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RCA introduced three new devices last week.  One of them is the a Portable Media Player called the Lyra Slider, the other is the Small Wonder EZ300HD camcorder, and the last is the Wi-Fi capable Infinite Radio. 

The Lyra Slider, which sounds like a Tomb Raider character, is a black and chrome Portable Media Player that resembles a slider phone.  Not only can it do the usual video and audio files, but is set up for FM radio and voice recording.  It will come in 4GB and 8GB. 

Check out the rest of RCA’s offerings after the break.

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RCA has just announced a new addition to the ever growing pocket camcorder market. The latest model is dubbed the EZ300HD and as the name implies it offers HD quality recording at 720p. The EZ300HD features a 2.4-inch LDC and has 2GB of internal storage that can be expanded to add an extra 16GB through the available SD card slot. Similar to the other pocket camcorders available today, the EZ300HD also includes a video out for direct hookup to a television and a YouTube mode for easy uploads. In addition it is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery.

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Do you have more room for another one of ‘em budget handycams? Adding to our choices of small and compact budget cams are not not just one but three models from RCA’s Small Wonder video camera product line. All three RCA handycams are not only packed with good features but more importantly they come in affordable prices as well, with two of them retailing for under a $100.

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Akimbo subscribers will be able to select from online videos from Yahoo! Video, access titles for free and watch them on TV whenever they want via Akimbo. The current Akimbo Service features more than 14,000 movies, TV series and shows from over 200 content partners for watching on-demand on television. Akimbo subscribers browse the onscreen Guide and select from an array of mainstream and niche video spanning 100 categories – including hundreds of Hollywood studio movies via Movielink, classic films, indie flicks, foreign language shows, extreme sports, travelogues, how-to programs and children’s videos.

Recently Akimbo unveiled a brand new RCA Akimbo Player, an Internet video-on-demand set-top box retailing for $199.99. Akimbo is also accessible from the Online Spotlight area of Microsoft Windows Media Center 2005 PCs and will soon be available on the AT&T Homezone home entertainment service. A subscription to the Akimbo Service costs $9.99 a month.

Read [Akimbo]

For all those who dig digital TV, RCA has three new items on display at CES 2007 just for you.

The first is DRC8335, a VCR/DVD combo system that will record analog or digital TV signals directly to VCR or DVD (DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW). It has built-in twin NTSC/ATSC tuners, a DV-in port (for direct control and recording from most digital camcorders) and the TV Guardian foul language filter. The DRC8335 will be available in April for $249.99.

Second up is the RCA DTA800 Digital TV Adapter which will convert terrestrial standard-def and high-def digital TV signals back to a conventional analog signal. It’ll be handy for those who refuse to give up their perfectly good, yet old, TV. This should prove to be an inexpensive alternative (though they didn’t mention the price) for those millions of people who don’t want to pay the big bucks for a new HD-compatible TV. It’ll be available later this year.

Lastly is the MPC4000 Laptop Teleceiver (that’s how *they* spell it) which will grab HD-TV and standard analog signals for playback on a laptop. It uses the laptop’s hard drive as a digital video recorder with TiVo-like functionality (pause, record and parentally control live TV). The small setup connects via USB 2.0 to a PC with a minimum 1.5 GHz processor, requires only 256MB of RAM and includes a high-gain reception antenna. It also supports Dolby Digital sound and 1080i resolution. The RCA MPC4000 Laptop Teleceiver will be available for $199 in April 2007.

Site [RCA] Read [Tech Blog]

There are plenty of techies who dig the retro scene for their gadgets. You know who you are - dude with the old school telephone ring tone on your $300+ PDA. Acoustic Research (owned by Audiovox) has gone a bit extra retro with their CES 2007 offering, the AR4131 blackVault 2.1 Speaker System, a high-end speaker system with a built-in 30-pin iPod dock and a vacuum tube amplifier. Yep, vacuum tubes. You know, those glowy little glass things you used to need in radios and TVs in the 1950s. It is supposed to help provide a warmer sound quality but at the very least, it ads some visual dynamics to the speaker. The AR4131 also inputs so you can also listen to CD players, PCs or other MP3 players, a subwoofer amplifier (with an installed vacuum tube), a Universal Dock for iPod, two speakers, wire, an auxiliary input cable, remote control, iPod dock seat and - thanks goodness - a spare vacuum tube. The Acoustic Research blackVault 2.1 Speaker System will be available in February for $199.

Here are some performance specs for all you audiophiles:

• Sound-pressure level (SPL): 96 dB at 3 feet


• Frequency response (-3 dB)


• Subwoofer channel: 50 Hz – 160 Hz


• Left/right channels: 100 Hz – 20 kHz


• Signal-to-Noise Radio

• Subwoofer channel: greater than 75 dB


• Left/right channels: greater than 80 dB

Total Harmonic Distortion

• Subwoofer: less than 0.1% at 1 watt


• Left/right channel: less than 0.05% at 1 watt

Left and right channel separation: greater than 50 dB

Impedance: 4 ohms

Site [Acoustic Research/Audiovox]

Welcome all to the RCA Press Conference.  The conference started out with lots of jokes about how RCA’s Audio/Video business is for sale.  The company’s executives are very focused on the RCA-is-the-name-you-trust mentality.  Lets see some exciting products and maybe I’ll trust you.

Accessories

Jenson Mobility Expanded has released lots of iPod accessories.  And there’s not much more to say there.

RCA Audio/Video Lineup

Dwight Sakuma is excited to be back in the RCA A/V business… hooray!  One of the things they KEEP stressing is that RCA is a name you trust.

Video

RCA Small Wonder is the company’s slim video camera.  He says they’re looking to make it easier to share photos with other people, as well as on services like YouTube.

They plan to introduce the even smaller EZ 201 Small Wonder - which sports onboard memory, SD for expansion, and has a flip-out display. It runs on 2 AA batteries.  Greg says “what is this, 1986?” It will run at $229, and is coming Fall 2007.

The Small Wonder can also plug into the new Memory Maker.

Portable Audio

RCA Gem Line is next… The Jetstream is the “top-of-the-line” model in the new line.  It has 12 hours of playback because of the new Kleer technology that “sips power from your rechargable batteries.” And not only does it play music, but it has a stop watch and a BMI calculator!!!  Next is the Opal which is compatible with most audio and video standards.  It has a 1.5 inch screen.  And finally, the smallest one, the RCA Pearl.

Home Theater

RCA DTA800 is a Digital TV Adapter that displays on-screen program information sent by broadcasters.  It’s also a remote control and comes in silver (because I know that’s what you care about). 

The RCA Full Recording Solution supports NTSC and ATSC tuners, and is a FULL FUNCTION VCR.  I suppose someone has to keep pushing VCRs in the market.

Home Audio

RCA is also touching down in the made-for-iPod market.  It’s a univeral dock for iPod, and a clock radio so you can wake up to your favorite tunes.

Now the President and CEO of AudioVox are on stage to address the crowd since the companies are now part of the same family.  That’s it for now, take care and we’ll see you in 30 minutes for the Samsung Press Conference.

RCA, the electronics company with the cute doggie logo, has released the RCA Small Wonder (RCA-EZ101), a pocket sized digital camcorder that can store up to 60 minutes (30 min. high res) of MPEG-4 audio and video. Retailing for $129, the Small Wonder has a 1.5 in. LCD screen, allows for PC transfers, and has an AV outlet for TV playback. Features also include 2x zoom, retractable USB “arm” (USB extender included), auto compression, and carrying pouch. It runs on two AA batteries. It comes with software that will let you view, save, email and delete videos (does not sound like it offers any editing, though) and works with both PC and Mac.

Read [RCA Small Wonder] Via [Gearlog]

Three new RCA mp3 hard drive players are available, each delivering more than 130 hours of entertainment on four and six gigabyte hard disc drives. The RCA H100, RCA H106 and RCA H116 all have a 1.5” OLED screen, weight under 2.7 ounces, and are mp3/WMA/WMA DRM/Audible/Janus capable. The H100 carries a suggested retail price of $139 while the H106 and H116 have a retail price of $169. The H116 also comes bundled with an FM transmitter, for your car.

The players can accommodate up to 16 hours of playback time with a battery that recharges from the USB connection to a PC. The H100, H106 and H116 each come with a full suite of accessories, including USB cable, earbud headphones, 100 free mp3 downloads from eMusic.com, a free trial offer from Yahoo! Music Unlimited and from Audible.com, and music management software.

Product Page [RCA]

RCA’s new EZ101 Small Wonder digital camcorder, eliminates the need to buy tapes or discs and uses the arguably more convenient, AA batteries as opposed to rechargeable lithium-ion.

Recording memories with the RCA Small Wonder is as easy as pointing the camera on the subject and pushing the red button. Video is viewable on the 1.5” LCD screen and provides 30 min of recordings onto a built in memory as 30 fps MPEG4 compressed A/V files. The EZ101 connects directly to your TV for viewing or into your computer via USB for compressing, archiving, and e-mailing video.

Check out another image and the great price.

Moreover, the Pure Digital Video Platform enables the camcorder to be taken to any of the 8,000 Pure Digital retail partner locations - including CVS, Rite Aid, Ritz or Wolf Camera - for 1 hour DVD processing.

You get this entire easy solution for $129.00. Though it may not be the best picture quality it will suffice for most (maybe including Gadgetell’s videocasts) and comes at an even better price.

Read [RCA]