We just returned from Samsung’s 2011 spring lineup press conference. During it, Samsung announced 4-inch and 5-inch models of its Galaxy Player personal media device. It’s not the first time we’ve heard of the Galaxy Player, we had some hands-on time during Mobile World Congress, but we finally have confirmation that the two models will land in the United States. Clearly, the two are meant to compete with other PMPs such as the iPod touch, as both models run Android 2.2 (Froyo) and will be upgradeable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). We think the duo will serve as compelling mini-tablets an a solid iPod touch alternative (since the Zune is fading into the ether). In many ways, the devices felt like smaller versions of the Galaxy Tab Wi-Fi edition. They have similar features, too — such as a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash, and a front-facing VGA camera for video chat using Qik. Both models felt very light, albeit sturdy, in the hand. Both also offer 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, stereo speakers, support for Adobe Flash 10.1, and AllShare with DLNA support that allows you to stream media content to other DLNA certified devices — such as TVs or consoles.

While pricing for the Galaxy Tab player models was not announced, we suspect both will be more affordable than the larger 7-inch Galaxy Tab. If you already own a Galaxy S phone, which sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5MP camera, and more, then the 4-inch model is probably not going to be up your alley. However, we were impressed by the pocketability and size of the 5-inch version. Hit up our gallery to take a closer look at the Galaxy Player.

Apple has made changes to its internal screening process pertaining to iPod liquid damage, a source told BGR. Apple builds a series of Liquid Contact Indicators (LCI) into its iPod line of devices. When these LCIs come in contact with moisture, they become activated. In the event of a warranty claim or other repair, the LCIs indicate to Apple that the device in question may have been affected by a liquid. Employees of Apple Stores and AppleCare Repair Centers then have specific guidelines used in the event liquid damage is suspected. Previously, the presence of an activated LCI within the headphone jack was cause enough for employees to state that an iPod may have been damaged by water or another liquid. Now, employees must first inspect the iPod for other signs of liquid damage before reaching that conclusion. It is currently not known if the new policy applies to iPhone models as well.

Whether or not Apple has concerns internally regarding the reliability of its LCI devices is unclear at this time. Apple may have also discovered LCIs located within the headphone jack are overly sensitive and activate even when they come in contact with permissible amounts of moisture.

That Asian Pacific pipeline of prototypes continues to flow with a new iPod Touch now gracing the front pages of blogs across the world. This latest leak showcases an iPod Touch with a rear facing camera and the designation DVT-1 which indicates that it is an early design. Very similar in appearance to the iPod Touch pair that appeared on eBay recently, this latest leaked prototype has a bare bones OS that is chock full of diagnostic utilities. Despite the iPod’s pristine condition, it is unclear whether this is an older prototype left over from Apple’s failed attempt at placing a camera in the iPod Touch last year or if it is indeed the next generation model. We may have to wait until September to find out whether this is a prototype hot off the presses or if it has been stored safely in someone’s drawer for a long time. Hit the jump for a another shot of the iPod Touch and a hands on video.

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Remember when The Wall Street Journal said that Dell was working on an Android MID? Well it turns out that it was bang on as today images and a video of a prototype device known as the Streak emerged by way of everyone’s favorite Vietnamese mobile site. Running Android 2.0, the Streak boasts 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5″ WVGA multitouch capacitive display, 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, Bluetooth, microSD and a 1300 mAh battery. Looking through all of the pictures, we couldn’t help notice what looks to be the spitting image of a front-facing camera for checking ones hair video calling, but then again it could just be the worst ambient light sensor ever. Enough talk. Hit the jump for a ton of pics and a video, because the Streak cries out to be seen.

Following up on the success of purplera1n, iPhone hacker extraordinaire geohot has released a jailbreak solution for OS 3.1.2 dubbed blackra1n. Currently only being offered to Windows users, blackra1n works on all generations of the iPhone and iPod touch, although the 3rd gen iPod touch needs to be tethered. The installation method for blackra1n is unchanged from that of its predecessor meaning that all you really have to do is download and install the app to your PC, plug in your device and make it ra1n. Good luck!

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At a special event in Paris, France, Archos made its next-generation Internet Tablet official today. The Android powered multimedia device will outmatch the iPod touch with a Ti OMAP3 processor and a huge 4.8-inch touchscreen display with 800×480 resolution and 16 million colors. In addition to its fast processor and high resolution screen, the Internet Tablet will also include:

• HD video support (H.264, WMV, Mpeg-4 up to 720P)
• Archos AppsLib store with Archos 5-compatible Android applications
• Micro SD Slot (SDHC compatible)
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• GPS with 3D Maps
• Bluetooth 2.0 (mobile phone tethering capable)
• FM transmitter and FM receiver (RDS)
• Built-in speaker, microphone and leg stand
• support for a wide variety of audio/video codecs and image formats
• additional functionality available via optional accessories (DVR-Station, HDMI Mini-Dock, GPS In-Car Holder, etc)
• Pre-installed Android applications include DroidIn, Ebuddy IM, Twidroid, QuickPedia, and more
• Flash 10 support expected with Android 2.0 in Q1 2010
• 22 hours of Music playback time and 7 hours of Video playback with standard Lithium polymer battery

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet will be available in two models: an 8, 16 or 32GB Flash version and a 160GB or 500GB hard drive version. Prices start at $249 for the 8GB Flash version up to $439 for the 500GB hard drive version and it will launch on September 16th (directly from Archos and at Amazon.com). Also interesting is the Archos Phone tablet, which Archos only partially unveiled. The Phone Tablet will have a 1GHz processor, 3.5G HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity, a 4.8-inch 854×480 display and all the other goodies its non-3G cousin has. No release date for the Phone Tablet was announced but the January 2010 edition of CES would be a good place to launch, no?

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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A triple dose of good news today for those who resent Apple’s stranglehold on the PMP market. Not only is the Zune HD now on sale starting at $219.99, but Microsoft has finally come clean and admitted that in the upcoming months it plans to bombard the Zune faithful and converts alike with apps such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, and games like Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service and Audiosurf Tilt. Not only that, but Zune HD owners can also look forward to streaming HD video to the Xbox 360 as well as the ability to purchase and rent TV shows, movies and more. Microsoft, this is yours to mess up… Please don’t. Anyone have a shiny new Zune HD squarely in his or her sights today?

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In addition to an update to iTunes,  Apple also announced a refresh of its iPod lineup at its annual fall event. First up is the iPod touch which saw a price drop, capacity increase and a hardware upgrade. The iPod touch is available in the traditional 8GB capacity for $199, 32Gb for $299 and 64Gb for $399. The 32Gb and 64Gb models are 50% faster than the current iPod touch and features OpenGL ES 2.0 support, presumably sharing the same underlying architecture as the iPhone 3GS. The iPod Classic has been bumped to boost to 160GB with a steady-state price at $250. The Shuffle got a brand new paint job and a price drop with a 2GB Shuffle available in a smorgasbord of new colors for $59, and a 4GB special edition model available for $99. The biggest changes to the lineup occurred in the Nano which to the surprise of no one has received, insert drum roll here, a video camera. Now we know where all of those rumored camera modules went. The new iPod Nano features a larger 2.2 inch screen, polished anodized aluminum case, video camera, microphone, speaker, YouTube integration, CoverFlow, VoiceOver, Genius mixes, Voice recorder, a pedometer and FM radio. The iPod Nano is also available in multiple colors with the 8GB model priced at $149 and the 16GB at $179.  All models are now live and available on Apple’s website.

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With the Zune HD on the horizon and a refreshed iPod touch looming, some might say it’s hard to even think about getting amped for Sony’s upcoming S Series and E Series Walkmans. Others however, might say these sleek and inexpensive players are just what the doctor ordered. Sony announced this morning that it would be bringing two new Walkman lines to market next month — the well-leaked S Series and the not-so-well-leaked E Series. Starting with the S Series, we’re looking at a 2.4-inch QVGA display, FM tuner with recording capability, built-in stereo speakers and up to 42 hours of audio/6.4 hours of video playback on a single charge (17 hours audio/5 hours video using the stereo speakers). The cheaper E Series is a much more basic player with a 2-inch display and none of the bells and whistles found on the S. Pricing is where things get interesting: The S Series will run $110 for the 8GB model and $130 for the 16GB model while the E Series will be $80 for 8GB and $100 for 16GB. Not bad at all.

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As it turns out, this weekend’s rumored Zune HD preview at Best Buy was the real deal. Tens or even dozens of anxious soon-to-be Zune HD owners (we kid; we want it now) gathered to see the sexy new PMP first hand and one of them even managed to snap an extremely blurry shot of a curious menu item. Mmmm, “Apps”. The attendee tried to access the mysterious menu but lack of Wi-Fi rendered his attempts fruitless. Word on the street is that the Apps menu will be home to various games at launch but we’re still not sure what else will find its way there — certainly something however, lest the menu heading read “Games”. Also of note, one preview attendee claims that the host of this event confirmed the existence of a Zune SDK. This is definitely rumor status right now but it would certainly go a long way to support the inevitable arrival of a Zune app store of sorts.

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Did the 3rd generation iPod touch rumors take a turn to being credible? The Covino and Rich show blog posted what it claims to be 100% legitimate pictures of the next generation iPod touch. Whoever they are, they state that the images were sent in from a loyal listener and this is not some publicity stunt. Knowing the length to which radio show hosts will go to generate buzz, we are inclined to not believe them but the images and the video are at least intriguing enough to warrant a look. The images are reportedly from a prototype device that fell into the hands of a person who deals in used electronics parts. This prototype, by presumably some major oversight, was included in a cache of used electronics being sold for parts. The images show both an intact and disassembled iPod touch with a camera position that certainly corresponds with earlier rumors. Most interesting is the presence of a red circuit board, commonly used in prototype devices. The source of the leaked images also provided a video to further substantiate his claim that this is the iPod touch that is expected to be announced at an Apple event in early September. Hit the jump to check out the remaining images and the video and let us know what you think. Is this merely an excellent hard mod or is it the real deal?

[via MacRumors]

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As if anyone had doubts surrounding the legitimacy of yesterday’s Zune HD leak, today Microsoft confirmed availability for September 15th and let it be known that pre-orders for the black 16GB and platinum 32GB models are now being filled through Zune.net, Microsoft, Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. In case you’re waiting on the other five colors that the Tegra-powered portable will be available in at launch, you’ll just have to sit tight for now. Don’t cry though — maybe we can cheer you up by letting you know that pricing is now 100 percent confirmed: $219.99 for the 16GB model and $289.99 for the 32GB model. We’ll take six of each, thank you.

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Mark your calendars and get your credit cards ready as the Zune HD will be dropping in just over a month. Thanks to a leaked Best Buy pre-order flyer, we now have a tentative launch date to accompany the rumored pricing for the Zune HD. Zero hour for Microsoft’s slick new portable media player is September 15th, a week later than previously reported. With all the pre-launch leaks out of the way, now all we have to do is wait for Microsoft to make these details official and see if the folks in Redmond can do so before those rumored iPods try to steal the HD’s limelight. Hit the jump for some more Best Buy Zune HD signage and a quick peek at the Zune HD packaging.

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We wouldn’t go as far as to call Microsoft’s upcoming Zune refresh a PMP hail mary, but it’s pretty clear that a lot is riding on Redmond’s upcoming players. So far we really like what we’ve seen of the Zune HD — and that statement is now expanded to include pricing. Last night some Best Buy inventory screen caps revealed the Zune HD’s price points and as of this morning we can consider them confirmed thanks to Amazon. App Store aside, we’re looking at a device far more capable and exciting compared to Apple’s iPod touch, and according to Amazon’s pre-order page, the 16GB will launch at $219.99 (compared to $299 for the 16GB iPod touch) and the 32GB model will hit the streets at $289.99 (compared to $399 for the 32GB iPod touch). Yeah, that’s no typo — you’ll be able to get a 32GB Zune HD for $9.01 less than a 16GB iPod touch. The Best Buy screenshots also add weight to the previously rumored September 8th launch date so it looks like we’ve got less than a month until lift off. The only question is whether or not Apple’s impending iPod touch refresh will tout enough bells and whistles at launch to overshadow Microsoft’s new gem. Hit the jump for the Best Buy images.

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Having been talked about for quite some time and then all of a sudden dropping off the radar, talks of an Android-powered device from Dell has once again resumed. This time The Wall Street Journal has supposedly confirmed that Dell does indeed have “several Android-based smartphones that it plans to start selling later this year,” something that meshes nicely with the 2G and 3G devices we spoke of some two weeks ago. Perhaps more interesting however, is that Dell is believed to be working on an MID that is also said to run on Android, and it will reportedly be a little larger than Apple’s iPod touch. The WSJ cautions those who are prone to getting ahead of themselves that while Dell intends to release the MID later this year, the possibility its launch will be delayed or canceled cannot be ruled out. Duh. At least the phones are allegedly a lock.

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