X-mini II gets an MP3 player

The evolution of the X-mini continues, and in surprising ways. This time, the hardworking folks at Singapore-based outfit XM-I have given their bestselling capsule speaker a music player and an SD card slot. What this simple idea does is to turn the speaker into a clever little boombox that sits on your palm, with the happy name of X-mini Happy.

Based on the same design and tweeter size as the big-sounding X-mini II, the Happy is only marginally heavier and larger but a lot more versatile. CEO Ryan Lee told CNET Asia the modular buddy jack from the II will now be a standard feature, so you can daisy-chain as many X-mini II and Happy speakers as you fancy for maximum volume. Battery life is also expected to be similiar at about 11 hours for the speaker, and roughly 6 hours for music playback.
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Philips' new GoGear rocks into Asia

In a nod to that music player Goliath, Philips' GoGear has finally gotten proper names that stick better in users' memories. Since being announced last December, the Opus, Aria, ViBE, Spark and Mix are finally in town. Singapore got the new portable media and MP3 players this week, priced from S$79 (US$57.21) for the 2GB Mix to S$339 (US$245.49) for the 16GB Opus, with the rest of Southeast Asia slated for early May.

The Opus, Aria and ViBE are capable of video playback, although the Opus is the only unit that supports MPEG-4 and WMV formats, compared with the SMV format that the Aria and Vibe support. The Spark sports a 1.46-inch OLED screen, while the Mix MP3 player is the only one of the five that does not offer image viewing. As higher-end players, the Opus and Aria come bundled with sound-isolating headphones for improved audio quality.

The most interesting software bundled with the three video playback-capable players has to be the Internet Video Download. It provides easy video download directly from video-sharing sites such as YouTube, MySpace or Google Video into the player. All five devices come with Philips' proprietary FullSound for CD-quality enhancement of digitally compressed tracks.

For more details of the new Philips GoGear players, click here

Kelvin Low is CNET Asia's very own go-to intern for Music & Play. When he's not fiddling with gadgets or setting up new PC rigs, he can be found hitting the dirt tracks on his mountain bike. Kelvin is currently studying mass communications at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. Email Kelvin.

Speakers for MP3 players--ask the editors

Q: I've recently started looking for either a small MP3 player with a good speaker on it, or a small portable speaker I can travel with that will work with my Zune and other players. I prefer a non-folding one. I tried to look for a recent review of either category, but didn't find any. Can you help?--Jeremy, via email

A: Right off the bat, I recommend checking out our top 10 portable speakers roundup. Any of those speakers come with a high recommendation.
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The Crabble gingerly holds your iPod or iPhone

The Crabble is the second generation of folding iPod and iPhone stands from London-based Seskimo. Compared with the BatRest which was last year's model, the Crabble comes with rubbery grips that hold onto both your device and whatever surface you're resting it on, making it useful for flights or train rides where an occasional jolt would send the old one sliding. This also lets you do things like press buttons and navigate without having to use the other hand to steady the holder.
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Samsung Q2 PMP now available in Korea

The Samsung YP-Q2 PMP is now available in Korea. This PMP has a 2.4 inch QVGA (320 × 240) display, FM radio, picture viewer, audio and video playback and an integrated microphone, together with support for games. Its battery is rated for 50 hours of audio and 4 hours of video playback and supports leading media formats.

The Q2 is priced at US$104 for 4GB, US$134 for 8GB, and US$179 for 16GB models. It is expected to be available in Asia Pacific before June. We'll bring you more information about its availability as we get it.

Kelvin Low is CNET Asia's very own go-to intern for Music & Play. When he's not fiddling with gadgets or setting up new PC rigs, he can be found hitting the dirt tracks on his mountain bike. Kelvin is currently studying mass communications at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. Email Kelvin.

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