Todays & Tomorrows Technology

Details of a new device in Logitech’s distributed audio streamer range have emerged, the Logitech Squeezebox Touch. A WiFi-connected base-station controller with 4.3-inch color touchscreen and integrated stereo speakers, the Squeezebox Touch can seemingly both integrated with an existing setup as well as be used to access online music and internet radio.

The Touch supports MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, AAC and Apple Lossless, among other formats, together with MP3, Ogg and WMA internet radio streams. Its WiFi b/g connection supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption, and there’s also a 10/100 ethernet port. A USB host port will allow you to plug in a USB drive, plus there’s an SD card slot for loading music and photos that way.

In addition to the onboard speakers there’s also a headphone jack, stereo RCA output, digital optical and digital coax outputs. Logitech have even squeezed an ambient light sensor and proximity sensor into the bezel. No word on release date or US pricing as yet.

According to Dave Zatz, both the Squeezebox Duet and Squeezebox Boom are also in for an upgrade, though no details on exactly what will change.

Yamaha have announced a new version of their home audio streaming system, the MusicCAST2. Set to take on Sonos in the high-end audiophile market, MusicCAST2 currently consists of a touchscreen LCD controller, the MCX-RC100 Network Music Commander, and two types of Network Music Players, the MCX-A300, which has an integrated amplifier, or the MCX-P200, which is non-amplified for integration with an existing AV setup.
The whole system uses WiFi b/g to communicate and stream, and can access both music stored locally – on a NAS, PC or MAC, USB stick, Bluetooth device or shared network folder – or streaming from Rhapsody and other internet radio services. As well as the 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD, the Commander remote control has a trackpad and offers independent or joined control over up to 32 different zones.

In addition to controlling distributed audio, the MusicCAST2 system can be used as a universal remote control; the Commander has an IR port, and Yamaha offer IR blasters to fit to your existing AV rack. Supported file types include MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC and WAV, though no DRM-encryption is supported (nor lossless files other than FLAC).

As for pricing, you’re looking at $500 for the Commander remote, then around %$400 for the zone players.

PopcornHour have revealed their latest media streamer, the C200, and compared to the previous-gen models it’s a significant step up. As well as a new 667MHz processor, the Sigma SMP8643, the PopcornHour C200 gets an HDMI 1.3 port, two SATA connectors, and a user-accessible drive bay for a HDD, DVD or Blu-ray drive.

Slotting in a Blu-ray drive either requires an internal hard-drive or 1GB USB drive be attached, but we imagine most owners will do the former anyway as it seems a shame not to use the C200 to its full extent. Connectivity includes four USB 2.0 (plus another inside), component/S-Video/composite video, stereo analog audio and S/PDIF optical and coaxial digital audio, gigabit ethernet and a miniPCI card slot that’s intended for an optional draft-n WiFi card.

The standard remote uses 2.4GHz RF, though an IR version is available, and the list of codecs the C200 supports is so long it’d probably be quicker to say what it doesn’t play. There’s also RSS and web video/audio/image support, including YouTube, Flickr and Veoh. No word on pricing or availability, but this is one very capable machine.

Update: According to the press release, below, the PopcornHour C200 will be available in July 2009, priced at $299.

A new Samsung PMP has been leaked, courtesy of online retailer Play. The Samsung YP-R1 has a 2.7-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen and 8GB of onboard storage, and supports not only standard headphones via a 3.5mm jack but Bluetooth cans thanks to the A2DP profile.

Update: The above Play link still works, but a new listing for a 16GB version of the YP-R1 has been added, with an MRSP of £179.99 ($296) and a sales price of £129.99 ($214) – thanks Sebastiano!

Other specifications include an FM radio and ebook reader, together with games support. There’s a fair chunk of codec support in there too, with the YP-R1 coping merrily with MP3, WMA, OGG, ACC, FLAC, WAV and ASF audio files and MPEG-4, WMV, H.264, RMVB, DivX and Xvid video files. It’ll also show JPEG, BMP, PNG and GIF images.

A TV output wraps up the main abilities, and transfers are via USB though there’s no word on whether the YP-R1 uses a proprietary port or a standard mini or microUSB connector. We’ll keep out fingers crossed for the latter. The Samsung YP-R1 8GB is set to arrive on July 30th, with an MRSP of £149.99 ($247); Play are listing it for £109.99 ($181), however.

Sony Japan have announced a new range of B-series Walkman PMPs, in the shape of the NWZ-B142F(JE). Not a snappy title, but the PMP claims to make finding the track you want more straightforward courtesy of its ZAPPIN feature, that runs through your music playing a five-second snippet from the middle of the song.

That won’t take all that long, since the NWZ-B142F(JE) Walkman only has 2GB of onboard memory. If audio previews aren’t your thing, then there’s a three-line monochrome LCD display, together with an FM radio. The battery is rated for up to 18hrs of music playback, and a three-minute “quick charge” is good for 90 minutes of runtime.

Other features include an equalizer, 30 radio presets, voice and radio recording, bass enhancement and support for MP3 and WMA files. File transfer is drag-and-drop over USB 2.0, and the whole thing weighs just 26g. It’s listed as “coming soon” but there’s no pricing information.

Nokia have announced two new devices, the Nokia E72 messaging smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, and the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, a touchscreen media-centric handset. The E72 succeeds the E71, and throws a 5-megapixel camera, 10.2Mbps HSDPA support, optical joystick and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack into the smartphone.
The E72 also gets the desktop-style email app from the E75 and homescreen IM access. There’s also a digital compass, A-GPS and integrated Nokia Maps, and if you find you’ve navigated yourself into a dark cupboard then there’s also a handy torch function. The E72 supports Exchange and various email and webmail providers, comes with Quickoffice (for Office 2007 support) and active noise cancellation.

As for the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, that’s a smaller derivative of the 5800 XpressMusic, with a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, WiFi, but no 3G support. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, supplied 4GB memory card and new homescreen system that you can see demonstrated in the video below.

The Nokia E72 is expected to begin shipping late in Q3 2009, priced at €350 ($489); meanwhile the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic will also ship in Q3, priced at €199 ($278).

iriver’s P35 PMP has been quietly upgraded, introducing a most-welcome 32GB top-spec version. The touchscreen PMP, which is currently available in Korea and which will arrive in the US come the fall, has a 4.3-inch WQVGA display and a microSD slot for up to 16GB cards.


The Korean version also has an optional DMB digital TV tuner, a feature unlikely to be carried over to the US model. More likely is that iriver will use the mid-range WiFi-enabled version of the P35, which includes an internet browser and the company’s “Magazine” UI.

The 32GB iriver P35 retails for 488,000 South Korean won ($389) in its home country. No word from the company on how the PMP will be priced once it reaches the US.

With rival carrier Orange France rocking their Tabbee WiFi tablet, SFR are retaliating with a compact companion device of their own. The SFR Hubster is currently in trials across France, offering a compact touchscreen, streaming photos, music and video, together with internet access over WiFi or a wired ethernet connection.


Other features include a voice recorder that’s linked into the Hubster’s timer; after recording a message you can program in a time for it to be replayed. Podcasts, MP3 files or the radio can also be used as alarms, and there seems to be TV support though it’s unclear whether this is streaming over the internet connection or from an actual TV tuner; the former seems more likely.

Onboard storage is courtesy of SD/SDHC/MMC cards, and the Hubster is happy with MP3, WAV, WMA and RA audio files, and FLV and MP4 video files. The SFR Hubster will go on sale in France from June 15th, priced at €129 ($182).