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Hot on the trail of the recently announced MBW-100 Bluetooth watch comes Thanko’s own little contribution to the world of Dick Tracy. The FMP3 has all the same features of the Sony Ericson/Fossil watch, such as voice name and number display, voice mail, and text messaging. With WMA playback, the watch can also send your MP3s via FM to your radio. You can even transmit your audio collection with a USB 2.0 drive to your computer.
Sold in Japan for 512 MB/1 GB models for ¥12,800/¥16,800 or ~$109/$143, it may be less than half the price, but we think that Tracy would never accept a round knockoff watch. It just isn’t cool.
Read More 
| FMP3 Product Page via engadget
Gallery: Thanko’s FMP3 Rivals SE/Fossil Watch
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Zune Launch Date and Pricing Details Revealed
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Microsoft, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
For all of you that have been holding your breath for the Microsoft Zune, the company has finally released details on pricing and launch date. As it turns out, the Zune will drop on November 14, 2006 and will retail for $249.99 USD - the same price as the 30 GB iPod. While the Zune will also feature wireless Zune-to-Zune transfers of music, photos, and personal recorded video, as well as an integrated FM tuner (but won’t allow for time-shifting of radio,) one really has to wonder if Microsoft priced this thing correctly. Our personal opinion is that the Zune should have undercut the price of the iPod by at least $20. To soften the blow, Microsoft is including quite a bit of free content on the Zune at purchase, all of which is listed after the break.
The company has also made known how the payment system on the Zune Marketplace will work, as consumers will use Microsoft Points (yup, the same ones you use on your Xbox 360) as the method of payment on the Marketplace - or they can just pick up a monthly Zune Pass for $14.99 USD to get access to the complete Zune music library.
Click to continue reading Zune Launch Date and Pricing Details Revealed
Gallery: Zune Launch Date and Pricing Details Revealed
Nokia Expands Product Line with XpressMusic
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Nokia has certainly been busy. In addition to its new line of cell phones and accessories, it has also released its 5300 XpressMusic. It features a QVGA screen, tri-band GSM (two versions, one with GSM 850 for America) plus EDGE, a 1.2 megapixel camera, music player with external music control keys, and a microSD card slot. It supports audio formats MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC and eAAC+ with 1GB of expandable memory, and boasts a 3.5mm headset as well as Bluetooth capability.
“Nokia has blazed a trail for music on mobiles - from personalized ringing tones to integrated FM radios and MP3 support,” says Jonas Geust, Vice President of Nokia Music. The XpressMusic, at a price of 250 EUR (~$318,) is expected to ship early next year.
Read More | Nokia Press Release
Gallery: Nokia Expands Product Line with XpressMusic
Apple has just released iTunes 7.0.1, just over two weeks from the time iTunes 7 was released at the It’s Showtime keynote. With all the bugs that have been reported in recent weeks, it’s good to see a quick update out of Cupertino. Here are the iTunes 7.0.1 highlights:
With iTunes 7 and the new iTunes Store, preview and purchase high-quality hit movies plus new and classic games designed exclusively for the Fifth Generation iPod. Flip through your collection by album cover with Cover Flow, protect your iTunes library by backing up to CDs or DVDs, and much more.
iTunes 7.0.1 addresses stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more.
Good to see the iPod syncing issues have been addressed, along with Cover Flow. You can all stop emailing us about those now.
Read More | iTunes 7.0.1
Gallery: Apple Releases iTunes 7.0.1
Stiletto 100 For Portable Sirius Love
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video,
For all the Howard Stern fanboys out there who just can’t get enough, the Sirius Stiletto 100 may be right up your alley. This is the first handheld portable that Sirius has released that can go toe-to-toe with the XM Radio equivalents, like the Helix. The Stiletto 100 provides on-the-go satellite radio from Sirius, and a 100-hour recording capacity, allowing you to record the tracks that you find most appealing (or, the best recipes from Martha Stewart, as it were.) If you are out of range from a Sirius signal, the internal WiFi antenna gives access to 64 commercial-free Sirius Internet radio streams. You can also flag your favorites, which ties in to Yahoo’s Music Jukebox, allowing you to make a purchase of the song to store on your PC and Stiletto. The device can play both MP3 and WMA files. The pleasure of owning one of these will run you about $350 USD.
Read More | Sirius Stiletto 100
Gallery: Stiletto 100 For Portable Sirius Love
Gemini is proud to present its second generation iKey. Connect to your iPod or any external USB storage device, and record live audio to uncompressed WAV, MP3 (with a selectable bit rate of 320kbps,) or USB compatible hard disk. With dimensions of 5.43 x 1.1 x 3.27-inch and a weight of 2 pounds, features include 1/8-inch mic input, phono pre-amp, 6-bar VU meter, headphones output, LED memory and low battery indicators, and an included DC adapter. The iKey Plus requires 4 AA rechargeable batteries (not included) and will be available for all aspiring DJs in late October at an MSRP of $239.
Read More | iKey Product Page
Gallery: Gemini Announces iKey Plus
iPod U2 Special Edition Drops Price
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
We have good news for all of you U2 groupies. Apple has gone in the closet to quietly drop the price of its U2 iPod Special Edition from $329 to $279, possibly to keep it in line dollarwise with its standard 5G iPod, which retails for $249. This 5.5g iPod features 3.5 hours of video playback, a brighter screen, 640 X 480 game support, quick scroll, and an extended battery playback life of up to 14 hours. It also has 30GB storage space with room for 7,500 songs, up to 25,000 photos, and up to 75 hours of video.
Offered under its new model number (MA664LL/A), the U2 iPod is still stylishly sheik in black with a red click wheel and U2 signatures, and comes with an iTunes Store coupon which is redeemable for a 30-minute package of U2 music and band interviews. We’re thinking that for the $30 extra, we’ll wait for the Signature Rolling Stones iPod.
Read More | U2 iPod Product page via iLounge
Gallery: iPod U2 Special Edition Drops Price
Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of M-BUZZ, a music service that will be an extension of their existing PlayNow service. While PlayNow features sampled music and games, M-BUZZ will offer a small selection of Sony/ATV music to start, and will be adding new selections monthly. You can also view videos and recording artists’ biographies and travel schedules, and listen to full-length audio tracks.
Miles Flint, President of Sony Ericsson, claims, “M-BUZZ enables music fans not just to hear new, unsigned acts, but also to find out more about the musicians through interviews, home movies and more, creating a new mobile music experience.”
M-BUZZ will be available on W850 and W950 music phones as of October 2 in markets that already feature PlayNow. Check out the M-BUZZ preview page for a sneak peak.
Read More | Sony Ericsson Press Release
Gallery: Sony Launches M-BUZZ
Delphi Unveils NAV200 PNS
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Movies, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation,
You thought you were confused. Take a look at Delphi’s NAV200. This portable navigation system not only finds your nearest Taco Bell, it also houses a PMP. Just pop it onto your windshield or dashboard, and the pre-loaded NAV is good to go. Once your route is set, built-in speakers provide you with voice-guided directions. Features include a touch screen based on MSN’s Windows CE, a 400mHZ processor, a SIRFstart III GPS chipset antenna, a NAVTEQ mapping database, and a DVD backup for its 1.5GB SD card.
Utilize the 3.5-inch LCD screen to watch a movie through AVI, view JPG, GIF, and PNG images, or listen to WAVs or MP3 tunes with the built in rechargeable
3-hour battery. The NAV200 also features games, a world clock, and calculator. Optional is TMC (Traffic Monitoring Channel) programming, a subscription service that provides traffic info via radio stations. NAV200 is due for release in October at retail outlets or preorder at Delphi for $349.
Read More | Delphi NAV200 Product Page via
Gallery: Delphi Unveils NAV200 PNS
It’s bad enough that your weird cousin Malcolm drags you out every Tuesday night to a karaoke bar. Soon you will be able to keep him in the basement by getting him Griffin Technology’s iKaraoke. Simply hand him the mic and he gets to be Clay Aiken. iKaraoke hooks up to your iPod and relays music without vocals to your stereo or FM receiver with a line-in cable. There are no lyrics on the screen, of course, but you can temporarily add vocals back in if you lose your place. You can scan forward or back, and even add a smidgen of reverb. The iKaraoke comes out in November at an MSRP of $50.
Read More | iKaraoke Product Page
Gallery: Griffin Sings With iKaraoke
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