Crave

Samsung shows off new Blu-ray player, has HDMI 1.3

Samsung was the first to roll out a Blu-ray player last year, and now they're the first company to roll out a standard form-factor player with HDMI 1.3. The new BD-P1200 offers many of the same features as last year's BD-P1000: 1080p playback; DVD upconversion to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p; and a stylish design. The BD-P1200's HDMI output is also compatible with the consumer electronics control (CEC) format, which should enable compatible products to send commands between each other--for instance, a CEC-compatible TV could send commands to the BD-P1200 and tell it to turn on and … Read more

Cowon A3: the A2 gets a face-lift

We always welcome a revamped product, and the A3 is just that. Cowon took the already highly rated A2 and gave it just a bit of a face-lift. The A3 is swathed from head to toe in shiny black, with just a bit of silver on the controls. Also, unlike the A2, it comes ready to support DRM-protected content from services such as Rhapsody and Yahoo Music (subscription included). The A2 review has plenty of relevant details for you to absorb, but here are some key specs:

4-inch new TFT LCD High-quality TV Out: Component S-Video Supports H.264, WMV7/… Read more

Do you hate ringtones? Try a silent one. No, a really silent one.

How do you listen to the sound of silence? It sounds like some kind of corny philosophical question, but conceptual artist Jonathon Keats has decided to address the quandary through an unusual medium: a cell phone ringtone. Download it to your phone (it's free), and then your handset will ring with four minutes and thirty-three seconds of pure silence instead of that irritating Kelly Clarkson ringtone that you've been using for the past two years.

Keats named the ringtone "My Cage (Silence for Cellphone)" after the artist John Cage, who once similarly composed four minutes and … Read more

Cingular gets Razr V3xx

Razr fans (yes, there are still a lot of them) can rejoice again as Cingular picks up the Motorola Razr V3xx. Though it resembles Cingular's original Razr V3 (except for the darker color), the V3xx is compatible with Cingular's growing 3.5G HSDPA network. Cingular Video support is also included, and the phone sports a dedicated Cingular TV button in the navigation array. Other features are standard for the Razr series. You'll find Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and a digital music player. Though the phone has been shipped to Cingular, Motorola said it's still not available in … Read more

The Cowon D2 begs to be touched

Cowon may be a bit of an underdog in the U.S. market in terms of sales, but boy, this company sure does know how to make a quality MP3 player. I have in my hand the Cowon D2, a solid device dominated by a 2.5-inch screen. I had seen a picture of the player before CES, but it didn't do the D2 justice--the player has such a nice feel to it. The sleek, black body is wrapped in a brushed-metal border, where you can find some tactile controls: a power/hold slider, volume buttons, and a menu … Read more

iHome debuts new budget iPod accessories

SDI Technologies, the maker of the hot-selling iPod clock radio, is showing new affordably priced iPod speaker accessories at CES, including two small home-based units, the iH10 ($49)and iH4 ($49), and the portable iH19 ($69), which comes in multiple colors. The company also has a license to use the Timex name in upcoming iPod clock radios, so this is clearly an accessory company on the move. During my tour of the SDI meeting room (for dealers), I was shown a couple of more novel iPod accesories, including a speaker with a built-in iPod dock that looks like a water … Read more

Mmmm...cell phones

Samsung grabs a piece of the donut, so to speak, with its sponsorship of the Simpsons movie that's set to debut later this year. The company has taken three of its phones and styled them in Simpsons yellow while adding the movie's logo to the front flap.

The Samsung Sync (SGH-a707), the SPH-c417, and the SPH-m610 were chosen as Simpsons special edition phones, and we can only hope that "D'oh!" is available as a ring tone. Stay tuned for availability.

Mio goes back to navigation basics with the Mio C250

Though Mio has recently made a push to market its portable navigation systems as more than GPS devices (for example, the Mio H610), the company is going back to basics with the Mio C250. The entry-level C250 is purely focused on navigation (though it may have the ability to play music; the company is still undecided) and features a 3.5-inch touch screen. Maps of the United States will come preloaded onto an SD card, and additional SD cards with maps of other regions will be available around April. The Mio C250 is expected to ship at the end of … Read more

Swiss Army iPod accessory

Convergence among devices is one thing, but it's happening with accessories as well. The Duracell PowerFM ($79.99) from Battery-Biz is three iPod Nano (1G and 2G) add-ons in one: an FM transmitter, a protective silicone case, and a battery pack.

The transmitter sends your iPod's audio out to any FM radio receiver within about 8 feet via a user-selectable frequency, while the lithium-ion battery pack doubles the life of your iPod's built-in battery. The PowerFM isn't hideously obtrusive, and a pass-through port on the bottom lets you hook up other iPod accessories that use the … Read more