Archive for the ‘Portable Gadgets’ Category

Walkman outsells iPod in Japan for first time in four years… but iPhone sales don’t count

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

As with most accomplishments these days, we can't help but place a rather large asterisk next to Sony's award for managing to outsell the iPod lineup with its Walkman. According to Tokyo-based research firm BCN Inc., for the week ending August 30th, the Walkman series had a 43 percent share ...

MyRacer’s Q10 is the PMP with a funky little dial

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Functionally, MyRacer has yet to really knock our socks off. But, its lineup of PMPs has always featured some lovely design cues, and the Q10 is perhaps the nicest yet. It has some subtly '70s styling and that cheeky volume knob with an illuminated red surround that would probably result ...

Samsung R0 not-so-boldly goes where most PMPs have gone before it

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Samsung's certainly got the portable media player design down to a cold, cold science. There isn't much in the way of artistic license here, so let's get on with the specs, shall we? 2.6-inch TFT LCD, microSD slot, FM radio, second-language acquisition programs, text / photo viewer, and video codec ...

Ears-on with Sony Ericsson MH907 Motion Activated Headphones

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

What we have here today isn't just another pair of ordinary headphones: Sony Ericsson's MH907s are button-free, minimalistic headphones that activate upon the magical touch of your skin. Well, your ears to be precise. You must bear in mind that the MH907s are exclusive to Fast port-equipped Sony Ericsson phones ...

Switched On: Microsoft’s touchy subjects

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.As CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates would often talk about his dream of "information at your fingertips." The company he co-founded, though, is now taking literal steps toward that goal. By the end of the month, Microsoft will have released ...

Samsung R0 not-so-boldly goes where most PMPs have gone before it

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Samsung's certainly got the portable media player design down to a cold, cold science. There isn't much in the way of artistic license here, so let's get on with the specs, shall we? 2.6-inch TFT LCD, microSD slot, FM radio, second-language acquisition programs, text / photo viewer, and video codec ...

YouTube begins streaming 1080p insecurities next week (update: 1080p video!)

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Ready to have your imperfect complexions scrutinized by every anonymous coward on the Internet? You'd better 'cause YouTube has announced the move from 720p to 1080p video streaming to make use of those cheap, Full HD camcorders flooding the market. Now puff up that keyboard courage -- the ruthless bashing ...

Zune HD v4.3 firmware out now: fixes playcount bug, adds lots of great things (video)

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Who says Microsoft ain't lookin' out for those who selected its Zune HD over something Designed In Cupertino? Just days after countless owners went berserk over a playcount syncing issue, Microsoft has released a new firmware update that not only solves that very quandary but also adds a gaggle of ...

Apple updates iPod touch line, drops prices, adds top-end 64GB model

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Apple_updates_iPod_touch_line_drops_prices_adds_top_end_64'; Couldn't see this one coming, right? Apple just announced an update to the iPod touch line. It's not exactly a major overhaul to the player, but prices have fallen, and it appears that the new models use the same CPU as the iPhone 3GS, since ...

Hardware battle looms for theoretical successors to Nintendo DS and Sony PSP

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

It's a sorry state of affairs when a media player like the Zune HD has more polygon-pushing power than the latest handheld videogame consoles on the market. If rumors are to be believed, Nintendo and Sony will set things straight with their next-generation portables -- at least for a little ...