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The portable audio market has boomed in the last few years, and its in now thoroughly convoluted with ‘style,’ ‘good value’ and cheap rip-offs. So it would appear that the only to make an impact on this sector would be to either have a very cheap player, a very big drive or a unique design, and it is the latter that Philips has tried to utilize.

And to be fair its not that bad. With their most recent ‘Go Gear’ design they have gone for a square design which does look very sleek, mainly due to its 128 x 64 resolution OLED display with a ‘mirror finish’, which upon a touch shows you the track information.  They are fairly small, at just 41 x 41 x 15mm (which makes it another gadget easy to lose) but delivers a full sound thanks to the Philips FullSound technology which it includes. According to Philips, FullSound tweaks the dynamics, bass, treble and stereo imaging of highly compressed MP3 to revert the sound quality back to (or near enough to) where it was before it was compressed, which should give a high quality sound.

As with most MP3 player nowadays they support MP3 and WMA files, a battery life of 20 hours and (according to Phillips) a good quality set of earphones. 
The players support WMA and MP3 files, battery life is rated at 20 hours and Philips says they come with a decent set of cans. The SA2845 (4GB+FM) and SA2825 (2GB+FM) cost £45 and £35 respectively, and the non-FM SA2840 (4GB) and SA2820 (2GB) cost £40 and £30. They are not cheap, but its look like a good quality stylish MP3 player.

Via [Gizmodo]

We couldn’t help but be amused by the timing of Nokia’s release of its latest addition to the lineup, the 1508. Just when other phone manufacturers are outclassing each other with the release of new advanced features, here comes Nokia introducing a lowly, plain-jane-looking, basic handset. In fact, the 1508 is so simple that it took only a few sentences for Nokia to come up with an official press release. Or maybe it was just that we are so used to Nokia’s lengthy press releases.

Anyway, what should we expect from the Nokia 1508, a mobile phone as simple as this certainly doesn’t have that much to offer. This candy bar style handset boasts of easy keypad dialing, integrated FM stereo, high-speed data connectivity to the internet via cable, text messaging, built-in speakerphone, 3 minutes of voice recording time and memory that will let you store around 500 phonebook contacts plus 400 text messages.

Well, that pretty much sums up the Nokia 1508’s features. A simple mobile phone that can actually answer our most basic needs. Nokia expects to ship the 1508 sometime during Q3 2008 and it will be available in select CDMA markets. Pricing information is not yet available. But with a simple phone such as this, we wouldn’t expect the price to be too much.

Read [Nokia]

Sony Ericsson recently had not one, but two new handsets hit the FCC’s approval list. The lucky phones are the R300 Radio and the C902 Cyber-shot.

The R300 Radio is the less exciting of the two, and is aimed more at developing nations. This handset will be more on the basic side with a 1.8-inch color display, VGA camera, as well as a built-in AM and FM radio. The R300 will also feature Sony Ericsson’s TrackID application so users will be able to record small portions of music and be able to get the details such as artist, track and album names.

The C902 is a little more on the exciting side, its still a basic looking candybar style phone, however it will offer a 5-megapixel camera that has facial recognition and auto-focus. In addition the C902 will offer quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and ActiveSync support as well as feature a MemoryStick Micro card slot and Nokia’s task switcher button for all of you multi-taskers.

As usual with FCC related information, its always unclear when or even if we will see them landing here in the US, but as always we here at Gadgetell will keep you up to date.

Via [IntoMobile]

AOL is no longer carrying feeds from satellite radio provider XM now that contract the two companies had has expired. Presumably this also means that subscribers to XM’s online streaming service will no longer have access to AOL Radio. The announcement has been particularly upsetting to listeners from outside the U.S. and Canada, where XM service is unavailable. AOL radio was the only way for them to enjoy the over 80 commercial free music channels XM provides. XM does offer online streaming of their channels, but the service is once again, available to U.S. residents only. In an effort to make up for the loss, XM is offering a special deal to AOL subscribers in which they can sign up for the online service for just $2.99 a month. The company is currently awaiting FCC approval for its much anticipated (and for some, dreaded) merger with rival Sirius Satellite Radio.

Via [CrunchGear]

Following approval of the Department of Justice, legal counsel of both Sirius and XM met with the FCC on Wednesday to discuss the merger proposal of the two companies. The merger proposal was given the nod by DOJ, and so XM and Sirius seem to wasting little time in getting the FCC’s approval.

Based on record of filing at the FCC, the meeting was held last Wednesday before FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Together with the legal counsel of Sirius and XM, others who were present during the meeting were Daniel Gonzales, Chairman of Martin’s Chief of Staff and Michelle Carey, Chairman Martin’s Senior Legal advisor.

The record of filing also indicated that the meeting discussed programming packages and proposed pricing which were previously announced by both Sirius and XM.

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Measuring 98.3 x 61 x 15.1 mm and weighing only 110 g, Sony’s XDV-100 is an AM/FM radio and TV tuner combo with a 2.8 in. QCGA color screen. From the photos it looks like it includes earbuds and a docking station (likely to charge an internal battery, but I’m guessing), features a thumb scroll wheel for menu and maybe station control and cel phone style signal bars to indicate channel signal strength. No word on the price but it won’t much matter to us US uers since uses the 1SEG standard, making it useful only in Japan.

I seem to recall that most US pocket TVs (Casio, for example) also included radio tuning capabilities. Of course they don’t include Sony’s kick-butt screens. BTW: Where’s that dern PSP TV tuner, Sony!?

Read [Akihabara News]

The HD Digital Radio Alliance announced that member companies are launching HD2 channels in another seventeen markets, bringing to 85 the number of markets where Alliance members are broadcasting HD2 signals. HD2 is a second channel that lies beneath your standard programming, essentially doubling the amount of content available to you a a listener. New formats being added to HD2 include “Jazz & Blues,” “Standards and Slow Jams” and “Dance.”

The seventeen markets rolling out new HD2 channels are (the # is the rank location): 66 Grand Rapids, Mich.; 67 Fresno, Calif.; 68 Wilkes Barre, Pa.; 69 Allentown, Pa.; 71 Knoxville, Tenn.; 72 Omaha, Neb.; 73 Akron, Ohio; 74 Wilmington, Del.; 75 Sarasota, Fla.;
77 Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz, Calif.; 78 Syracuse, N.Y.; 79 Harrisburg, Pa.; 81 Stockton, Calif.; 82 Bakersfield, Calif.; 83 Baton Rouge, La.; 84 Toldeo, Ohio; and 85 Little Rock, Ark.

The new channels launched on January 31.

Last month, Alliance members committed $250 million in advertising time for 2007 to promote HD Radio services, retailers, and other initiatives.

Read [Radio Ink]

The Phoenix IP Radio lets you listen to virtually any radio station that streams online, any podcast, or any Internet-based music source - with no computer peripheral. The Phoenix IP Radio is portable and only requires a broadband or Wi-Fi connection (802.11b/g) for easy mobility in home or office. The system weighs less than two pounds, bookmarks stations, retrieves song titles and artist data from playlists, has an alarm, and runs on rechargeable batteries.

“Streaming audio is the wave of the future for radio. Think about it; you can listen to your home station while traveling, or tune in for news and weather from the destination you’re headed to. The Phoenix IP Radio, with its ability to push and pull data and stream various forms of digital music, is one example of Com One’s insight into the rapidly evolving world of wireless convergence,” said Com One Executive Vice President Christophe Dissaux.

Com One’s Phoenix IP Radio is $249

Read [Gear Log]

The car - or multimedia mobile? - comes from DaimlerChrysler Research, Engineering and Design North America Inc. (DC REDNA) and includes Intel Wireless UWB Link 1480 MAC (Media Access Controller) and an Alereon AL4000 WiMedia RF Transceiver to create a wireless USB connection. Audio and video will be streamed from various devices and displayed on factory installed monitors in the headrests.

No word on the prototype’s availability. It’s likely just a demo set up to make it clear that the future includes some pretty dern cool wireless entertainment devices for your car.

Oh, and WiMedia is not a Nintendo initiative. It’s essentially a proposed standard for ultra-wideband (UWB) high speed-wireless networking using radio signals. More than 200 international companies have collaborated to form the WiMedia Alliance to help develop, test and promote WiMedia. In other words, they’re trying to make all your multimedia devices work together - in this case, in your car - without wires. Now put it in a hybrid and I’ll buy it.

Here’s that long list of companies that will have products in the WiMedia TechZone booth at CES:

• Alereon, Inc.; Artimi Inc.


• Focus Enhancements, Inc.


• General Atomic


• Hewlett-Packard Company


• Intel Corporation


• NEC Electronics Corporation


• Sigma Designs, Inc.


• Staccato Communications


• Stonestreet One


• Sybase iAnywhere


• Synopsys, Inc.


• TRDA Inc./Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.


• Wilinx Corporation


• Wipro-NewLogic


• WiQuest Communications, Inc.


• Wisair Ltd.


• USB-Implementers Forum

BMW will offer factory-installed digital HD Radio receiver with FM multicasting capability as an option in the new 3 Series Hardtop Convertible.

In case you don’t know, HD Radio multicasting feature allows FM stations to broadcast multiple channels of digital programming simultaneously on a single frequency. Of the more than 1,000 stations across the country broadcasting with HD Radio technology, more than 500 FM stations are offering a second (HD2) and, in many cases, a third (HD3) multicast channel. For example, WAMU in Washington, DC, offers three channels: 88.5-1, a simulcast of its news/talk analog channel; 88.5-2, a simulcast of an innovative Baltimore music station not available in DC; and 88.5-3, bluegrass music the key for HD radio to succeed—targeted music channels like satellite. These channels are free but can only be found on HD Radio receivers (which will cost you around $200 for a bookshelf unit or $500 as an in-car option). Unlike satellite radio there are no subscription fees or additional costs associated.

In August 2005, the company announced the first OEM availability of HD Radio technology in its 2006 7 Series models. BMW then followed up in November 2005 by extending the HD Radio option to drivers of its 2006 6 Series vehicles. This past June, the company announced that HD Radio would be offered in its 2007 5 Series models. The HD Radio option on the all-new 2007 BMW 3 Series Convertible will have a Suggested Retail Price of $500.

So what do you choose AM/FM, satellite radio (XM/Sirius), or HD radio?

Read [AutoSpies] Read [HDRadio]