pvps

Touch-screen MP3 players and PVPs are all the rage, and it's no wonder: the migration of controls to the display of a device makes it possible to dedicate most of a player's surface area to the screen. Thus, larger screens on smaller gadgets. Surely, the Apple iPod Touch is a testament to the potential success of this setup, and Samsung's first foray into this arena, the P2, was no slouch, either, drawing praise from critics and consumers alike.

As such, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Samsung's follow-up, the P3, is quite the impressive … Read more

The Archos 605 WiFi PVP already does a lot of things. It's an MP3 player, a video player, a photo viewer, a PDF viewer, and a Web portal. Now, it can be your personal navigator. Today, Archos announced the GPS In-Car Holder, an add-on accessory that brings the features of a portable navigation system to the PVP. The GPS receiver is built into the car mount, so you can simply slide your 605 WiFi into the cradle and connect it to your windshield and car stereo (via line-out) to get real-time tracking and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions. Maps of North … Read more

Every year, we CNET Editors approach CES with a mixture of excitement and some underlying, stress-induced dread. The show is always a lot of work--and spending five days in the dry Vegas climate when accustomed to San Francisco's damp (cigarette smoke-free) air almost guarantees coming back with a cold--but at least we have some shiny new gadgets to look forward to seeing. And yet CES 2008 just didn't quite deliver in the MP3 and PVP category...or several others, apparently.

Don't get me wrong: Senior Editor Donald Bell and I saw plenty of cool gear. However, most … Read more

It's been a tumultuous year for MP3 players. Apple's iPhone arrived, presenting the best argument we've seen for converging your MP3 player, phone, and portable video player. Flash memory MP3 players became smaller, cheaper, and more ubiquitous, getting lost between sofa cushions all over the world. We also witnessed online music retailers finally embracing DRM-free music downloads, offering a beacon of hope for a music industry lost at sea. So what MP3 player trends can we expect to see for 2008? Here are a few predictions we're willing to stake our reputation on.

We first got a glimpse of Cowon's super-portable media player, the Cowon Q5, back at CES 2007, but details were pretty foggy on specs, pricing, and availability. However, things are clearing up as the company has announced final pricing and specs for the United States, and the forecast for this PMP looks quite rosy.

First, the Q5 will come in two models: a 40GB version for $499.99 and a 60GB version at $549.99. Both devices are expected to ship by the end of Q2 (sorry, Cowon didn't get any more specific than that), and they … Read more

iRiver is showing off a few new products at CES, but the coolest among them is the W10, a Wi-Fi-capable portable media player with a 3-inch 480 x 272-pixel touch-screen LCD. In addition to 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of internal flash memory, this hottie will sport a Mini SD slot for expandable storage. It runs on Windows CE and supports plenty of different audio and video formats (MPEG-4 SP, WMV9, MP3, WMA, AAC, and H.264).

But the niftiest features are the Wi-Fi positioning finder, thanks to a partnership with SkyHook Wireless, and VoIP capability for using the device to … Read more

This Editors' Take refers to a preproduction version of the SanDisk Sansa View that was never manufactured. The following link takes you to our review for the final production model of the SanDisk Sansa View.

With so many MP3 players supporting videos nowadays, it's tough to distinguish where they end and where portable video players (PVPs) begin. Still, I say any screen below about 2.5 inches doesn't cut it when it comes to video--it's not worth the eyestrain. SanDisk's Sansa View, however, offers a 4-inch widescreen, which qualifies the device as a PVP in my … Read more