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Hand on with Panasonic’s DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players

We mentioned in an earlier post that Sharp had a couple of new Blu-ray players coming on to the market. Well seems like Panasonic wants to join the party by showcasing their DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players at CEDIA 2008.

As with the two Sharp Blu-ray players, these two from Panasonic are also hard to tell apart. We will have to go inside the player to what the differences are.

The Panasonic DMP-BD55 Blu-ray player has BD Live (Profile 2.0) no firmware upgrade required. The player comes with an SD card slot, which allows you to view audio or jpeg files.

See more images at Engadget

Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player showcased at CEDIA

You would have thought that Sony would have been preoccupied with current events, such as their loss in profits or their Vaio laptop recall, but that still has not stopped them from showcasing a new SACD player at CEDIA 2008.

The Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player will cost $1,500 price once released, but I have to wonder if people will ever purchase one of these things. So is it worth the hefty price tag I hear you ask.

The Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player has a 5 disc carousel; the home audio device also has 2.ch and multi-channel super audio CD playback quality. The connections at the rear are gold plated for better quality.

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Panasonic SA-BX500 AV receiver debuted at CEDIA

Panasonic are to introduce their new SA-BX500 AV receiver at the CEDIA show this week, but I am not sure if audio fans will stop to look. This audio receiver is nothing special, so you might miss it and just walk past the Panasonic stand.

Maybe you should take the time to stop and have a look, because if you are an audio geek then the Panasonic SA-BX500 AV receiver will certainly push your buttons. This is because of its bi-amplification/bi-wiring feature.

So what features have Panasonic decided to go with, well how about 7×130-Watt amplification to start with. Ok so you want more, how about HDMI connectivity (3 inputs, 1 output). The receiver supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. The SA-BX500 AV receiver goes on sale in October and will cost $799.

Source - Engadget

Cowon’s S9 Curve player set to amaze next month

In life there are certain things you just can’t seem to get your hands on, so close but yet so far, the Cowon’s S9 curve is just one of those things. The only people worthy of touching the S9 Curve at the IFA were the business partners of Cowon.

Even press on bended knee didn’t stand a chance to take a closer look at the S9 Curve, but we did get hold of the specifications for you. Germany is the first in line to get hold of the S9 Curve at the end of October, so looking closely at the spec, we have a 480 x 272-pixel, 16 million color, capacitive touchscreen which is 3.3 inches in size, the actual size of the player is 57.08 x 105.75 x 12.7-mm, so putting in perspective its slightly narrower than the 8mm think iPod touch which has a 4.3-inch display. The launch we will see the 8GB and 16GB of storage models, but a 32GB is on the cards in the not so distant future.

If you look at battery life then a 3.5-hour off the mains which is equivalent to 5.5-hours charge of the USB will give you 8 hours of video, or 40 hours of audio.

Source: engadget

SteelSeries Siberia full-size headset in pink for women

Whenever you look at a pink gadget you know that it has been designed for women in mind. Well it seems as if SteelSeries have jumped on that bandwagon with their Siberia full-size headset, which as you guessed is pink in color.

Study shows that women make up a massive 40% of the gaming population, so it does make sense to give them a product that they would like to use. They do not want any of those headsets which are chrome or titanium, as they have been designed for men in mind. Yes most of them want something nice and girly.

The Siberia full-size headset are designed for those female professional gamers, the design of the headphones are comfortable and suitable for long gaming sessions. The SteelSeries Siberia headset will be available from October with a price tag of £49.99.

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Shure SE102MPA Sound Isolating Stereo Headset ideal for iPhone

Shure have introduced their new SE102MPA Sound Isolating Stereo Headset, these make it perfect for iPhone and smartphone users. These headphones are an entry-level accessory, but they offer a premium experience.

Shure have designed these ear phones mostly for the iPhone user, the device offers performance that you just would not expect from a gadget with such a small price tag.

Shure SE102MPA Sound Isolating Stereo Headset is packaged with MPA. The ear phones will be available some time this month and will come with a two-year warranty.

Read the full Press Release

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16GB Creative ZEN Mozaic now available: nothing new

Creative have announced the release of their new 16GB ZEN Mozaic music player. Apart from the larger storage, there is nothing new about the 16GB version.

The Creative ZEN Mozaic 16GB still has the 1.8 Inch LCD screen, as well as an FM radio and built-in speakers, which is a good bonus. Do not expect anything fantastic sound wise though, but great for when you are on holiday getting ready for a night out.

The ZEN Mozaic is compatible with MP3/WAV/MP3 audio files, as well as AVI, and BMP/GIF/JPEG/PNG/TIF files.

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Harman/Kardon MS 100 all-in one iPod dock

Harman/Kardon has decided to show off their new MS 100 All-in-One Audio Entertainment System. My first look shows that there is nothing special about the system, although the aesthetics are stunning.

The Harman/Kardon MS 100 was on show at IFA 2008, and it was the iPod dock, CD player, FM tuner and clock/radio functionality that got peoples attention. I have to say that after looking more in to the system I think I have fallen in love.

There is no denying that when it comes to sound reproduction, Harman/Kardon is right up there with Bose, so I do hope that the sound quality from this all-in-one system is something special.

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Hands-on: Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 player

This is the Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 player that features a great screen, sound and sports Wi-Fi, but sadly it does not support Mac (when will these brands ever learn).

The Zen X-Fi has been given a full review by the guys and girls over at Pocket Lint (hit the read link below this post); they found that the Zen X-Fi is a “cracking player that sounds great”.

In their verdict they did comment on one problem with one of the latest MP3 players from Creative, this was because this music player doesn’t come with the massive eco-system like Apple audio players do. In fact the good points outweigh the bad, and being able to expand the Zen X-Fi up to 64GB is impressive.

Read the full review on Pocket Lint.

Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player

If you are one who wishes to be ahead of the game in your music system and home and want impress your friends with the latest technology, then put the Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player on your list of “I want one of those”. This cute little system has an integrated amplifier, speakers and is said to be very easy to set up.

Logitech have designed this system so you can listen to your digital music in any room in your house, this can be done without the need to attached external speakers, you just need to plug the network music player into a power outlet, then, just use your existing home network, you can then listen to music from the internet radio stations, computer as well as subscribing to services such as Sirius, Pandora, Slaker, Last.FM and Rhapsody.

Vice president and general manager of Logitech’s Streaming media business unit, Robin Selden said that “The squeezebox Boom is the first player in its class to deliver -quality audio in a compact, all-in-one design”.

This nifty little network music player offers an integrated, all-digital 30-watt class D amplifier accompanied by two ¾-inch, long-throw woofers, high-power and high-definition.

The Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player remote control, headphone jack plus it has six presents and can be set as an alarm clock.

This Squeezebox Boom is said to be available in the Europe and the United States at the beginning of September, and it’s suggested it will set you back around £199 or $299.99 which we think is really reasonable for such a fabulous system.

Source: pocket-lint

Yamaha join blu-ray circuit with it’s BD-S2900 player

Yamaha, not to be left behind on the Blu-ray circuit in Europe have announced their BD-S2900 Blu-ray player.

Unfortunately it does not have BD-Live connectivity, so future feature upgrades from the internet will not be something this BD-S2900 can take advantage of, it does offer though: 1080p, 24fps, 12-bit Deep Color and HD Audio Bitstream output plus it this playing is Bonus View enabled.

The BD-S2900 is probably aimed at Yamaha’s existing cinema customers, due to the fact that the machine is reported to match the Yamaha’s existing receivers, so it’s likely you will not have to go out and buy a receiver just upgrade your existing player.

This Blu-Ray player also has 16-step motion video detection, precise pixel detection and the ability upscale SD content via Chroma Upsampling.

You can pick this Blu-Ray player up in a gorgeous titanium or black finish, and they come with one HDMI output and an SD card slot. In the United States you can pick up the BD-S2900 for $1,200, unfortunately we have no UK pricing for you yet, we will post this information as and when we receive it.

Source: pocket-lint

IFA 2008: Philips highlights include three television additions

IFA 2008, Berlin, Germany – Philips is to showcase how it is making a difference in the consumer lifestyle market by presenting its latest range of home entertainment and home appliance products at this year’s IFA, taking place from August 29 to September 3 Read more

iMM173, Hi-Fi Dual Dock Alarm Clock for iPhone / iPod

There seems to be no ending with the love affair with the iPod and iPhone, and there never seems to be a shortage of accessories for these Apple products. The iMM173, Hi-Fi Dual Dock Alarm Clock is just one more to add to the never ending list. Read more

TrekStor launches the vibez Flash MP3 player at IFA

TrekStor, the leading manufacturer of high quality MP3 players, external hard drives and USB sticks, is launching its TrekStor vibez Flash MP3 player at this year’s IFA in Berlin (TrekStor Entertainment Hall; Hall 10.1). The company is also unveiling the i.Beat organix 2.0 and i.Beat nova.

The TrekStor vibez Flash adds flash memory technology to the award winning TrekStor vibez, to make this MP3 player even more robust. The player comes with a music library, and integrated DJ mode that can automatically suggest songs based on previous listening habits. Its cross-fading function allows users to smoothly switch from one track to the next. The MP3 player comes with 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of storage capacity. In addition, the new TrekStor vibez Flash is DRM9 and DRM10 compatible, enabling users to play music purchased over the Internet. Read more

Soundcast ACR212 & ACT211 Audiocast Wireless Audio System

With the Soundcast ACR212 & ACT211 Audiocast Wireless Audio System, you are able to play all your favorite digital audio files out loud and you do not need to connect any wires to the device.

This is done through the use of the ACR-212 AudioCast wireless receiver. This works in conjunction with the ACT-211 AudioCast transmitter, which incorporates 2.4 GHz Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology.

This system allows you to receive your PC or MP3 player’s audio signal from a distance. The setup of the system is very simple, all you have to do is plug in the AudioCast receiver and transmitter into a power socket then run a cable between the receiver and your stereos auxiliary or tape input.

It takes just seconds to set up and from then on you will just love your new audio setup. The Soundcast Audiocast Wireless Audio System is on a special of just $49.99 from Woot.

Sony’s New S-AIRPLAY (AIR-SA20PK) for Apple iPod Players

Today Sony has unveiled its new wireless multi-room music system that’s designed for use with iPod Touch and other compatible iPod players. The new system is called S-AIRPLAY (AIR-SA20PK) and it uses S-Air technology.

The S-AIR Digital Wireless technology makes it easy to listen to music in multiple rooms, it gives you the ability to transmit sound to plug-and-play compact speakers from your iPod. You can send the audio to up to ten speakers.

Sony’s S-AIRPLAY also has dual source, multi-zone capability that will allow your dock to transmit separate signals to each AIR-SA15R receiver/speaker. This means you could have an AM/FM radio station playing in the kitchen, while your iPod music players on another speaker in the living room.

The composite audio/video out connection will let you display video content that’s on your iPod, onto your large screen TV. This Dock to a television will let you see the bigger picture much easier; you can also connect the dock to a home theater receiver.

The Sony AIR-SA20PK will be available in September, but Sony are now taking pre-orders on their website. The device will cost $400, and the additional S-Air wireless speakers will be priced at $130.

View the product page on Sony or read more Sony news.

Samsung BD-P2550: Shows up out of nowhere

We’ve known for a while now that Samsung planned for two Blu-ray players in their lineup, but we’ve heard nothing for a long time.

Today we have heard that Best Buy have started selling the Samsung BD-P2550 for $499. The new model includes some features that the BD-P1500 does not have, like Silicon Optix HQV video processing and 7.1 analog outputs.

Although the BD-P2550 does not have BD-Live, but with the included USB port and network connection, a quick firmware update should do the trick.

As a Sony PS3 owner I find it a mystery why anyone would want to pay $499 for a dedicated Blu-ray player, when you can get Blu-ray and BD-Live in Sony’s Playstation 3 for a cheaper price.

The Samsung BD-P2550 features a remote with batteries and A/V cable, HDMI-CEC networking, and it is compatible with VC-1, MPEG2 and H.264 formats.

The outputs include 1 optical digital audio, 1 stereo audio, 1 HDMI, 1 composite video and 1 component video. You can enjoy the full HD 1080p video output if you have a compatible HDTV. For the full features visit Best Buy.

Via engadget

Bose SoundDock Series II: 3G iPhone owners happy

There is a new Bose Sound dock on the way and while many gadget sites have said that you will not find many changes in the specifications, they may be a little wrong, especially when it comes to Apple iPhone 3G owners.

On my desk in front of me is a nice Bose Sound Dock, and while its got an amazing sound, it hates the iPhone 3G. When you put the latest iPhone on the dock, it will not charge the device.

So the new SoundDock Series II digital music system may not have many new features, but its perfect for those who may need to upgrade their old Bose sound docks with a newer model to support the latest iPhone.

On the Bose system there is a new auxiliary input so you can connect other audio devices, and the latest device is also a lot sleeker.

The Series II digital music system measuring just 6 1/2-inches deep, by 12-inches wide and 6 5/8-inches high. The new SoundDock will be available at the start of September for $299.

Source: Read | Also see other gadget news.

LG Invision with AT&T Mobile TV

Today LG Electronics and AT&T Inc have announced the launch of LG Invision, this gives mobile users the best in video on their cell phones. LG Invision may be the 3rd phone to offer AT&T Mobile TV, but it is also the smallest Mobile TV phone in the United States.

The LG Invision features a size of less than one-half an inch thick, 2 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, XM Radio Mobile, 3G, stereo audio support and lets users watch TV programming on a crystal-clear screen.

Programmes include NBC2GO, FOX Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, CBS Mobile and users also get the ability of Video Share calling. The Invision lets users download music fast thanks to AT&T Mobile Music, which provides access to streaming digital radio, any unrestricted MP3 audio file and Napster To Go.

LG’s Invision will make you feel like you are walking around with a live TV in your pocket.

You can get more information on AT&T’s 3G network packages and Mobile TV packages via the read link below. You can also read other cell phone news here.

Source: Read

Motorola Jay-Z-branded MOTOROKR S7-HD Bluetooth headset

Celebrities know that their names are also a brand for making money and Jay-Z is no different. Today we see another product that’s branded with Jay-Z; this is the Motorola MOTOROKR S7-HD Bluetooth headset.

This information was found by some documents that showed up on the FCC, you can view that information here.

Although these headphones have been branded with the name Jay-Z, its not confirmed that they are for the rapper (if not we can see a court case coming). The headphones are most likely branded with the cooperation of JayZ, as this is not the first (remember the Dr. Dre headphones).

The FCC filing shows that these JayZ headphones can be used with your Bluetooth cell phone and Bluetooth audio device at the same time.

What do you think of these JayZ headphones compared to Dr. Dre’s?

You can read more information via the link below or view other Bluetooth gadgets.

Via Engadget

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