Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

The internet can be a great and terrible thing. It’s great for people like you and I, but not so good for big companies trying to keep a secret. There have been a lot of rumors swirling around lately about a new Zune thanks to the speed at which information travels. Rather than spewing out “no comment,” Microsoft has spilled a few of the details on the upcoming device.

They were only willing to give up a few details, which is understandable since they’ll likely be talking more about it at E3. (Shameless Plug: We’ll be at the Microsoft Media Briefing next Monday, so tune in for coverage!) What we do know is that the ZuneHD is going to feature HD video output in 720p (thus the name), HD radio, web browser and a touchscreen. We also know that Microsoft will be replacing the Xbox Live Marketplace with the Zune video store.

Microsoft is also talking about “tuners.” Essentially a tuner is a device that connects you to the Zune music and video services. So far aside from the Zune itself, the Xbox will be the first of these tuners. We’ll definitely keep you posted when we find out more Monday.

VIA [ SeattleTimes ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The latest version of the iPod Shuffle isn’t all bad, but the fact that it’s completely dependent on the less than stellar headphones that Apple includes is a deal breaker in my opinion. That and the price of course. So if you’re looking for a compact MP3 player that’s also big on storage, the $16 kawauMicro is so cheap it’s almost disposable.

Now the player is so affordable because a) the rechargeable lithium-ion battery is only good for a paltry 2 hours (after a 30 minute charge) and b) it doesn’t actually come with any storage. That’s supplied by the user in the form of a microSD or microSDHC card, which will run you about $10 for 4GB if you’d like to match the iPod Shuffle. But since it supports microSDHC cards, you can in theory cram as much as 32GB in there one day, if you’re willing to pay for it. The kawauMicro also features support for WMAs as well as MP3s, and an included pair of crappy headphones that you might be able to strip for the wire before you throw them out.

[ kawauMicro USB Music Player ] VIA [ USB Gadgets ]

By Evan Ackerman

This is Mashimaro. It’s supposed to be a rabbit, but it’s called Mashimaro because it looks like a marshmallow or something. It is, I guess, Korea’s defense against Hello Kitty, in that it supposedly has some kind of anime series behind it (that “puts a humorous light to toilet habits”) but it’s most often seen on products of dubious quality and usefulness. And here you go, it’s a Mashimaro MP3 player.

Measuring 54 x 38 x 38mm (about matchbox sized, just fatter), the 19 gram MP3 player comes with 2 gigs of storage. It has light-up ears that also serve as a five way controller. There’s a butt-jack for headphones as well a USB connector in there somewhere that charges an internal battery for up to 9 hours of playback. the Mashimaro MP3 player costs about $45, comes in white, sky blue, or soft pink, and you may or may not be able to get it at the partially translated website below.

[ Sorikom ] VIA [ PMP Today ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It looks like NU has updated their Dolphin waterproof MP3 player with a new version called the Dolphin TOUCH. How original. Upgrades include a curved touch pad interface so the device stays watertight, a small but usable LCD display and even an FM stereo tuner that apparently works underwater. It’s also got 4GB of flash memory on board, support for MP3 or WMA audio files and comes with a set of standard and waterproof headphones. Unfortunately since it was just announced a few days ago, there’s no info on pricing or availability just yet.

[ NU Dolphin TOUCH ] VIA [ Fareastgizmos ]

By Luke Anderson

Are you looking for a way to instill panic and fear into those nearby with only your MP3 player? Sure, you could go out and buy yourself a Zune, but you might just get pitied, rather than feared. No, what you really need to do is cram a Sansa Clip into a grenade housing.

Just look at that thing. If I didn’t know what was in it, I’d probably run like hell if I ever saw one. You’ve got ominous buttons, a switch and some sort of cord that’s probably connected to a wireless transmitter that will set off a chain reaction of explosions throughout the city. I really think the guy did a good job with this thing. By opting to use the buttons and switch that he did, it still has that military feel to it. You just have to wonder if he wears this thing on his belt while he’s out jogging.

[ Flickr ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Evan Ackerman

MP3 players don’t get much more barebones than this: the Kana Micro MP3 player has no integrated storage and only 3 buttons. You have to stick a micro SD card in to put anything on it (a 2 gig card is included), and it both syncs and charges its 2 hour battery via a USB port. Not bad for only $16 I guess, but I might be willing to splurge a little bit for something like, you know, a display. Or a bigger battery. Or more storage. Or better colors. I could go on… But I won’t, since the Kana Micro is currently only available in Japan.

[ Kana Micro ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You can basically think of the Beforme as an iPod with a built-in stethoscope that would allow an expectant mother to hear and monitor both her and her child’s heartbeat. Not only does this increase the bond between mother and child-to-be, but it also allows her to listen and detect any irregularities before they become a serious problem. In fact, not only would the Beforme allow a mother to listen to the heartbeats and see them graphed on the LCD display, but special software would also provide a more accurate and medical-based analysis of the rhythms, alerting the mother to possible issues.

And while the Beforme only exists as concept renders at this point, the designer has been working with Robert Majkut Design to refine the concept to the point where they’re actually ready to create a working prototype. So one day you might actually see this device on store shelves.

[ Beforme - Robert Majkut Design ] VIA [ Yatzer ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ll admit that I’ll listen to Journey every now and then. I only own a few of their songs and probably wouldn’t go as far as to call myself a fan. I definitely wouldn’t go out and buy an MP3 player that’s dedicated to the classic rock band.

This strange MP3 player features the band’s unmistakable scarab logo, and comes pre-loaded with the entire Revelation album. For those not in the know, half of the tracks are brand new, while the other half have been re-recorded with a new lead singer. You aren’t going to store much on here, as it only holds a whopping 1GB of music. At least it isn’t terribly expensive at $40.

[ Walmart ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Listen Vader, I don’t know how to break this to you, but your ‘Planet Destroying Moon-Sized Space Station’ division is doing a lot better than your ‘MP3 Player’ division. I mean seriously, this is the best they could come up with? I’m sure you’re flattered they decided to use your image on the front (when did your eyes start glowing red btw?) but the LCD display looks like it was taken from an Iomega HipZip and it only comes with a paltry 512MB of storage.

Currently the Amazon.co.uk website lists the Star Wars MP3 player as being out of stock (surprising, I know) and for some reason they don’t show the price as a result. But if it’s anything more than ‘free inside a box of Droids cereal’ (they still make that right?) then you’re getting ripped off.

[ Star Wars MP3 Player ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]