Gadgets Blog » Portable Media Players

Gadget of the Week: Sony X Series Walkman MP3 Player

Dan Evans — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:53:01 +0000

Few companies boast the sheer brand recognition held by Apple. The electronics industry has turned Steve Jobs and friends into media darlings, with ridiculous amounts of speculation and anticipation pertaining to every gadget the company produces. While the iPod may be the industry standard for MP3 players, it’s by no means the only unit on the market worth exploring. If you’re unable to throw down for the Apple brand name, you’re in luck: a wide assortment of gadgets are perfectly capable of storing your tunes.

Take, for example, our Gadget of the Week, the Sony X Series Walkman MP3 player. In a different day and age, the name Walkman was synonymous with portable music, and Sony has wisely kept the name attached to a series of functional and sleek MP3 players. Averaging $100 less than their Apple counterparts, the X series comes packaged with premium noise-canceling headphones and a gift card redeemable for 100 free downloads via Sony music.

The beauty of a the X Series comes in device flexibility. Instead of putting up with the oft-frustrating iTunes platform for syncing and loading music, the X Series can function like an external hard drive, enabling you to drag and drop songs off of your computer and onto the player. This is great for syncing on the go and for keeping your player’s song collection up to date with your computer. The X Series comes with some great touchscreen technology, with an interface that is responsive and functional. If the touchscreen isn’t your thing, Sony wisely included additional functionality in a series of buttons along the bottom edge of the screen. This is especially useful when switching between audio and video playback.

The flexibility factor cannot be emphasized enough; Sony was wise and allowed the X Series to play a wide assortment of audio and video formats without any prerequisite format changes. This is great if you have a media collection lacking consistant format issues, but it is especially great for video playback, freeing the device from the types of restrictions that bother Apple players. With integrated Wi-Fi capabilities, it’s easy to see how the iPod Touch was an inspiration for many of Sony’s features.

Ultimately, whether or not you opt for an Apple player or something like the Sony X Series will depend on your personal taste and budget. It can be all too easy to overlook some of the other MP3 players on the market with Apple’s brand-name dominance, but before you shell out for an expensive gadget, it’s well worth looking at the discount MP3 players. IPods aren’t for everyone, and luckily, there are plenty of great options if you opt for something else.

The Apple iPad Debate: One Girl’s Reasons for Buying

Ritika Puri — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:47:51 +0000

Apple announced that it’s releasing the iPad on April 3 at a starting price of $499. The 3G model will be available with data plans through AT&T. Apple proclaims that its iPad is a revolutionary product that will enhance our mobile computing needs. Proponents agree that the iPad is elegant in thought and design. Critics disagree, taking the stance that iPad’s limited functionality is a huge deterrent. No Flash support? No calculator? No camera? No spreadsheets? No thanks: The iPad is nothing more than a big iPhone.

Without a doubt, the Apple iPad is not a true laptop computer or tablet. This fact is what a lot of consumers and reviewers have trouble realizing. Think about the iPad as something different, a revolutionary entity of its own, and your perspectives may pull a complete 180. Don’t expect to run spreadsheets or presentations, and don’t expect to meet your graphic design and programming needs. If that’s what you want, then get a tablet, desktop, laptop. No pun intended: you can’t compare Apples to organges.

At first, I hopped on the bandwagon of iPad critics. When I get a computer, I expect a computer. When I started thinking about the iPad as an iPad, I grew to love the idea. Here are my reasons why:

(1) Even the most ultra-thin computers are too bulky, heavy, and cumbersome for me. When I’m at the airport, and I want to check my email, taking out a computer, plugging it in, and connecting to the Internet is just too much effort. I have a back injury, and I’d rather have something more portable for the quick and basic functions to keep me connected on the go.

(2) I love to ready trashy magazines while doing cardio workouts at the gym. Unfortunately, I read pretty quickly, and I go through magazines fast. I tried using my iPhone at the gym, but I found that the screen is too small for comfortable reading. With the iPad, I can download as much content as I want ahead of time. I can also catch up on what’s going on in the world by downloading video clips. Even if I don’t want to pay $30 a month for 3G Internet, I’ll still get all the information I need to keep myself connected when I’m disconnected.

(2.5) I’ll never feel bored, and with an iPad, I’ll always have an opportunity to keep learning. I love to read, and I’m always trying to learn more and more and more. With the iPad, I don’t have to worry about carrying around a bunch of books, especially if I’m only looking for light reading.

(3) I like the iPad’s simplicity. I use my iPhone to browse the web almost every day, and I don’t miss Flash at all. In fact, I was running Linux on my laptop for about a year, and I was too lazy to install Flash for the first six months. I didn’t even miss it on my computer, which I use for hours a day. Flash is pretty, but it’s resource heavy, and when I’m on the go, I just want my information to load quickly. I’m not a huge gamer, and if I want to play games, I’ll use my desktop or laptop (which now runs a Flash plugin).

(4) I like to share photos, but looking at pictures on a mobile phone is terrible. I like to give presentations in both personal and professional settings, and I actually think that an iPad is a great way to share visuals and switch things out. Remember the old school technique of passing around a book or picture or handout? I think that the iPad’s a great way to supplement a small, professional group presentation with a visual aid. I mean, everyone’s on their smartphones anyway…

The right decision is different for everyone, and for a lot of people, the iPad might be a total waste of money. I have an opposite perspective, and I am more than excited for this new product to come out. I’m also not, by any means, a member of the Apple fan club. My next laptop is going to be a PC.

Seasonal Spotlight: Portable Media

colleen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:23:32 +0000

Gift-giving season is right around the corner, which means we are in the throes right now of picking the perfect gifts. What can you do to make the holiday cheerful and bright for your friends and family? Give them a taste of your own love for technology with a portable media gadget.

Portable media means any gadget that can play entertaining audio or video or games on the road. The packaging and object itself is lightweight and pocket (or sometimes, backpack) size, so you don’t have to worry about the extra bulk weighing you down. Portable media is perfect for long waits in the airport, kids in the backseat of a long car ride, or grandmothers or grandfathers who want to read, watch videos, or listen to music in bed. Here are some of the top portable media objects to get you thinking about holiday gifts:

9″ Compact Television: $144.99

This 9-inch LCD screen has built in speakers so you can watch videos on the road!
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation): $259.00

A perfect portable reading device, the best and only of it’s kind. Perfect for the avid bookworm that can’t fit 5 novels in their carry-ons.

Shop for more portable media at Smarter.com.

Deals on MP3 Players

colleen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:35:32 +0000

Maybe you don’t have an iPhone or are too dedicated to the PC world to buy an iPod in general. That doesn’t mean you have to resort to 90′s era CD players and tape decks, though they are making a comeback in the vintage section. Here are some affordable MP3 players that would make for good Christmas gifts this year:

SanDisk Sansa View 8 GB Digital Media Player Black SDMX10R-8192K-A70 : $50.99

Wolverine ESP 5160 160 GB Digital Media Player Black – 5160 : $249.99

Shop though a variety of discount MP3 players.

Portable Audio Devices: The Tailgate Techie

colleen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:43:30 +0000

Sports season playoffs are coming into full swing, there’s the NCAA, the NFL, and all sorts of European soccer to watch, revel, and cry over. But what do you need for accompaniment? A great soundtrack that is ready to be on the move, traveling to games and parking lots everywhere so you and the guys (or the gals) can get your groove on no matter what the temperature or sporting event. Smarter.com offers a great selection in portable audio and video devices, but I’m here to tell you about some of the great portable audio devices that will get you jamming and pumped up for the big game, whether you’re playing in it or not.

Spectating is a sport in itself. It takes preparation, skill and time. I recommend designating priorities to those who do them best: leave the cooking to your friend the restaurant owner and the technology to you, my fair techie friend. Here are some great portable devices to think about for your next purchase:

Keep it old school with the Boombox, throw it over your shoulder and lead on to the barbeque:

jWIN Electronics JX-CD462 Portable CD Boombox with Cassette Playback : $29.99

But for the more technology-inclined, the iPod speakers. Total classic:

ILUV i552 Portable Radio & iPod Docking Speaker System with Remote : $49.99

Shop for more portable audio systems at Smarter.com.

Archos 5 Arrives, Time to End Our Love Affair with the iPod?

gadgets — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:25:24 +0000

Archos has released Archos 5 , a well stacked media player and internet tablet that has all the looks of a worthy opponent to the iPod touch . I know most of you are probably yawning by now. Yet another inane imitation that is sure to bite the dust, you say… Let’s play fair and see what’s on the table shall we?

Archos 5 comes with a powerful wi-fi for super fast web browsing allowing for full width, PC like viewing without shrinking or need for zooming . It runs on the open source android platform which is awesome for apps developers .Moreover, the Flash 9 supporting device not only enables you to watch videos on sites like YouTube but also is the only Android device that supports video formats in High Definition. So expect things to get really creative and very apps rich a la ipod pretty soon.

The Archos 5 will come already preloaded with several Android apps, like the eBuddy instant-messaging app, Twidroid for sending and receiving tweets, Craigsphone for posting or accessing classified ads, Thinksfree for viewing Microsoft Office files, Quickpedia, and many more. You can always download more apps from the Android Market or from Archos’s own AppsLib store.

The full email application lets you read, write, download, send attachments, and manage your contacts. You can also access content seamlessly from a variety of on-the-go , on demand services such as CinemaNow, Hulu , integrated Internet radio, music from sites like Pandora and Web TV widgets. You can schedule TV recordings from any channel on your cable or set-top box and watch it at a time and place of your choice. Then if you so choose, play back the digital content from ARCHOS 5 to your TV, all in HD quality, at 720p.

It comes with a Bluetooth, through which you can access the 3G connection of your mobile phone.

There are also some interesting accessories that you will be able to purchase on the side such as DVR station to record video or integrated GPS with TeleAtlas application. The TeleAtlas software provides all the usual GPS features plus an additional 3D Photo Realistic mode which is pretty neat. In the 3D mode the maps use multiple angles and zoom levels to portray the landmarks and streets as realistically as possible.

The slim, light weight model that ships with a DVR station adapter and a standard USB cable is available at 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities (with a MicroSD card slot) and a hard drive version with a choice of 160GB or 500GB.

Pricing is about $249.99 at the entry point. You can order from Amazon or the Archos website. Make sure though that you are ordering the latest model as quite confusingly the earlier model still on sale in different outlets is also called Archos5.

Portable Deal: Coby 7 Inch Widescreen DVD Player

gadgets — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:45:20 +0000

Watching a movie is one of the easiest ways to pass the time on a long (or not so long) trip. With airlines making cutbacks on everything else, you might find it necessary to bring your own entertainment soon anyway. Not to mention, for those of us with young children this is a valuable tool for long drives or when you suddenly find yourself stuck in traffic and a 20-minute car ride just became an hour.

I keep a stash of DVDs along with the portable DVD player in the storage pocket behind the front passenger seat. And I have to admit, there were a few lunch breaks when I drove away from the office, parked somewhere peaceful and zoned out on an episode of Firefly before returning to the grind.

As far as portable DVD players go, something that can do double duty — be mounted on a headrest for in-car play and then removed for on-desk play — is the best fit for those of us on a budget who seem to live in our cars but are also endlessly running from place to place.

The Coby TF-DVD7307 Portable DVD Player is a good example.

From: $82.99

Widescreen DVD player, 7 inch LCD swivel screen, folds down for easy carrying when not in use, anti-skip circuitry, headphones, remote control, AV cable, UL-listed AC adapter, Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and headrest mounting bag. It also plays your CDs and MP3s.

Get it at Amazon.com and get free shipping. Decide to purchase it at Newegg.com and get a free gift with select items. No codes required.

Find at Smarter.com: Shop for more affordable portable DVD players.

Trispecs Sunglasses: A Perfect Marriage of Cutting Edge Technology and Fashion

gadgets — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:00:23 +0000

Yes, You have come to the right place! This is the Smarter Gadgets Blog and not the Smarter Fashion Blog. But don’t these sunglasses look really hot? With the release of these fashion forward sunglasses, Trispecs has completely changed the way we think of our basic Blue tooth headsets.

Who does not want to protect their eyes with a pair of cool designer glasses in summer? But how do you pair it up with your head set for cell phones and MP3 players? Thanks to Trispecs we don’t need to discard one for the other. We can have all the three actions happening at the same time! How? It has STEP labs patented noise elimination technology akin to that used for US Defense projects built right into the sunglasses along with stereo and call controls. The STEP software uses advanced algorithms to separate the voice on the phone from unwanted background noises like the wind, traffic etc and eliminates them to provide unprecedented voice clarity and also stereo sound from your portable music player. All this without any cumbersome and ugly looking wires! The buttons for controlling the volume, voice dial and music controls including Play/Pause, Fwd and Back are hidden strategically behind the glass frame. The device is switched on and off by retractable ear buds that can be hidden behind the ear when not in use. The lenses are made of spherical polycarbonate with high-impact resistance and UV protection to 400 nm and are RX compatible. It comes in cool shades of black, white, silver, blue, red and gold and can be purchased from TriSpecs Store for $199.99 to $224.99.

Neckphone Headphones: S1 Audio’s NxSet Neckphones

nick — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:53:32 +0000

This is an interesting new gadget.

So it looks like the S1 Audio’s NxSet neckphones are directed towards those who don’t necessarily want to wear headphones, but also don’t want to blast their music from their stereos. Well, if this sounds like something you’d like to do, then maybe these unique neckphones are for you.

This baby also has some retractable earbuds for private listening and is also compatible with mobile phones to be used as a mobile headset.

If you don’t mind looking like you’re on a lease, then check them out. They were just recently announced at CES.

Click here to read more.

Sony Deal: Save 50% off an 8 GB MP3 Player

nick — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:05:59 +0000

Let this be the last deal you take advantage of during 2008.

If you’re still one of those who is lugging around that bulky CD player case, then you should make getting an mp3 player one of your New Year’s resolutions.

Expiring December 31st, 2008, this Sony deal will allow you to save 50% off an 8 GB Walkman Video mp3 player from Sony Style.com. Store up to 1,850 songs or over 40 hours of video on this mp3 player.

Enter in this Sony Coupon Code for the deal during checkout: WLKMN50

To check out more Sony deals and coupons, click here.

To go to Sony Style, click here.