Comparison Chart: TEAC MP-288, MP-370, MP-390

Gmp3 reports that TEAC just released three new mp3/mp4 players. Here’s a comparison chart of the TEAC MP-288, MP-370, and MP-390. Click on the chart to display actual size.

[gmp3]

Gentle Awakening: Peaceful Progression Wake-Up Clock

The Peaceful Progression Wake-Up Clock uses a gradual increase in ambient light, stimulating aromas, and peaceful sounds from nature to awaken sleepers. Easy to use, simply set the desired wake up time, place some aromatherapy beads (included) into the aroma bowl, and choose a natural sound setting.

Thirty minutes before wake-up, the clock's light begins to glow softly, subtly brightening over the next half hour. As the light increases, the warmth from the lamp releases faint aromatherapy scents into the air to stimulate the olfactory senses, speeding the waking process. Fifteen minutes before wake up time, the clock's speaker generates the sleepers choice of soft, yet lively nature sounds, and at the set wake up time a buzzer sounds to finish the cycle.

The alarm can also be used to awaken using only sound or buzzer. Sound selection includes Nightfall, Thunder Storm, Zen Melody, Mountain Stream, Songbirds, and Ocean Surf.

The clock can also be set to operate in reverse, gradually diminishing light, scent, and sound at night to usher sleepers into a relaxed slumber.

[Hammacher]

iPod Accessory: Waterproof iPod Speaker System

The Waterproof iPod Speaker System is an iPod case with a snap closure and a silicone O-ring gasket that provide a perfect seal to thwart dirt, sand, and water seepage. iPod click wheel controls are accessed through the rubber membrane on the face of the case and the case is made of shatterproof polycarbonate with rubberized guards at each corner and has an integrated stand.

The case supports iPod 4th generation Photo and 5th generation Video, Nano 1st and 2nd generation, and iPod Mini. It measures 10.0 x 6.5 x 2.0 inches.

[Hammacher]

Frame and More: Digital Photo Frame with Webcam

It's been awhile since I posted about digital photo frames. This one, however, caught my eye. What is different about this photo frame is that it's also a webcam. The display is detachable from the base and features 8MB built-in memory, set slideshow, display time, date, week, temperature, calendar and alarm function.

[New Launches]

Sci-Fi Styled Watches: TOKYOBay Neptune

Here is another retro-styled watch - the Neptune by TOKYOBay. This watch features 1970s sci-fi styling, multi-dial display with separate dials showing the hour, minutes and seconds through a crystal glass window. The leather wrist strap comes in brown or cream. Nice.

[TFTS]

Korean Market Only: Inkel MU-D Multimedia Dictionary

The MU-D Multimedia Dictionary by Inkel is a hybrid device between a PMP with a DMB TV Tuner (Digital TV), and an electronic dictionary.

Powered by WinCE 5.0, the MU-Ds have a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 pixel LCD screen, 4GB of internal memory support, and support SDHC cards up to 12GB. It's only available in Korea. Pity.

[Akihabara]

Show Time! Vintage Viewmaster Clock

The Viewmaster has been around for 65 years and Minnesota artist Debra Dresler who aims to give "new life to old spirits" through her functional art pieces, handmade the Viewmaster clock with vintage Viewmaster and reel. Interesting.

[Uncommon Goods]

Comparison Chart: Meizu M6 versus Newman Momo X5

Here’s a comparison chart of the Meizu M6 and its clone the Newman Momo X5. Click on the chart to display actual size.



Check out MP4 Nation’s review of the Momo X5:

[MP4 Nation via gmp3]

Meditation, Yoga, Travel: Enso Clock

From the Enso site: "Enso is a japanese word meaning circle. It is a symbol of enlightenment, elegance, and the universe that is drawn with a single brushstroke." The Enso Clock features one touch access to minimize button presses and includes three memories; each containing up to 50 intervals. The Enso Ring (blue ring) is slowly drawn around the face of the clock. Soothing sounds, like Moktok (wooden blocks) or Tingsha (bell), signal the completion of an alarm or timer. The clock measures 3.8 inches.

[DVICE]

Cheap and Versatile: Marbella NAV-8800 GPS

The Marbella NAV-8800 is a compact portable GPS Navigator. It features a 4-inch 480 x 272 pixel TFT touchscreen, 2 megapixel DSC camera, mp3 player, MP4 video player, JPEG image viewer, speakers, AV-in interface, voice-guided instruction, and built-in SiRF start III GPS receiver (WAAS-enabled). The NAV-8800 also has a built-in FM transmitter, SD/MMC storage card expansion slot, and optional DVB-T. Whew.

[Marbella, Engadget]

Whiteboard with a Twist: TaskWatch whiteboard

How neat is this? The TaskWatch whiteboard by Art Lebedev is a whiteboard with built-in clock. Not only does it save wall space, but annotations made on the whiteboard can be time relevant. And students can check the time while (looking like they're) paying attention in class. It's win-win.

[Art Lebedev via Pocket-lint]

Retro-Look: L69 Time Module LED Wrist Watch

My first thought upon seeing this watch is this is really fugly. But upon further consideration, it makes a bold statement on the wrist. The retro-styled L69 Time Module LED Wrist Watch from Life Evolution Design is made from stainless steel and features just alarm and stop watch functionality. Very minimalist for a watch with so much presence. It also comes with blue LEDs.

[TFTS]

Comparison Chart: Sony NWZ-A720, NWZ-A820, NWZ-S710F

Here’s a comparison chart of the Sony Walkman NWZ-A720, NWZ-A820, and NWZ-S710F. Click to view actual size. The NWZ-A720 and NWZ-A820 come in black. The NWZ-710F comes in black, silver, red and pink.



[Sony]

Gesture Command Navigation: Sony nav-u Portable Navigation System

Sony announced that its new nav-u personal navigation devices (models NV-U73T and NV-U83T) are now available for sale. The nav-u devices feature a 4.3-inch (NV-U73T)/4.8-inch (NV-U78T) touchscreen, text-to-speech voice commands, real-time-traffic capability, and dual view capability which displays dynamic route information, in addition to the conventional map view. Gesture Command provides control via simple, on-screen finger movements. Both devices include preloaded maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

In addition, the NV-U83T features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology and Position Plus. Position Plus uses multiple sensors to monitor your position relative to the map if GPS signals are temporarily interrupted.

[Sony via Akihabara]

Reduced to the Max: Onyx liscio

The liscio by Onyx Innovation is a 3-in-1 mp3 player, FM radio, and mobile phone. It features 1.1-inch 96 x 96 pixel OLED color display, a tri-band mobile phone (GSM900/DCS1800/PCS 1900), FM radio (with 40 presets), Bluetooth, internal 128MB memory, micro SD card slot (1GB micro SD card included), jog button for easy navigation, 500 entry phonebook, and a voice recorder. Playback time is up to 11 hours. It has up to 200 hours of standby time and up to 3 hours of talking time.

It supports MP3 audio; JPG, BMP, GIF, and PNG images. It measures 3.5 x 1.4 x 0.7 inches.

[Onyx Innovation via chipchick]

Music, Video and Games: Portable Slide Panel Digital Media Player

The Portable Slide Panel Digital Media Player features a 2.8-inch LCD display, an FM tuner, an eBook function, a built-in speaker, a built in mic, and a digital video camera. It also comes with audio and video out cables so that you can connect it to a TV. It only has 1GB of internal memory but it has an SD slot for expansion.

It supports MP3 and WMA audio; MP4 and 3GP video; and JPEG images.

The really neat feature is that it supports the following game formats: NES, GB (GameBoy) and GBC (GameBoy Color). And it's only $60 USD! Wow.

[chipchick via New Launches]

Interactive Respiratory Pacing: RESPeRATE

Looking a little like an mp3 player, RESPeRATE utilizes a patented "Interactive Respiratory Pacing" technology, which takes advantage of the body's natural tendency to follow external rhythms. While breathing returns to normal after each session with RESPeRATE, the beneficial impact on blood pressure is cumulative. Bottom line: with regular use of RESPeRATE, measurable, sustained reduction in blood pressure is achieved.

Tokyoflash-like Watches: Fossil S+arck

These watches by designer Philippe S+arck have a Tokyoflash look to them.



The Cross Digi watch has, like the name suggests, a cross-shaped display, the time is read vertically while the day and date information are read on the horizontal sides of the display. The design is kept minimally thin to achieve the consistency of the brand. It comes in black, white, green, and orange.




The O-Ring displays time in a ring shaped display with see-through center. The hours are displayed as numbers while the minutes are displayed in segments. As time goes by, the segments build making a complete ring every hour. It comes in black and grey.




The Wrapped Analog watch features a completely electroplated dial with a ring that allows for the hands to be seen "floating" around a dial. The second hand appears as a bar that continually circumnavigates the dial.

Better Than iPod shuffle? KBS Industrial F341

Here's a teeny tiny unique looking mp3/mp4 player from China. It's the F341 by KBS Industrial. This mini PMP features a small color OLED screen, blue backlit keys, 7 equalizer modes, electronic album and picture browser, an optional FM radio, and voice/radio recording. It comes with a capacity of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, or 1GB and supports OGG (MTV), MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WMV, ASF, WAV audio and MTV video playback. The F341 measures 1.45 x 1.25 x 0.5 inches.

It gives the 1.62 x 1.07 x 0.41 inch iPod shuffle a run for its money, doesn't it?

[gmp3]

Pocket Entertainment Device: Zhejiang Yinhe Pharmaceutic Co. M200

The Zhejiang Yinhe Pharmaceutic Co. M200 player is not only a mp4 player, but also a PDA supporting GPS, game, text, picture viewer, and reader. The M200 features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 20GB HD, a built-in microphone and speaker. It supports MP3 and WMA audio; DAT, MPEG, AVI, WMV and ASF video; JPEG, BMP and GIF images; and TXT eBooks. The M200 includes a PDA mode with convenient touch control function for viewing and editing Word/Excel files and viewing PowerPoint files. It supports 8-bit NES games.

[tradekey via PMP Today]

iPod touch + Lipstick: iStick

Designer Alexei Mikhailov admits that the iStick isn’t for viewing movies and the screen is too small for effective photo viewing. What iStick has is a visual replication of the iPod touch interface inside a device the size of a lipstick tube. What is truly neat is the screen design - all four surfaces are touchscreens. It even has integrated Wi-Fi for accessing iTunes.

[Yanko via Gizmodo]

All-In-One: Ilife Technology S5 MP4

The Ilife Technology S5 mp4 features a 2.4-inch TFT display, speaker, and card slot. It measures 4.0 x 1.97 x 0.47 inches. The S5 supports MP3, WMA,WAV ADPCM, and FLAC audio; AVI, 3GP, FLASH, and FLV video. The really neat thing about this device though is that it supports game download and program function and includes a NES/SEGA/SNES/GB/GBC simulator.

[ILife Technology via gmp3]

Totally Addicting: Chumby

The chumby features a 3.5-inch LCD color touchscreen, stereo 2-watt speakers, headphone jack, squeeze sensor, an accelerometer (motion sensor), Wi-Fi connectivity, and two external USB 2.0 ports. It measures 5.5 x 4.25 x 3.25 inches.

This compact device displays useful and entertaining information from the web via a wireless Internet connection. The chumby plays a list of user-selectable widgets (small applications). A difference set of widgets (channels) can be played at different times during the day.

The chumby can tune to Internet radio stations, play MP3 and M4A files from an iPod, or play MP3, OGG, WAV, FLAC, or M4A from a USB device.

It includes customizable alarm clock features. Set an unlimited number of alarms that repeat or play one time only.

Use the chumby as a digital photo frame to display images from Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Facebook, or MySpace. View news, celebrity gossip, weather, box scores, and blogs; play games; view and share video clips; monitor auctions; and view e-mail. Wow.

The chumby comes in basic black, latte, and pearl.

[chumby]

Check out the video:

Do-It-Yourself: Turing Alarm Clock

I don't normally post do-it-yourself (DIY) projects but the Turing alarm clock is just too cool to pass up. Nicholas Paul Johnson's homemade alarm clock beeps until a mathematical question is solved. The alarm clock is powered by a PIC16 microcontroller and uses a $4 LCD display. And Johnson has made the design free and open-source. Check out the video:

[Gizmodo]

Dual-Core Navigation: Kare B-009

The Kare B-009 by Dit Digital combines PMP and GPS functionality in one device that runs on the Windows CE 5.0 operating system. The B-009 features a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 pixel TFT LCD touchscreen, a dual core processor, a 1.8-inch 20GB or 30GB internal hard drive, a SD card slot, a FM tuner, Bluetooth, NMEA-0183 GPS data format, build-in traffic message channel (TMC) system, a stereo 1.2 watt speaker, audio/video out, and a microphone.

The device supports ASF, AVI, MP3, WMA, WAV, and OGG audio; WMV and MP4 video; and JPG, GIF and BMP images.

[Dit Digital via gmp3]

Sony Walkman NWZ-A820 Accessory: VRC-NW10 Docking Station

Earlier I posted about the Sony Walkman NWZ-A820. Sony also announced accessories for the NWZ-820 media player. The VRC-NW10 is an audio/video docking station that allows NWZ-A820 content to be routed to a TV or stereo system. It also allows video recording from any source directly onto the device in MPEG-4 format (256/512/768kbps). Wow!

[gmp3]

Spy Clock Radio: Stealth Cam

Looks like an ordinary clock radio? Looks can be deceiving. This is the Stealth Cam - the clock radio camera with built-in SD recorder. A CCD camera is concealed within the clock radio's front and the back contains an SD video recorder. Stealth Cam is motion activated with time/date stamp capabilities. Video at 320 x 240 pixel resolution is stored as MPEG-4 on an SD card and can be played back on a PC. It goes without saying that the device may not be used to violate the privacy rights of others. Oh yeah, it tells time too.

[Spy Chest via DVICE]

Easy-To-Use: Sony Walkman NWZ-A820

Having emerged successful in the DVD format war, Sony can now focus on other matters with the introduction of the Sony NWZ-A820. The A820 features a 2.4-inch 320 × 240 pixel display, 4GB (NWZ-A826), 8GB (NWZ-A828), or 16GB (NWZ-A829) of flash, 13.5mm EX headphones, and Bluetooth stereo audio. It measures 3.7 x 2.0 x 0.4 inches. The NWZ-A820 supports MP3, AAC, DRM WMA, and linear PCM audio; H.264/ACV and MPEG-4 video; and JPEG images. Playback is up to 36 hours for audio and up to 10 hours for video. With Bluetooth stereo enabled, playback is up to 15 hours of audio and up to 7 hours of video. And it comes in black, silver, gold, and pink.

[Engadget, TFTS]

Check out the video:

Eco-Clock: The Amazing Water Clock

This is truly amazing. The Amazing Water Clock doesn't use batteries or power from an outlet — it uses a glass of H₂O, or any liquid really. Once filled up, the Water Clock's LCD displays the time and date, as its energy converter continues to draw power from electrons in the water molecules. No word on how long one glass of water lasts.

[DVICE]

Watch Phone that Looks Like a Watch: Epoq EGP-WP88

The Epoq EGP-WP88 watch by looks like a classic dress watch but it's a GSM phone and much more.

Cellphone-wise, it supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900 with 120-150 minutes talk time, 70-100 hours standby time, and includes 300 groups of contacts, incoming call with big head sticker, and grouping ring. It supports messages and multimedia messaging (SMS, MMS), and 64 chord ringtones in MP3 and MIDI formats. In addition, it includes telephone directories with 300 groups of contacts of carte de visit, support incoming call with big head sticker, and grouping ring.

Watch-wise, the EGP-WP88 features a 5-group alarm clock that can be set from Monday to Sunday at random, a calendar, world time, and a stopwatch.

Multimedia player-wise, the EGP-WP88 supports MP3 and WAV audio, 3GP and MP4 video, JPG and GIF images

In addition, it includes a 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth, a voice recorder, WAP, handwritten input, GPRS download, eBook, memo, health management, photo book, sound recording, calculator, unit and rates exchange. It includes two games: Intelligent Puzzle and QQ2007. Wow.

[Newlaunches]

iPhones and Nintendo DS: iBand

iBand is a new band that uses two iPhones (running iAno and PocketGuitar) and a Nintendo DS (running Electroplankton) to play their music. They sound pretty good. Check it out.

[Gizmodo]

The Next Simplicity: iRiver Unit2

The iRiver Unit2 will only be available early next year (in the U.S.) but check out the features on this multimedia home networking system. It features a 60GB hard drive, built-in WiFi, built-in SIM card slot, and the remote doubles as a keypad and an IP phone! The handheld monitor can be charged from the Unit2 or on a separate docking station.

The handheld monitor features a 7-inch 800 x 480 pixel (16:9) screen. It allows access to music (mp3 player), video (mp4 player), DVD (streamed DVDs from the Unit2 via Wi-Fi), Internet, video chat, and streamed TV (from the Unit2 via Wi-Fi).

Check out the video:

[Engadget]

Back to the Future: Matrix M0001 Retro-Watch

About a month ago, I mentioned the Matrix M6001 retro-styled watch. This is the Matrix M0001 watch which looks like a slimmed down version of the M6001. It still tells time in the same way with a black LCD display that displays the time as a set of rows instead of columns. The leather watch strap comes in black, white, or pink.

[TFTS]

Blurring the Lines: mpion MP3 Player with Zit-Therapy

A Japanese manufacturer has combined the two things every teenager is concerned with: music and zit-therapy. The mpion mp3 player holds only 128MB of audio, but it can be used to massage your face as it releases positively and negatively charged ions, which supposedly neutralize breakouts.

Here are the instructions: Touch the device to the offending area as you listen to tunes. Flip the switch to Minus, and hold for five to ten minutes so the negative ions can, allegedly, open pores and replenish moisture. Flip it to Positive and hold to reduce oil and close your pores.

[Newlaunches]

Green Pod: Eco-Media Player

The Eco-Media Player is ecologically friendly. No, it isn't solar powered, it's wind-up powered. The Eco-Media Player is a wind-up mini-pmp with a 1.8-inch color screen, 256MB memory, an FM radio, voice recorder, and an SD slot. The "greenPod" plays audio/video and displays images. It can play music for 20 hours before needing a recharge. Turning it for a minute produces enough power for 40 minutes of music. It's perfect for music lovers who forget to charge their iPods before leaving the house. It even doubles as an emergency mobile phone charger.

[Newlaunches via gmp3]

Cost-Effective Players: Sumvision Ice 1000

Sumvision has produced their first touchscreen mp4 player in the style of the iPod touch or Samsung P2. See how they compare below(click on chart for actual size).


[Advanced MP3 Players via TFTS]

Ultra Limited: Casio G-Shock MR-G Watch

In honor of the G-SHOCK's 25th anniversary, Casio will sell the MR-G Type MRG-8000G Ultra Limited Edition watch that features an 18 carat gold ring as well as a gold-plated finish on all metal parts in the clock frame, and a titanium bezel. It comes in Ultra Limited Edition of 200 and has a price tag of over $4,500 USD.

[Akihabara]

Multimedia Computer: Nokia N96

The Nokia N96 features a 2.8-inch display with 16GB of memory that’s extensible with a microSD card slot. It displays Live TV with DVB-H technology, and includes a program guide and interactive services. The N96 is a multimedia computer with build-in 3D stereo speakers, integrated A-GPS and Nokia Maps. It has a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Optics. Wow.

View Web pages with Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map. It allows you to zoom out to full screen, find the section you want and zoom into the content. And the text adjusts to the size of the screen. The browser even keeps track of the browsing history.

Did I mention it's a phone too?

[Nokia Nseries]

Check out the video:

iPod touch TV: Packet Video Mobile Broadcast Receiver

Packet Video's Mobile Broadcast Receiver turns Wi-Fi-enabled phones and personal media players into mobile TVs. The little white box works by receiving DVB-H, MediaFLO or WiMax, and transcoding it on the fly to a video stream sent out via Wi-Fi. The user's device receives the video stream over Wi-Fi and displays it. The receiver can tell what video codecs the playback device uses and adapts the video accordingly.

So rather than replace a device to get mobile TV capability, the Mobile Broadcast Receiver can provide the functionality on the old device.

[TechRadar via Gizmodo]

Samsung P2 Clone? Coby MP-835

The Coby MP-835 features a 3-inch widescreen TFT LCD touchscreen with 480 x 272 pixel resolution. It comes with 2GB or 4GB capacity and includes a microSD slot. It supports MP3, WMA, and OGG audio; AVI and WMV video; JPG, BMP and GIF images; and TXT format. It includes a FM tuner and measures 2.04 x 3.82 x 0.41 inches. Audio play time is 8 hrs.

[Engadget, Coby]

HVGA vs QVGA: Tsinghua Tongfang PMC-M880

The Tsinghua Tongfang PMC-M880 is a PMP from China that features a 3-inch screen with half VGA screen resolution (i.e. 400 x 240 pixels). This PMP is among the few portable devices along with the iPhone and the iPod touch that features an HVGA screen

The M880 has 2GB capacity and supports MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC audio and RMVB, RM video. Battery times are 25 hours for audio and 7 hours for video.

Just how much better is HVGA to QVGA? Check the images below. The first image (Dakota Blue Richards from the film "The Golden Compass") shows playback on a 2.6-inch screen. The screen is too narrow. The third figure shows the M880 with 3-inch HVGA screen. It uses the screen area effectively. The second figure illustrates that ordinary QVGA images are 1.5 times larger than HVGA (figure 1) but there is no guarantee that the 16:9 images will not be deformed. The last figure shows a QVGA widescreen (usually referred to as pseudo-widescreen) image. Since it extends pitch to give the widescreen effect results in a deformed image.


[zol via PMP Today]

Concept Phones: LG Watch Phones

Check out these concept watch phones by LG:

[AVING.net]

Jan 1924: Clocks in Odd Figures Show Makers’ Skill

Below is an article from Popular Mechanics 1-1924 (click on image to display full size):

Showing skill possessed by watch-makers long before members of this ancient craft had advantages of modern tools, a collection of old timepieces owned by an eastern jeweler, provides an interesting contrast with similar creations of a machine age.

Many clocks were framed in queer human figures. One was cleverly made in a suit of armor that moved the hands around the chest and opened and closed the eyes and mouth, at every hour. After five and a half years of labor, one man completed an odd mechanical clock containing 298 moving figures, carved from oak with a penknife. They depict various historical scenes. Experts say that the watches in this display of mechanics of a past day are marvels of art and workmanship.

[Modern Mechanix]

Mobile TV with Advanced Navigation: Motorola Mobile TV DH01n

Motorola announced the introduction of the Motorola Mobile TV DH01n. The DH01n is a a pocket-sized device that combines media player functionality with advanced navigation capabilities including: 2D or 3D GPS and Tele Atlas map views, points of interest and voice-activated directions. With the DH01n users can watch live TV over the DVB-H standard, on-demand video and personal media content on the go (on SD/MMC cards) and find their way with GPS navigation. Pictured is the DH01 which includes Mobile TV capability without navigation.

[Motorola via Engadget]

Redefining Premiumness: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 mobile phone is the perfect blend of communication and entertainment. The X1 features a 3-inch 800 x 480 pixel display, measures 4.3 x 0.7 x 2.1 inches, includes 400MB phone memory and supports micro SD cards. It runs Windows Mobile 6 and has polymorphic ring tones, a speaker phone, vibrating alert and video calling. Interaction with the X1 is via touch, full QWERTY keyboard, 4-way key and optical joystick.

Connectivity-wise, the X1 supports Bluetooth, aGPS, modem, PC synchronization, and Wi-Fi.

Network-wise, the X1 supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, and UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100.

Communication-wise, the X1 has email, exchange ActiveSync, picture messaging (MMS), text messaging (SMS), and Internet Explorer Mobile.

Music-wise, the X1 has a media player, supports PlayNow, music ring tones and includes Windows Media Player Mobile.

Organization-wise, the X1 includes an alarm clock, calculator, calendar, document reader/editors, handwriting recognition, notes and tasks.

If that's not enough, the X1 also includes a 3.2MP camera with 3x optical zoom, video recorder, 3D games, Java, FM radio, and video streaming and viewing.

[Sony Ericsson]

Check out the video:

Five-In-One Digital Frame: Mustek PF-D240

The Mustek PF-D420 digital frame is a five-in-one device. It features a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 pixel display, alarm clock, FM radio, mp3 player and a thermometer. It also has a MMC/SD card slot and two one-watt speakers.

It's a good-looking device although the one-watt speakers may fall short.

[Engadget]

Walkman On Top: Sony Ericsson W980

The Sony Ericsson W980 doesn't look like a cellphone but that's intentional. The controls and display of the Walkman are placed on top of the mobile phone, so the user doesn't have to open the handset to control the media player. SE has dubbed this design "Walkman on Top"(*).

The W980 comes with 8GB of internal memory, built-in stereo speakers, and an FM-transmitter that allows users to share tunes through an FM radio. And the W980 comes with a Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-77 headset for clear quality sound and hands-free call-answering. Nice!

[PMP Today]

(*)Because iPod theft has become pretty common, iPod owners have adopted their own Walkman-on-top method to hide their highly sought-after iPods - store them in the shell of an unused 1980s Sony Walkman. Pretty ironic, don't you think?

[Ubergizmo]