Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

For as long as I can remember, every time a company designs a gadget that can “do it all” that gadget is always a complete and utter disaster. It looks as if Swatch has done the unthinkable and designed a portable media player with a built-in mp3 player, video player/recorder, and the ability to create and view photo albums that by the way, doubles as a watch.

I don’t know about you, but what ever happened to those good old $10 watches you pick up at Wal-Mart? You know, the ones that just told the time. No word on whether this will go any further as it is still a concept.

Read [YankoDesign] via [Gizmodo]

Did you just realize that you left someone off of your holiday shopping list and now need to scramble to get him a gift? If you aren’t too close with him and he has yet to know a thing or two about gadgets, technology and pop-culture, you may want to consider picking up one of the Insignia MP3 players.

Best Buy’s private label brand, Insignia, offers two models: the Sport 2GB (NS-DA2G) and the Sport 1GB (NS-DA1G). Both models are 0.5” thin, weight 1.2 ounces, have a 1.2” OLED screen, built-in FM tuner, USB 2.0, have a rechargeable battery with 18 hours of playback time, and are PC and Mac compatible. They also both support MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM, PlaysForSure , Napster and Rhapsody subscription services and JPEG image files. The 2GB model also adds audible support.

I had a chance to play with both models (which are essentially identical) and was left rather impressed with the functionality and ease of use as compared to name brand players (check out the interface here). The 2GB price is right, the size is good, and they are easy to use for you non-tech folk. I suggest heading over to Best Buy to pick one up if you are currently in the market, or forgot to get someone a present.

You can get 1 GB for $79.99 or 2 GB for $99.99, not too bad if you don’t feel pressured to buy a iPod name brand.

The MOTOROKR E6 is a compact entertainment PDA, if you will, that is jam-packed with features. There is a 2.4” touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, removable miniSD slot with up to 2GB of storage, email, office file management, an integrated MP3 player and FM radio, file sync via RealPlayer, and integrated stereo Bluetooth wireless technology.

Currently the handset is only available in China, but I imagine that this one may make it stateside.

Read on for a summary of features and another pic.

SUMMARY OF FEATURES:

• Premium entertainment PDA at only 14.5 millimeters thick


• 2.0 megapixel CMOS camera with 8x digital zoom to capture the moment


• CIF and QVGA video capture for up to five hours


• Full-screen video playback


• Integrated MP3 player with dedicated music keys and built-in FM radio


• PDA featuring Business Card Reader, POP3 e-mail¹, document viewer to view Microsoft Word, Excel, etc., PIM


• Connectivity includes integrated stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, HTML browser, hi-speed USB 2.0 EMU, 3.5 millimeter stereo jack


• Removable memory card slot, up to 2GB full SD card support; 8MB dynamic user memory4


• Extended 1000mAh battery life for long usability


• Brilliant 2.4” 240 x 320, 262K colors TFT external display with the latest touch screen technology

Read [Motorola]

So Kevin Rose let down his guard and seems to have let the first batch of “truthful” iPhone details slip right out. I am trying to decide 1. if the details are true and 2. if Apple wanted him to leak so people actually get excited for the handset at this year’s MacWorld. Here are some of the details that he let fly (watch the vid for the rest):

• 2 batteries, one charger. One for the MP3 player and one for the phone.


• All three major cellphone carriers.


• 4GB and 8GB.


• Slide-out keyboard and touchscreen.


• Out in January.

No real tecchie has just one gadget. Heck my grandmother carries around a cell phone, PDA, iPod, and MP3 recorder, and digital camera, but she gets to put them in a big bag. Men don’t tend to have a bag to carry their gear around, so check out
Scottevest -a line of technology-enabled clothing (a.k.a. clothes with lots of pockets).

The Scottevest’s Tactical 4.0 System pairs a fleece and a ski-style jacket. Both the jacket and the fleece come with collar loops allowing you to run headphones for a MP3 player on one side your head and headphones for a Bluetooth device on the other. Headphone wires can also be run through the lining of the Tactical jacket.

The SeV shirt, which sells for $34.99, has a pocket up near the shoulder designed to hold an iPod while you go out for a run. The headphones loop beneath the shirt. Two additional pockets can hold smaller objects.

Now you never have to leave your gadgets behind because your wife complains that your camera vest makes you look like a nerd.

Read [Travel Gear Blog] Via [Boston Herald]

One day after the iPod’s 5th birthday and Amazon has to go and ruin the after party. Want to be the first to own Microsoft’s new Zune? Preorder it. Or, if you have $20K to drop on the world’s most expensive MP3 Player you can join the three Amazon.com customers who have already bought the jewel-encrusted digital gem – it’s called the TrekStor i.Beat organix Gold MP3 Player! Interested in a larger viewing screen for videos?  Check out the IRiver Clix.  Curious if the SanDisk Sansa e250 or the Creative Zen Vision has the better FM radio reception? 

The Top selling Non-Apple MP3 Players on Amazon.com as of October 20, 2006 are (drum roll please.....):

1. SanDisk Sansa M240 1 GB MP3 Player (Silver)


2. SanDisk SDMX4-2048 Sansa e250 2 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot


3. Creative Zen Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black)


4. Zune 30 GB Digital Media Player (Black)


5. iRiver CXW-2G Clix 2 GB Digital Music and Video Player, White

Read [Amazon] [Thanks Matt]

The SharePlayer is the ultimate communications tool.  It is a FM radio, It is a recorder/recording device, It is a Ultra-sensitive microphone, it is an MP3 player, it has USB bridging capabilities, it is a thumbdrive and most of all it is a device which can copy to other thumbdrives, MP3 Players, digital camera’s, cellphones which are USB enabled and while a user is mobile and on the go.

The FlashPoint MP3 SharePlayer is a lightweight device with a glossy piano finish available in white, black and gray.  It is available in 512MB, 1GB, 2GB and 4GB storage capacities priced form $113 and down.

Read [SharePlayer]

Samsung and T-Mobile sure know how to throw a launch party. Wednesday night I was MIA here at Gadgetell but in full effect (whatever that means) at the Trace launch event in downtown, NYC. The Samsung Trace (SGH-t519) is the slimmest bar phone currently available in the United States, measuring just 0.33” in width and weighing 2.5 oz. 

Exclusive to T-Mobile, the handset comes with a MP3 player, Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera with video, speakerphone, airplane mode, and a microSD memory expansion slot.  The 1.5 x 1.2-inch (220x176 pixels) screen with 262K colors is a widescreen format that is surrounded by a champagne colored housing. The quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) Trace supports GPRS/EDGE high-speed connectivity and only costs $99.99 after discounts rebates.

Product Page [T-Mobile]

Who doesn’t love Chocolate? Why not head over to Verizon and purchase the long awaited LG VX8500, Chocolate phone. This is one part MP3 player, one part phone, and 100% sweetness. The models final specs include the black lacquer finish (see our hands-on Peep Show here), 1.3 megapixel camera, 210 min talk time, 38 hours standby, 3.53 oz, Bluetooth stereo capable, V-Cast, music player with support for MP3 and WMA files, VZ Navigator capable, touch sensitive navigation keys, voice recognition, EVDO Broadband Access connect (use the handset as a modem for your laptop), a microSD or TransFlash memory card slot, and a video camera with up to a 1 hour recording.

The phone will see with a new 2 ear contract for $149.99 (and $100 more for a 1 year contract). You can also pay $199.99 and get the music bundle kit (necessary to copy your own tunes to the phone), a leather case, and car charger or for $249.99 you get everything listed plus a 2 GB microSD card--a great deal!

So don’t wait, go indulge yourself in chocolate.

Besides our Peep Show, read on to see a pic of the RAZR and Chocolate phone compared.

Product: XM2go Pioneer Inno
Price: $399.99
Rating: Good - 7.35/10.0
Pros: Can record live radio, sexy design, intuitive interface, car mount system.
Cons: Poor reception, limited 1 GB storage space, short battery life, lacking direct connect power input.
Overall:If you live in an area with great XM reception then this is the device for you, otherwise the Inno is an expensive MP3 player with limited satellite radio functionality, though it looks good while playing.

I’ll be honest I have been putting off this review for a while, not because I am lazy but rather that I was disappointed with this product: it failed to meet my very high expectations. I read many reviews of the XM Inno that while they were not stellar, nor were too negative: I wish I had the same experience. The Inno is made by Pioneer and shares essentially the same exact design and GUI interface as Samsung’s Helix; both models are designed and built for XM satellite radio. This is one of the nicest portable audio players you will ever hold but remember that besides spending $379+ on the device you also must be a XM subscriber for $12.95 per month.

Read on to see how the review broke down.

Design - 9 - If the player has a strong point it is hands down its design. I found the brush metal exterior, the 5-way navigational button on the front of the unit, the display, and the docking port to be far above average. The device also just feel great in your hand or pocket, perfectly weighted and the exactly the right size. When docked on its side the screen rotated 90 degrees as well as the button functionality. In between the screen and the 5-way direction pad are Mode, play/pause, and Disp buttons. When the player is on, the buttons illuminate blue, resulting in easy use in dark environments. The right side contains hold/power and volume switches. The power/hold button was also very accessible. The one negative is that the device lacks a dedicated power port, an adaptor is required when charging without the dock (just another example of how much this was intended to use an external antenna).

Features - 7.5 - I charged the Inno and got going right out of the box. You use the up and down arrows to scroll through channels and the center button to select (scrolling right changes channel categories). Pressing the Mode button lets you switch over to the MP3 player, which can play content recorded off of the radio or content loaded onto the device. While playing a song, pressing the center button calls up a menu of advanced features and controls so that you can record a song or a channel, bookmark a song for later reference, browse through your stored songs, create a playlist on the fly, or adjust settings. The Inno’s storage is partitioned at 50% for XM recordings and 50% for your own MP3 and WMA tracks (about 8 hours). This setting can be changed to devote all the limited space for XM providing 50 hours of recording, but remember that this will delete all stored content.

The Inno comes with a home dock to hookup to a stereo or other speakers as well as to attach an external antenna. It also came with a belt clip, earphones (in-ear buds), cables (RCA and USB), remote, home antenna, power adapter, XM+Napster CD, a product manual, and a replaceable battery.

Performance - 6 - While on the go, you need to use the Pioneer Inno’s included headphones, which are rather large and bulky and also don’t connect to a standard 1/8” jack. This headset contains the antenna needed to receive the signal on the go. I did not have a great reception experience in Indiana, driving from Indiana to NJ, in New Jersey outside, nor indoors. Each time I attached a external antenna be it the headphones or home antenna or car antenna and the signal tended to fade in and out repeatedly. I want to say that I have a faulty unit, it does happen, but have not yet confirmed it with XM/Pionner. I plan on bringing the Inno to NYC where there are many XM terrestrial repeaters as opposed to only relying on the satellites (i will update this review at that time). I got about 3.5-4 hours of battery life but I expect that searching for a signal drains the battery really fast. Recording content and playback of it was simple but I did do it by accident at times. A larger memory capacity would also be valuable so these devices can really compete with MP3 players but offer the added benefit of live programming on the fly.

Editors Note: The categories were weighted in the following manner to reflect the importance of some features over others. Design 30%, Features 30%, and Performance 40%.

Experiecne the Inno [XM]