Portable Video

Sony’s China-only PMPs have always been a little more interesting than the gear we see Stateside, and the new PMX-M80 is no exception. The 4.3-inch touchscreen player packs 16GB of storage and decent codec support into a sleek white box, as well as a new mapping application that’s apparently a novelty in China. Too bad this thing won’t ever make it over here — although at 2,260 yuan ($331), it probably wouldn’t shake things up too much.

[Via PMP Today]

In what appears to be an increasingly common problem, hairline cracks are beginning to form on Apple’s new iPhone 3G. While most of the cracks are reportedly affecting the white model, this is likely due to the increased visibility of the dark fracture on the white case as opposed to any differences in materials between the white and black units. At the moment, the issue seems largely cosmetic and doesn’t appear to interfere with the operation of the phone. Now bust out the magnifying glass and let us know if you’re seeing the same.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read — MacRumors forum
Read — Apple Discussions

Step aside HD700, Sanyo just replaced you with its DMX-HD800 720p camcorder. According to Akihabara News who is attending the launch event, the HD800 features a “HUGE step forward in video quality” coupled with reduced noise thanks to Sanyo’s 3DDNR filter. Spec-wize, we’re looking at an 8.0 megapixel 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor, SD/SDHC support, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, face tracking, and easier to use drag-and-drop to pull AVC/H.264 video from the camera to your PC. We’ll have to wait for the reviews to know for sure but it looks like Sanyo just made one of the best 720p camcorders even better. On sale in Japan on August 22nd for ¥50,000 (about $463).

[Via Impress]

Who knows how much this is worth, but there’s a lot of chatter flying around today about some text strings in the beta release of iPhone OS 2.1 that make reference to an “iPod2,1.” Seeing as the current iPod touch is designated “iPod1,1,” that’s a pretty strong hint that a new model is coming — but hey, guess what? Of course a new model is eventually coming. What’s more, we’d bet it’s going to be almost exactly the same as the current iPod touch, with maybe the addition of GPS — it’s not like Apple is going to position this thing above the iPhone. Wake us up when tapping in Steve’s birthday backwards spits out a ship date, pricing, and specs, and maybe then we’ll be more excited.

Man, it has been quite awhile since we’ve seen an iPod of any sort get dressed up in limited edition attire. Thinking back to those Harry Potter, Madonna and Tony Hawk editions, we can’t help but wonder how this one missed the boat. Coincidentally (or not) enough, the CBS Store has decided to offer up a special run of 8GB Beverly Hills, 90210 iPod nanos just as The CW pushes the all new rendition of the show. Buyers can add up to 30 characters of text and choose black, pink, green, blue or silver hues, but you better hurry — who knows how fast raving fans will be handing over their $269 in hopes of securing one.

[Via ChipChick]

You read that title correctly, iriver’s Spinn is apparently touchscreen (not D-Click as mentioned in the FCC leaked user manual) and features haptic feedback to boot. Now that it’s officially spec’d on iriver’s Korean site, we’re also seeing a slightly degraded audio lifespan of 24-hours (not 27) and the apparent removal of the mini SD slot — it’s no longer mentioned in the specs and we don’t see a suitable slot on any of the pictures. Otherwise, it’s the same sleek slab of 10.7-mm thick metal and plastic sporting a 3.3-inch, 480 x 272 pixel AMOLED display, T-DMB TV, Bluetooth, and new analog SPINN Wheel we’ve seen kicking around since CES. Currently on pre-order for South Korea with the 4GB model fetching 259,000KRW (about $259) or 8GB for 299,000KRW (about $299). That’s right, it maxes out with just 8GB of flash. Check the gallery while we all anxiously await iriver’s international launch plans including the rumored August UK release.

[Via DAP Review, thanks Al]

If you haven’t noticed, China’s going all out to improve itself before the world fixes its eyes upon Beijing in just over a week. Rather than plunking down license fees to use a protocol that’s widely accepted, China has chosen to create its own digital TV standard: CMMB. Amazingly, RAmos has actually churned out a PMP to take advantage of said standard, and just in time for the 2008 Olympics. Unfortunately, we really know nothing about the iTV except that it can understand CMMB, so screen size, internal storage and everything else remains unknown. Heck, we don’t even know how expensive it is — but hey, it supports CMMB (for the three weeks you’re in China, after which it’s partially worthless)!

[Via iTech News Net]

You’ve probably heard by now that the infamous Zune Guy (”Microsoft Zune”) was so disappointed with Microsoft that he’s elected to have his ink removed in place of something more in line with his shifted priorities. In addition to the reconstructive work he’s going to have, ZG claims that Microsoft actually lied to him about his free trip to the Redmond campus, which (as you might imagine) further tarnishes his image of the company. Unfortunately, according to reps from Microsoft we spoke with, the trip was never confirmed — only discussed — and ultimately canceled due to the very reasonable fear that it might lead a lot of “hyper-engaged users” to expect a trip of their own (though they did hook our man up with a free Zune and some related swag). What you probably haven’t heard (or seen) is his sprawling video rant, in which he accuses the big M of dropping the ball on his favorite PMP before going on a general rage-bender. We’ve included the video after the break (careful moms, it’s full of expletives), as well as link to a zunescene forum where the Zune Guy reveals he’s just purchased a new PMP… an iPod.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Read - Something else I have been hiding….
Read - Bought my new PMP today….

Okay, so we’re trying not to judge this book by its cover, but Taijia’s PSP-860S just reeks of chintzy. The handheld gaming PMP not only plays back the elusive MP4 file format, but it also snaps presumably lackluster still shots with its 2-megapixel camera. You’ll also find 1GB / 2GB of built-in RAM, a USB port, AV in / out, miniSD expansion slot and some form of emulation application. If you’re not dozing by now, you may actually care that it’ll only run you 399 yuan ($59) / 499 yuan ($73).

[Via PMP Today]