This smooth, black finish was coined as “chocolate” and made mainsteam when LG launched lines of chocolate phones that have the same look. Blue Bird is continuing with this popular reverse-iPod design with their BM-300 PMP. This device has a nice spec sheet that includes T-DMB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, expandable memory, etc. It is powered by an Intel Bulverde 520Mhz processor, touchscreen and Windows Mobile 5.0. Slim, small, pretty and should be available in Korea later this fall. – Travis Hudson

Bluebird to launch slim T-DMB PDA ‘BM-300′ [AVING]

Whoever said that wearing goofy looking, 100 percent gimmicky AV glasses is out of style…well, maybe they’re still right, but Japan’s Mikimoto Beans is hoping you forget all that and give their iTheather display glasses a shot. Connecting directly to your iPod (or any other device with AV outputs), the iTheater tries to simulate a 50 inch screen with its two inch, 320 x 240 pixel lenses. Ensuring that you don’t have to be tethered to the wall whilst experiencing undoubtedly incredible picture and sound, the lithium ion battery can be charged when plugged into a PC’s USB port.

We’ve mentioned similar devices before, but those were a little more expensive, even though they essentially accomplished the same task. The iTheater will set you back $260 when it’s released (in Japan, naturally) later this month. Halloween’s only a few months from now—why not grab these and go as a Borg? – Nicholas Deleon

iTheater [Mikimoto Beans via Fareastgizmos.com]

 
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The swirly design of the Transcend T.Sonic MP3 player reminds us of butterscotch candies crossed with an Altoids tin. The player is available in 512MB and 1G, and has MP3/WMA/WAV support. There’s an FM radio and 15 hours of playback time, which is decent but not great for a flash based player.

You can use the player as a secure flash drive for your documents with the included software to password-protect parts of memory.

The 530 is available now, but we don’t have any price info. – Jason Chen

Press Release [Transcend via Reg Hardware]

 
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Similar to the Sonic Impact K1 iPod dock and display, the iLuv allows you to play videos from your iPod on a 7-inch widescreen LCD display. The iPod goes in the back of the device, which also supports DVDs, VCDs, CDs and MP3 CDs.

The iLuv is available in black and white to match your 5G iPods. It's got S-Video out, On Screen UI, rechargeable battery, remote control, carrying case and headphones.

Available now for $249.95. – Jason Chen

Product Page [iLuv via iLounge]

The UK's Intempo Digital has come out with a rather unique looking iPod speaker/dock combo, the iDS-02. Available in black or white, the iDS-02 distinguishes itself from other ho-hum iPod docks with its shape, which is not unlike a [bowling] ball. While the dock is compatible only with iPods, a line-in input permits connection to other digital music players. Each speaker delivers 7.5 watts of sonic punch and the subwoofer provides an additional 15 watts.

The iDS-02 is available now from a number of UK online retailers for around $250, depending on from where you buy it. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Advanced MP3 Players via Gadget Candy]

The 6GB E10 received an Editor’s Choice award from CNet Asia. Why? Well, it’s as thin as a RAZR (thicker than a Nano though), has 6GB of memory, an intuitive UI scheme, the carrying pouch that CNet likes doing subliminally naughty things to, and TV remote capabilities. A strange thing to include in an MP3 player, but hey, it’s good for changing the channel at bars.

Macromedia Flash Lite 2.0 support with user-created videos downloadable off their website means you can watch internet videos like Homestarrunner and Youtube on the go. Other features: FM tuner, voice recording, picture viewer, 23 hours of playback time (!), fast USB 2.0 transfer rate. There is a little bit of pixelation in some video scenes but nothing too horrible. All in all a good alternative somewhere between the iPod Nano and the iPod Video, but a little pricey at $449 $284.14 US. – Jason Chen

Bonus E10 pic after the jump.

iRiver E10 [CNet Asia]

 
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Back to basics is the watchword for Ramos and their V10 MP3 player. 256 MB of memory, 1.3 inch TFT display, MP3, WMA, and OGG support all come in a shiny eye pleasing blue package. Not a true iPod contender, natch, unless Professor Frink’s time machine has put us all back in 2001.

Nonetheless, 12 hours of use and line-in recording in return for $62 of your United States dollars is not a bad deal. Suitable for those who want their music simple and and their players unadorned with the outline of a fruit. – Jason Chen

Ramos MP3 [iMP3 via TechEBlog]

 
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Related: Zing Wi-Fi Portable Media Player
Related: Toshiba Gigabeat S Reviewed (Verdict: True iPod Challenger?)
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Zing—the company, not the sound effect—is developing a portable media player that functions mostly off of a Wi-Fi connection. Zing is partnering with Yahoo! and Sirius for their new player. The initial prototype includes 8GB of storage space that can be filled wtih music via a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or direct connection. Zing is trying to eliminate the need for a computer with portable media players by allowing for album downloads to come directly to the player via the Wi-Fi connection. Also the Zing player will have the ability to stream Sirius satellite music from the Wi-Fi connection—what? The first model of the Zing player should ship later this year with Sirius branding. – Travis Hudson

Coming soon: the Wi-Fi MP3 player [Via I4U]

Here she is. Cnet has one of the first English reviews of the Toshiba Gigabeat S and Cnet senior editor, James Kim, thinks it is a true challenger to the iPod video. The Gigabeat S is available in 30GB and 60GB sizes and boasts a 2.4-inch QVGA screen.

The Gigabeat S shines for a couple reasons. It supports a wide variety of media formats. For audio it will support MP3, WMA and WAV. And for video it supports WMV, MPEG-4, AVI, DivX and MOV. The Gigabeat S also supports subscription services such as Napter, MTV Urge, Tivo To Go and the upcoming Starz Vongo service. Another plus is that the Gigabeat S runs on a very user-friendly Windows Portable Media Center 2.11.

Of course there are some negatives about this device. There is no audio recording, the battery life is weak and the Gigabeat S is an MTP device, meaning Mac users are SOL. Prices begin at $300. – Travis Hudson

Toshiba Gigabeat S MES30VW [Cnet]

 
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Related: iPod Nike Shoe Video
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For those of us who hate reading, here’s a video of how the iPod Nike shoe works, courtesy of our inappropriately close step-sisters over at the Consumerist.

Looks like something we’d definitely use, if we had those Nike Shoes. Or an iPod Nano. Or liked running. Ok, so maybe not. – Jason Chen

Video of iPod Nike Shoe in Action [The Consumerist]

 
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"Not man enough to grow a mustache, Zach?" Learn that English phrase and many more with the Eintech LM-500Series personal language tutor and PMP.

Not only does this translator/dictionary provide hours and hours of dialogue lessons, conversational english quizzes, and animation dialogue, there's also the brains of a PMP bolted in. With a 640x480 screen, DivX, XviD, and mpeg4 support, you can be watching "Joanie Loves Chachi" instead of actually doing your studies. You can even listen to MP3s and WMAs while reading the lyrics, which we suppose would teach you some English as well.

Rounding out the package is voice recording, e-book format support, photo album, simple video game support, calculator, stereo speakers, and a qwerty keyboard.

Available in Korea. – Jason Chen

LM500SERIES [Eintech via Digital Lifestyle Magazine]

Our pal Dave from Mobility Today has a video review of the Sansa e260 MP3 player, a PMP that's possibly better than the iPod Nano. It could just be Dave's gigantic Asian-martial-arts trained hands, but the Sansa looks tiny. The Sansa is a little thicker than the Nano, but the same in height and width.

Some things of note, the jog dial, a wall charger (included), a larger and brighter/more vibrant screen than the Nano, expandable memory slot, voice recording, Fm radio and video support.

Check out the video review for a thorough demonstration of all the Sansa's features. – Jason Chen

Sansa e260 Mp3 Player Video Review [Mobility Today]

In our monthly episode of “the FCC sucks at life sometimes,” XM has pulled certain units from the shelves and stopped selling the units from their online store. The only radios pulled were ones that included an FM transmitting modulator. The Inno was excluded because it can be firmware updated.

Reasoning? The FCC sucks, easy enough. They are currently investigating the emission levels of the FM transmitters and XM is going to halt the sales of units with FM transmitters until a ruling is made. Come on guys, didn’t you see that Ofcom over in UK-land is reconsidering their ban of iTrips. Stop the FM transmitting hate, yo. – Travis Hudson

XM Pulls FM-Enabled Radios from Kiosks & Online Store [Orbitcast]

 
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Related: iPod Gaming, Fo’ Sheezy?
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The Apple rumor mill is once again churning. Supposedly the iPods are going to get some real official gaming action. None of this Brick Attack, Parachute or—god forbid—scroll-wheel solitaire that you are used to.

The rumors are coming by ways of a hotshot gaming software engineer, a software engineer recruiter and an Apple recruiter. We’ll call the recruiters orange and apple—get it? Fruit! Anyway, orange was trying to get some hotshot software engineer prospective to work for his company. Unfortunately the hotshot coder turned down orange because he was being heavily recruited by apple.

Further information surfaced that Mike Lampell, an Apple hiring manager, is hiring a fleet of C/C++ coders with a ‘gaming background.’ The project in works by Apple is super secret and they wouldn’t disclose any information to potential employees until they were hired and signed their soul over to a non-disclosure agreement. – Travis Hudson

Apple (finally) getting its game on? [Via Kotaku]

 
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Related: Jobs Wants Your iPod Money Once A Year
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Maybe it was due to Brian Williams’ disarming demeanor, but Jobs just coughed up a nice quote during their interview today.

Jobs: You know, you keep on innovating, you keep on making better stuff. And if you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year. [Emphasis added.]

And here we thought it was because of cracked screens, scratched finishes, and battery problems that we had to buy new iPods each year. We understand it’s true, if you want the latest toys, you’re going to have to upgrade frequently. But it’s usually not something you say out loud for fear of looking like a jerk and being misinterpreted.

At least he didn’t say we needed to buy a new MacBook Pro every year. – Jason Chen

Update: Alright, my bad. I was harsh on him when he was just speaking the truth. It’s understood that if you do want the latest and greatest you’re going to have to pay for it. I thought I made that clear, but the accusatory tone didn’t help. Sorry!

How did we go from Apple FanBoys to Apple Haters in the same day?

Steve Jobs: Iconoclast and salesman [MSNBC]

 
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Related: Hello Kitty iPod Dock/Speakers
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Want your Hello Kitty fix on something beside an ear cleaner? How about this Hello Kitty iPod Dock. An otherwise plain dock, save for the Hello Kitty-ness, this supports any iPod that fits the standard dock in 3-5G iPods. There's even a line out jack for plugging into another stereo system or headphones.

Honestly, I don't think there's anyone actually reading this far. Hello Kitty lovers have already gone and bought the item, and everyone else has skipped and gone onto the next post. That means I can take this space to declare my undying love for Jude Law. That man is dyno-miiiite!. – Jason Chen

KT4555 iPod Speakers [Spectra - Thanks Farhan!]

You gotta hand it to Meizu for taking the iPod look and grafting it onto an otherwise plain PMP. Some of the things they stole: The white/black finish, the grey control area, the metallic backing, the hold switch, and the iPod-like navigation system.

Nonetheless, this PMP comes with up to 4GB of memory, a 2.4″ screen, a microphone plug for voice recording, FM support of some kind, USB support and MP3/WAV/OGG/WMA for audio, and Xvid for video. It has 20 hours of battery life for audio and 6 for video. Lots of features in a little package.

A separate case is available for $36. No word yet on pricing. – Jason Chen

Product Page

Meizu Miniplayer [imp3 via The MP3 Players]

 
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This is a unique dock that looks like a poor man’s Sonos sans the DRM problems. This dock connects to almost any audio device, including the iPod and PSP, and transmits the audio to any other matching receiver or wireless headset around the house.

Each dock has S-Video, composite, and S-Video out and a clever little stand with some sort of pumpkin on it. It can output video from the iPod Video and Photo. The dock comes with a remote and one Hi-Fi Receiver and costs $149.99. – John Biggs

Product Page [Friend Tech]

 
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Designed for a "broadcast professional" the Koss Pro4AAA headphones have a titanium coating on "2 mil mylar diaphrams for a frequency response of 10-25,000 Hz." This means they sound good.

These are closed ear headphones, which means they block sound from the outside. They're not completely sound blocking, like The Plug, but they should be enough to tune out the cries of your infant child so you can finally get some work done.

Available for $149 with a lifetime warranty.

Koss Introduces the PRO4AAA Titanium [Koss]

The iPod company and the shoe company are partnering together to make your workout easier and more fun. Nike’s new footwear, the Moire, tracks information during your run such as distance, time, speed, and calories burned. The iPod Sport Kit allows you to view the workout data from your shoe in real time, not after your workout is over.

There’s even a voice that speaks the data to you so you won’t have to look at your iPod. And after the workout, upload the information to your computer to keep track of your progress. We hate running as much as we love ice cream, but this would actually make us exercise.

Product Page

Nike x Apple [Cool Hunting]

 
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After all the notoriety and commotion surrounding the failed Gizmondo company, someone is trying to sell Gizmondo mobile gaming consoles, and the scary part is, there will probably be someone eager to buy one. True, it does have a GPS device and mp3 player inside, but there won’t be any new games available for the dead platform.

There are only three of the discontinued devices in stock, so hurry and pony up your hard-earned £127.64 ($239.56) for it. Just think, you could add it to your “ash heap of history” collection.

Gizmondo Gaming Console [ebuyer]

 
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When consumers hear Memorex, what comes to mind? Most likely CDRs, DVDRs and burners, not MP3 players. But Memorex is trying wedge itself into an already tight market like your wife into her jeans from college.

The most interesting design is a disc shaped player, the MMP8550, which is reminiscent of all their blank media with a big play button in the middle. It has no display, 256 MB of flash and MP3 + WMA support. The only reason you’d pick this up is as a conversation piece.

The other players are standard 512 MB, 3 year old flash player designs, which makes us wonder what Memorex is thinking.

MMP8550 Product Page

MMP8565 Product Page

MMP3774 Product Page

MMP8564 Product Page

New Stuff from Memorex [dapreview]

 
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The following news could be good or bad: the FCC has started the auction process for the commercial licenses that will enable Internet access and voice over IP (VOIP) telephone calls on airline flights. The bids for these valuable frequencies are already over $5 million, where nine companies are fighting for the right to annoy you with other people’s phone conversations, or on the other hand, make the hours go by faster with Web access and chat from 35,000 feet. Seems inevitable, but good or bad?

In-Flight Internet [DailyTech]

 
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While this thing isn't particularly ground-breaking, its always great to see mini-PCs and hard drive enclosures come together in a way that is both ingenious and useful. The Mvix Multimedia Player plays video, audio, and images from a 3.5" disk—not included (!!)—and can transmit the audio via an FM transmitter. Hmm, you're saying, couldn't I put that in my car and watch porn in the hooptie? Sure you can, and plenty of people will.

It has S-Video and component video outputs on the back, a USB port, optical audio, and includes a remote control. Priced at $249 sans hard drive, this is an interesting enclosure with lots of homebrew promise.

Product Page [MVix]

Here's a techno-concept that's more like real origami than those overblown PDAs we've been ridiculing reporting about for the past few months—it's an e-paper DVD screen that folds up into a tiny package that's easy to carry around.

Of course, this is not really real; it's a design concept from Inventables, a concept studio just north of Chicago. But it's a nice, fanciful graphic and we thought it might give you a peek into what technology could be like a few years from now. That e-paper screen itself is actually being developed by Mag-Ink in Israel (among others), but no one is saying when we might see a product like this in the real world. This concept is a little anachronistic, though, because by the time we see screens like this, won't DVD players be a forgotten relic, long since discarded to the ash heap of history?

Origami DVD Player [Inventables, via bornrich]