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• Archos AV700   [Article, HardwareZone]
  A new look, decent stereo speakers, enhanced media support and better component interfaces are only some of the new features available. The mighty Archos AV700 is also one of the biggest portable video players you'll come across.
   Tue, 27 Sep, 2005 | 7 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Albatron WIDIO Wireless Audio System Review   [Review, PCStats]
  The Albatron Widio Deluxe wireless audio receiver and transmitter is a small glossy white and green i-Pod sized device which allows users to listen to music at distances of up to 50m (164 feet) from the audio source. The Widio system is not dependent on any computer hardware, and only requires a power source and audio input for its base station (transmitter) to function. The Widio requires no software drivers, and can be used with a PC, stereo, X-Box, Play Station, CD-player, home theatre system, or any other device which has an audio-out jack; either mini-headphone, or left/right RCA to be specific. Albatron's Widio works on a 2.4GHz wireless signal, and its receiver can also tune into FM radio signals for those times when you get tired of listening to the same old CDs or MP3s. The base station doubles up as a drop-in charger for the wireless receiver, which contains a rechargable 3.6V Lithium Ion 950mAh Nokia 8XX series cellphone battery pack. One Li-Ion battery is included in the package, at it will last about 4 hours before needing a recharge.
   Sun, 25 Sep, 2005 | 6 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• PQI mPack P800 Portable Entertainment Centre   [Review, PCStats]
  There's always a type of gadget out there that the techno-literate are drooling for long before the regular public becomes aware of its existence. The MP3 player is a great example; there were MP3 players, and CD players that played MP3s, and the Creative Nomad hard drive-based player, none of which made much of a ripple on the public consciousness; then there was the iPod. My vote for the next technology likely to blow up is the personal multimedia device. These little packs of technology have everything going for them. Movie and music playback, hard drive storage, even television recording, applications and games all stuffed into a portable, rechargeable package with a tiny LCD screen. Of course, producing a good multimedia player that the public will actually buy is a tricky proposition. Pricey components, battery life and the variety of competing video formats all conspire to make manufacturing a good portable entertainment device rather difficult.
   Sun, 25 Sep, 2005 | 6 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Apple iPod nano Launch Event   [Article, HardwareZone]
  The secret is out and the Apple iPod mini is gone for good. Replacing it is, Apple's new iPod nano, a sleeker gadget that looks like a cross between the mini and shuffle with a 1.5-inch color screen and added functionality. Check out our firsthand accounts of the player and its accessories offered.
   Wed, 14 Sep, 2005 | 10 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• CEDIA Expo: Video Processors--Not Just an Expensive Accessory?   [Blog, PCWorld]
  As my colleague Alan Stafford has detailed over the last couple of days, super-high resolution 1080p televisions are here. The trouble is, there's hardly any content around to show them off. And, what about all that existing content, like DVDs, with only 480p resolution? Oh sure, you can play lower-resolution content on a high-resolution TV, but that's a little like playing a low bit rate MP3 file in a high-end stereo. It'll still be music, but every flaw and artifact is going to become painfully obvious.
   Wed, 14 Sep, 2005 | 7 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Goodbye, Audigy : Creative’s SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Music   [Review, GamePC]
  For the past half-decade, Creative Labs has ruled the add-in PC audio card market with an iron fist. Since the demise of Aureal, there have been few companies who have challenged the Singapore-based giant for this lucrative market, and Creative's one-two combination of fresh hardware revisions every year and widespread developer support for their EAX audio interface has been enough to keep competitors at bay. While there have been competitors along the way who have eaten away at Creative's market (namely low-cost integrated solutions like nVidia's SoundStorm and Intel's High Definition Audio), Creative is still undoubtedly the de facto choice for high-end end gaming audio.
   Sat, 10 Sep, 2005 | 29 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• First iTunes Phone Off-Key?   [News, TrustedReviews]
  The arrival of the world’s first iTunes mobile phone has been fraught with rumours of company infighting, technical hitches and delays. Finally the details are out, so how does it look on paper? Well, to conclude at the beginning (there’s post-modern literary irony in there somewhere) it’s alright. Yup, my jaw never dropped nor did my mouth smirk. “Underwhelming” seems a good phrase.
   Thu, 08 Sep, 2005 | 7 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Headsets - Sennheiser PC155 vs Icemat Black Siberia   [Review, TrustedReviews]
  Just a few years ago, there wasn't any great justification for purchasing a headset with a microphone unless your name was Cheryl and you worked in a call centre in Woking. Skype, Google Talk and the increasing number of games that include voice over IP, have stimulated a growth in the range of high quality headsets, combining headphones that are of a high enough quality to play games and listen to music with together with a decent microphone.
   Sun, 04 Sep, 2005 | 24 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Hip Gear S-Video AV System Selector Review   [Review, Hardware.GamersHell]
  Just kidding, an AV system selector is a time saver, a hassle saver, and a sanity saver. It allows the connection of several videogame systems—or other video equipment—to the television at any one time. This means that someone with a bunch of consoles will be able to switch systems at the push of a button instead of crawling around behind the TV while swearing and looking for the appropriate wires and connections.
   Sun, 04 Sep, 2005 | 11 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)   [Review, TrustedReviews]
  Note: With the European release of the PSP today, I have updated and re-published my original review of the PlayStation Portable from 28th January 2005. I can still vividly remember when I bought my PlayStation 2 console. I had spent the best part of two hours wandering around the legendary Golden Arcade in Hong Kong and finally decided to give up on haggling over a few dollars and just put my credit card down. Of course I picked up pretty much every game that was available at launch while I was there, and couldn’t wait until I got home to fire up my new baby.
   Sun, 04 Sep, 2005 | 7 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Sony Ericsson W800i Walkman Camera Phone   [Review, HardwareZone]
  Based on the same platform as the K750i, the new Sony Ericsson W800i not only promises great imaging capability but audio quality as well. In fact, the two models are not that different, which brings to mind a question of just how worthwhile the W800i really is. You'll find that out in this review.
   Sat, 03 Sep, 2005 | 11 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Jabra BlueTooth headset shootout   [Review, Hexus]
  One of the better known companies in this technology segment is Jabra. With a solid network of retailers and an extensive range, they seem to have the market sewn up, but just how good are their products? We got three of them in to try out.
   Fri, 02 Sep, 2005 | 7 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• X-Fi and the Elite Pro: SoundBlaster's Return to Greatness   [Review, AnandTech]
  Ever since the SoundBlaster AWE 64, we have been waiting for a Creative Labs product that lives up to the SoundBlaster legend. The bar was set very high with the pre-PCI generation of SoundBlaster products and Creative became the de facto standard in PC sound. The Live! and Audigy product lines didn't bring about the same revolution in sound for which Creative was known. Rather than advancing by leaps and bounds, the industry has slowly and steadily been creeping forward over most of the last decade.
   Tue, 30 Aug, 2005 | 18 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• ATI Theater 550 PRO Review   [Review, Beyond3d]
  With the PC’s ever broadening capabilities, one function that has seen increased interest is that of the PC Media Device. With concepts such a Home Theater PC’s or Microsoft’s Media Center software and initiatives PC’s are increasingly being tasked to PVR (Personal Video Recorder) functionalities meaning the analogue to digital video encode quality and performance is very important for such operation. Earlier this year ATI introduced the Theater 550 PRO chip, a full MPEG encode solution, in an effort to address the needs of this market. Here Beyond3D takes a look at a typical TV Tuner board solution using the Theater 550 PRO, looking at the quality of digital encode, as well as taking a look at the CPU overhead under various scenarios.
   Mon, 29 Aug, 2005 | 10 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Sound Blaster X-Fi Coverage: Interview with Steve Erickson   [Interview, HardwareZone]
  At the launch of Creative's X-Fi sound cards, we managed to meet up with Steve Erickson, General Manager and Vice President for Creative Audio products, where we discussed the potential of the new series, dispelled some myths and the near future plans of Creative Technology.
   Mon, 29 Aug, 2005 | 8 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music and X-Fi Elite Pro   [Review, TrustedReviews]
  To sell its new cards Creative has made much of the technology behind them. Each successive generation of Creative soundcard has brought a substantial improvement in playback quality with cleaner, fuller and better defined sounding audio. Quality however, is difficult to push as the primary factor with which to sell to consumers. Therefore the Sound Blaster Live! was promoted on its surround sound capabilities while the Audigy line emphasised processing power and mature EAX effects. For the X-Fi cards their processing power is once again the highlight. Creative states that the X-Fi features 51 millions transistors and posesses 10,000+ MIPS of processing power, 24 times that of the Audigy 2 ZS.
   Mon, 22 Aug, 2005 | 35 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Creative X-Fi: A New World of Sound   [Review, TomsHardware]
  After much waiting, we've finally gotten our hands on the first X-Fi sound cards. X-Fi brings with it a whole series of technological innovations that make its introduction nothing less than a watershed event in the history of sound on the PC.
   Mon, 22 Aug, 2005 | 10 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Take Your TV Anywhere - Sling Media's Slingbox   [Review, PCWorld]
  Have a craving to watch TV in the office? You may not be able to set up a television in your cube, but you can watch your home TV over the Internet with Sling Media's $250 Slingbox Personal Broadcaster. This slim silver box connects to your home network and allows you to change channels and watch TV or other video sources from afar. The Slingbox has composite, S-Video, and coaxial inputs (and works with cable/satellite boxes, DVD players, and digital video recorders like TiVo). It does not, however, work with high-definition video.
   Mon, 22 Aug, 2005 | 14 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Orange SPV C550   [Review, Hexus]
  Put aside the speed issues, and the SPV C550 is a complete handset that provides every application you could possibly need as a mobile user, and more.
   Tue, 16 Aug, 2005 | 18 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Panasonic VS2 Clamshell Mobile Phone   [Review, HardwareZone]
  Apart from having a brilliant display that supports more than 16 million colors, the new Panasonic VS2 has quite a stylish build with its lean and slim body. Did we mention that it's affordable?
   Tue, 16 Aug, 2005 | 35 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail