iRiver PMP-100 [20Gb Portable Media Player that runs on Linux...Archos/Lyra Killer fo schizzle]

[Silex]

You can check out links and info on this sucka here. IGN did a preview on it and should be getting a review unit before anybody else I'm sure. I heard it will cost around $500 at first. You might be asking "what are the differences the PMC and PMP?" Well, PMC runs on Windows Media and stands for Portable Media Center whereas PMP runs on iRiver's own proprietary Linux platform that stands for Portable Media Player. The PMP supports more formats and might well be the first player that will rid of having to encode files to fit the screen. Just a simple drag n' drop fest. What do you guys think about this sucker?

 

[dc]

creative also has a new zen coming out, but it's not on their site yet.
pic and info on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00028DJTY/ref=amb_right-2_96522_2/103-3553494-7867046

 

[Silex]

That Zen isn't the one with the lcd screen though; although I heard they are making one too.

I don't know too much about it, but that iRiver has so much file compatibility that it will blow everything out of the water. Including a removable lith-ion battery that provides 5hrs continuous playback of video which is more than DOUBLE what current players can do (a first for iRiver to have a removable), and OTG which is an On-The-Go file transfer protocol that will allow digicams to connect to the unit directly and transfer pictures between the without a computer. I hope this implentation of OTG is more in depth than they make it out to be, because I would LOVE to hook up my tiny iriver 180T and transfer songs to it while leaving the PMP like in the car or backpack or something.

The only other "interesting" player that will out soon is called the TAZ 1 by http://www.tightaudiosystems.com/. It features a built-in removable mp3 player and a removable hard drive which is a first for an mp3 player. No real production pics yet as all those pics on their site are computer generated, but I heard that they are tring their hardest to get a widescreen 16:9 lcd on that player which would also make it stand out above and beond other players as the best one for movie playback. Honestly, it seems like vaporware to me, but the company says that this "unbelievable" unit will be out beginning of September at the lastest.

Actually, I remember now that they said they had a protoype production model, but has had no time to snap pics of it yet, because, and I quote, it's been "zooming all over the world for photoshoots."