Cowon’s X9 PMP now shipping, features up to 110 hours of music playback

Cowon's X9 PMP now shipping, features up to 110 hours of music playback

The latest addition to Cowon's line of portable media players is reaching consumers' hands in the good, old US of A as shipping is now underway for the X9. The PMP -- which comes in either black or white -- measures 72.5mm wide, 114.9mm tall and weighs in at 159 grams. It also features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, your choice of either 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of internal flash memory, as well as a MicroSD slot. Although good sound quality is typically Cowon's calling card, the X9 also serves up a healthy helping of battery life with the company claiming up to 110 hours of music playback. Operating time when watching video is said to be up to 13 hours while charging time takes 4.5 hours via AC adapter and 6 hours when juicing through a USB connection. Supported file formats include MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, WAV, XviD, WMV and ASF. Unlike the Plenue Z2 and the D3, the X9 opts out of using the Android OS -- which is either good or bad depending on one's preferences. Its 480 x 272 resolution is also decidedly lower than, say, the 800 x 480 seen in the Z2's 3.7-inch screen. As for cost, folks interested in getting the X9 will have to lighten their wallets to the tune of $229.99. For more details, check out the Cowon site via the link below.

Cowon's X9 PMP now shipping, features up to 110 hours of music playback originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MakerBot Mixtape: 3D Print an MP3 Player

Using cassettes to create mixtapes was a fun time to spend an afternoon when you were a kid. There’s something oddly pleasing about this analog media format. Thankfully, if you’ve got a MakerBot in your shed, you can make a modern version of the mixtape, by 3D printing an MP3 player in the shape of a cassette.

makerbot mixtape 3d printed mp3 player

The MakerBot Mixtape looks like a cassette tape, but it’s actually a 3D-printed MP3 player with 2 GB of storage. It has buttons for play, pause, forward and backward. The charge lasts four hours and a USB cable is used to charge it up. Keep in mind that its the case that’s 3D printed, and the electronic circuitry inside is most definitely  not.

makerbot mixtape 3d printed mp3 player components

If you’ve got a MakerBot, you can print it in a number of different colors and designs. You can get a kit for $25 (USD). If you haven’t got a 3D printer, then you can buy one already made up for $39.

[via DVice]


MakerBot brings back the ‘Mixtape’ as a printable MP3 player (video)

DNP MakerBot brings back the 'Mixtape' as a printable MP3 player

If you thought mixtapes died with the MP3 era, you're wrong. Sure, they've become niche, and it's perhaps cloyingly retro to break out your Walkman, but it's hard to deny the appeal. There are already USB drives and DAPs made to look like an old-school magnetic cassette, but if you want something a little more DIY, MakerBot has a kit that you purchase and assemble your own MP3-playing "tape." For $25 you get a package with all the essential internals plus plans for your Replicator to print out the snap together casing. If you're not lucky enough to have a Replicator of your own, you can upload tracks and have the company print one out for you for $40. Hit up the source link to order one now but, before you go, check out the PR and the video after the break.

Continue reading MakerBot brings back the 'Mixtape' as a printable MP3 player (video)

MakerBot brings back the 'Mixtape' as a printable MP3 player (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony unveils 2012 Walkman range: Android 4.0 F series and refreshed entry-level E series (eyes-on)

Sony unveils refreshed Walkman range Android 40 F series and entrylevel E series eyeson

The Walkman F800 is Sony's latest PMP; a 3.5-inch Android media player that replaces the company's middling Z series. Perhaps the most intriguing point is that the new media player will arrive with Android 4.0 from the start, alongside the usual raft of WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity options. Storage choices range from 8GB, through to 16GB and 32GB, with 4.5 hours of video playback apparently possible on the handhelds. It's the new flagship media player for Sony, and will launch in Europe priced at around £210 ($279).

The noise-cancelling E series (and an even-more-bare-bones version) has also been refreshed. The hardware hasn't changed that much, aside from a larger 2-inch LCD screen, but there's a whole raft of new patterns and colors. The petit slabs will arrive alongside a new dock that will run off the PMP's own battery, augmenting the existing built-in speaker. If you liked the E series, but need something a little more wireless, then the just-announced Bluetooth-toting Walkman S770BT may hit the spot. Aside from that addition, the device otherwise lists the same specifications as the E series. Sony tells us that all three Walkman families will be available in Europe starting today -- and we managed to handle both the new noise-cancelling E474 (£80, or around $80) and the F800 last week. Unfortunately, we were only able feel around the device, as unfortunately neither were powered up. The F series feels a lot like a solidly-built smart phone, with a matte black finish -- the device arrives in just the single color option. Meanwhile, the E series attacks the rainbow, with a range of patterns. These feel predictably lighter, and should slip into pockets very easily. Take a closer look at the PMP pair in the galleries below.

Continue reading Sony unveils 2012 Walkman range: Android 4.0 F series and refreshed entry-level E series (eyes-on)

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Sony unveils 2012 Walkman range: Android 4.0 F series and refreshed entry-level E series (eyes-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola discounts the MOTOACTV $100, hopes you’re still in bikini slim-down mode

Motorola discounts the MOTOACTV $100, hopes you're still in bikini slimdown mode

Still in the middle of your seasonal weight loss regimen? Well, if you're in the market for a new fitness wearable, Motorola has dropped the price on its MOTOACTV to $149.99 for the 8GB model, $199.99 for the 16GB version and $299.99 for the Multi-Sport Edition. Need a quick refresher? You can expect to keep track of your running, biking, golfing and other sporty exploits alongside GPS, MP3 playback, heart rate monitor and Bluetooth. You'll also be able to brag about those progress updates with your Facebook and Twitter mates alongside the $100 price cut. Ready to commit? Hit that source link below to do just that.

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Motorola discounts the MOTOACTV $100, hopes you're still in bikini slim-down mode originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tongue-Controlled MP3 Player Makes You Look Like a Bond Villain

Remember that Bond villain named Jaws? Maybe his teeth weren’t all about biting steel cables and whatnot. Maybe he was just listening to some tunes through his mouth. His evil employer might have just gotten this new gadget a few decades early. Yes, this thing plays music through your teeth.

mp3 player

The tongue controlled MP3 player comes from concept designer Aisen Caro Chacin. It lets you listen to your favorite music using bone conduction. Chacin calls it the Play-A-Grill. The grill sits on your teeth and sound is transmitted using bone conduction through your skull. Only you can hear the music as long as your ears are plugged.

There’s no word on price, but it must be expensive since it seems like it would need to be fitted to the individual as well. And wouldn’t your tongue keep hitting the buttons by accident?

[via BitRebels via Geek]


Apple opens iTunes Store in Hong Kong, Taiwan and 10 other Asia-Pacific territories

Apple opens iTunes Store in Hong Kong, Taiwan and 10 other AsiaPacific countries

Many Apple fans on the opposite side of the Pacific from Cupertino haven't had much of a choice to shop from iTunes, even though they've had the App Store for some time. There's now a much better sense of balance: Apple just flicked the switch on the iTunes Store for music and movies in a dozen countries and territories across the Asia-Pacific region. The company singles out our own Richard Lai's Hong Kong as well as Singapore and Taiwan, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam are also getting the media catalogs, which include local content along with the international hits. It's a full catch-up as well, with iTunes in the Cloud re-downloads and iTunes Match subscriptions available in every new country. If you're a huge Andy Lau fan but wanted his albums from the most iPhone-friendly store possible, the wait is over.

Apple opens iTunes Store in Hong Kong, Taiwan and 10 other Asia-Pacific territories originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 review: Android media player that needs more of a voice

Samsung Galaxy Player 42 review

It wasn't all that long ago that one of the pinnacles of the gadget world was the PMP. How many gigs has yours got? Mine plays FLAC. Whoa, iPod video! These are sentences that are largely consigned to the digital mists of time. Now that your phone, watch and pretty much any other gadget can fill the shoes of the media player, its days among gadget nobility are numbered, and its rank slipping ever lower. There will always be a corner of the gadget realm for them but it's more of a country cottage, compared to the sprawling manor of yesteryear.

Why all the nostalgia? Samsung's Galaxy Player 4.2 is the latest descendent of the Android media player lineage, and the company's rightful heir to its PMP kingdom. As you can see, a full-fat media player in 2012 wears a very different uniform than its forefathers, and definitely fights a different battle. Can what is essentially a phone-without-a-phone, hold its territory and prevent the mobile bandits from scaling the walls? We spend some time with it in the trenches to find out.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 review: Android media player that needs more of a voice

Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 review: Android media player that needs more of a voice originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mouth-based bling MP3 player puts your tunes on retainer

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It's time to give your pockets a rest. Take a cue from Parsons student Aisen Chacin and stick your MP3 player where it belongs: in your mouth. The catchily-named Play-a-Grill combines bone-conducting music playback with a classic bit of bling-based technology. This "attempt to provide an unusual display and interface in comparison to typical audio/visual stimulation and digit based control panel" utilizes an iPod Shuffle knockoff, which sits in the roof of the wearer's mouth for some good, old fashioned tongue control over music playback. At the moment, the player looks to be more art project than consumer product (complete with a Nelly-quoting paper), but perhaps this is the iPod killer everyone's been searching for all along.

Continue reading Mouth-based bling MP3 player puts your tunes on retainer

Mouth-based bling MP3 player puts your tunes on retainer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purported fifth-gen iPod touch panel slips out, shows a tall 4.1-inch screen that’s possibly iPhone-bound

Purported fifth-gen iPod touch panel slips out, show a tall 4.1-inch screen that's possibly iPhone-bound

It's been a long, long time since Apple undertook a significant redesign of the iPod touch, which hasn't been looked at since 2010 and received just a splash of white last year. A possible front panel part leak we've just seen could overturn all that -- and hint at the 2012 iPhone's direction in the process. If we go by the claims of MacRumors' supplier friends, the media player would be growing up, but not out, with a taller 4.1-inch screen. We're skeptical, as the white part (black on the inside) seems almost too good to be true -- we haven't seen anything similar elsewhere in the unofficial parts market. Still, having heard murmurs of larger iPhone screens and knowing Apple's own tendency to base the iPod touch on whatever iPhone flavor is new this year, we could be looking at iPhones and iPods growing for the first time since 2007. There's also some as yet unconfirmed next-gen iPhone parts included by the source, although we'd hesitate to call them smoking guns unless they're put together in Apple-like form later in the year.

Purported fifth-gen iPod touch panel slips out, shows a tall 4.1-inch screen that's possibly iPhone-bound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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