Photos: Hands-on with Commodore's new Gravels
The Commodore Gravel is a palm-sized PVP that plays music and videos. It also lets you download content over a Wi-Fi connection
Commodore is back with a bang with a new range of products, including a portable media player with Wi-Fi functionality, called the Gravel In Pocket. This petite music and video player is set to come out in the next couple of weeks and we were fortunate to get a hands-on with it out here at CeBIT, as well as checking out some of Commodore's other new kit. (See our video from the Commodore stand.)
There's no denying that seeing the Commodore logo brings back fond memories and even if you're not familiar with the old-school brand, this device is worth checking out. On the front there's a bright 71mm (2.8-inch) colour screen. The control joystick is on the back, which might sound weird but actually works quite well, as your fingers naturally rest at the back when you're holding it.
The Gravel In Pocket can display JPEG, BMP, GIF and PNG pictures and play MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX and XviD files. There's 2GB of on-board memory with the option to expand it to up to 4GB via an expandable SD slot. You can either download your own content to it or use Commodore World, a subscription-based content service you can access over Wi-Fi.
You can also upload files to a 'virtual locker' through the Gravel and share it with your friends -- providing they also own a Gravel, of course. The only thing that disappointed us is that you can't send files directly from one Gravel device to another.
We also got to see some of Commodore's upcoming devices due to arrive later this year. The Gravel Personal is similar in terms of features to the In Pocket, but comes with a larger 102mm (4-inch) colour screen, a 2-megapixel camera on the back and up to 4GB of on-board memory, with the option to expand it to 6GB via an SD slot.
Next up was the Gravel In Car, which comes with a built-in GPS receiver. This means that on top of being a portable media player it can also be used as a satellite-navigation system. There's also a 2-megapixel camera on the back and as with the Gravel Personal, you can upload any photos you take straight to your virtual locker. Click through for more photos. -AL
To navigate around the Gravel In Pocket's menus you use this joystick on the back. It may seem strangely placed but it's actually quite easy to use.
The Gravel Personal has a large colour screen, making it great for viewing pictures and videos on the go.
On the back of the Gravel Personal there's the same navigation joystick found on the In Pocket, but you also get a 2-megapixel camera.
The Gravel In Car features a built-in GPS receiver, so you can use it as a satellite-navigation system.