GadgetReview

What’s 130 smackers get you these days?  The Viewsonic VPD400, a 4.3-inch screened media player.  It rocks an 800×400 resolution, 12 hour battery life (3 for video), video output, microSD card slot and 8GB of storage.   It’s not exactly wafer thin at .5-inches, but should suffice for those carrying a small bag or some sort of man purse.  Apple users can look the other way, though, since it’s only compatible with Windows 98/2000/SE/ME/XP/Vista PCs (no Windows 7 support?).

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Doubling as a hacky-sack, the MovieWedge is a convenient way to view media horizontally on your iPhone or iPod touch.  The MovieWedge is lightweight and portable beanbag-esque cushion that supports your iPhone for prime viewing.

Embracing a brutally simple design aesthetic, the MovieWedge can effectively adapt to most any surrounding.  Capable of changing shape to a small degree, the MovieWedge can easily fit in where ever you need it.  From a stiff but moving airplane tray table, to your bed or your grassy backyard, the MovieWedge is unlike any iPhone stand you have used before. …Continue reading: MovieWedge Review

WedgeWorks has debuted the MovieWedge as a low-cost high-quality choice for those needing a horizontal device stand.  Made from a flexible micro-suede, the MovieWedge will work with a variety of mobile devices from iPhones to PSP’s to Blackberry’s.

Capable of sitting on/at a variety of surfaces and angles, the MovieWedge will hold your device in any case it’s in without slipping.  Competitively priced at $9.95,  the WedgeWorks MovieWedge is available now.  Way cheaper and nicer looking than many other similar products, the MovieWedge could be a great gift for you or someone you know.

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I got some big chuckles from the Family Guy where Stewie tells Bill Gates that no one cares about the Zune.  I myself have never even touched one let alone know somebody that has one.  In recent news however, Microsoft has announced that they will no longer produce “non” touch screen Zunes to make way for Microsoft’s newest version, the Zune HD.  It’s probably for the best as beyond minor firmware updates, the “clickpad” Zunes have not seen any improvements since 2007 nor an improvement in sales.  The hard drive based Zune 80 and 120 will also be included in this discontinuation, but you can still buy them until they run out.

The Zune HD ships on September 15th for $220(16GB) and $290(32GB).

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Creative announced the availability of their ZEN X-Fi2 today.  It’s a 3-inch touchscreen PMP that is compatible with a variety of video and audio codecs including iTunes Plus and FLAC (lossless) files.  And for those that like to show off their photos or videos they’ve added a video out port for attaching the ZEN X-Fi to your large screen TV.  Other than that, the 11.6mm thick (iPhone sized) PMP boasts a similar feature set as the original, which includes a FM radio, microphone, microSD card slot and 3 storage capacities (8GB, 16GB, and 32GB).  Amazon has the ZEN X-Fi2 up for pre-order for $129.99, $179.99 and $229.99 respectively, but makes no mention of a ship date.

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Despite looking like Sony has struck a deal with Disney (the button configuration looks like Mickey Mouse) the Walkman S540 appears to be a relatively formidable PMP.  Launching next month, the 10.2mm thick body sports a pair of speakers and a battery life that Sony claims is good for 42 hours of music or 6.5 hours of video on a single charge (less if the speakers are used).  It remains to be seen if the speakers will sound like something made out of a tin can, but its 2.4-inch 320×240 screen surely can’t hurt.  Expect the 8GB model to retail for $110 and the 16GB for $130; reasonable considering the competition.

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Although it still won’t have the masses flocking to retail stores to pick one up, Leyio, which we saw a few months ago, will receive a firmware update next month that will enable the player to pull DRM free tracks directly off the iPod’s stored, playable contents.  Note, I said ‘playable’, which in the past has meant that the content can’t be transferred from the iPod to any other machine regardless of DRM.

There’s a quick demo video after the ‘leap’, but in short you’ll be able to plug your iPod into your Leyio and transfer the tunes to its 16GB of flash memory.  Again, it’s nothing ground breaking but it’s the first time I’ve seen music transfered from an iPod’s playable material to another device without the intervention of a computer or a hack.

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Microsoft got official today and says that the Zune HD will ship on September 15th.  Actually, the news is no surprise since we saw a leaked display stand yesterday and Amazon, which now has the product page back up, leaked the price a few days prior.  So if you want a brand new shiny PMP you’re gonna need to plunk down $219.99 for the 16GB or $289.99 for the 32GB.  There’s still no word on a 64GB version, but I guess you never know.

Read – 16GB Zune HD
Read – 32GB Zune HD
Read – Zune Website

Yesterday, Gizmodo received a photo from a Best Buy employee depicting the launch date of Microsoft’s Zune HD to be September 15th (that’s just 1 week after the rumored launch date).  And before that, Amazon leaked a pre-order page to the blogosphere showing the pricing for the 16GB and 32GB Zune HD to be $219.99 and $289.99 respectively.  So there you go, the Zune HD will launch in just over a month and cost less than an iPod.  I can’t say that I’m excited, but if Apple doesn’t come back with something jaw dropping I think the Redmond based company might have a winning chance in the PMP market.

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iRiver, which keeps plugging along and releasing new products despite the domineering iPod and iPhone, has officially announced their E200 PMP.  It features a 2.8-inch 320×240 LCD, USB input, 3.5mm headphone jack and support for a variety of audio and video codecs.  iRiver says a single charge will get 17 hours of music playback or 5 hours of video.  And while it comes in capacities 4GB, 8GB and 16GB its memory can be expanded via the microSD card slot.

Sorry, no word on a price or release date.

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