Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I rarely watch videos or movies on the go, but it’s mostly because I can’t be bothered reformatting or converting them into a format that’ll play on any of my devices. The Aigo Patriot MV5920 however appears to play all formats including VOBs, Divx, MPEG etc. at a resolution of up to 1280 x 720. Unfortunately the display is just 480 x 272, but being able to play back a file that large without you having to downconvert it first is pretty convenient.

All of your media is stored on the MV5920’s 160GB hard drive, and it can also serve as a mobile DVR capturing over-the-air D1 video streams. You can even use the device to stream audio and video since it includes Wifi, but I doubt it has a web browser given the lack of keyboard and touch screen. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera, support for most digital audio formats (no FLAC), a 2300 mAH rechargeable lithium battery and as always, an e-book reader that only supports the TXT format. If you can find one, it will set you back about $429.

[ Aigo Patriot MV5920 ] VIA [ PMP Today ]

By Evan Ackerman

We’ve written about pico projectors a whole bunch in the past, but the SunView portable media player appears to be one of the first commercially available products to contain one. Demoed at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, the PMPP (that extra “P” stands for “projector,” of course) is a relatively small 133mm x 79mm x 25mm device features at 3.5″ touchscreen, rechargeable battery, speaker, SD slot, and remote control. The highlight is of course the projector, which can illuminate a 53″ screen at 9 lux with a full color gamut VGA (640 x 480) image.

It sounds pretty good, but how well does it work? We’ll have to wait for someone to get their hands on one to find out, although based on our experience with pico projectors at CES, you’ll need a pretty dark place in order to see anything but the most contrasty of images.

Although the SunView PMPP is purportedly available in limited quantities, there’s no word on pricing yet.

VIA [ Display Daily ]

By Evan Ackerman

The one thing I miss about radio is being exposed to new music. I like all the songs on my iPod, but now that I have an established music collection, I rarely add to it. The Slacker WiFi portable radio acts like a cross between your iPod and the radio (sort of like, I don’t know, XM?), letting you access radio stations (or create personalized ones) over the internet, in addition to playing music that you already own. The neat thing is that the Slacker will buffer your radio stations on its HD, so you don’t have to be connected to the internet all the time in order to be listening to new music.

As you might expect, there is a monthly subscription cost to take full advantage of the radio service. The basic radio is free, but includes a ‘limited number’ of ads, and you can only skip 6 songs per hour. The price for premium radio is $7.50 a month, and for that, there are no ads, you can skip all the songs you want, and if you like something, you can save it from the radio onto your player. The player itself features 10 hour battery life, a 4″ screen, 802.11 b/g WiFi, and weighs 5 oz. A 2gb model (with 500mb for personal music, 1.5gb for radio music) will cost you $200, or you can get a 4gb (1.5gb personal music) for $250 and an 8gb (4gb personal music) for $300. Not too bad if you ask me, although I’ve never been a big fan of subscription based music.

[ Slacker Portable ] VIA [ Electronista ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ll admit there’s not much in terms of features that makes this new portable DVD player from Plezo really stand out. But if you’re looking for a player that does everything, the PPD-1920S seems fairly robust when it comes to functionality. The 9.2 inch screen is relatively large for a portable player, and it’s able to swivel up to 270 degrees, allowing it to be flipped around and used as a tablet player. If you’re wondering how big 9.2 inches really is, just use the round DVD tray lid on the player as a size reference.

It also supports Divx, which is a must-have feature for any video capable media device these days. And it can presumably play those videos off an MMC or SD card thanks to a dedicated slot, or a flash drive since it also includes a USB port. From what I can tell the player even includes AV in and out connections for watching the videos on a larger display, or using the PPD-1920s itself as a display for another external device.

It’s currently available in the Korean and Japanese markets for about $362.

[ Plezo PPD-1920S Portable DVD Player ] VIA [ Mobilewhack ]

By David Ponce

On paper, I suppose it makes sense:

1. StealGet inspired by the iPod nano’s look.
2. Shove a 2MP camera on the back.
3. Profit!

That’s the kind of ballsy capitalist innovation we like to see, and we’re certain that BTL International is going to ride its creative streak to fame and fortune in no time. Heck, their M2406 even has a couple specs that we wouldn’t mind seeing in the original:

It can play AVI videos, and MP3, WMA, WMV and WAV audio files. It has a 2.4-inch TFT screen (220×176 pixels, 262,000 colors), a built-in speaker and six EQ settings. Internal memory ranges from 128MB to 4GB, all flash, and can be supplemented with miniSD cards.

Of course, by now you’ve probably realized this company is based in China (official Home Of The Knockoff), and that we’re not entirely sure how to get shipment on this, nor how much we’d expect to pay for one. Still, the device is out there somewhere.

[ Link To Similar Model, Without Camera ] VIA [ Coolest-Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the debate continues over whether or not a video can actually be enjoyed on a screen this small, manufacturers don’t seem to care. Instead they just keep churning out newer and better video-capable watches, and at cheaper prices. The latest model manages to add an FM broadcaster to the long list of features, which can be used with audio files or the audio portion of MP4 videos.

At 1.8 inches in size the OLED screen has a resolution of just 160×128 pixels, but on the plus side that tiny screen means you can enjoy about 4 hours of video playback on a full charge. (Or 7 if you stick to just audio and keep the screen off.) The built-in 4GB of memory is not too bad either, particularly when you consider how small a 160×128 video must be, and supported file formats include MP3, WMA, MP4 (audio and video), JPGs and e-books.

The watch is available from Gadget-USB.com for just $126.

[ Wrist Watch MP4 Player With FM Transmitter, 4GB ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Evan Ackerman

It happens all the time: you’re rocking out under a pair of headphones, practicing your kickboxing routine or ballroom dancing moves at 3am, and just as you’re in the middle of a jab/uppercut combo or a pirouette, your headphones are rudely ripped from your skull thanks to the cord attached to your computer. Or worse, your iPod gets tossed into the next county. You’d think there would be a simple solution to this problem, and there is… A magnetic headphone connector. It’s much like the magnetic power plug you find on newer Macs: if the cord gets jerked, the magnets simply separate, sparing your electronics and head a lot of grief. The Replug is an adapter that sits right between your headphones and audio jack, and will fit just about any 3.5mm connectors.

It’s genius. So why interim? Well, I’m pessimistic about cables in general, or rather, I’m optimistic about the progression of wireless tech. Whether or not it breaks away without jerking you around, cables are still an annoyance, and they’re so close to being obsolete what with bluetooth, high bandwidth WiFi, and wireless power all on the verge of being universally practical. In the meantime, though, Replug can be yours before the end of the year for an undisclosed price (but probably cheap).

[ Replug ] VIA [ Engadget ]

By Ryan Nill

This pair of Lederhosen, on display at IFA 2007, comes with a set of controls for your iPod. Made by all-weather wear German company Lodenfrey, these lederhosen will let you listen to music with a distinct lack of style. Made of high quality layered suede, the controls are unobtrusively located down the left side of the pants and the MP3 player is integrated into the pants.

Lodenfrey is apparently the leader in the design and production of lederhosen and other pieces of high quality traditional garb. The company also seemingly refuses to acknowledge the existence of these devastatingly ethnic pants on their home site, therefore further purchasing information is scant.

[ Lodenfrey ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Evan Ackerman

Maybe it’s not actually edible, but the Lobster multimedia concept is still quite tasty, as far as I’m concerned. It’s called Lobster because of its segmented design (resembling a lobster tail, I guess), which is the heart of the functionality of this device: each segment is a quasi-independent module, and by clipping them together the Lobster can take on whatever configuration you desire. The core of the device is a base module (the big bit with the screen) containing a cell phone. Other modules clip onto the base module, and could include an MP3 player, a GPS, a digital camera, and even a cardiometer. Another obvious module might be an extended battery, or a bluetooth module. And according to the designer, each module can also be used completely independently. Of course, it’s easy to say all sorts of things since it’s a concept, but I don’t care, I’m hooked anyway. The renderings do have a teeny little LG logo, but it’s too much to hope that there’s an actual prototype on the way. More pics after the jump.

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By David Ponce

Remember a few years ago when everything looked like an iPod? Well, the iPhone’s the big daddy now, and what do you know… stuff is hitting the market that bears more than an uncanny resemblance. In this case, Samsung’s YP-P3 DAP has taken more than a few design clues from the Jesus phone; from the touchscreen interface, to the icon-based navigation menu. Of course, it’s not actually a phone, but it is a capable media player with 8GB of flash memory and Bluetooth. Oh, and built-in speakers, which we kind of like on a music player.

There’s no word on price or availability yet, but we do have one more picture after the jump.

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