Yuraku Yur.Beat Fusion Stream

In journalism as in technology, one learns early to K.I.S.S. ass. That is, you Keep It Short and Simple, or end up feeling like an ass. So what's with the complexly convoluted naming convention from some tech vendors? HP chose the long and winding road naming its new iPaqs. Now here's a product from Singapore-based company Yuraku opting for a similar treatment. Who needs a lobotomy after that?

Product name aside, Yaraku claims this is the world's first portable wireless Internet radio with full multmedia features. And we'll admit it's pretty darn tiny, about the size of a Creative Zen Digital Media Player. Make no mistake here. The Yur.Beat Fusion Stream's claim to fame is really as a portable Internet radio, and there lies the catch. Want Internet radio? Well, you need a wireless hotspot to connect to. Although once online, you can tune into about 10,000 Internet radio stations via the vTuner service. When we tested it on our office Wi-Fi, Mumix Radio from Japan came in loud and clear, as did a few other world channels. But expect some connection lag, lost signals and buffering to occur occasionally.

Fortunately, there's FM radio if you're commuting and can't get onboard the island's Wireless@SG broadband.
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Creative "stretch-a-Stone" MuVo T100

Creative has announced the new MuVo T100, a screen-less device with an attached USB connector. The design of this MP3 player looks like a Zen Stone which has undergone rack torture. It shares the same set of buttons laid out in a circular format but is longer and doesn't require a separate mini-USB cable.

This basic player comes in 2GB and 4GB versions and will cost S$89 and S$149, respectively. The colors available are black, pink, white and blue. Expect to see it in stores at the end of October worldwide.

Click here to see full specifications and more images.

Sony Rolly SEP-10BT Sound Entertainment Player

Sony's loving Aibo may have packed it up for the day, but it brings a tear or two to know that some parts of it may still live on in gizmos like the company's upcoming Rolly SEP-10BT Sound Entertainment Player. Innards-wise, this apparently packs the same technology that controls the robots which Sony has been R&Ding on. While this eggshape MP3 player won't wag any tails or flop its ears with adorable cuteness, it sure can roll. Hence, Rolly? According to specs, Rolly can not only dance/roll(?) to music, it will also choreograph its moves, allowing you to share this with pals online. You can catch the video at newlaunches.com. Two onboard wheels and its rotund design let you roll the roll. Too bad it can't roll over and play "dead" to indicate the batteries' dried up.


Price: 40,000 yen (about US$350)
Availability: Japan, from September 29, more info here
Device: Dance bot
Specs: 1GB internal memory, connect/charge via USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0, editable motion, 3.7V 1,560mAh, 5 hrs music playback, 4.5 hrs streaming Bluetooth music, 4 hrs music and motion, 3.5 hrs Bluetooth streaming and motion, supports MP3, ATRAC, AAC up to 300+ kbps, 104 × 65 × 65mm, 300g

Wii Zapper to include Zelda-themed crossbow game when it ships in November

When Nintendo announced the Wii Zapper back at July's E3 show, the company promised the US$20 addon would be bundled with a game (a "pack-in," in gamer parlance). And today the company made good on the pledge: The Zapper will include Link's Crossbow Training, a Zelda-themed target shooter. The game will progress from simple bull's-eyes to moving targets (including enemies from the Zelda series), and--while we wouldn't expect much more than a glorified "how to use the Zapper" tutorial--something tells us Crossbow Training could be as infectious as Wii Sports.

Either way, it's nice to see Nintendo adding a bit of value to what's less a controller and more a big hunk of plastic. (The Zapper is simply a housing that places the Wii Remote and Nunchuk into a mounting that's vaguely reminiscent of a Tommy gun.)

In addition to the included crossbow title, three third-party titles will also be Zapper-compatible: EA's Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Capcom's Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and Sega's Ghost Squad. Each of those games are Wii exclusives, and all are due by the end of the year. The Zapper itself will be available in North America on November 19. Asia usually follows suit after about three months to half a year, if we're lucky.

Samsung pursues runner-up position

Samsung has conveniently forgotten its vow to be the world's number one leader in MP3 players by 2007, if a press release statement is anything to go by.

"With our latest lineup of new MP3 players, camcorders and cameras, Samsung… aims to be a clear number two in all three fields by the end of 2008," said Mr Ki-Heung Yoon, managing director for Samsung Asia's Electronics Business Division.

Realistic goals aside, the Korean firm launched three new portable multimedia players to support its downgraded ambition at an event held in Singapore--the YP-P2 (3-inch touchscreen and 5 hours of video playback), the YP-T10 (a 7.9mm video-playing version of the YP-K3) and the YP-S5 (an update to last year's YP-K5).

All three players will be available in Singapore by October. No word was made on Asian availability.

In recognition of the increasingly social nature of media consumption, Samsung admitted that it will need to leverage on social network platforms to continue meeting the sharing needs of its customers. However, instead of piggybacking on established networks such as Facebook and MyYearbook, Samsung will be building on its own portal, Samsungplay.com, to fulfill that purpose.

One hopes, however, that Samsung has not forgotten Sony's disastrous outing with its propriety Connect portal.

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