ces - MP3 and portable video players

As if to prove that it's not even close to backing out of the MP3 player market, iRiver debuted a whopping 12 new MP3 players at this year's CES. The company also introduced a sweet-looking, multifunctional home entertainment system as well as three E-Dictionary products and two GPS devices. Naturally, not all of the gadgets are available in the U.S., but it's still an impressive feat given the relatively small size of the company.

Watch the iRiver Spinn video on CNET TV.

It was hard to narrow it down, but I think my favorite is the … Read more

Philips has announced plans to release a line of Swarovski crystal earbuds, available just in time for Valentine's Day. Priced at $99, the Philips Active Crystals earbuds feature a stainless steel body, fabric cable, silicon in-ear caps, and single neodymium drivers with a 16 ohm impedance.

The Active Crystal earbuds are part of Philips' larger launch of women-focused products, including crystal-studded USB drives and home electronics that feature a softer, more elegant design aesthetic.

Philips has announced plans to release an MP3 player with built-in Bluetooth functionality. Available in April in both 4GB ($129) or 8GB ($169) capacities, the Philips GoGear SA5200BT series will feature a 2.8-inch screen, Rhapsody subscription music integration, FullSound audio enhancement technology, and DRM audio and video support. Beyond the obvious benefit of being able to pair the Philips GoGear SA5200BT with a set of wireless Bluetooth headphones, the player can also take advantage of wireless file-sharing with any Bluetooth-capable PC.

Philips also plans to sell versions of the GoGear SA5200 series without Bluetooth for $109 (4GB) and $149 (… Read more

Philips has announced plans to release a new portable video player named the GoGear SA6500. The Philips PVP features a 4.3-inch wide-screen display, SDHC memory expansion, Rhapsody subscription music integration, built-in speakers, and an included pair of high-end, in-ear headphones. An 8GB version of the GoGear SA6500 (the SA6585) should hit shelves in July, priced around $200.

While a budget, flash-based PVP might not seem groundbreaking, one of the GoGear SA6500's most compelling features might be its multicodec, multiresolution support. Flash PVPs are sprouting up everywhere, but few support drag-and-drop video transfers without requiring tedious video conversion. Along … Read more

The DJ is getting off easy these days. As more DJs turn in their turntables and record crates for laptops and external hard drives, the entry point for aspiring DJs has become both more attainable and more portable. Swedish start-up Tonium intends to shrink the digital DJ rig even further with a handheld product called Pacemaker.

At its heart, the Pacemaker is an MP3 player with 120GB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, and both headphone and line-out connections. What makes the Pacemaker unique is a set of touch pad controls that allow professional DJ techniques such as crossfading, filtering, … Read more

What's this? A 4GB MP3 player for just $79? Nope, I'm not playing a cruel joke on you. SanDisk has just added the new capacity to its rather fabulous Sansa Clip line. The new version comes in a universally appealing brushed silver body with a mirrored face, and it offers all the features of its brethren, which is to say quite a few. Of course, you get the built-in removable belt clip, the super compact form factor, and the support for WMA subscription services and Audible tracks. There's also an FM tuner with an autoscan function and … Read more

It's official: Flash MP3 players are taking over. SanDisk has just announced a new version of the Sansa View...one with 32GB of built-in flash memory. Ah, it makes me nostalgic--remember the days of 30GB hard-drive MP3 players? Oh, right, those still exist. The player isn't far off, either: the expected launch date is in February of this year. SanDisk will also be releasing a 12GB microSD card later in 2008, meaning you could end up with a whopping 44GB capacity all told. In true SanDisk style, the new View is priced to sell at $349. It's … Read more

Like day side of Mercury, ultracompact is so hot right now. Creative seems to be aware of that fact, as the company's only major portable audio announcement for CES is an update to both of its Zen Stone lines of MP3 players. The new Stones "with Built-In Speaker" (yes, that's the official name) are pretty much exactly what they sound like--the itty-bittiest of Zens with a single, integrated external speaker. That's not the only difference, though. The new players also offer an updated color scheme; it's a brushed-metallic look with your choice of baby … Read more

It has to be said: I cannot WAIT to model these suckers for you on camera. I mean, just look at them! Tell me that this is not exactly what leapt to your mind back in the early 90s when you first started dreaming about the time when video glasses would rule the personal entertainment marketplace. Now, that time hasn't quite arrived yet, but MyVu is sure aiming to make it so. The company offers a line of Personal Media Viewers in the form of glasses that hook up to an external video source (such as an iPod) to … Read more