Tuxtops

The new Nokia 770 Internet Tablet looks appealing: 802.11b/g and Bluetooth connectivity along with a high-resolution 800x480 LCD display. Plus it runs Linux. Does the Nokia 770 innovate or disappoint? And yet another review here.

Learn how to use the great support of the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0 for managed multithreaded applications'“while avoiding much of the complexity that comes with multithreading'“in this self-paced hands-on lab. You will learn how to properly create and terminate threads, how to deal with the challenges of updating user interface controls from inside worker threads, and which synchronization objects to use at different times. Upon completion of this lab, you will know how to use the multithreading capabilities of the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 to create well responsive applications targeting Windows CE 5.0 and Windows Mobile'“based devices. This is a level 300 lab, and it should take you 45 minutes to complete.

Low-end GPS satellite navigation systems fall into two categories: PDAs with bundled route-planning kit, and dedicated navigation devices. Asus' MyPal A636 falls between the two: it's a Windows Mobile 5.0 device, incorporating Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so it has all the hallmarks of an up-to-date PDA. But the hardware has clearly been designed with GPS in mind rather than accessing personal information, so it looks like a dedicated unit.

Geeks.com were very generous to send us over for a review one of their flash mp3/wma players, the XStatik 512 MB player which couples as a USB key, an FM radio and voice recorder. Delve in for the review and pictures of the player.

The XStatik mp3 player came with a pair of headphones that also couple as a neck lanyard, an AAA battery, a manual in english and french, a USB cable and a CD with USB drivers for Win98. The player has a distinct red color plated with brushed metal. It comes with a Play The construction of the player would take a perfect 10 if it was not for the loose usb cap (it falls off very easily) and the fact that the headphone jack gets in the way when holding the device. The player works either when plugging it to a USB port or by using an AAA battery. Battery life proved pretty good, with 12 hours of mp3 playback. In comparison, Sandisk's similar mp3 player called Sansa -and also powered by an AAA battery- yields 15 hours. The included stereo headphones are good enough in terms of quality, however we would still recommend the purchase of better quality headphones.

Pressing the "Play" button turns on the device. The user is presented with a blue-lit screen (96x32) of 7 icons that he can choose from: music, fm radio, voice recording playback, voice recording, settings, text reader and telephone address book. Pressing left of right the wheel on the top of the player would move to the next icon, while pressing-in the wheel will select it. The whole user interface is based on this clicking wheel and the Play button. It will require a few minutes to get used to it, but after you go through it, the UI makes sense. This USB mp3/wma player also doubles as a USB key where you can drag-n-drop songs into it as it's a mass storage device. It works with all major operating systems.

The mp3/wma playback screen fits 4 lines of text, but only 3 are used. The first two lines are displaying the status of the current song: if the song has a lyric .lrc file (lyrics are supported by the device), if it's an mp3 or wma and how many kbps it is, if the song it's repeated or not, the current time in seconds from the end of the song, the equalizer setting and the battery level. Most of these settings along with A-B replay and gap playback can be set for each song individually by pressing the wheel button. The device supports one level of folders to navigate through and playback songs. One problem is that the device sorts its songs by extension instead of the filename, and that means that the player will first playback all mp3 songs and then all wmas (playlists are not supported). Another small problem is that moving to a song further down the line, it will take quite some time as scrolling through songs is not nearly as fast as with the iPod.

When using the voice recorder you can choose between 32kbps WAV and 8kbit ACT/VOR formats. Pressing the "Rec" button it will start recording from the integrated microphone. Quality at 32kbps is pretty good, enough for some basic personal notes. To playback the voice recordings the user must use the "voice playback" interface which is separate to the mp3/wma playback.

The FM radio is easily manageable. The wheel moves the frequency by 1 Hz per slide, while pressing the "Play" button it will cycle through the saved FM presets. When pressing the "Rec" button it will record the current FM radio station WAV at 32kbps. The user can switch between normal FM and Japanese radio frequencies. Unfortunately, FM reception was really bad. Just by moving around the radio station reception would vanish and re-appear on its own, even for radio stations that have a strong signal in our area.

The Settings screen allows you to set the date and time for your recordings, the backlight timer, the language, the PowerOff timer, the screen contrast, the USB mode (encrypted file system or not), information about free storage memory, firmware info and upgrade. The device also support telephone address import from a .csv file and text reading from small text files.

Overall, this is a great mini-mp3/wma player. The USB cap falling off is very annoying and FM radio reception is not that great, but for the price ($55) this is the best mp3/wma player we have seen on the market, for this specific storage space and size. If you need a small mp3 player to host your few songs that comes with FM radio, voice recording, WMA support and with a respectable screen, this is the one you should first look at.

Pros: For the price and features, it does what it's supposed to do pretty well.
Cons: Mediocre FM radio reception, loose usb cap.

Rating: 8/10

If you are an iPod customer, you most likely have purchased at least one accessory for it so far. Here is our guide on the ultimate --and useful-- accessories one can get today for the iPod Mini. Special thanks to Geeks.com for providing most of the accessories discussed below. Updated: One more item review added at the bottom of the story.

1. iDock Charging Cradle for iPod and iPod Mini

Here you are, the most affordable dock for iPods found on the net. For less than $10, this cradle offers you both a Firewire and USB ports, and a proper Line-Out which allows you to connect the iPod to an amplifier that supports big & better speakers (the iPod Mini does not support a powered Line-Out but only a headphone-out, so when you connect it to an amplifier its output is not very loud). The cradle supports most earlier generation iPods as well as the Mini and it comes with a small soft pad in order to securely fit the Mini or the 20GB iPod on its base. It is solid and heavy which will give you an ease of mind as the iPod sits on a safer 'ground' when it's connected to it. The iDock also comes with a USB 2.0 cable and an IEEE 1394 Firewire cable just in case you lost your iPod's original cables. Syncing and charging went fine using the iDock and in fact, when charging the iPod a small red light is lit to indicate the charging. It is a nice little touch for an overall fine and affordable product.

Overall: 10/10

2. iSafe Hard Case for iPod Mini

Hard-drive based mp3 players can be more vulnerable to drops than flash-based ones so having a good protective case for them is a must. This $5 hard case protected our iPod Mini very well even after a test drop from about 1 meter to the ground. The metal case uses a glassy protection for the LCD screen, it has a complete opening for the wheel, and one more for the connectors above and below the iPod Mini. It also comes with a swivel belt clip for those who wear belts (you will have to learn the trick on how to put the clip on and off of the case though, it is a bit like a puzzle the first few times). The only problem I could mention is that when you put the iPod in it, its closing mechanism doesn't feel locked (although it has never opened by itself on all the months we've used it).

Overall: 8/10

3. iPod Compatible 3.5mm M to Two 3.5mm F Stereo Cable

Consider this scenario: two kids on the back of your car, one mp3 player. This can easily lead to... chaos. Or, you simply would like to share "your song" with your loved one while under the moonlight. How do you do that? Simply, just use a 3.5mm headphone cable splitter. For just $3 you get a 7" cable that does this job just fine and let's two different people use the headphones of their choice. Additionally, the cable can be used to connect to multiple external devices, like a HiFi system or two Line-In of two different computers. We did not notice any sound quality drops by using the splitter.

Overall: 10/10

4. iCover for iPod Mini w/Arm Band

Are you doing sports? Then you definitely need an arm band for your mp3 player. And this one is a bargain at $6.50. The product comes with an armband and a case for the iPod Mini. The case can be used together with the armband, or without. The case has belt holes that can be used with a normal belt too, while it also has a small hole for a lanyard/wrist-wrap. The case is soft, made by silicone, and it provides easy access to the connectors, click wheel and it has a see-through plastic opening for the LCD screen. The arm band uses velcro to fit any size of an adult's arm and it stays put when jogging.

Overall: 10/10

5. Audio-Mate Bluetooth Stereo Headset w/Transmitter

The future of short-range audio lies with Bluetooth. More and more devices (especially phones) now support the A2DP profile, which allows for stereo audio playback via Bluetooth (instead of the voice-only mono support that most phones had so far). If your device does not support Bluetooth or the A2DP profile (like in the case of the iPod), you are in luck with the Audio-Mate. The Audio-Mate comes with its own Class 2 transmitter. You can charge the transmiter via USB or via its power supply and then place its 3.5mm audio connector to iPod's headphone jack or to the iDock's Line-Out. Then, you turn ON the Bluetooth-enabled Audio-Mate headphones and you will start to immediately receive audio playback. The headphones feature an on/off button and a volume control wheel and they operate on two AA batteries, which is good for about 6 hours of playback. That's not a great battery life compared to the 12-16 hours of the iPod, but the wireless aspect of this makes us forgive that. The headphones were good for up to 10 meters away on a line of sight, but we were losing the signal when moving to different rooms in the house (a house with wooden walls), even if we were as close as 5 meters from the transmitter. Quality of the headphones is acceptable but not as good as some cheaper (wired) Sony headphones. The headphones also work without the usage of its included transmitter, through the A2DP profile, but I think its implementation of the protocol is very buggy, because it did not work with any of the 3 A2DP-capable devices I have here (a Windows PC, a Pocket PC with an updated Windcomm Bluetooth stack and the Linux E680i smartphone which was advertising its A2DP support pretty heavily). The headphones would connect to the devices for about 1 second, hear music for about that much time, and then they would disconnect. Obviously, Audio-Mate is not 100% compatible with the spec (the A2DP spec is not so standard as Toshiba is trying to push the A2DP profile to different directions that others would like to in the Bluetooth committee, so the spec is in a mess right now with corporations fighting over it). On the other hand, the HSP (Headset profile) and HFP (Hand-Free profile) worked fine with the Sony Ericsson K700i and Motorola e398 phones we tried it with. When you are called, the music stops and you hear the ring tone instead. Pressing the volume wheel will answer the phone and pressing it back will end the call. The headphones include a microphone so you can directly speak when on a call. In conclusion, when the headphones are used with its own transmitter or with the HSP/HFP profiles, they work reliably. When they are used with any third party A2DP-capable device, they are not. If you would like to have on-the-go wireless support for your iPod Mini (e.g. if your iPod is in your bag, if you need to do some work in the house that might be dangerous for the iPod or if the iPod is on the storage compartment above you on a train/bus/plane) use velcro to attach the wireless transmitter on the back of your iPod. This works wonders because both devices have almost the same size and it doesn't make the iPod Mini look too weird or too uneven.

Overall: 7/10

6. Firewire Car Adapter Charger

If you happen to travel a lot with your car for business, the 12-16 hours of the iPod's battery life won't be enough. Taking with you docks or power chargers can add to the bulk of your luggage too. A much better solution would be to use a car charger. The one I used receives as input a Firewire cable (like the one that comes with any iPod) and the other side connects to your iPod. You plug the car charger adapter to your car's cigarette lighter and off you go!

Overall: 10/10

7. Silicone Case for iPod Mini (Camouflage)

Best, case, ever! This great-looking case is not only attractive to the eyes, but it also sports a very practical design and it feels good in the hand. It has a "cut" on the back of the iPod so you can temporarily remove its bottom part in order for the iPod Mini to fit on the cradle! How thoughtful. The case also features a neckstrap hole to hung the iPod around your neck, while construction is solid enough to protect the player in case of a drop.

Overall: 10/10

Japanese phone vendor Matsushita (Panasonic) is going global with its 3G Linux mobile phone technology. The company has abandoned its GSM efforts -- citing "severe" competition -- in order to focus on marketing its proven Linux 3G phone technology in both domestic Japanese and international markets.

Engadget and other mobile news sites are reporting on the new version of Windows Mobile, codename Photon, which will see the eventual merge of the PocketPC and Smartphone platforms into a single one.

They say first impressions count, and this is definitely the case with i-Mate's SP5. It is sexy, stylish and dressed to impress. It exudes quiet confidence, stability and reliability'¦ even before it's turned on.

AllAboutSymbian.com have two very interesting reviews of the Nokia E61 and the N92 (along with the N80, the highest models the company has to offer today).

We know it gets old hearing every new player get compared to Apple's flagship offering, but can you seriously blame us here? The specs are vaguely familiar, with a 2.5-inch screen at 320x240 resolution and a 30GB hard drive, though thankfully Creative squeezed in 4 hours of video playback, doubling Apple's endurance on video. Creative did add their usual FM tuner and voice recording niceties, and they have a decent list of video format support, including MPEG-4, WMV, Motion JPEG, DivX, and XviD. Real gapless playback though (useful for Live CDs) is something that none of the leading mp3 players support.