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Philips GoGear Muse gets revamped

written by Gavin Smith on Feb 25th, 2010
Category: Philips

There’s more news out of the Philips camp than just the recently announced Android-driven GoGear Connect. Yup, Philips have been busy giving the formidable GoGear Muse a makeover of sorts.

Similar to the GoGear Connect, the Muse sports an aluminium enclosure around a 3.2-inch display complimenting a 720p HDMI ouput. File support is somewhat of a mystery; however, expect support for Audible, FLAC, APE, MP3, and WMA. The down-side is that the device looks to be audio-only putting it in the same league as the iAudio 9.

Available in either 8GB, 16GB or 32GB capacities, the Muse includes a microSD slot for further storage expansion. Additional features include a Songbird player, iPlayer, FM tuner, and microphone.

Prices are sketchy at the mo, but we have seen estimations of the 16GB version coming in at around $170 or 129 Euros. Expect a release date of around May.

[Source]

Philips surprises with GoGear Connect

written by Gavin Smith on Feb 24th, 2010
Category: Philips

Philips has announced its newest player to embrace the world of technology – the Philips GoGear Connect. In some respects, this player is unlike any media player that we have previously seen out of the Philips camp.

From a company that has fought many proprietary format wars over the years, Philips has announced that its newest PMP is to sport Google’s Android OS (v2.1). Philips’ adoption of the popular OS will further bolster Google’s ever-increasing hold on the market.

There’s more to this player than Android. The device with its shiny, stylish design features a 3.2-inch touchscreen (320 x 240) with haptic feedback and accelerometer. Consumers will be able to choose from either 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and even 64GB. When space becomes a tight squeeze, the SD slot will come in handy.

But we’ve left the best until last. Although details are sketchy, we understand that the GoGear Connect will feature built-in GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and even a camera. The Connect will allow consumers to take advantage of the Android Marketplace using the WiFi interface.

A July launch date has been officially stated, but another trusted Philips source has suggested that a September date is more likely (to coincide with the IFA trade show in Berlin).

No word on price.

[Source]

Philips SA075 gets spec’ed

written by Craig Matthews on Jan 12th, 2010
Category: Philips

Philips SA075

The Philips SA075 might have received the red carpet treatment at a launch party in Beijing, but getting any stats on the much anticipated player has proven difficult. For goodness sake, we’ve had more success getting stats on the less exciting Philips Cam.

Well, we now have the specifications to end all speculation on the newest Philips PMP.

That flash, glossy touchscreen displaying at 800 x 480 pixels extends a healthy 4.3-inches.  The slits for the speakers left and right of the player in combination with the black finish and the player’s rounded edges mimic the iPhone in appearance – we’re not complaining.

The SA075 is available in either 8GB or 16GB flavors and both models include a Micro SD card slot for further expansions.

Filled with support for open-format goodness, the device can handle most popular formats including MP3, WAV, APE, FLAC, and OGG audio formats and AVI, MKV, MP4, WMV, RMVB, FLV, and XVID video formats amongst others with playback support for video up to a 1280 × 720 resolution.

But the SA075 is not just limited to just being your ordinary media player. The player can function as a voice recorder, e-book reader, and FM radio – it has it all.

If that English-looking menu is anything to go on, we should be seeing a Stateside release (or at least we hope). While no word on a release date, the SA075 will retail for 1099 (or ~$161 USD) and 1299 yuan (or ~$190 USD) for the 8GB and 16GB, respectively.

[via source]

Philips Cam added to ‘multimedia players’ line

written by Gavin Smith on Jan 11th, 2010
Category: Philips

Philips CamPhilips Cam

The Philips Cam was first spotted at a launch party in Beijing for the Philips SA075. Previously, all we had to go on was an image that was uploaded online; not even the model name was known. On show at CES 2010, the Cam was likely overlooked by consumers mistaking the Cam for an entry-level digital camera.

The Cam, as far as we understand, is a video-capable player with an inbuilt camera function. Before you consider replacing your Nikon D90, the player’s camera is spec’d at 2.0 megapixels, sitting it more on-par with the iPhone 2G.

Available in a 8GB capacity, the Cam comes equipped with a 1.8-inch display. No word on an expansion slot which is a shame – a gradual collection of photos and video can add up quickly.

Philips has announced that the Cam will see a release date of April and will retail for a respectable $99 USD.

[via imp3]

Sporty Philips Activa leaked before CES

written by Gavin Smith on Jan 5th, 2010
Category: Philips

Sure we’ve seen the odd product secret divulged, but Philips are generally one of the few companies that usually manage to keep a lid on upcoming products, but even they are not immune to a geeks curiosity.

The new Philips Activa is set to take on the likes of Samsung’s MyFit. Similar to the MyFit, the Activa is geared towards those sporty individuals who get more of a rush out of jogging than sitting in front of their PCs.

philips activa

GMP3 informs us that the player integrates sensors to measure the number of calories lost and distance traveled. Incorporated is a mode in which tracks are automatically selected to form a playlist dependent on the tempo of your workout.

Other than a price of $130 and an availability or release date set for April, the finer details remain a “secret”.

Philips SA075 receives official product launch

written by Gavin Smith on Dec 28th, 2009
Category: Philips

philips sa075

The Philips SA075 has remained a bit of a mystery since it was first leaked to the public. All we’ve had to go on is that the player is HD-capable with a high res touchscreen (800 x 480 pixels) and contains an HDMI out port for HD video playback on your TV.

Well, it seems that the SA075 has had the red carpet treatment at a product launch party in Beijing.  Unfortunately, not too much more about the player is clear. We do now know that the player will output 720p instead of the more desired 1080p.

In the above photo taken at the launch, there is a label indicating capacity, but other than the ‘GB’ indicator, we are unable to make out much more.

Does this finally mean we should be expecting the SA075 soon? Still no idea on whether to see a stateside release.

Another Philips player has been unearthed at the party (seen below), but not even a model number has been given. All we have to go on is that it is a video-capable player with an inbuilt camera function and will be available in a red and gray color. Yup, instead of solving mysteries, we’re creating more…

philips unknown

[via IMP3]

Philips’ electronic skin tech is the future

written by Gavin Smith on Dec 16th, 2009
Category: Philips

philips e-skin

Tech giant Philips is showcasing its latest e-skin technology.  Unveiling its latest research, Philips’ e-paper technology enables consumers to personalize their electronic devices.

Published in a video, Philips’ research will “enable people to change the color and appearance of an MP3 Player…” For example, the player could change color to match the tempo of a song or its surrounding environment.  This is slightly reminiscent of Sony’s Rolly, but there’s none of that flapping carrying on.

The tech is not limited solely to MP3 Players – think mobile phones, mobile gaming devices, or even virtual windows. Currently, it’s all in the research phase with no working prototype known to be in existence.

Video after the break…

Read the rest of this entry »

Philips showcases GoGear Muse user interface

written by Gavin Smith on Sep 28th, 2009
Category: Philips

The folks over at Phillips are keen to publicize the upcoming Philips GoGear Muse, so much so, that the Dutch-based company has released a  few videos of the upcoming player.

Overall, the showcase bods rather well for the device.  With a well-designed user interface, noise canceling capabilities, and Philips FullSound™ technology, the GoGear Muse has a lot going for it.

For a player lacking touchscreen capabilities but which finds itself priced higher than the likes of Microsoft’s Zune HD, it might be difficult convincing consumers to consider a purchase.

Recall, that the GoGear Muse features a 3-inch display in a choice of either 32GB or 16GB of storage space while capable of 25 hours of audio and 5 hours of continuous video playback on a single charge.  While not available to those in the North America, the player is currently available to the UK.

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