MP3 Insider

The CNET Prizefight you've been waiting for is here: Zune HD vs. iPod Touch. Just like the Thunderdome (minus Tina Turner and the post-apocalyptic wasteland), two portable media players will enter the ring, but only one may leave.

And for the first time, dear CNET readers, our Prizefight page has been redesigned to allow comments. That's right, now all your catty flames, insightful objections, or outright whining can be preserved forever, right on the Prizefight page. Another upshot of the page redesign: it looks soooo much better than the old version.

So head on over to the iPod Touch vs. Zune HD Prizefight and dump all your disappointment/elation into that newfangled comments box. You'll feel better, really.

(Credit: CNET)

If the MP3 player market was a fault line, we'd have a boatload of busy seismographs on our hands. Certainly, two of the most exciting releases of the past couple weeks are the new iPod Touch and the Zune HD. Now, if you're curious how the two devices compare with one another, you could always read the deluge of articles available on CNET and around the Web, but we can certainly see how that might be a bit overwhelming. Soon enough, we'll pit the two players head-to-head in a knock-down, drag-out brawl (aka Prizefight). In the meantime, we've created a purely technical spec-to-spec comparison chart to tide you over.

(Credit: Archos)

Far be it for Archos to sit idly by and watch Apple, Microsoft, and Creative have all the fun. Today, the company announced its next-generation Archos 5 device, which is perhaps the most fully featured "portable media player" we've seen. In fact, the unit is being marketed as an Internet tablet rather than as a PMP, and that's entirely accurate. The new Archos 5 is running the Android platform, which the device uses for nearly every function besides media playback (that's still handled by Linux). And you know what that means: apps!

There is an interesting caveat here, however. Since the Archos 5 is running at the HD-friendly 720p resolution, which is not approved for Android Cupcake, the selection of apps at start-up will be limited to about 300 (with that number increasing to at least 1,000 by the end of the year), and they are only accessible via the Archos app store. Still, the chances are you'll have the full selection of Android apps by early next year, and we're willing to wait if it means high-res video on the device, something to be fully-appreciated when outputting to a TV (see the gallery for an example).

Archos 5 Internet Tablet--photos

Is an Android-based version of the Archos 5 on its way?

(Credit: Archos)

After making an initial appearance at the FCC in August, a new model of the Archos 5 Internet media tablet popped up on B&H on the first of September.

The product listings briefly showed pricing for four models of the updated Archos 5, as well as a page for the Archos DVR Station. If the listings are accurate, consumers can expect to see 16GB ($293), 32GB ($369), 160GB ($319), and 500GB ($419) versions of the updated Archos 5 in the not too distant future (September 15, maybe?).

The odd pricing discrepancy between the $369 32GB Flash memory model and hard drive-based $319 160GB model likely reflects the relative bulkiness of the hard-drive models compared with the thinner, less fragile Flash versions. Without further details, we can only guess.

In fact, there's still plenty we don't know, such as where or when we'll see the white Archos A5S glimpsed from the FCC filing, or how the new tablets will leverage Google's Android OS. I'll also be curious to see if the GPS icon shown on the main screen implies an integrated GPS receiver, or further reliance on a separate GPS cradle. Considering Archos' penchant for upselling users on software add-ons, battery packs, and accessories, I wouldn't bet on built-in GPS--but who knows?

(Via Archos Fans)

The Archos A5S, propped up by a wooden block during testing for FCC clearance.

(Credit: FCC)

Just when you thought Zunes and iPods would have September all to themselves, the portable video player powerhouse known as Archos drops off two new devices for FCC approval.

The Archos A5S and A5H revealed in the FCC documents look very similar to last year's Archos 5 Internet media tablet, although the photos show a new white color for the A5S (shown above), and close-up shots of the A5H reveal what looks like a microSD slot and microUSB port. There's no mistaking the Archos 5's same gorgeous, 4.8-inch TFT display, though, which still gives us shivers (in a good way).

The FCC's testing report shows both models sporting 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and an FM transmitter and receiver. What's unclear is whether or not one of these models will support 3G mobile network connectivity, just like last year's SIM-compatible Archos 5G. I wouldn't bet against it, especially since all signs point to a September 15 Archos announcement for new devices running Google's Android OS.

Considering that Archos has already pulled back the curtain on its Netbook and PC tablet, I can't imagine that these new Internet media tablets aren't the 'droids we're looking for. Plus, Texas Instruments made it pretty clear back in February that we'd be seeing some Android-loving media players from Archos.

(Source: FCC filing via Engadget)

We were lucky to have Microsoft's Brian Seitz visit us this past Tuesday to talk all about the Zune HD on the MP3 Insider podcast. One thing we couldn't twist out of him, though, was a straight-up on-camera walk-through of all the Zune HD's features. The folks at Seattle's TechFlash, however, seemed to have caught Brian a little closer to today's preorder launch, and understandably a little looser with the on-camera details.

The following video hits on a lot of the features we're digging on the Zune HD, including the unique alt-menu on the main screen for "pins," history, and recently added content. The browser's touch-screen keyboard also gets some attention, as well as the music player's media playback controls.

The Zune HD's mobile Web browser includes a search feature powered by Microsoft's Bing search engine.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Last Tuesday, I shared my positive impressions of the mobile Web browser Microsoft is including in its upcoming Zune HD portable media player. What I didn't share (not because I didn't want to) were the photos I took of the Zune HD browser in action.

The following photo gallery includes four shots of the Zune HD browser doing its thing. The first shot shows the browser in portrait mode, the second shot shows how bookmarking is handled, the third shot shows Facebook in landscape view, and the final shot demonstrates the keyboard in landscape mode.

That last shot shows off another feature Microsoft has been keeping under wraps--Bing. Yep, the Zune HD's Web browser includes a search button for instant queries using the Bing search engine. Granted, it's not an earth-shattering or completely unexpected announcement, but it's one more detail for all the Zune fans and haters to sink their teeth into.

Hands-on look at the Zune HD Web browser--photos

Note: Tune in to CNET Live at noon Tuesday (August 11, 12 p.m. Pacific/3 p.m. Eastern) to watch a live episode of CNET's MP3 Insider podcast, with special guest Brian Seitz from Microsoft's Zune team and Zune Insider blog. He'll be bringing along a Zune HD and taking a few questions from the CNET Live chat room.

The Creative Zii EGG in all its Android-loving glory.

(Credit: Zii.com)

We knew Creative was up to something when that Zii Egg FCC application flew past us earlier this month, but we had no idea it would be this awesome, or this confusing. Turns out the Zii Egg (what an unfortunate name) is a multitouch-wielding, HD video-playing, dual-camera-having (front and back) rival to the iPhone and iPod Touch, running on Google's Android OS (see all the official specs over at Zii.net).

You can grab a 32GB model now for $400, but don't expect it to be fully baked. Creative is announcing this as a "developer edition" in the hopes that the Android community will pick up the platform and run with it. I guess it takes a village to beat an iPhone.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that we may never actually see the Zii Egg released to consumers as an official Creative product. The company is looking to sell rebranded Zii Eggs directly to other manufacturers as an OEM product.

For a company that's been trickling out half-hearted products all year, it seems odd that Creative would make something with such unprecedented appeal, only to lob it to open-source developers and slap someone else's name on it. Then again, maybe it's smart enough to know it has made a product that's potential is beyond Creative's capabilities to execute. If this thing ultimately becomes a phone (all the ingredients are there) Creative is likely just being cautious about entering the mobile phone market as a newcomer.

(Via DAP Review)

Meet the backs of the Creative Zii and the developer-edition Zii Egg.

(Credit: FCC)

A filing with the FCC offers some evidence that Creative has a new touch-screen portable media player in the works. Named after the system-on-a-chip processor Creative showed off during CES 2009, the Zii (and the developer-only Zii EGG) include music and video playback capabilities, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and an HD camera on the back.

Little else about the player is revealed in the FCC filing, but it's pretty easy to connect the dots and see that Creative is playing catchup with Apple's iPod Touch. Creative is no stranger to playing second fiddle to Apple, but the company has no precedent when it comes to working with developers to create mobile applications (as the developer-edition Zii EGG model suggests).

Some speculate that the Zii will run on Google's Android OS, taking advantage of an established developer community. If so, Android seems to be iPod-killer OS of choice these days, as Sony has also announced plans to use Android in future versions of their Walkman line.

(Via EpiZENter)