It may come as a shock to some, but there are still millions of people who don’t use their phones as their media players. For iPhone owners, that must be a huge shock. Android-smartphone owners are now growing a similar sentiment thanks to Google Music. With so many people using their phones as their media devices, the Portable Media Player (PMP) is dying out. However, not all phones make for good PMPs. Android’s media center gets better with each passing day, but is still light years behind the simplicity of both iTunes and Windows Phone 7 with Zune. At the same time, not everyone wants to use their phone as a PMP. Some people just want a dedicated device to listen to music to, or to view all media on. Whether it’s for a jog or a family car ride cross-country, PMPs are still a necessity, and these days they come at better prices than ever before.

iPod Nano

The iPod Nano is still the king of the run. There’s no better companion than the tiny music machine, which not only stores 8/16GB of music, pictures, and podcasts, but has a full FM radio and multi-touch touchscreen to boot. Even with just software updates and a slight price drop, the iPod Nano is the best PMP of it’s class, and a great device in general. It also makes a great gift…perfect for the stocking, or for a game of find-the-gift.

iPod Touch

Like the Nano, the iPod Touch only received a software update, to iOS 5.0, but it’s still the best PMP available to date. It’s a shame that no cosmetic or technical improvements have been made, such as a boost like the iPhone 4S received (over the iPhone 4), yet even with just a firmware upgrade the iPod Touch has access to all of the App Store’s apps, as well as the full catalog of iTunes music, movies and TV shows. There’s no better full-size PMP than the iPod Touch.

Galaxy Player 4.0/5.0

Apple may seem to be the only competitor in this field, but earlier this year Samsung showed off the Galaxy Player, similar to their Galaxy S phones. While the Korean and Asian models included functions to watch TV over the air, the US models are strictly on-device or Wi-Fi media players – no over the air. In two models, 4″ and 5″, the Galaxy Players are the first Android-based PMPs on the market.

Like the iPod Touch, both Galaxy Players run on last-year’s Galaxy S hardware, and still fully-capable of meeting all of your media needs. But unlike the iPod Touch, the Galaxy Players come with only 8GB of internal memory and include a MicroSD card slot that supports up to 32GB per card. The Galaxy Player also has an FM Tuner, though you’ll need headphones to activate it.

The more musically-inclined will enjoy the Galaxy Player 4.0, though it’s music store and media organization pales in comparison to iTunes (except for Google Music), while the Galaxy Player 5.0  is smaller than a tablet, but has a great size for watching movies or TV shows on the go. 

So what should I get?

For exercising or music always on the move, the Nano is the obvious choice. The real question comes up with the full-size media players, between not only the iPod Touch and Galaxy Player, but between the iPod, Galaxy Player 4.0 and 5.0. For strictly music and gaming, the iPod is by far the best, with the biggest App Store for games and iTunes for excellent music purchasing and synchronization. For video, the iPod Touch certainly surpasses the Galaxy Player 4.0 because of it’s Retina Display, though lack of flash playback means the 4.0 has access to a significantly larger amount of content.

But when it comes to the 5.0, hands down the Galaxy Player wins. The larger display, plus access to flash video while still being pocketable (and practically acting as a tablet) makes it more comfortable to watch videos on in any conditions, be it a cramped airplane or at home on the couch.

Still seeking that 3D experience but not ready to plunk down a few grand on a compatible LED TV?  Fear not my furry friends, Brando has you covered.  The electronic retailer is hocking the Gadmei P83 PMP Player, which claims to be a 3D PMP sporting an 8-inch 1280×768 that doesn’t require those pesky 3D glasses.  Course, finding compatible video and images will be entirely up to you since there clearly isn’t a store, at least that we’re aware of, that sells such movies.  However, it should be compatible with your favorite brand of 3D capable point and shoot camera, which are still fairly few and far between, but in existence nonetheless.  Storage is a scant 4GB, though it is compatible with USB sticks and SD cards.  If you’re willing to take the dive, you can grab one for $179.

Read

Ah yes, perfect for the campsite as pictured above.  Taking the whole Vizio thing a couple steps further, The TV Hat is ready to take you to a introverted place of the likes in which you’ve never seen before.  The TV Hat uses a 2.5x magnification screen to broadcast the image from your PMP with the privacy shield blocking out everyone else except for little old you.

Mega cheap at $30, I can’t imagine the price dictating the quality.  Anyone use one of these?

[via RandomGoodStuff]

Read

Zune users rejoice, 4.5 has been bestowed upon your PMP.  Just plug in the device and get a syncing.

So what does it add? Smart DJ, which we showed you last week at the Zune House here in LA.  Microsoft has also increased the codec compatibility of the player by adding AVI support.

I’m just waiting on Microsoft to kick out a Mac compatible build of their software so I can play with the super sleek device.

Read

Yesterday, Microsoft finally made it official and announced the 64GB Zune HD.  That very same day we were invited to the Zune House in LA where we got a hands on look at the yet to be released software update for the player, 4.5.  The biggest take away: their DJ feature which is like Apple’s Genius.  It’s hard to say which of the two will be better, but since we just got our hands on a 32GB Zune HD we’ll let you know as soon as the software is made publicly available.

Cydle had some cool looking PMP’s at their booth by way of one HD radio and Mobile TV players.  Each were priced at a decent subscription free $120 and should see shelf time around March of this year.  The players could be viewed vertically and horizontally and had a host of other features besides its core offering.

Each player, the P29A (Mobile TV), and the P29H (HD Radio) has a high resolution touch screen, gravity sensor, music player, voice recorder, and more.  We like how small and fair priced these units were and looking forward to some more “hands-on” time with them in the future.

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.

The MovieWedge is pretty durable due to its impressionable footbag design.  I can see at some point down the line it becoming a bit worn or frayed from general wear and tear but with any amount of TLC, the MovieWedge should last for years.

For only $10, the MovieWedge is a great gift idea for this coming holiday season for anybody that owns an iPhone, iPod Touch, or any PMP or smart phone that displays media horizontally.

The only thing I didn’t like was the made in China tag dangling off of the MovieWedge.  I would have liked to have seen the logo embroidered on the cushion itself but it’s not a huge sticking point.

Any consumer would be happy with what the MovieWedge provides for the price and anyone looking for an iPhone stand/pillow should look no further.

It can also be used to clean the screen of your iPhone no problem!

Pros:

• Cheap
• Versatile
• Lightweight and durable

Cons;

• None

Buy it here for $10!

**Update**

Since the posting of this review, news has come in about a new tag that is now attached to the MovieWedge.  While still not embroidered, the new tag looks much nicer than the previous one.  See Pic below.

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.

Read

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.

Read

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.

Read

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.

Read

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.

Read

We first saw Creative’s Zii PMP when it hit the FCC.  Now the company has made the EGG, it’s developer edition available for $400.  Packed inside is a 3.5-inch 320×480 capacitive 10-point multi-gesture touchscreen, WiFi, full sized SD card slot, GPS, 3x accelerometer, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 32GB of flash memory, Creative’s ZMS-05 chip, an HD camera, a front facing low rez camera and support for OpenGL ES, h.264 video playback and 1080p video output.   The demo video shows off an Android OS but Creative is also touting some sort of Plaszma OS which is either complimentary to Google’s or just a stand alone system all together.

In what I believe to be a surprise move, Creative seems to have no plans to sell the device under their brand and is looking for OEMs to license and sell the device.  By now you’ve probably noticed its iPhone like form factor, so maybe T-Mobile or Sprint will pick it up and shove a cellular chip inside the touchscreen handheld and turn their noses at Apple.

Read

It looks like Creative has been hard at work to develop a new PMP that incorporates an HD camcorder into its design.  Called the Zii, it sports WiFi, a touchscreen and of course the aforementioned HD camcorder.  All this info comes by way of the FCC, so there really aren’t any significant pics to oggle at, although a sketch shows that there is also a developer edition called the Zii EGG.   Throw in the fact that this thing might run on top of the Android OS and you might have a formidable competitor to the iPod Touch.

Me?  If it doesn’t make phone calls then I’m not interested.

[via Electricpig]

Read

Samsung, which in recent has enjoyed great success with their line of TVs and mobile phones, still isn’t a brand you think of when it comes to portable audio.  But they’re working on it, and their latest PMP, leaked courtesy of a retailer, isn’t looking too shabby.  The YP-R1 sports a 2.7-inch 400×240 touchscreen, 8GB of storage, 3.5mm headphone jack with Bluetooth A2DP support, FM radio, video out and a fair amount of audio (AAC, FLAC, OGG, MP3 and WMA) and video (Xvid, DivX, H.264, MPEG-4, WMV and Real Media Video) codec support.  If the product page is correct, you can expect Samsung’s YP-R1 PMP to launch July 30th and cost about $180.

[via Slashgear]

Read

Before you start tossing rotten fruit at me and calling this info unsubstantiated I’m gonna admit just that.  Now that I’ve got that out of the way, you should know that Microsoft is going to release a Zune HD, there is no doubt about that, hence the leaked artwork now and from this past weekend. Now the rumorville says the iPod Touch competitor will feature a an NVidia chipset, which will enable the PMP to play Xbox games.  Say what?  Well, we know Microsoft already has the licensing in order, so it seems like a smart move especially since Apple has started to position the Touch in this manner.  Capacity of the Zune HD will range between 16GB and 32GB, and to put the Zune HD one step ahead of the competition we might see an AMOLED touchscreen, which is also rumored to appear in the next iteration of the iPod Touch and iPhone.

Note, the above picture could be a complete render, no one really knows, but it seems likely.

Read