Mighty Gadget Blog: The latest technology news & reviews in the UK

We see a lot of PMPs heading to the market but are most of them any good? Creative in my mind were always top dog before Apple took over and the popularity stealing iPod broke the mainstream. Since Creative have lagged behind and haven’t seemed to push its boundaries into making an iPod conqueror. Sadly it looks like that will continue. BUT!! If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to an iPod with the same functions, decent build quality and functionality Creative don’t disappoint.

Firstly there’s the Creative Zen X-Fi Style, the top dog of the bunch. Packing a small and disappointing 320x240 2.4” screen, the X-Fi Style obviously won’t win anybody over there but (again a big but) what it lacks in screen size it produces in other functions. With TV out it solves the problem of squinty eye video watching and with FLAC support those audiophiles amongst us can dabble into lossless sound quality. The battery life of the X-Fi is also top drawer, looking at 25 hours of music playback and 5 hours for video. Also with an FM Radio Tuner, the X-Fi will be available in 8, 16 or 32GB capacities the prices will be £69.99, £99.99 and £139.99 respectively.

Next is the Zen Style 300 and 100. Available in 4, 8 and 16GB these are the scaled down versions. Both with minute 1.8” screens the 300 has an FM radio tuner and a built-in speaker however the 100 model won’t have these. Again though its the battery life that’s impressive……..32 hours!!! The price though is also a good point, starting as low as £34.99 for the lowest spec to £79.99 for the largest capacity 300 model. All 3 models will be available from Wednesday 14th.

For those wanting something different from your regular Hi-Fi system or iPod dock, comes the Olive Opus 4. This high end, high quality digital music player offers a mindblowing 2TB in its flagship model which can store thousands of your cd’s and play them back in full cd quality, without the mess and constant changing of records. All controlled with an intuitive touchscreen.

Prices in America start at $1599 for 500GB , $1699 for 1TB and $1799 for 2TB

Full Specs for Opus 4  :-

• Music is stored using lossless compression (FLAC) for the best possible reproduction of the original recording, including every tone in the artists voices and individual instruments in vivid clarity
• Sound quality is further enhanced by a high resolution digital-to-analog converter (DAC), optimized circuit design and precision power supply
• Holds almost 6000 CDs so even the largest music collection is all instantly accessible
• Navigation is fast and intuitive through a color-coded touchscreen menu or familiar CD player buttons
• Digitizing music in high fidelity is incredibly easy - either insert CDs into the built-in CD drive and the music is imported and automatically categorized…or allow Olive to do the work for you with its CD digitizing service
• Playback can be expanded throughout the home using the Melody Hi-Fi Multi-Room Player, which connects to the Opus through a wireless or wired network and allows music to be played in up to 10 rooms simultaneously
• Thoughtful design, craftsmanship and high-quality materials - fine grade aluminum exterior etched with distinctive musical genre pattern is stylish, functional (cooling without a noisy fan) and recyclable
• Maestro browser-based software makes music management easy to do - drag & drop playlist creation, metadata personalization and album artwork customization
• Thousands of pre-set internet radio stations are available and adding other personal favorites is easy
• Metadata library is extensive and regularly bolstered by proprietary additions, e.g. only Olive includes such detailed genre-specific information for Classical as Composer, Work, Orchestra, Conductor, Instrument/Voice, Choir, Soloist and for Jazz as Artist, Album, Sidemen, Release Date, Music Label, Instrument/Voice, Original Recording Date
• Opus is not a computer peripheral, so it frees the music experience from PCs or network storage devices and related security/virus concerns
• Set-up is simple, no home installers are required

Source : Coolest-Gadgets

Samsung’s new PMP, the YP-Q2, has just had its pricing and availability revealed. In the US you will be able to pick up the Samsung YP-Q2 from April. Like the YP-Q1 before it, the Samsung YP-Q2 comes in 8 and 16GB flavours, and will sell for £70 ($100) and £90 ($130) respectively.

The Samsung YP-Q2 has a 2.4 inch up to 50 hours of music playback and high quality FLAC file support. Its predecessor, the YP-Q1 had BBC iPlayer support so it is likely this will also support it.

No word on a UK release yet