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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By Ryan Nill

The Eco Media Player is a wind-up MP3/video player. It can play MP3, WMA, ASF, MP4, WAV and comes with an FM radio, a photo-viewer and an analog recorder. Similar to winding a fishing reel, one minute of winding gives you up to 40 minutes of playback. Alternatively, you can charge the media player through the USB port of your computer. It accepts SD cards and has an internal memory of 2GB. It can even be used to charge your cellphone. Not particularly cutting edge or even very useful, as one might argue, but it is certainly very eco-friendly.

In stock 22 August, 2007, for £169.99 or about $230 US.

[ Ecodigital ] VIA [ Boingboing ]

By Evan Ackerman

The Thomson A1 is being billed as the world’s smallest personal media player with a 3 inch diagonal screen. Aside from that single (and dubious) claim to fame, it’s fairly unremarkable (16:9 TFT, plays movies and pics, FM tuner) except for the actual dimensions, which are about 3.2 inches by 2 inches, i.e. larger than the 3 inch screen. The A1 will be shortly available in China in 8 gigs for $120 and 4 gigs for $106, but by the time they come out in the US, an actual world’s smallest PMP with a 3 inch screen (or something in the same size with a larger screen) will undoubtedly be available.

[ Thomson Audio ] VIA [ PMP Today ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I think iTeddy and Teddy Ruxpin should have a battle royale. It would be kind of like Terminator 2 where the old-fashioned Schwarzenegger T-800 model (Ruxpin) would be fighting the high-tech Robert Patrick T-1000 model (iTeddy). But since Teddy Ruxpin isn’t the star of the movie I’m pretty sure iTeddy would destroy him with his superior features.

You see instead of a cassette player mounted in his chest iTeddy has a personal media player with 512 MB of built-in memory that’s also expandable VIA an SD card slot. The media player can be used to listen to MP3s, watch videos and view photos and can even be removed from iTeddy’s chest once the child feels they’ve outgrown the whole teddy bear thing. There’s even a companion website where you can download content and parents can record messages and stories for their kids to listen to. But I have to ask, they couldn’t have come up with a more original name than iTeddy? That’s just lazy iMarketing if you ask me.

iTeddy should be available come August 6th from Argos.co.uk for about $120.

[ iTeddy ] VIA [ Shiny Shiny ]

By Ian Chiu

There’s a bewildering array of choices in the digital music player market, yet everyone seems to pick the iPod nano. We think the iriver clix gen 2 is a great alternative, one that has finally caught up to and in some areas surpassed the market leader. To sum it up, the Clix has has a truly original minimalistic design, starting eith an effective D-Click navigation and not some iPod wheel knock off. It supports both MTP and UMS, plus the ability to rebuild ID3 DB from files – something that is extremely handy for those who prefer to drag and drop their music into the player. With Flash lite support, you’re guaranteed there will be a decent selection of free games. The downsides are the lack of AAC, line-in recording and slow music transfer. If the iRiver still doesn’t impress at least you’ve still got other nice choices, like the Meizu M6 SE. From the review:

Simple navigation, killer sound quality, smooth video, vibrant photos and the brightest, most vivid display I’ve ever seen on an MP3 player put the new iRiver Clix 2 ahead of the competition in most regards. Free games, FM radio and text capabilities sweeten the deal, but what really sets the Clix apart is its ability to operate in either MTP or USB Mass Storage modes with automated database rebuilding. At last, the freedom to switch between Rhapsody, Windows Media Player, WinAmp, iTunes, Mac and Linux without hassle. The only things that could really use improvement are the transfer speeds for music and the bundled headphones. Still, the Clix gen 2 is highly recommended, and finally succeeds in stealing the limelight away from the current market leader.

[iRiver Clix gen 2 4GB Review @ Everything USB]

By Andrew Liszewski

Portable TVs always fascinated me as a kid and as far as I was concerned having one as small as a watch was the pinnacle of that technology. Sadly it’s taken until just recently for video watches to become a reality. And by that I mean something that doesn’t look monstrous on your wrist giving away the fact that you’re watching a video when you probably shouldn’t be.

Well Epoq who already has a few MP4 video watches on the market will be releasing the EMP-CVWD model sometime in July of this year. What sets it apart from previous models is an all metal case and strap disguising it as a dress watch as opposed to something more suited for the wrist of your company’s IT guy. This way even the suits can get away with wearing a video capable watch without anyone knowing it. As cool as this sounds though looking at the product shot I can’t believe anyone would want to watch the new Transformers movie on a 1.8 inch screen. In fact I can’t believe anyone would want to watch the new Transformers movie period.

The EMP-CVWD watch will be available in 2GB and 4GB models starting at $199.

[ Epoq EMP-CVWD-2 Video Watch ] VIA [ I4U News ]

By David Ponce

If you have half a brain, when you go out shopping for something, you know you’re better off buying the product that does more stuff, while paying less money. That’s why we’re digging the new Meizu M6se. It’s the second generation MP3 player from these guys, and they’ve managed to slim it down to a scant 7-mm (0.28-inches). That’s 0.5mm (0.02-inches) thicker than its direct competition, the iPod nano… but it has a 2.4-inch QVGA display and FM tuner. And better yet, the rumored 8GB version should retail somewhere around $130. Aside from that, it plays all the usual formats.

Of course this more-for-less logic only works if the product performs as advertised, which we won’t be able to find out until it starts shipping, possibly in August.

[ Read More ] VIA [ Xataka ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In the past I’ve mentioned my love/hate relationship with Sony over the years but today they mostly score on the love side with this new portable DVD player. First off the DVP-FX850 comes in a sleek black housing which is my preferred color for any device with a screen. Secondly it has a huge 8-inch LCD screen with a maximum resolution of 800×480 pixels that can also swivel around and be viewed in a tablet-like configuration.

The player supports the usual DVD and CD formats we’ve come to expect and according to the Sony België site it will also play back other files like JPEGs, MP3s and even Divx movies. It even has a USB jack allowing you to connect and play files directly off of a flash drive. That’s right, no Memory Sticks needed! And for the complete movie viewing experience Sony has also made sure the player supports DOLBY and DTS.

[ Sony DVP-FX850 Portable DVD Player ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]