Personal entertainment
What's on our radar...and what should be on yours
Whenever you're shopping for an MP3 player--or any high-tech item, for that matter--it's good to know what products are on the horizon. That way, you won't end up wishing that you'd waited a few weeks for that next-generation model. Thus, we've come up with our handy list of release dates for MP3 players and portable-audio devices, complete with photos, specs, and short descriptions.
Bear in mind that manufacturers and service providers usually don't set firm release dates for new models, and schedules have a tendency to slip. You should also be aware that we are not allowed to talk about certain models that are affected by nondisclosure agreements, but as soon as we can, we'll update this list. If you want to be the first to know when this calendar has been revised, sign up for the MP3 Insider newsletter.
Availability
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Model name
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Price
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The scoop
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| October 2003 |
Handheld Entertainment Zvue
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$99
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Handheld Entertainment claims the $99 Zvue can display high-quality video on a portable player. If that's true, the device will turn the portable-entertainment industry on its ear. Unlike the Archos AV320, the Zvue uses external flash memory: SD cards of capacities up to 256MB. But no media comes with the unit, which helps explain the price. One thing is certain: The bundled software will be crucial, considering the relative complexity of video formats.
Specs: 2.5-inch color screen; plays MP3 files, video, and photos; USB 1.1/2.0; eight-hour battery life with four AA cells; 8MB to 256MB SD cards sold separately |
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| September 2003 |
Samsung YEPP YP-900
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$399
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This potential iPod killer includes a 10GB hard drive, FM reception and broadcasting (for wireless playback over car and home stereos), a fast USB 2.0 connection, and line-in recording and encoding to MP3 or WMA.
Specs: Hard drive-based player; supports MP3 and WMA; built-in 10GB hard drive |
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| August/September 2003 |
RCA Lyra Audio/Video Jukebox RD2780
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$399
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The Archos AV320's first worthy competitor, the RD2780 can record video from a TV, download video from a computer, record and play back digital music, and display JPEG slide shows with an MP3 soundtrack. The 3.5-inch color screen provides relatively comfortable viewing on the go, but you can also connect the device to a TV to play Internet and recorded video from the 20GB hard drive, à la TiVo. At $399, the RD2780 doesn't come cheap, but considering that RCA's customer support will likely be better than Archos's, we foresee great things for this PVP.
Specs: 5.2 by 3.14 by 0.98 inches; 3.5-inch screen; 20GB hard drive; composite-video inputs; supports MP3, WMA, MP3Pro, and JPEG; MP3 recording; USB 1.1/2.0 |
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| August 2003 |
iRiver iHP-100
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$399
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While other manufacturers have been amping up PR campaigns for their upcoming iPod competitors, iRiver has quietly been working on the one that might slay them all, thanks to analog and digital optical inputs and outputs for crystal-clear recording and encoding. Not much else is known about this one, except that it should be relatively small and that the iRiver message board once listed its release date as June.
Specs: USB 2.0; 14-hour battery life; 10GB; lithium-ion rechargeable battery; remote control; FM tuner; FM/line-in recording and encoding (analog or optical); digital optical output |
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| August 2003 |
Jens of Sweden MP-100
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$199
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This tiny MP3 player connects directly to your computer's USB port, much like the Creative Nomad MuVo. But unlike the competition, the MP-100 comes with all the features normally found on larger players: voice recording, an LCD, FM reception and recording, and more. The unit has 256MB of nonexpandable internal memory.
Specs: Voice recording; battery rechargeable via USB; FM reception and recording; 1.3 ounces; 90dB signal-to-noise ratio; 7mW per channel; 14-hour battery life |
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| August 2003 |
Philips HDD100
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N/A
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Out of all the iPod killers coming out during the spring and summer months, the Philips HDD100 looks like the early favorite. Its case, made of high-gloss magnesium and hardened glass, is about the same size as the iPod's, but Philips packs in a bevy of features that should embarrass the Cupertino crowd: line-in recording (with a meter for levels), USB 2.0, a full-fledged remote control, voice recording, smart navigation, and a display that shows some pretty nifty spectral analyzers, if the graphics on Philips's site are any indication.
Specs: 5.8 ounces; 15GB of disk space; MP3, WMA, WAV; line-in/voice recording and encoding; USB 2.0 |
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| August 2003 |
RCA Lyra Micro Jukebox RD2760
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$199
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The RD2760 has an especially attractive combination of features: it's small and inexpensive, and when it comes to capacity, the device's 1.5GB place it in between flash players and the current crop of HD-based models. The unit holds up to 500 songs at a time and is about the size of a deck of cards.
Specs: 1.5GB; MP3, WMA, and MP3Pro playback; USB 1.1/2.0; drag-and-drop interface |
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| August 2003 |
Samsung YP-55
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$172 for 128MB; $205 for 256MB
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The second flash-based MP3 player to sport Wowcast's sound-enhancing DSP (PC World got it wrong; the eDigital Odyssey was the first player to come with this signal-processing technology), Samsung's YP-55 looks like a surefire hit in South Korea, where it has already been released. We expect the company to ship the player to the United States in June; users here will surely be attracted to its small size and extensive sound options.
Specs: MP3 and WMA; 128MB or 256MB of RAM; FM tuner; 15-hour battery life; WOW DSP for tweaking sound; speaker simulation |
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| July 2003 |
Archos Video AV320/340
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$549
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This is the first portable video player (PVP) with a screen that's big enough for comfortable video viewing. It also plays MP3s from its 20GB/40GB hard drive, displays photos, records from TV (in MPEG-4), and outputs video and photos to any television. Optional modules add a wider range of functionality, including the ability to take 3.3-megapixel pictures directly onto the device's hard drive.
Specs: 20GB (AV 320) or 40GB (AV 340) hard drive; plays MP3, WMA, MPEG-4, and DivX files; 3.8-inch LCD |
