application.

Orange SA, one of the world’s leading wireless companies with 52 million customers in 16 countries, will bundle a MicroOptical binocular video eyewear with Samsung’s SGH-D600 cell phone as part of its new “Orange World” wireless multimedia service. The bundled package, unveiled in June 2005 at the European Research and Innovation Exhibition in Paris, is scheduled to be available to Orange subscribers in October 2005.

MicroOptical’s video eyewear contains two of Kopin’s full-color, QVGA-resolution (320 x 240) CyberDisplay 230K microdisplays. The sleek eyewear allows users to privately view large-size video or pictures equivalent to a 12-inch screen as seen from three feet away, yet simultaneously view their surroundings thanks to the small size of the frame and MicroOptical’s patented optics which allow the user to see around the screen. Europe’s AFP news wire service called the bundled technology “a sure fire hit,” saying that the eyewear’s “big screen effect” is stunning, especially when combined with built-in stereo earpieces." | Source: DigitalCamera@101Reviews

Sony Losing Battle with PSP Hackers

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 15:50:37 GMT

"Hackers have successfully cracked the copyright protection used on PlayStation Portable discs and the games have begun to appear on Internet sites and file-sharing networks. This is the second time hackers have cracked the PSP's protection; it was first cracked shortly after its release in Japan last year.

To run the games, all the downloader must do is save them to a Sony Memory Stick. The crack only works with version 1.5 of the PSP operating system. New games will require 1.51 in an attempt to thwart copiers, so users will be forced to upgrade if they want to play the newer games.

Sony warned in a statement that downloading games and running them on the PlayStation Portable could damage the machine and void the users' warranty.

The high-resolution screen has made the PSP a target of software developers who would like to extend the features of the unit beyond what Sony builds in. However, the company appears to be leery of allowing anyone to develop third party PSP software.

According to several fan sites, a program is in the process of being created that will make it possible for any copied game to be played instead of the few that have been successfully cracked thus far." | Source: BetaNews

Motorola phones work with iTunes already

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 15:13:53 GMT

Macworld reports that, "certain models of Motorola mobile phones are already syncing with iTunes – enabling those phones to be loaded with iTunes tracks.

When Apple posted the iTunes 4.9 update earlier this week the company focused on its Podcasting facilities, however, the update also included an instruction set entitled: Pod Phone Prefs.

Now it appears that certain Motorola phones are recognised by iTunes. An AppleInsider source revealed that when he connected his Motorola phone to his PowerBook iTunes 4.9 automatically launched and prompted him to transfer tracks to the phone."

Anticopying fight mars mobile music

Fri, 06 May 2005 15:02:32 GMT

In an article for CNET News.com, John Borland writes, "A tussle over antipiracy technology is looming over the young mobile phone content business, with big phone companies claiming that new music and video services could be derailed as a result.

At issue is a set of technologies aimed at protecting music and other content from being indiscriminately copied after being sold through mobile phone networks, a critical component of the new content services if record labels and movie studios are to sign on.

For more than a year, the mobile industry has been converging on a standard set of antipiracy technologies, which could help avoid the fragmentation that separates Microsoft and Apple Computer products in the PC world. But now patent holders including Sony and others have put a price tag on that technology, and some of the biggest phone companies say it's too expensive." [ more... ]

Nokia ships a 4GB MP3 phone

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 14:33:33 GMT

Marko writes, "Nokia's new N91 phones have a 4GB hard-drive and play unrestricted MP3 tracks. That's the way to do it: don't go on bent knee to the labels and beg for some music for your phones: give your customers a phone that can play MP3s that they can rip from their own CDs."

Sony PSP can control your Aibo

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 00:15:55 GMT

Engadget reports that, "the Aibo may be, unintentionally, the PSP’s new best friend. Apparently, the Japanese version of the PlayStation Portable can communicate with the infamous robotic dog — pressing combinations of buttons on the PSP will cause the Aibo to do various tricks, without resorting to any crazy hackery whatsoever. Either this is an unannounced or unintentional feature, or perhaps even robotic dogs can teach themselves some new tricks."

Sony sells 600,000 US PSPs in first week

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 19:54:06 GMT

Sony sold half a million PlayStation Portables in the first two days of the handheld games console's US release, the consumer electronics giant said yesterday.

It's a significant number but only half the quantity of machines Sony shipped into the US for the PSP's 24 March debut.

But while the PSP didn't sell out in its first week, it did take less time to reach the 500,000-unit mark than Nintendo's DS did when it launched in the US last November. The DS took two weeks to notch up sales of half a million consoles. The Nintendo machine is cheaper than the Sony handheld, which retails for $249 in a Value Pack bundle.

Sony also said PSP sales generated $150m in first-week sales, which amounts to around 600,000 units. So after the initial splurge, sales fell significantly. Sony did not say how well the PSP has sold during its second week on the US market. [ more... ]

Playing Games With Sony's Player

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 14:27:25 GMT

Sony's new PlayStation Portable is turning into a great tool for web browsing, comics reading and online chat -- and it also happens to play video games, movies and music, if you prefer that sort of thing.

The $250 PSP handheld video-game player went on sale March 24 in the United States, and it took very little time before techies added the kinds of functions to the PSP that Sony did not include -- and may never have intended. One man needed only 24 hours to get a working client for internet relay chat, or IRC, an older messaging platform. [ more... ]

Online-enabled PSP to hit Korea in May

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 22:13:40 GMT

GameSpot reports that, "Sony's PSP will hit Korea with streaming content services and online gaming capabilities at launch.

...

Similar to the North American launch, Korean consumers will be limited to the Value Pack bundle of the PSP (which will be priced at 328,000 won, or about $320, in that market). The Value Pack will come with the PSP unit, an AC adapter, battery pack, headphones with remote control, a carrying pouch, a cleaning cloth, a strap band, and a 32MB Memory Stick Duo. But that market's Value Pack will have one big difference from the unit's previous releases: out-of-the-box online connectivity.

The first 100,000 units sold of the Korean PSP Value Pack will come with a Network Utility UMD and a limited-time membership for wireless Internet service, in addition to a UMD movie of Spider-Man 2.

By tapping the Network Utility UMD functionality, gamers in Korea will be able to enjoy a number of other online services in addition to games, including Web browsing, an online movie player, and an online music player.

The first shipments of the Value Pack also come with a membership for NESPOT, the wireless Web service offered by KT. Gamers who register to NESPOT will be able to access more than 14,000 wireless hot spots within Korea. They can also opt to get NESPOT APs (Access Points) installed in their houses for no additional charge. The first month of NESPOT usage will be free; thereafter, gamers will be charged a flat rate of 5,000 won ($4.92) per month.

Gamers who register with NESPOT will also receive a free online-enabled game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Korea (SCEK), titled Glorace.

Other networked services scheduled for PSP consumers in Korea include on-demand streaming music, on-demand streaming videos (including TV shows), e-learning options, and electronic books. SCEK and KT expect that they will be the first companies to provide a full online experience for the PSP user in any market. "

D-snap Audio

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 21:54:40 GMT

Check out Panasonic's new solid state MP3 player with upgrdable SD memory. Akihabara news reports that, "Matsushita (Panasonic) introduces a new line of small and stylish flash players in its new D-Snap Audio line.

The Panasonic SV-SD100V and SV-SD90 are cube shaped MP3 players measure 42x42x17.5mm and weigh 39.9g. Interestingly the new D-Snap Audio players support AAC besides WMA and MP3. The storage medium are SD-Cards. Panasonic is also introducing music centers that have a SD-Card slot. So users can record directly songs on the card from their book-shelf stereo without a computer.
The players feature an organic EL mirror display. The SV-SD100V also features an FM-Tuner and Voice recorder. Playtime on single battery charge is 50 hours.

The new D-Snap Audio gadgets go on sale in April in Japan.
More details on Panasonic D-Snap Audio page and press-release (Japanese). First seen on AkihabaraNews (French)."

HP plans to ship a Media Center with a built in iPod dock.

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 16:02:53 GMT

"To further promote its image as a multimedia machine, HP will ship its new Media Center m7000 Series PhotoSmart PC with a dock for Apple Computer iPod music players. The iPod dock, which sits on top of the PC, lets the player charge its batteries and synchronize with the PC. The company, which sells an HP-branded version of the iPod, will also ship a digital-camera dock with the m7000 PC, a company spokesperson said." | Source ZDNet.

Pez to dispense MP3s instead of candy

Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:30:03 GMT

This article by Matt Hines appearing on CNET News.com caught my attention. It appears that "The candy market's best-known handheld device, the iconic Pez dispenser, is about to go digital. Under a recently granted licensing agreement with Pez Candy, a gadget design company Lincoln West Studios will soon begin selling MP3 players modeled after the big-headed plastic treat sleeves.

Based on Lincoln West's plans, which were first detailed Thursday in a blog posted to the company's Web site, the Pez MP3 will arrive sometime this summer. The gadget will be built around a Samsung chip and will have 512MB capacity, as well as an LCD screen. The device will look exactly like a traditional Pez dispenser from at least two sides and will come in a variety of colors, said Patrick Misterovich, president of the Springfield, Mo., design company."

Orb Networks Streaming Media Solution Now Available For Windows XP Users

Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:57:27 GMT

On Monday Orb Networks announced that “the company’s groundbreaking streaming media software, Orb Media, is now available to the millions of Windows® XP operating system customers in the United States. With this announcement, more “on-the-go” consumers can gain spontaneous access to the digital home-media content locked up in their home.

Orb Networks’ software and service provides a simple way for consumers to spontaneously access their music, photos, videos, live TV and other digital content located on their home PC from virtually any Internet-enabled device, from anywhere in the world. Orb’s intuitive solution simply streams a consumer’s own content from their home PC to the Web browser and player on their cell phone, PDA, or notebook, creating a consumer’s own “personal media portal”. Consumers also have the capability to remotely record TV programs using Orb’s Digital Video Recorder (DVR) function and then view those recorded programs at any time on any of their mobile devices.

“Now that broadband access has hit critical mass, the use of the home PC as an entertainment device has become a reality,” said Jim Behrens, CEO, Orb Networks. “Additionally, as the market is getting flooded with mobile devices capable of accessing digital home content through Orb — combined with broader and better wireless connection access — the digital home is now available outside the home. We can’t always be at home, but we don’t have to sacrifice all the comforts of home when we are on the road. With Windows XP support, we are making it easier than ever for consumers to have this type of access for their ever-evolving digital lifestyles.””