Sony's latest generation of digital voice recorders is angled firmly at the consumer and student market with colourful finishes and MP3-playing abilities.

The slimline ICD-UX200, ICD-UX300 and ICD-UX300F are lightweight 3-in-1 devices that offer voice recording, file storage and music playback via the built-in speakers or the supplied in-ear headphones.

Voice recordings are captured in stereo as MP3 files with a background noise filter helping to keep them clear while 21-step digital playback speed control claims to help when listening back.

Compatible with PCs and Macs, and boasting drag-and-drop file support, the new devices get a slide-out USB connector, folder options and a LCD screen with easy-to-read 5-line display.

Battery life comes in at up to 15 hours in LP mode, while playback extends to 83 hours, presumably less if via the speakers.

The 2GB ICD-UX200 will be available in black, silver, pink and red finishes. The 4GB ICD-UX300 will see black or red finishes while the 4GB ICD-UX300F, complete with an FM tuner, will just be available in black.

The ICD-UX200, UX300 and UX300F digital voice recorders will be available from December 2009 - pricing to be confirmed.

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Tags: Gadgets Sony Hardware Storage Audio MP3 players Sony ICD-UX300 Voice recorders

Sony launches colourful 3-in-1 digital voice recorders originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:28:53 +0000

Rumours are surfacing once again?on the Internet that Apple's iPod touch will get a camera in spring 2010.

According to unnamed "inside sources", news website examiner.com says the "iPod Touch 3G with camera?had actually been?planned?for release this past?September, but had problems passing quality control".

The article goes on to state that the "iPod Touch 3G with camera will allegedly have the same camera as the updated iPod Nano, which shoots video, but not still pictures".

Pointing out the obvious, just another rumour, or do you think it's really true? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Tags: Audio iPod MP3 players Apple iPod Touch

iPod touch getting camera after all... originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:41:16 +0000

Zune HD?owners have been given a treat on Thursday; a selection of free 3D games to download and play.

The new games, available for users who have updated to the new 4.3 software, will offer music listeners the chance to race around the streets of London, go bowling, play the piano and opt for a quick game of checkers.

The games will show you an advert before loading (they are free after all) but then give you a full 3D experience thanks to the?Nvidia Tegra chip?onboard.

Top of the pile is PGR: Ferrari Edition that according to the blurb will let you:

Tear through the streets of London, Tokyo, and New York using intuitive tilt and touch controls.?Choose from 12 Ferrari cars and test your skill in 33 events in Career Mode. Go head-to-head against three other players in a wireless network race. Share your records with your friends and race their ghost cars in Time Trial mode. Earn kudos for racing with style—it's not just winning, but how you win that counts.?

Other titles are:

• Lucky lane bowling
• Vans Sk8: Pool service
• Piano
• Audio Surf: Tilt
• Checkers

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Tags: Audio MP3 players Zune HD Microsoft Gaming

Zune HD 3D games released originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:33:15 +0000

Pocket-lint has teamed up with SanDisk to bring you the chance of winning one of five SanDisk 4GB MP3 players, this is the? successor to the SanDisk Sansa Clip with that "+" coming in the form of a microSD memory card slot.

As the name might suggest, the player gets a clip on the back for trouble free listening whilst out and about, a 1-inch OLED display, an FM tuner with 40 presets, voice recorder, equaliser, and up to 15 hours of rechargeable battery life.

The player is certified to work with Windows 7 while file support comes in MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and Audible files with support for Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic and others.

To be in with a chance of winning one of five 4GB Clip+, courtesy of SanDisk, just click through on the link below, where you'll be whisked away to the competition page and asked to answer one simple question.

Related links:

• Competition - SanDisk Sansa Clip+

Tags: Audio MP3 players SanDisk SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Competitions

Win a SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:05:29 +0000

After a mixed start at CES 2009, it's been an excellent year for music gadgets. Slowly the world is getting over its lust for hording mp3 downloads in favour of streaming and digital music, possibly a sign that it's maturing. Sound quality has become important once more rather than just access to one's collection on the move, and the natural pace of technology has meant better bit rates to back it up. At the same time, the high end audio has become more affordable under the pressure of a world recession, while the cheap tat at the other end that doesn't deliver is gradually disappearing. So, in light of such promise, just how were we taken from A to B and who best reflected the consumer's desire in audio gadget function and form?

Dock/Radios

It's hard to believe that the dock/radio market has expanded after what already seemed like saturated times in 2008. The usual suspects like Gear4, Altec Lansing, Pure, Roberts and Logitech are still churning them out both large and small at a steady rate but what we've seen is an increasing move of the high end brands in their embrace of the mp3 and that now ubiquitous 30-pin dock connector. Naturally, the audiophile-friendly manufacturers have admitted defeat in their own way and it's generally been a huge boost to the sector in both design and sound engineering.

Arcam's second foray into the field with the irDock cleans up RF interference, Yamaha has joined the fray with the company's first iPod products, even LEGO got involved as part of the range of 2009 tech products. On the design side, Bowers and Wilkens helped up the ante and many have followed producing almost a new branch of the market into style-led devices many of which have a distinctly 70s, 80s, futurist or retro feel. Revo, YBA and Grove Neo are all good examples, not forgetting an appearance from Phillippe Starck and some completely out the box styles from Bang & Olufsen that we probably should have all expected.

While style and audio quality marched on, so has the technology being driven by the theme of connectivity which has been the strongest throughout all gadgets this year. The dock/radio masters have been the ones pushing boundaries of functionality furthest with touchscreen interfaces and some even with their own app stores, widgets and native support for both Twitter and Facebook. Internet radio has been the add-on for most and with over a third of the world listening to it, it's small wonder. Between that, DAB, SD card slots, mp3 support and USB drives, this sector is fast catching up with the mini-systems and separates above them.

Mini-Systems & Hi-Fi

These gadgets have remained very much the preserve of the serious music fan and probably more so with the lower end of the market doing well in 2009. At the same time, the acceptance of the dock has meant most now have attachments, as well as USB ports and support for digital music as well. The likes of Marantz and Denon are still offering up the goods with perhaps more focus on aesthetics than ever before, but none typifies more the situation than the rare appearance of the NaimUniti system - the very first from this high end manufacturer in the new era.

Headphones

Quality has been the theme oozing from the headphones market in 2009. It all started rather frighteningly at CES with it seeming like we'd have to rob a bank in order to satisfy our aural delights. Denon and Sennheiser both came out with classy on-ear phones at around the ?1000 mark but with Sony's launch of the XB, we knew that on-ear style was making a comeback and that we could afford it as well. Sennheiser followed suit, as did many others in the field, but soon we were to find out where the real trend lay - the in-ear design.

Noise cancelling and isolating has been the story for headhones in 2009. Both technologies have, of course, been around for many years now but never before have we seen them come in such a large price range. Sony and Denon were the first to bring noise-cancelling to the small form, while many such as Logitech, with their purchase of Ultimate Ears, Klipsch and Shure chose to find ways to isolate the interference from the outside world. Etymotics went one stage further by offering custom ear-moulds with their range, including the service from ACS. And finally, Radiopaq took the altogether different approach of both specially tuning headphones for digital music and even creating an adaptor to do the same almost at source.

MP3 players/PMPs

One of the most exciting areas of gadgetry in 2009 has been PMPs. With the addition of HD screens, the support of all sorts of video codecs and the commonplace occurrence of touch technology, it's been one of the main focuses of convergence throughout the industry.

It was another mixed start in the field at CES with the Android-sporting GiiNii Movit proving one of the highlights of the show and yet it's failed to appear on our shelves. Sansa came up with a new approach with SlotRadio, which was later improved, and Samsung surprised us all with the challenger to the iPod touch in the shape of the P3. Since then, we've seen an entire new range from the Korean giant in Beat, and Sony has been working hard with the X, B and W series showing off both functionality and innovation of lifestyle design.

Philips, Creative and iRiver have all put in the time and just about everyone has made sure that they include Wi-Fi, DivX support and as much streaming capability as they can muster. Whether your PMP is big or small, just about all of them can play video now and even some can record it as we saw in the refresh of the iPod range with the 5th generation nano and notably not in the iPod touch, which now suffers even stronger competition from the Zune HD amongst others. Last, littlest but certainly not least, do spare a thought for the 3rd generation, lozenge of an iPod shuffle which thankfully has its own voice to help shout about it too.

Fortunately, all the PMPs have more memory stacked in them than ever before else they'd not be much use for storing video and the larger screen devices such as the Archos 5 are now almost indistinguishable from actual computers. Doubtless a flurry of internet tablets in the coming 12 months will permanently blur the divide. As for the likes of INQ's upcoming Spotify phone and the increase in the mobility service, we can save that confusion for next year's awards.

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our ears have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Music Gadget 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 announced
• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale

Tags: Audio Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards MP3 players PMPs Headphones iPod docks Radios

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - music gadgets originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:38:56 +0000

Apple is expected to launch a radio app for its iPhone and iPod touch, allowing users to tune into their favourite radio stations on the Internet.

The rumour, which this time comes from sources talking to 9to5mac.com, will be a radio app that "will be allowed to operate in the background like iPod.app and will offer the same functionality as the FM radio in the new Apple iPod nano (5th Gen)".

The article goes on to suggest that the application would also allow you to by music from the mobile iTunes store once you hear it, no doubt massively increasing sales in iTunes.

Apple has so far shied away from offering a radio on its iPod line, however with Microsoft's Zune HD offering the feature, some believe that Apple is making the move as to not play second fiddle to the OLED packing MP3 player.

It is also expected that the radio app would offer the same Live Pause functionality that the Nanos currently enjoy.

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio MP3 players Apple iPod Radios Internet radios iPod nano iPod Touch iPhone Phones Mobile phones

Apple rumoured to be working on radio app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:56:47 +0100

Advanced MP3 Players has announced the launch of the Mintpass Mintpad, describing the tiny device as an "all-in-one pocket wonder".

Angled as much more than simply a digital audio player, the 2.8-inch touchscreen Mintpad gets a full-featured web-browser and an integrated video-capable 1.2-megapixel camera.

Running Windows CE there's support for some Microsoft programs, such as Word, while features include Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Mintpad supports Flash, boasts MSN Messenger, 4GB built-in memory (expandable up to 16GB via microSD) and boasts a battery life of 30 hours for audio and 6 hours video.

The Mintpad is available now for ?139, while a 20GB model is also available for ?169.

Related links:

• Shop - Advanced MP3 Players

Tags: Audio PMPs Mintpad Advanced MP3 players Mintpass MP3 players Tablet PCs

Mintpad launches in the UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:53:05 +0100

When we clapped eyes on this Hannah Montana special edition of the Sony Walkman E-series Walkman, we knew it was something we had to get our grubby hands on.

Sony has partnered with Disney to bring out this limited edition Hannah Montana MP3 player in an unmistakable bright pink colour, with its laser engraved Hannah Montana signature and motif.

It comes in a presentation case that doubles as a jewellery box, with a mirror inside the lid. There are three drawers for all your stuff, with the Hannah Montana Walkman sitting in one, and the funky padded case residing in the other.

The E-series Walkman features a 2-inch QVGA colour screen, FM radio and comes in a 4GB capacity and will give you about 30 hours of music playback.

Available exclusively from Argos, Sony.co.uk and Sony Centres, it will be on sale from 15 October, and will set you back ?99.99.

Related links:

• Buy it! - Argos.co.uk

Tags: Audio Sony Walkman Hannah Montana MP3 players Photos

PHOTOS: Hannah Montana E-series Sony Walkman originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:22:47 +0100

Olympus has introduced the WS-560M digital voice recorder and mass storage device with the bold claims that it's "the sleekest and most eye-catching product on the market".
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With six recording modes including Windows Media Audio and three stereo options, the WS-560M also gets playback of MP3 and WAV and advanced noise cancellation technologies.

Offering 4GB of memory, the WS-560M boasts 1000 hours of recording in long-play mode. There's USB connectivity to hook it up to your PC, and the device also charges via USB boasting "long" battery life.
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Measuring 94.8 x 38 x 11mm, the WS-560M gets an LCD display and integrated speaker, comes in brown and is available from ?129.99.

Tags: Gadgets Olympus Olympus WS-560M Voice recorders USB gadgets Audio MP3 players Flash drives

Olympus WS-560M digital voice recorder launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:58:29 +0100

SanDisk has announced the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player in the UK, the successor to the SanDisk Sansa Clip with that "+" coming in the form of a microSD memory card slot.

As the name might suggest, the player gets a clip on the back for wearability, a 1-inch OLED display, an FM tuner with 40 presets, voice recorder, equaliser, and up to 15 hours of rechargable battery life.

The player is certified to play nice with Windows 7 while file support comes in with MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and Audible files with support for Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic and others.

Available in red, blue or black, the Clip+ comes in three capacities with the 2GB model around ?38, the 4GBer at ?46 and the 8GB device priced at ?63.

Related links:

• PHOTOS - SanDisk Sansa Clip+

Tags: Audio MP3 players SanDisk SanDisk Sansa Clip+

SanDisk Sansa Clip+ launches in UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:19:00 +0100

The iRiver B30 is now on sale in the UK through Digital Audio Distribution, the exclusive distributor of iRiver goodies on our fair isle.

The B30 offers DAB radio on the go plus all the features of a portable media player.

Boasting "crystal clear digital audio" the device offers SRS WOW sound enhancement and SRS Circle Surround Headphone with the boasts of 5.1 sound with standard headphones.

On the DAB side, the B30 offers an RPG, the ability to record programmes and support for DAB+ for a tidy bit of future-proofing.

The B30 gets a G-Sensor that auto-adjusts to watch videos in landscape mode and the ability to shake the player to change tracks.

With the claim of a user-friendly interface, the B30 has a touch-sensitive control surface with haptic feedback.

Battery life claims come in at 40 hours for music and 6 hours for video. Storage-wise the B30 is available in 8GB and 16GB models that are expandable via microSD card.

The iRiver B30 is available from ?139 from www.dadaudio.co.uk.

Related links:

• Shop - DADAudio

Tags: Audio iRiver DAB Radios PMPs Digital Audio Distribution MP3 players

iRiver B30 DAB radio and PMP on sale in UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:08:10 +0100

The European Union has demanded that MP3 player and mobile phone manufacturers decrease the volume on their output, in a concession to the risk of deafness. The consumer protection unit said that the new rules are aimed at teenagers, reports the AFP.

"It can take years for the hearing damage to show, and then it is simply too late," said the head of the unit, Meglena Kuneva. "These standards make small technical changes to players so that by default, normal use is safe".

That default limit is 80 decibels - about the same as a vacuum cleaner or alarm clock. It's possible to override those settings, but users would be then given a warning about the risks they're taking. "If consumers choose to over-ride the default settings they can", said Kuneva.

The proposals have a two-year timeframe for comment from the industry, before they're brought into force. Malcolm Harbour, chairman of the European parliament's consumer protection committee and Tory MP, commented: "Hopefully it will reduce the number of times we have to listen to the din of someone else's personal stereo on the bus or the tube".

The EU is also looking into the exploding iPhone phenomenon, with Kuneva saying: "If goods are dangerous, then we will order a recall".

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Related links:

• News - Apple adds volume limiting to iPods
• News - Man sues Apple over iPod volume

Tags: Audio MP3 players EU Mobile phones

EU imposes music player volume limit originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:53:19 +0100