Archive for September, 2006
Samsungs newest digital music player masterpiece, the K5, is a lightweight 1GB/2GB/4GB MP3 player with a heavyweight portfolio including an innovative touch screen, FM radio receiver alarm clock and built-in speakers. A fraction of the size of the smallest stereo system the K5s slide-out speakers deliver the same great sound. No distortion great volume and a defined deep bass. Perfect for the active outdoorsy hip and young lifestyle the K5 is a fashionable accessory that will revolutionize your personal and shared audio experiences.
Review by PC Magazine
Samsung’s latest flash-based MP3 player, with the characteristically cryptic name of YP-K5, has a very interesting twist to it: The back of the device slides open to reveal a surprisingly good-sounding speaker. Aside from that, the K5 has an FM tuner, a 1.7-inch color OLED screen capable displaying photos, touch-sensitive controls, and 2GB or 4GB of flash memory. While
some may see this player as gimmicky and bulkier than necessary, I actually like having the speaker option. It’s also got excellent battery life and the earbuds are unlike any I’ve seen yet.
I held the K5 up next to my LG Chocolate phone, and wouldn’t you know it, they’re the same size, measuring 3.8 by 1.8 by .7-inches. The K5 weighs 3.7 ounces, which is also pretty close. The matte black magnesium case seems sturdy, but the super glossy black front picks up fingerprints like nobody’s business. When the player is off, you can’t even see the touch sensitive-controls. Whereas the Chocolate slides apart the long way, the K5’s built-in speaker slides out sideways on a mechanism that appears surprisingly robust. The speaker half of the K5 houses a pair of tiny drivers covered by a silver metal grille. You can stand the player up (with the speaker open) on a desk or nightstand to crank out your tunes.
Review by CNET
Fall is an anxiously awaited time of year in the gadget world because it’s when tech companies roll out some of their hottest gadgets in preparation for the holiday buying season. September in particular seems to be the prime month for MP3 player announcements, with last year marking the debut of the Apple iPod Nano. It looks like 2006 is set to continue this tradition, with the sleek Samsung YP-K5 leading the way. This unique flash player, available in 2GB ($210) and 4GB ($260) capacities, may be a bit pricey and thick around the middle, but that’s not stopping it from turning some heads.
In the closed position, the K5 isn’t that remarkable looking–rather reminiscent of the Olympus M:robe MR-100–but its smooth, black body feels good in the hand and its shiny face is eye-catching. Once the device is powered on, the visual experience becomes even more pleasing. Like the M:robe, the K5 features touch-sensitive controls, backlit in pleasing shades of blue. A center circle select key is surrounded by four arrow indicators, while Back and Menu selectors sit kitty-corner to one another on the outskirts. A smallish (1.7-inch) color OLED screen resides above the controls, and along the top edge is the power/hold switch. The bottom edge of the player houses the headphone jack and a proprietary USB port.
Review by Gizmodo.com
Here it is. You might have seen some fuzzy flyby images of this MP3 player with speakers built into its backside. But we’ve got it in our hands. And we love it.
For a 4GB player, it’s kinda chunky. The magnesium case is almost three times as thick as a nano, even though it has a slightly bigger footprint. But you would too if you had speakers built into your ass, mounted on sliding rails. I think I remember hearing that they’re 1.5 watts, total. How loud are they? You know when there’s some asshole talking on his cellphone in the library, and you just tell him to shut the hell up? It’s about that loud, except it’s not annoying. It’s fucking great. Flipping on the EQ’s 3D mode drew a soundscape I thought came from stereo speakers about a foot apart when I closed my eyes and gave a listen.
How does the rest of it hold up? We unbox, review from head to toe, drop the stat-smather, and even shoot some b-roll video of the speaker, after the jump.
Description: At only 1 inch in size, the mobiBLU Cube is the world’s smallest, full-featured digital audio player. The brilliant OLED display lets you easily see track names, settings and battery status and features a multi-function headphone jack for USB 2.0 connectivity. Plays 8 to 10 hours (1 GB) of crystal-clear music on a full charge.
Review by Gideon Tech
Almost everybody has an MP3 player these days, and I could say that a considerable percentage of those people have iPods. I have never been a fan of MP3 players. I’m not really against them; it’s just the fact of owning one. I’m not an outgoing person. I go out but I’m not usually in places where I would find myself thinking, it would be great if I have a portable player with me right now. My car doesn’t have a CD player. The FM tuner tuned in one (rock!) station is good enough for me. I do have my fair collection of CD’s and MP3’s. Quite few actually, since I’m really picky as to the songs I want to keep on my collection.
So why do I have an MP3 player now? I’ve been going to the gym lately and the in-house music is usually playing pop or hip-hop. At first I wanted to get a cheapo radio just to get by. But YucA from the forums directed me to a site showing the mobiBLU DAH-1500i. It’s a very small MP3 player in a cube casing. It measures about an inch on all sides, making it really small compared to players during that time. I like very small things, especially if they are functional. I’ve always been fascinated with miniatures that work how they should. I saw a small vice grip before, probably about 4 inches long and I wanted one just because it was smaller than usual. Anyway, the DAH-1500i, despite its size, can hold a max of 1GB. By then I thought this would be the MP3 player I would finally get myself.
Review by mp3.com
MobiBlu is one of a multitude of lesser-known portable audio companies trying to make a name for itself among giants such as Apple, Creative, and iRiver. While most of the MP3 players that we’ve seen from MobiBlu have been decent, they’re not standouts, so the company has thus far skirted the spotlight. However, it appears that the MobiBlu DAH-1500i is poised to change this status. The ultratiny, cube-shaped device is a tech marvel and has certainly turned some heads among industry journalists, including those here at CNET. And despite its unimpressive battery life, the DAH-1500i largely lives up to the hype.
If nothing else, the MobiBlu DAH-1500i is versatile. The cute MP3 player is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems (plug and play–no driver install is needed for operating systems released after 1998), and you have a choice of six colors: black, pink, silver, blue, red, and orange. And at $129.99 for the 1GB version and $99.99 for the 512MB version, it’s quite a bargain.
Review by dapreview.com
The Mobiblu DAH-1500 first took the gadget world by storm when photos appeared comparing it to the supposedly super-miniature iAudio U2. Three of the cubes were piled up to equal the height of the U2. It was an amazing sight for all of us DAP-geeks. Never before had we seen such a tiny player. Couple that with its high-quality looking finish and smart-looking LCD, and Mobiblu seemingly had a mega-hit on its hands.
This 24mm cube player took a while to get to the United States. It had already been imported by a few who complained of slow transfer speeds and lack of Wma DRM support. Well, Mobiblu decided that Americans deserved better and released the DAH-1500i which added USB 2.0 and Wma DRM support. The DAH-1500i has now made it into the mass-market store that is Walmart. It’s too early to tell if the player is a hit or not, but if Walmart and Mobiblu play their cards right, they could be raking in the dough.
As a device, the mylo sports a 2.4-inch 320 by 240 LCD display, 1 GB of flash memory (supposedly upgradable to 4 GB), mini-USB connectivity, a Memory Stick Duo slot (after all, this is a Sony product!), integrated 802.11b wireless networking (supporting WEP and WPA-PSK) security), and a lithium-ion battery offering up to 45 hours of music playback, 8 hour of video time, and up to 3.5 hour sof VoIP talk time. Add to that a DC input for charging or running “wired” with the AC adapter, a 10-pin headphone/microphone interface (an adapter is included), a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for composing your messages lickety-split, and a total weight of aout 5.3 ounces, including battery.
Review by LAPTOP Magazine
Think of it as the anti-PDA. The Sony mylo, short for “my life online,” features nearly everything a mobile hipster could want in a handheld device. It sports Wi-Fi Internet access, a keyboard for instant messaging, and the ability to listen to tunes while you IM or surf. It’s not a phone, but if you really want to talk on the go, the mylo has Skype built in, too. Is all of that enough for youngsters to give the ever-popular Sidekick the boot? Yes, if they (or their parents) have a lot of dough.
Weighing 5.3 ounces and measuring 0.8 inches thick, the mylo is certainly pocket friendly. Our unit’s glossy black surface–it also comes in white–and curved base give it a sleek feel, even though it smudges easily. We also dig the chic, sci-fi pulsating light on right side of the mylo, which glows when you’re connected via Wi-Fi.
Review by CNET
Remember a day when the most techie communication device a child could have was a walkie-talkie, or am I dating myself here? From preteens to college students, the younger generation is a growing and important segment for the consumer electronics market, as evidenced by the launch of youth-oriented devices and services, such as the Helio Kickflip and Boost Mobile. Well, Sony wants a piece of that pie and today announced a new personal communication gadget aimed solely at 18- to 22-year-olds, called the Sony Mylo. Mylo, which stands for “my life online,” is for those who love to stay in touch with friends via instant messaging and also want to have some fun on the side. It sits somewhere between a souped-up AT&T Ogo and a scaled-down T-Mobile Sidekick 3, but one thing we want to make clear from the get-go is that it’s not a cell phone. Instead, it’s equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and comes with preinstalled popular instant-messaging clients, VoIP capabilities, a Web browser, and multimedia features. We had the opportunity to check out some working preproduction units, so read on for our impressions.
Just what we needed, another entry in RCA’s line of microdrive players. Joining such hallowed devices as the RD2762, the RD2763, and the RD2765, are the new H106 and H116.
The H116 has shown up on several webshops online, but the specific details are few at this point.
* 6 GB
* 1.5″ Negative LCD screen
* Compatible with most download sites including subscription services
* 18 hours on rechargeable battery
* USB power charge (no AC/DC charger required)
* Weighs .7 lbs
While the H116 seems to be out of stock everywhere, I actually saw the H106 at my local Target store this weekend. Imagine that. As far as I can tell the only difference between the two models is that the 116 includes a cheapo FM transmitter, while the 106 does not.
Review by PC Magazine
RCA’s new 5GB hard drive-based RCA Lyra RD2765, complete with a mechanical scroll wheel, almost seems like it’s gunning for the recently discontinued iPod mini’s top position in its market niche. Although there are quite a few things to like about the player, the company cut a few too many manufacturing corners in trying to keep the price down, and it lacks extras like an FM tuner and recording capabilities that would give it an edge. Still, this is a solid audio player despite its shortcomings.
The RD2765 measures a compact 2.0 by 3.3 by 0.6 inches and weighs just 3 ounces. The plastic casing’s chrome finish collects fingerprints galore, and the 1.4-inch square-shaped LCD is a bit smaller than we’d like. The bumpy gray rubberized scroll wheel has a four-way joystick in the center that doubles as a select button when pushed straight in. The other button on the front takes you to the menu system and file browser, and the power button is on the side. A hold switch plus headphone and USB jacks round out the external features. The left side of the otherwise rectangular player is bowed out very subtly; it seems like a manufacturing glitch, but RCA says it’s an intentional ergonomic enhancement.
Review by PC World
You know a portable audio player’s interface needs work when three of four experienced users can’t get it to play a song within a minute of picking it up. Beyond that dubious distinction, the most notable things about RCA’s new 6GB hard-drive based Lyra H106 are its throwback monochrome screen, its bundled FM transmitter, and its somewhat low–but not low enough–price of $170 (as of 7/21/06).
When you pick up the H106, it’s immediately clear the unit is no iPod killer. The silver-and-black unit feels solid, but looks chintzy. At 2 inches wide by 3.6 inches tall by half a??an inch thick, it’s small but not tiny. On top there’s a USB port, a headphone jack, and a sliding lock button. The power button resides on the right side of the unit.
Review by CNET
On June 27, 2006, RCA introduced three new MP3 player models: the 4GB RCA H100 ($139) and the 6GB RCA H106 and H116 ($169). Available now, the players are a throwback to the basic color-free microdrive player of a couple of years ago, and they lack features such as an FM tuner, recording capabilities, and photo and video support. Still, the RCA H100 series is compatible with WMA subscriptions and Audible files, and though it’s much bigger than an iPod Nano and lacks the pizzazz of a Creative Zen V Plus, those looking for an affordable medium-capacity player with no extra features whatsoever should check it out. This is our review of the 6GB RCA H116.
While the RCA H116 isn’t ugly, it lacks glossy high-tech appeal, and the absence of prominent branding gives this 2.7-ounce player a generic feel. It feels natural in the hand, and at its thinnest point, the device measures 3.5 by 2 by 0.5 inches. It’s neither as skinny as a Nano, nor as small as a Creative Zen V Plus, but that doesn’t detract from the overall user experience. As RCA reps have stated, the H100 series is “so small that [it] can hide behind a business card.” While this is true, the device cannot hide under a business card. RCA reps have also confirmed that there is no difference between the H106 and H116 models; in fact, all three H series models are identical from the outside.
Good things really do come in small packages. More roadster than Rolls, iPod shuffle rejects routine by serving up your favourite songs in a different order every time. Just plug iPod shuffle into your computer’s USB port, let iTunes Autofill it with up to 240 songs and get a new experience with every connection. With Play in Order mode, you manage the music. If things take a turn for the predictable, never fear. Turn iPod shuffle over, flip the slider to Shuffle and mix on the go.br>iPod shuffle weighs as little as a car key and makes a tuneful fashion statement. Just throw the included lanyard around your neck and take a walk. Or run. Or ride. There’s nowhere your skip-free iPod shuffle can’t go, and with up to 12 hours of continuous playback time, it keeps going as long as you do. A neat little cap protects the USB connector, and those signature white earbud headphones tell the world you love to listen in style. The controls on the iPod shuffle feel as intuitive and easy to use as those on every iPod model. Play, pause, skip, repeat, shuffle and hold at the touch of a thumb: The circular, ergonomic controls and one-click slider make it simple to listen without looking.
iPod shuffle makes syncing a piece of cake. Use the optional Dock to connect to your computer or just plug iPod shuffle directly into a USB port on any computer. Then drag and drop individual songs, or use the Autofill function. Since iPod shuffle automatically charges while syncing, it stays ready for your next adventure. iPod shuffle adds musical spontaneity to your life. Lose control. Love it.
Review by Digital Trends
Out of the box you get the Shuffle player, a neck strap, ear buds, Apple’s iTunes software, and the product manual. If you are expecting a little more in the way of goodies, you will be sadly disappointed. You can however purchase any number of accessories from Apple’s website or retail stores. This includes a docking station, armband, battery pack and other accessories to help make the Shuffle fit your digital lifestyle. The iPod Shuffle is bathed in white to match the rest of the iPod product line and has a very minimalist look to it. On the front of the unit you will find the basic controls such as play/pause fast forward/rewind and volume adjustment. Flipping the unit over will reveal the power and play mode switch as well as the battery indicator light. The iPod Shuffle connects to your computer by directly plugging into an available USB port.
Review by CNET
As anticipated, Steve Jobs introduced a flash-based player, dubbed the iPod Shuffle, at the tail end of his lengthy Macworld keynote. Despite denouncing flash-based players in the past, Apple couldn’t resist the 29 percent of the market that it doesn’t already dominate. Minimal as can be, the Shuffle weighs less than an ounce, has no LCD, includes a built-in USB 2.0 interface, and comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities for the supercompetitive prices of $99 and $149, respectively. While other companies are packing their flash players with a boatload of features, Apple has created a device that stands on two concepts: affordability and simplicity. Turn it on, press play, and do the iPod Shuffle. However, it’s not the right MP3 player for everyone. And it’s certainly neither the first sub-$100 512MB nor LCD-less player we’ve seen.
Review by EverythingUSB
Apple’s first flash MP3 player drops LCD screen and complicated controls in favor of simplistic ’song shuffle’ style. Basically, iTunes’ AutoFill randomly picks 120 songs for you during sync from your favorite playlist. iPod shuffle also recharges via USB, and doubles as a 512MB USB flash drive as well. As the most simplistic portable audio design we’ve seen to date, the Apple $99 iPod shuffle will appeal to music fans who are less enthusiastic about exploring the functionality on a feature-bloated audio player and/or more concerned of the state of their bank balance.
Review by mp3.com
It’s affordable and stylish, but the Shuffle’s lack of an LCD and its subpar battery life will turn many away.
As anticipated, Steve Jobs introduced a flash-based player, dubbed the iPod Shuffle, at the tail end of his lengthy Macworld keynote. Despite denouncing flash-based players in the past, Apple couldn’t resist the 29 percent of the market that it doesn’t already dominate. Minimal as can be, the Shuffle weighs less than an ounce, has no LCD, includes a built-in USB 2.0 interface, and comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities for the supercompetitive prices of $99 and $149, respectively. While other companies are packing their flash players with a boatload of features, Apple has created a device that stands on two concepts: affordability and simplicity. Turn it on, press play, and do the iPod Shuffle. However, it’s not the right MP3 player for everyone. And it’s certainly neither the first sub-$100 512MB nor LCD-less player we’ve seen.