Gearfuse

So after a day of praising all things Apple, it’s time to start looking at CES again; everyone gets a little sick of Apple after a while. When it came to pass that Polaroid would start making mp3 players, everyone’s expectations were not high. However, with the release of the MPA-2011, critics have started to change their minds and are now pleasantly surprised at what they are looking at. It’s about the same as many mp3 players out there these days, with maybe just a few little extras. This is a flash-based player with either 512MB or 1GB of memory; you can add up to 2GB more if you so desire with the microSD card slot.

If you’re not listening to music (think WMA/MP3), then you can watch movies (MPEG/WMV) on the 2.2â€? LCD screen. Most of the features are basic, including voice recording, FM tuner, and a JPEG photo viewer. One of the greatest things about this player is its battery life: 25 hours. That would be amazing on a weekend camping trip that has no electricity. At this point there is no word on pricing, but it is set to be sold in Target stores in March. — Nick Rice

Polaroid MPA-20011 microSD Flash Player – Surprisingly Cool [Anything But iPod]

What if you could store all your data in one place, and access it anywhere – TV, desktop, laptop, cellphone? That’s the question chipmaker Agere is asking with the BluOnyx, which they describe as a “mobile content server”. The device is the size of a credit card, though thicker (think iPod size), and is equipped with Bluetooth and USB connectivity and an SD card reader. WiFi connectivity is slated for the next version.

The BluOnyx is designed to be controlled via cellphone. When a cellphone connects with the BluOnyx, it pushes a Java applet to the phone that allows media streaming – pictures, music, and video – to the phone, and data to be read back from the phone, including its phone book and stored emails. When another storage device, such as an SD card, is connected to the BluOnyx, it automatically copies all the data from the device, and can output to a printer, TV, or computer screen. Agere has no plans to market the device itself, but isntead plans to license it to other companies, hoping to maximize the number of devices the BluOnyx can interface with. Watch for the prototype at CES 2007 in January. — Mike Payne

[via Ars Technica]

This sweet little eBook reader and mp3 player from Sharp boasts a 4.3″ TFT LCD display and Voxware audio technology. So far, the only eBooks available for the RD-CX100 are dictionaries, but Sharp already has 63 different dictionaries for it! No word on how much storage space it has, or whether the QWERTY keyboard hints at text-entry capability. There is also no word on whether the dictionary eBooks can include an audio component, so you can hear the proper pronunciation of words. Also no word on price or availability (gee, there’s a lot of unknowns here, aren’t there?), but the RD-CX100 is currently only available for Korea, and is likely to stay there. — Mike Payne

RD-CX100, the latest Sharp eBook reader and dictionary for Korea [AkihabaraNews]

For those of you who don’t want to dish out fat wads of cash for the newest iPod, here is an alternative for a good price. The Insignia NS-DA1G Sport MP3 Player is a 1GB player with MP3, WMA, and JPEG support, and that includes support from Napster and Rhapsody music subscriptions as well. Included software allows for quick transferring of songs through USB and easy CD ripping. A major plus for this product is that it, unlike the Microsoft Zune, is compatible on both Macs and PCs. Its lack of a decent-sized screen to look at your pictures with is made up by a built-in FM tuner and a solid 18 hour battery life. The best part about the FM tuner is that it has 20 presets, so you can quickly switch from country to something better when your friend asks to listen. The Insignia NS-DA1G Sport MP3 Player comes with a rubberized case to protect your player from those notorious fingerprints and scratches everyone gets on iPods. For $79.99, this is a great mp3 player for the music lover with his/her budget in mind. Insignia could have made a few improvements, such as a strap (Wii-mote anyone?) and a bigger screen, but overall this is a nice little MP3 player. — Nick Rice

Insignia Sport 1GB MP3 Player [via TechEBlog]

Or at least make other people think you are. The Muttering Hat, created by Kate Hartman, is an interactive art piece designed to get people to think about the indistinct, half-formed thoughts that float through their heads all day. The hat is composed of mp3 players, headphones, speakers, plastic funnels, and microphones, all enclosed in felt. The hat’s two earpieces can be detached, allowing the wearer to hear the outside world more clearly, or to let someone else listen to the wearer’s ‘mutterings’. The mp3 players are initially filled with pre-recorded sounds, but wearers can add their own mutterings to the hat. The muttering hat also allows the wearer to speak their own mutterings aloud, whether recording them or not, while making it more difficult for others to hear. The muttering hat will be shown at the ITP Winter Show at NYU December 17-18. — Mike Payne

[via Slashgear]

The upcoming iRiver S7 has fans of the company’s digital audio players eagerly awaiting its release. The leaking of a spec sheet a few weeks back only added fuel to the fire. Recently released pictures of the upcoming player have some people a bit confused, however. The pictures show a player nearly the exact size and shape of an Altoids tin, with a few buttons on the side and a headphone jack.  What’s really going on here is that the new players, in addition to MP3, Ogg, WMA, etc., playback, will feature a plain, flat front on which users can doodle, put stickers, or otherwise personalize the look of their DAP.  It’s a great idea, assuming it’s not an Altoids’n'Photoshop hoax. The iRiver S7 has not been officially announced yet, so there’s no price or date. Maybe soon! — Mike Payne

[via Gizmodo]

Fuel cells seem to be the rage these days, what with LG showing off a concept laptop powered by one, and now Casio has developed this tiny wonder. Measuring just 27.2 x 46 x 2.8mm, Casio’s new fuel cell converts methanol to hydrogen gas. DigitalCameraInfo claims the device can remain ‘autonomous and continuous’, though it’s unlikely they mean that literally, which would make this a perpetual motion machine. In any case, this tiny chemical engine could be driving a camera or laptop near you soon, as Casio plans to release it early next year. — Mike Payne

[via DigitalCameraInfo]

Thanko’s new MP4 watch has many more functions than the name implies. While you can watch video on its spacious 4cm x 4cm screen (well, spacious for a wristwatch, anyway), it also plays mp3s, records audio in mp3 format, displays still images, and even tells the time. With up to 2GB of storage, this would make an excellent spy listening device (or prank sound effect machine), though at $249 (or $189 for the 1GB version) it’s a bit expensive for pranks. — Mike Payne

[via SlashGear]