The wait is finally over! Archos has just unveiled their newest line of PMP's. Well actually, they're not calling them PMP's, they're "Internet Media Tablets". As the name implies, the devices rely heavily on their ability to access the net, and connect all your media together. Whatever, they're still PMP's to me, but let's continue. There are three new models, and a bunch of capacities ranging from 30 to 320GB's.

Archos 5



Archos is going with a a simpler naming strategy this time. The Archos 5 (or 606 for traditionalists) is their flagship model, and oh what a sexy model it is. They've gotten rid of the silver look, and have a nice brownish exterior and a chrome backing. Who knew Archos could make something so mainstream? Oddly enough, the name "5" was meant to relate to the screen size, but the display is actually 4.8". Being an internet tablet and all, Archos is really touting the players' fast and smooth web browsing abilities. It has support for Flash 9, and is the first player to utilize an ARM cortex processor.

Features

• Capacity: 60, 120, and 250GB
• Display: 4.8" Touchscreen (800 x 400, 16 million colors)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, WMA Pro 5.1, AAC, and WAV (Plus AC3 using the DVR station)
• Video: MPEG-4 (AVI, Divx, Xvid, etc..), WMV, H.264, and MPEG-2
• Built-in WiFi connection and Free Internet browswer (Opera)
• PDF viewer
• Video recording via DVR station plus 720P output resolutions
• Battery Life: 12 hours for Audio, 4 hours for Video
• Dimensions: 127.5 x 78.3 x 12.9 mm for 60GB model, 127 x 78.8 x 19.4 mm for 120/250GB mode

Archos 5g



Perhaps taking advantage of the whole "3G" iPhone craze, Archos has announced an upgraded version of the Archos 5. It has most of the same functions, except it comes with 30GB's, and adds a 3.5G HSDPA network. That allows you to be connected to the net wherever you are (i.e. not just WiFi hotspots). Supposedly a "3G dongle" will be made available for the other models down the road.

Archos 7



Archos hasn't forgotten about you huge screen lovers. Their new 7" PMP Internet Media Tablet has the same features as the Archos 5, but ups the capacities to 160 and 320GB's.

As you can see, the GUI for these new players is completely redesigned. The icons look a bit large, but it's still a very clean looking interface They've also announced a bunch of add-ons to truly make it a media-centric device. You have your DVR station, a Mini-dock, a TV snap-on, an FM remote, and a Helmet cam. . Sadly, Archos has failed to improve the battery life for Generation 6. 12 hours for audio and 4 hours for video just doesn't cut it anymore. Notably missing is a flash model. I was hoping for a true iPod touch competitor.

Prices have not been provided yet for N. America, but on their French page, the prices for the Archos 5 are 349, 399, and 499 Euros respectively. More often than not, those pricing figures get transferred over directly to their US dollar counterparts. We'll update you when we get the official word.

Let us know what you think of these new IMT's. Yay or Nay?

LINK

GenerationMP3 already got their hands on the new players and have provided a full gallery of pictures for us to drool over

GenMP3 Hands-on

Although I wrote Zune 120, that is not an official name - it does make logical sense though. It seems a Zune armed with a 120GB HDD has been cleared by the American "FCC". This is good news for all lossless loving Audiophiles, absolute music junkies and general video fans.



If Microsoft is indeed releasing a 120GB mode, it still falls short of it's only other rival, the 160GB Apple iPod Classic. The Zune does have a lot more going for it though, including a larger screen, a more appealing GUI and in some regards, the software (wireless syncing for instance).

I'm surprised it took Microsoft this long to release a competitor to Apple's highest range model. Right now if you want a mainstream DAP larger than 80GB's, the only choice is the Classic. Hopefully sometime this year, we'll be able to have an alternative.

LINK (PDF file)

Thanks to istartedsomething.com

Sandisk wasn't the first company that came to mind when I thought of sound quality, but that notion began to change after listening to the Sansa Clip. Not only did it sound great, but it was also pretty powerful too. Not bad for a player this tiny. If you've yet to hear this player, Buy.com has the 2GB model in red for $29.99 shipped.

Specs:

• 2GB
• Audio: MP3, WMA, Audible, and Ogg (may need firmware upgrade for Ogg support)
• FM Tuner
• Voice recorder
• UMS/MSC support
• Built-in clip (duh)
• 15 hours of battery life

I just ordered three myself, to give to my family, and to one lucky member here down the road (yay for giveaways!). This deal probably won't last long so don't hesitate to order.


LINK

via SlickDeals

News this evening, it seems Sony will be releasing a new range of daps, the E430 range. The new daps will come in capacities of 2-8gb and look likely to take on the iPod Nano range and the Sandisk Sansa Fuze line up. However, the E430 will have one little advantage over the Fuze, itunes compatibility (no DRM tracks).



Some more specs: The E430 range will be very slim at only 8.5mm thin, and weigh as little as 50g. Battery life is expected to be in or around 30hrs, this will vary depending on your tracks bitrate of course. Supported Audio codecs are WMA/MP3/AAC and WAV.

On the video side of things expect the same sort of support as previous players (Mpeg-4/h.264 limited to 320x240@30fps) with a battery life between 4-7 hrs depending on your codec/settings, all played back on a 2" screen. The E430 range also has an FM tuner for those interested. Availability and price as yet unknown but will be updated when we know.

Thanks to SonyInsider

Thanks to an unmissable banner posted on the Archos website it appears that the gen 6 Archos line up that we all knew was coming has now been bumped up to "coming soon". I know this is not news, as I do not believe any of us thought the Gen 6 were not coming but it's great that they've let us know they're "coming soon".



Really and truly i'm looking forward to what Archos has to offer. Over the past few years they've been introducing the most minor improvements to their PMPs so this year I'm expecting them to come out with a real winner, something that will make me (not a fan of Archos) step back and say "me wants". I guess we'll have to hold our breaths for a little longer though.

Thanks Rockinamigo!

The ZEN X-Fi has been out a little over a month now, and reviews for it are starting to trickle out. The latest comes from PC Magazine, who provides a fair analysis of Creative's new flagship DAP. While they seemed pleased with the WiFi features of the player (wireless streaming, instant messaging), and the included premium earphones, they weren't too happy about the player's user interface, or its excessive amount of buttons (13 face buttons!). It seems anytime you're using the player's WiFi functions and jump back to the home screen, you lose your wireless connection. That seems counter-intuitive for a player these days and I can see it getting pretty annoying after a while. Here's a summary of the review:

Pros: Streams and downloads music wirelessly. FM Radio and voice recorder. Quality earphones are included.

Cons: User interface needs work. Most videos need to be converted with the included software. Loaded with buttons.

Bottom Line: Armed with wireless streaming features, but hindered by an irksome user interface, the affordable ZEN X-Fi is a solid player, but lacks the graceful navigation of devices from Apple or Samsung.

Score: 3.5/5

I've yet to get my hands on the ZEN X-Fi since it sold out pretty quick earlier this month, and now that it's back in stock I have no money! (being on vacation will do that to you). I'll try and pick it up within the next two weeks, as well as the Zen Mozaic.

LINK

Other Reviews:

Cnet
ABi

Thanks brahmasoccer09

[Update]
iriverfans.com managed to get the new iriver SPINN on video, the GUI is nice and spiffy, no lag seems present and all is fluid. The touchscreen seems to be well implemented but that album art is way too small, not sure what the designers intentions were in that regard.



The much anticipated iriver SPINN made its tantalising début at CES 2008, although at that time we were shown only a prototype - but that was enough to wet our appetites, we wanted more, more info, more pictures, a release date...unfortunately, in typical iriver fashion, we were given no definite release date.

Thankfully DAPreview member Design Fabulous has been keeping our members up to date in our forums with threads like the iriver SPINN thread, which he keeps updated with the latest information from S.Korea.



Now, we still don't have a release date set in stone but the Spinn is definitely hitting the market soon, and to keep the juices flowing iriver have set up a product page for the Spinn which is brimming with information I cannot read (it's in korean you see) and quite a few pictures. If you are the adventurous type i'm sure you can decode some of the information, so check it out by hitting the link below.

|iriver Spinn product page|

Thanks LostPhil

It's been nearly two years since we first reported on the Cowon P5. Details were scant back then but we described the player as follows "The P5 has a 5'' screen and is the high-end version of the upcoming Cowon A3. It also has a DMB antennae and runs Windows CE5. It also has navigation integrated and a touch screen. It will have support for HSDPA modems." That was more than likely the Q5 we were describing there, but the P5 shares most of the same attributes:



Features:

• Capacity: 60 or 80GB
• Display: 5.0" touchscreen (800 x 480, 18M colors)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, Ogg, FLAC, and WAV (plus AC3 support for movies)
• Video: DivX, Xvid, MPEG4, WMV up to 720 x 480 at 30fps (plus TV-out)
• DMB Tuner
• Bluetooth built-in
• Optional Wi-Fi add-on (USB Dongle)
• FM tuner and recorder
• Runs on Windows CE 5.0
• Battery life: 14 hours for audio, 9 hours for video
• Dimensions: 138.8 x 88.5 x 20.0 mm

There's so much I love about this new player. From the cutting edge industrial design, to the very user-friendly interface. The Premium P5 is currently available in Korea, and should be arriving in N. America later this year. It looks like Cowon has another great player on their hands, I just hope I can afford to put it in mine.

LINK

Creative sure are busy lately. They've just announced their 3rd new player in the past two weeks. It's called the ZEN Mozaic, and from what I've been told it's the successor to the Zen V series of players.



As you can see, the design of the player stays true to its name, having an assortment of grey and black titles across the front. On paper, the player is fairly similar to the ZEN V series, but increases the screen size to 1.8" and adds a built-in speaker. One notable improvement is in battery life. The Mozaic will provide 32 hours of audio playback. Another difference is the interface, which is closer to the ZEN series than the Zen V.

Mozaic First Look Video:

Credit: Kingone


Features:

• Capacity: 2, 4, and 8GB
• Display: 1.8" TFT display (64K colors)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, and Audible
• Transcoded video support
• FM Tuner
• Voice Recorder
• Built-in speakers
• Battery life: 32 hours for audio
• Colors: Black, Silver, and Pink
• Dimensions: 79.5 mm x 40.0 mm x 12.8 mm

Creative already has a nice lineup of accessories to go along with this new player, including a travelsound speaker system, a skin pack, and a carabiner case. It's nice to see Creative being well....creative with their designs, but I'm not sure if eccentric patterns will gain the appeal of the masses. The ZEN Mozaic is currently selling at Singapore (and Japan) at prices ranging from 99 to 169 dollars, or roughly 73 to 124US dollars. No word on a worldwide release, but we'll update you when we find out.

Product Page

via epiZENter

Is anyone here still waiting for Meizu to release its iPhone competitor? I was pretty excited for it myself at one point, but after numerous delays, I gave up hope. Yesterday, M J. Wong (Meizu's CEO) showed off this picture of the Meizu M8. We've seen plenty of M8 shots before, but this appears to be the real deal. It's been said that Meizu will be running a closed Alpha program for the phone in China starting in August.

Those are all good signs, but since the M8 was announced, Apple has released two more iterations of the iPhone, the iPod touch and the 3G. Will Meizu ever release the M8, or will it be vaporized? Will anyone care either way? Tell us what you think.

via Meizu Me

Creative will be releasing a new player called the Zen Krystal. As you may have guessed from looking at it, it is the follow-up to the Zen Stone series. The Krystal sets itself apart from its predecessors with the addition of a pedometer. According to Creative the pedometer "can track the distance ran, the speed you were running at as well as the amount of calories burnt during your exercise workout.". It also has a stopwatch ( just like the Stone Plus).

Another puzzling addition is game support. I've been asking for games for years now and Creative's first attempt comes in the form of a dice rolling game, dodgeball, and some racing game on a microscopic 0.7" screen. It's a start I guess.

Features

• Capacity: 4GB
• Display: 0.7" monochrome OLED
• Audio: MP3, WMA
• FM tuner and Voice recorder
• Built-in pedometer and stopwatch
• Games included: Hurdle Race, Catch & Dodge and Dice Roll
• Battery life: 10 hours
• Dimensions: 57 mm x 37 mm x 10.8 mm
• UMS support

The Zen Krystal has only shown up at Creative's Hong Kong site, but it will be released in other regions eventually. It must be a strategy of Creative to release the same player every few months. First the Zen Stone, then the Stone Plus, then the Stone with built-in speakers and so on. Expect the Zen Krystal Plus in another few months! The Krystal does looks nicer than the Zen Stone Plus. The boxy shape is reminiscent of the Sansa Clip from Sandisk. Hopefully it sounds as good as that player too. Sadly, not much has changed from the original Stone series.

LINK)

(via ABi)

The e200 series might be a little dated compared to today's flash players, but I still consider it one of the best DAP's to date. Buy.com is selling the Sansa e280 (recertified) for just $59.99 shipped. That price really shines when you factor in Rockbox, which will provide gapless playback, FLAC and Ogg support, as well as microSDHC support among other features. They're selling like hotcakes right now (#1 sales rank at Buy.com) so pick one up before they sell out.

Features

• 8 GB of flash memory
  
• 1.8” color TFT color screen (220 x 176 pixels)
  
• MP3, WMA, and WMA-DRM support
  
• Photo and video playback (using Sansa Media Converter)
  
• 7 Equalizer presets
  
• 20 hour battery life with user-replaceable lithium battery
  
• MicroSD expansion slot
  
• FM radio and recording
  
• Voice recording
  
• USB 2.0 for data transfer with proprietary cable
  
• MSC or MTP device
  

LINK

The folks over at Pocket-lint.co.uk announced on their site that they have received an invitation to an Archos press event. According to them the invite states that there will be an "exciting announcement" at the event. Could this mean there are new Archos units on the way, possible ones touting 3G connectivity? It is certainly a possibility as it was roughly this time last year that we got wind of the Gen 5 Archos PMPs.



The event will be held on the 10th of July at an undisclosed “London location”, the announcement will be made by Tony Limrick, the UK's managing director of Archos. DAPreview have not been invited, I feel like the last guy picked for the football team. We’ll keep you posted guys.

Thanks rockinamigo14

Remember Creative? I don't blame you if you don't. The Singapore-based company has been pretty quiet on the DAP front for a few months now. A few days ago I had the privilege of breaking that silence by revealing their upcoming player at our Creative webring, epiZENter.net. It's called the "ZEN X-Fi", and as the name implies it's main feature is the implementation of Creative's popular (yet controversial) X-Fi technology.



Additionally, the player will have WiFi built-in. Want to take a guess at what it's used for? Music subscriptions? Nope. Zen to Zen Sharing? Sorry. Web Browsing? Hah, you wish. It's going to be used for instant messaging. A feature that's clearly at the top of everyone's wish list. The ZEN X-Fi will allow you to chat with your friends from Yahoo! and Windows Live! (aka MSN) messenger. You'll be doing so using a 9 button control scheme, which will allow you to input text the same way you would using most cell phones. WiFi will also be used to stream content from your home server directly to the player.

The rest of the features haven't changed much from the original ZEN. There appears to be a 2.5" screen, support for MP3, WMA, and AAC, and video support for WMV, Xvid, and Divx (at QVGA resolutions). Here's the features we have so far:

Features

• Capacity: 8, 16, and 32GB and SD-Card expansion (rumored capacities)
• Display: 2.5" (unconfirmed)
• Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC (unprotected), WAV, and Audible
• Video: WMV, MPEG4-SP, Divx 4/5, Xvid, and MJPEG
• Built-in X-Fi technology with two effects (Crystallizer and Expand)
• Built-in Wi-Fi for instant messaging (Yahoo! and Windows Live!) and wireless streaming
• FM Tuner and Voice Recorder
• Built-in Speaker
• Premium quality earphones included (ep-830)
• Battery Life: 36 hours for Audio, 5 hours for Video

I've read a few sites comparing this player to the iPod touch. I'd say that's definitely a stretch, considering the only thing the two have in common is the built-in WiFi. So what does this new player tell us? It proves that Creative still has a pulse, but it also shows that they simply don't have what it takes to compete with other DAP companies. Many consumers want larger displays, with a touchscreen interface, and web browsing capabilities (or basically the iTouch). Whether it's due to the lack of financial resources, poor R&D, or sub-par engineering (or all three), Creative just can't seem to get back on track and make something reflective of their company name.

via epiZENter

Click the link below for another pic

Hey DAPreview readers! I'm sure there are quite a few of you who have been wondering what the heck is going on with the site. Well Dominic and myself have been kept quite busy in our personal lives and the site has unfortunately taken a backseat to that as of late. Combine that with a lack of what we deem "quality news" and you'll see why we haven't written much for the past month. But enough with the excuses, the readers of this site deserve better and I hope that we can deliver on that going forward.

While I continue to believe this industry is shrinking, I do believe this site has room to improve. I've been hesitant to write about gadgets other than MP3 players, despite there being plenty of other products that would fall under the "digital audio player" category. I am open to expanding my view of that all encompassing term (but not too much!).

More than anything, I want this site to be the ultimate resource for DAP's. Whether you're a long-time fan of MP3 players and come here to find out about the latest and greatest, or if you're a newcomer and want to know what's the best player to buy. These have been our strengths in the past, but over the last two years nearly all of our staff have moved on to other ventures and our content (our reviews specifically) has suffered because of it. I was originally recruited to be an editor at our Creative fansite, epiZENter.net, but after so many of the editors here stopped writing I had to pick up the slack. I never expected to do that long-term, but here I am. Thankfully I have Dominic to assist me now, and hopefully we can recruit more writers who will be devoted to this site in the future.

So, on behalf of DAPreview I want to apologize for our lack of content lately. Recently I've been flirting with the idea of having guest editors here. Either from this site or people from the industry who are open to writing an article for us. If you happen to be a passionate DAP fan and would like an opportunity to write for us, then feel free to contact me (through email or PM).


Thanks,

Michael
DAPreview.net

Iriver announced more new players at CES than some companies release in years. The best part is they're actually getting released in a timely manner! The latest to reach the market is the iriver T7, aka the "Volcano". It's a USB stick DAP that probably got overlooked by most people here (including myself). From the looks of it, iriver has definitely taken inspiration from the Samsung YP-U3. The Volcano has similar touch sensitive controls, the same retractable USB plug, and even comes in similar colors to the U3.

Features:

• Capacity; 2 or 4GB
• Display: 1.0" OLED
• Audio: MP3, WMA, OGG, and WAV
• FM tuner and Voice Recorder
• Colors: Black, White, Blue, Pink and Chocolate (same colors as the iriver E100)

The 2GB model will sell for 35 Euros, and the 4GB for 50 Euros. No official word on a N. American release, but I'm positive it'll show up here.

via Akihabara News

Anyone else digging Amazon's MP3 service? It's not only cheaper than iTunes, it has a great and growing collection, and best of all, everything is DRM-free. A few deals were recently posted at Slickdeals, and I thought I'd share them with all of you (plus a snippet from their AllMusic reviews).

Weezer - Pinkerton - $1.99

From the pounding, primal assault of the opening track, "Tired of Sex," it's clear from the outset that Pinkerton is a different record than the sunny, heavy guitar pop of Weezer's eponymous debut. The first noticeable difference is the darker, messier sound -- the guitars rage and squeal, the beats are brutal and visceral, the vocals are mixed to the front, filled with overlapping, off-the-cuff backing vocals. In short, it sounds like the work of a live band, which makes it all the more ironic that Pinkerton, at its core, is a singer/songwriter record, representing Rivers Cuomo's bid for respectability....Full Review]

Led Zeppelin - Mothership- $4.99

...Weighing in at two discs and 24 tracks, Mothership has a sense of scale that the previous round of compilations -- the two-part Early Days & Latter Days, delivered in 1999 and 2000 respectively -- lacked, not just because it pushes these two phases together but because it is heavy on the heavy epics, emphasizing Zeppelin's sheer sonic ballast over either their lighter or more idiosyncratic moments....[Full Review]


Nirvana - In Utero - $4.98

Nirvana probably hired Steve Albini to produce In Utero with the hopes of creating their own Surfer Rosa, or at least shoring up their indie cred after becoming a pop phenomenon with a glossy punk record. In Utero, of course, turned out to be their last record, and it's hard not to hear it as Kurt Cobain's suicide note, since Albini's stark, uncompromising sound provides the perfect setting for Cobain's bleak, even nihilistic, lyrics. Even if the album wasn't a literal suicide note, it was certainly a conscious attempt to shed their audience -- an attempt that worked, by the way, since the record had lost its momentum when Cobain died in the spring of 1994....[Full Review]

Feel free to take this opportunity to tell us what you've been listening to lately on your DAP!

Back in January at this year's CES, Microsoft revealed their plans to bring the Zune to Canada. They stated that it would arrive sometime this Spring and what do you know, they've kept their word. It happens to be the last week of Spring, but no biggie! It's officially arriving on June 13th. That's Friday the 13th for all you paraskavedekatriaphobics out there. The prices are roughly the same as the US, with the 80GB models retailing for $249, the 4GB for $139, and the 8GB for $189CAD. The original Zune (aka Zune 30) does not appear to have made the trip north.

So let's see a show of hands Canadians, who's getting a Zune? Anyone?

The Source and Zune.ca

Thanks Connect

Looking for a great sounding flash player for cheap? Look no further than the Sony A810 series. I reviewed the similar S610 series, which was one of the best sounding players that I've owned. Sony is clearing their inventory of them, since they've upgraded their Walkman line. The 8GB A818 is on sale for $119.99, plus free shipping. Just enter the coupon code WALKMAN50 and FREESHIP during checkout . This deal is valid till June 4th.

Features

• Capacity: 2, 4, and 8GB's
• Display: 2.0" QVGA LCD (240x320). Can be used horizontally & vertically
• Audio: MP3, WMA (non-DRM), AAC (non-DRM)
• Video: MPEG-4 and AVC Baseline (aka H.264) at 30fps
• Battery Life: 30 hours for audio, 8 hours for video
• Dimensions (L x W x D: 88.0mm x 43.8.0mm x 9.1mm)

LINK

Just a few days after our unofficial report of the A3's capacity upgrade, I received official word from Cowon about the new models. Both the A3, and their top of the line PMP, the Q5 will be upgraded to 80GB's. While it's nice to see Cowon catching up with the times, they still have some ways to go as far as pricing is concerned.

On May 26th, the A3 will go on sale for $439.99US, and the Q5 for $599.99US. My wallet just released an unsettling sigh when typing up those figures. This clearly isn't in my budget, but if you're filthy rich, or have a Stimulus check from the IRS burning a hole in your pocket, then by all meansClick the link below for the full Press Release