Philips relents, gives MP3 players real names

Interested in buying a Philips SA1948? How about a Philips SA1929? No. What about a Philips Raga? If that last one sounds a little better, it's because some marketing genius at Philips finally figured out that people enjoy products with actual names. Let's pray this is a trend Sony will adopt, too.

The result of Philips' new name game is three new MP3 players: The GoGear Luxe; GoGear Spark; and GoGear Raga. The Spark and Raga are hitting the shelves as we speak, offered in 2GB and 4GB capacities for less than US$60. The Luxe won't be out until January, however, and as the name would imply, it carries a premium price of US$89 (2GB) or US$99 (4GB).

For a closer look at all these new Philips MP3 players and a run down of their specs, check out our Philips GoGear slide show.

Via CNET Crave

PSP-4000 rumors, PSP2 software already being developed?

While we just met with Sony Hardware Marketing Director John Koller, he had nothing to say about the possibility of a PSP-4000, let alone a successor to the PSP itself. According to Eurogamer, it's possible he was holding something back.

It seems that a PSP-4000 is very much in the works for 2009. We'd imagine the updated PSP would address the screen interlacing issues that the PSP-3000 suffers from, but we're just speculating. We're still going to chalk these details up as rumors, but it does make sense for a new iteration of the PSP to debut as there have been updates quite steadily for some time now.
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Philips announces sleek iPod speakers for 2009

You may have heard: Company's are dropping like flies when it comes to exhibiting at CES 2009. Philips is one of the casualties and has instead elected to announce a grip of gadgets for next year before 2008 has even come to a close.

Among the products are several rather slick-looking iPod docking stations with integrated speakers and precious few new features. Sure, one has HD Radio and another integrated Bluetooth, but neither functionality is shockingly innovative. Still, the look of all six systems ain't half bad.

You can find more information on the SBD7000, SBD8100, DC315, DC350, DCM250, and DCH250 in this slide show.

Via CNET Crave

Cowon S9 priced, packed for US

Despite rumors of shipping delays, Cowon America has announced that its S9 touch-screen media player will arrive in the US before the year is out. If all goes as planned, The S9 will be available to order by December 19 from Jetmall for US$199 (8GB) or US$239 (16GB).

Designed to compete against Apple's iPod Touch and Samsung's YP-P2, the Cowon S9 includes a 3.3-inch touch-screen display, Bluetooth audio streaming, BBE+ sound-enhancement effects, FM radio, Flash player, and an above-average assortment of audio and video format support (MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, WAV, APE, AVI, WMV, and XVID).

For now, you can see last week's video of the Cowon S9 in action.

Via CNET Crave

Touchscreen Sony Walkman? Don't hold your breath

According to a post on the Sony Insider blog, Sony is gearing up to release a touchscreen Walkman to contend with Apple's iPod touch (get in line Sony). The blog's author, who cites no sources and saw fit to post his own product mock-up, claims the new Walkman includes a 3-inch OLED screen, Wi-Fi, a Web browser, YouTube browser, and an integrated Amazon MP3 download store. Apparently, the device will be unveiled at CES in January. We couldn't reach any of our sources at Sony for comment.

I want to give the Sony Insider the benefit of the doubt, and I have to admit the product sounds exciting. The part of this story I have a hardest time believing is that Sony would announce its Walkman in America. Historically, Sony's US division has had a hard time creating buzz on its MP3 players, partly because they tend to pop up in Asia months before reaching US soil, and partly due to their unbearably complicated product names.

Which is not to say I blame Sony. I have no problem believing that Japan's appetite for Walkmans and Rollys outstrip America's by a hundredfold. The iPod's stranglehold on the American psyche is well-known, and an MP3 player named the NWZ-S738F isn't going to change that, no matter how many awards we give it.
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