Trigem’s Atom-based LLUON Mobbit crashes below the $500 UMPC sweet spot
You know what we could really use right now? A chunky slab of XP running on a device that is simultaneously too big for our pockets but less functional than a netbook. Oh, what’s that Trigem, you’ve got that? Suweet. Meet the LLUON Mobbit PS400, an Atom Z520-powered UMPC MID with a 4.8-inch (1,024 x 600) touchscreen LCD, 2 megapixel camera, 1GB memory, choice of 30GB hard disk or 16GB SSD, WiFi, and Korean WiMax (WiBro) and digital television (T-DMB). Here’s the interesting part: the price. According CNET, it will cost “around” $411 (600,000 won) when it ships in January — that’s a lot of kit for that price (the similarly-speced R50A from ASUS costs over $1,800). If true, then the Mobbit looks to have finally achieved the pricing goal set by Microsoft and Intel for these UMPC-class devices way back in early 2006. Add the RAM- and touch-friendly Windows 7 OS and we might finally be home… albeit 3-years (too?) late.
Sony mylo 2 firmware version 1.100 adds WMV and SHOUTcast support
Sony’s do-everything-except-for-make-calls mylo has been updated to firmware version 1.100, and is now available at Sony’s support site as a 61MB download. Because you ran out of things to do with your mylo about, say, ten minutes after unboxing it, rejoice — the update adds WMV file support, SHOUTcast widget support (the widget is a separate download), a “Game” item on the HOME menu for easier access to all those games you downloaded to the COM-2 unit, and, of course, improved “system stability”.
LG’s touchscreen T80 media player only has 4GB
LG’s giving our Danish friends a little something to look forward to: the 3-inch 400 x 240 touchscreen T80, which has 4GB of storage, DVB-T and FM tuners, and OGG support (as well as the usual MP3, WMA, MPEG-4, etc.) in a chubby 0.5-inch thick package. We hear it’s priced at a hefty €299 (~$470 US), which might prove a tad prohibitive to sales among the intelligent.
Weekend circulars show jailbroken iPod touch with Installer on board
We’re not sure who nodded off in the art department, but we’re fairly certain they’re going to be wide awake come Monday morning. Apparently, Radio Shack is running circulars this week featuring the iPod touch… with the Installer and MobileChat icons. We’re sure Apple will be stoked to discover that a jailbroken iPod is hanging out in one of America’s most-viewed ads, and we’re equally sure that buyers will be pleased to learn they don’t really get an IM application with their purchase. Champagne for everyone!
E100 is now for sale, still kind of chubby
We weren’t terribly impressed by the iriver E100’s size or functionality, but at $110 for a 4GB player with this size of screen, it’s certainly hard to complain. For $50 more you can get an 8GB player, and both sizes come in pink, black, blue and brown and white flavors. You can pick it up now at Amazon.
W7 portable media player gets reviewed
Yeah, we had our fun just toying with the W7 at iriver’s CES booth earlier this year, but the lucky souls at Pocketables were able to secure one long enough to write up a full-blown review. Straight out of the packaging, critics found the design to be attractive enough, albeit a tad chunky; particularly with this device, we’d say opinions on sexiness will vary widely depending on what floats your boat. Nevertheless, reviewers found the touch panel easy enough to navigate, and thankfully, the perceived audio quality was dubbed “great.” Those interested in the video capabilities will be delighted to know that all was well on that front too, as the slew of welcome extras (FM tuner, text viewer, e-dictionary, etc.) were all praised. Now, if only this critter would show up in America, we’d have yet another solid choice when it comes to pocket-friendly media players.
DS Lite doubles as MIDI sequencer
Nintendo’s DS Lite tends to find itself intertwined in obscure MIDI projects fairly often, so it’s no shock to see yet another enterprise linking the handheld to some fairly swank beats. By utilizing a homegrown DS MIDI apparatus along with dStep software, the DS Lite is able to transform into quite the potent little step sequencer. Of course, anything musically-related digests easier with video, so jump on past the break for a lengthy demonstration (and peep the read link if you’re eager to replicate).
iHome iP99 claims to be first iPhone-friendly clock radio, isn’t
Oh sure, the iHome iP99 is certainly a welcome addition to the fray, but the first iPhone-compatible clock radio it isn’t. Nevertheless, this device claims to be able to play back tunes on your handset without that sanity-killing interference that’s so common on most iPod stereo systems. While blasting out tunes, users can still expect to receive calls while it’s charging, and if you’re currently rolling sans an iPhone, it’ll also play nice with all docking iPod models. Per usual, there’s an AM / FM tuner, auxiliary input, a variety of wake modes, dual alarm settings, backlit buttons and a remote control for switching tracks / controlling volume from afar. Of course, by the time this thing lands in June for $149.99, we could be testing to see if it works with an all new iPhone.
RAmos goes sleek with V8 portable media player
Particularly of late, RAmos has really been exceeding expectations, and it seems to have raised its own bar once again with the easy-on-the-eyes V8. Sporting a svelte, black enclosure and a 4.3-inch display, this portable media player handles MP4, AVI, DivX, RMVB, MP3, WMA and FLAC file formats, boasts a TV output and even includes a text viewer. You’ll also notice that it automatically detects rotation and orients the on-screen imagery in response. Per usual, price remains a mystery here, but at least this one is apt to be worth more than whatever change is currently residing in your pocket.
Sony’s PFR-V1 headset rated “very good” despite impracticability
It was a long time coming, but we finally have a full review of Sony’s PFR-V1 “personal field speakers.” C|net’s intrepid review team took the headphones for a spin and unsurprisingly found them to be “expensive and impractical” and almost entirely lacking in bass. Goofy looks aside, they did move the music from inside your skull to in front of your face as promised. Of course, that little novelty comes with excessive sound leak to the annoyance of those around you. As such, the headphones are limited to at-home or closed-door office use unless you relish the scorn of others. C|net still rewards the $500 oddity with a generous 7 out of 10 (very good) rating despite a long list of qualifications.