Roku on Tuesday announced a new $50 Roku LT player, the latest member of the company’s family of streaming media devices. The Roku LT supports 720p HD video, has built-in Wi-Fi, and provides access to 300 channels including Amazon Instant Video, Pandora, EPIX, Disney, Crackle, Hulu Plus and Netflix. ”Our goal is a Roku in every home,” Roku CEO Anthony Wood said. “The Roku LT opens up streaming to more people by lowering the cost of entry in these difficult economic times. With a $49 price and selection of more than 300 channels we expect the Roku LT will be everyone’s favorite Holiday device.” Additionally, Roku announced a new HBO GO partnership that provides on-demand access to 1,400 HBO movies and TV shows. Users must already subscribe to HBO through their cable provider in order to take advantage of this feature, however. The Roku LT will be available in early November from Roku’s website, Amazon and retail stores. Read on for the full press release.

New Roku LT Streams Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Pandora and 300 More Channels

Saratoga, Calif. – Oct. 11, 2011 – Roku, the leading streaming platform today announced a new affordable streaming player with the market’s lowest price of just $49.99. Called the Roku LT, this new player works with virtually any TV and delivers the full award-winning Roku streaming experience with more than 300 channels including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora, EPIX, Crackle,
Disney, and the newest premier addition to our channel line-up — HBO GO. More details on the HBO GO announcement appears in a separate press release also issued today.

“Our goal is a Roku in every home,” said Roku Founder and CEO Anthony Wood. “The Roku LT opens up streaming to more people by lowering the cost of entry in these difficult economic times. With a $49 price and selection of more than 300 channels we expect the Roku LT will be everyone’s favorite Holiday device.”

The Roku LT streams 720p high-definition video and features built-in wireless. It will be available from Roku.com, Amazon.com and in retail stores nationwide beginning in early November.

The Roku LT complements the Roku 2 family of streaming players which was introduced in late July. The Roku 2 family is unique in that it features casual gaming as well as streaming video and music. Roku 2 is available in three models – Roku 2 HD ($59.99), Roku 2 XD ($79.99) and Roku 2 XS ($99.99)- all feature Bluetooth and a microSD card slot. The flagship Roku 2 XS model comes standard with the Bluetooth-
enabled Roku Game Remote with motion control for games like Angry Birds.

At the company’s 2011 product lineup event today, Samsung announced the U.S. availability of the 4-inch and 5-inch Galaxy Player. First spotted at Mobile World Congress last month, the two devices closely resemble the European Galaxy S smartphone currently in market. The duo will look to capture both the mind and market share of those consumers who would otherwise be looking to purchase Apple’s iPod touch or Microsoft’s Zune. Both devices will run Google’s Froyo (Android 2.2) operating system — upgradeable to Gingerbread (Android 2.3) — and will sport Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA support, 8GB of on-board storage, 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, and microSD card slot (support for up to 32GB cards). The 5-inch model will have a WVGA TFT-LCD display while the 4-inch model will boast a 4-inch Super Clear LCD screen. The burning question we all want the answer to, when can we buy one and how much will they cost, was not disclosed in the announcement. Hit the jump to read the official press release.

Samsung Unleashes Galaxy Player Ultra-Mobile Devices – Communication, Entertainment and Information Are in Hand

Two Light and Slim Devices Deliver the Full Internet and Thousands of Android Apps Without Monthly Connection Fees

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today expanded the Galaxy Family of portable devices with the addition of the unique Galaxy Player, the first in a new category of Android-based ultra-mobile devices. The large 4” or 5” screen on the two new models offer an ideal to enjoy games, music, videos, social media and e-books, yet still easily fit in a pants pocket.

The 4” and 5” screen models of Galaxy Player, weighing just 5 and 7 ounces respectively, deliver powerful features for entertainment, communication and information on the go. Both devices boast Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity for quick and easy access to online services, front and rear cameras (including flash on the 5” model) for videoconferencing or photography, stereo speakers for enjoying music or videos, and support for Adobe Flash 10.1 to access virtually any content on the Web.

“Our Galaxy Family – including Galaxy S mobile phones and Galaxy Tab – has been a success because we give people what they truly wish for – access to thousands of Android Apps coupled with Samsung’s sleek design,” explained Tim Baxter, President, Consumer Business Division at Samsung Electronics America. “Our new Galaxy Players deliver that same experience in two terrific, ultra-portable form factors – without incurring fees for a monthly data plan.”

Convenient Communication Features

Galaxy Players comes with Qik applications for VoIP calls over a WiFi connection; Skype will also be pre-loaded on the 4” model. A microphone and speaker in the device provides a comfortable and natural communications experience.

Video-conferencing is a joy through the front-facing camera on the devices and the large 4” and 5” screens provide for a crystal-clear view of the other side of the conversation.

Social networking comes alive on the Galaxy Player models – users can download popular apps like Facebook, Twitter and many others to take full advantage of the generous 4” and 5” screen real estate. Now, users can connect with more friends than ever without squinting on a tiny screen.

Unprecedented Multimedia, Gaming in Style – and Drag ‘N Play

Galaxy Player’s large 4” or 5” screens are perfect for reading e-books on the go, while the built-in Wi-Fi makes it easy to browse and download new books from almost anywhere.

Stereo speakers, with Virtual 5.1 surround sound and Samsung’s SoundAlive post-processing technology, makes the Galaxy Player a portable boombox to enliven any occasion. The LCD WVGA display on the 5” model makes watching movies or TV shows a superb experience, while the Super Clear WVGA LCD screen on the 4” model provides bright, clear access to online videos.

In addition, both Galaxy Players support numerous multimedia formats natively, eliminating the need to transcode files. Videos in the popular DivX, Xvid, WMV, MPEG4 and H.264 formats play effortlessly. Music lovers will love the audio support for MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, and Flac.

Drag ‘N Play support means files can be simply dragged from a PC right onto the player – no need for installing special software of any kind on the PC. A MicroSD slot allows 32 GB of extra storage, supplementing the on-board 8 GB.

Galaxy Players are DLNA Certified® and support AllShare – so content can be streamed to and from a PC or television without wires – anywhere in the home.

Gamers are sure to embrace the Galaxy Player – the vibrant and expansive 5” and 4” screens, stereo sound, access to thousands of games via the Android Marketplace, and extreme portability all add up to a package that is simply perfect for both hardcore and casual games.

Access to an Amazing Lineup of Apps- and Flash 10.1

The two Galaxy Player devices are the only Mobile Internet Devices with Google certification – so they can access over 100,000 Android applications via Google’s Android Market. The Web browsing experience on the Galaxy Player devices is unparalleled. Support for Adobe Flash 10.1 means no limits – and no frustration – when browsing online.

Both devices run Android version 2.2 (Froyo) and will be upgradeable to version 2.3 (Gingerbread).

What do we have here… it would appear to be a video of the MeeGo mobile operating system with Nokia’s dirty little fingerprints all over it. The video was captured by an astute consumer who was, of all things, taking an online survey. The video covers how the operating system will handle multitasking, social network integration, application purchasing with the Ovi Store, and the multimedia player. Hit the jump to see the goods, we’ve the 90 second clip all queued up for you.

[Via Engadget]

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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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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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Back in December, we gave the COWON S9 our hands on review treatment shortly after its release here in the US and to paraphrase, we liked it. A lot. As far as audio quality, battery life and affordability we still haven’t found a competitive offering that can top it. One area where the S9 has been limited however, is storage. Apparently COWON got the hints as the company has just announced the availability of a new 32GB model in Korea. What’s more, the new bigger build rings up at 379,000KOR (US$286) — a substantial $113 less than the 32GB iPod Touch which, in our opinion, can’t even come close to touching the S9 where sound quality is concerned. We’re hoping the new S9 model makes its way over to the states ASAP at a similar price point because our smaller version is pretty full right now. As an aside for those of you who currently own an S9, COWON has pushed out version 2.2 of the firmware — be sure to download it and get your update on.

[Via PMP Today]

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Last week we showed you an unboxing of COWON’s latest Portable Media Playing creation and you had to know we’d be following it up with a full-on review. We wanted to take a little while to play with the S9 and cover every square inch of its functionality before bringing you a hands on review and now that we’ve had a few days alone with this puppy, we’re ready to dish. Hit the jump to dive in.

In this review we’ll take you through most of the important parts of the UI and pepper in some commentary along the way. The UI, by the way, is COWON’s own flash-based GUI and while it certainly isn’t the fanciest game in town but it is simple, attractive, intuitive and lightning fast. The capacitive touchscreen is very responsive as is the UI, making the S9 a real pleasure to use. Pretty much every function can be discovered quickly by even those with very basic gadgeteering abilities, but it’s still enough to be respectable amongst seasoned vets. With that, what better place to start than the home screen?

The home screen is a direct portal into each of the S9′s functions and the icons thereon are are well-sized. Settings, Utilities, a file browser can all be accessed with one click along with all of the multimedia functions. Also, the S9 boots from off to the home screen in about three seconds which is fantastic compared to competitive offerings. Along the bottom of the home screen are two groups of dots which serve only to toggle between silver icons and multicolored icons. Like us, you’ll probably stick with silver.

The settings menu gives quite obviously presents all of the configuration-related items on the device. The one thing that took us a brief while to get used to was the necessity for double-tapping to make a selection. Once you get past that however, the settings menus are quite sensible and easy to tweak.

One thing we particularly like about the UI is the zooming feature present in most sections. As amazingly crisp as the AMOLED display is on the S9, size is always an issue with portables. Many areas of the UI such as documents (as seen above) include a slider across the bottom. The far left end brings the zoom all the way out and the far right end zooms all the way in. As you can see below, the slider makes it very easy to adjust the font to the exact size that suits you.

Moving along to the bread and butter, we have the S9′s multimedia functionality. First up, images. As you can imagine, photos look great on this display. The 3.3″ AMOLED screen displays its 480 x 272 pixels in vivid detail and photos jump off the screen. The included software suite makes it easy to load photos along with the rest of your media and the accelerometer allows the device to automatically adjust the image orientation as you rotate the device. The S9 supports viewing in all directions so you can rotate it left, right or even upside down and the image will adjust accordingly. You can also find the zoom slider present beneath each photo for fast and easy zooming.

From photos we move right over to the video player. Again… AMOLED! Videos are a joy to watch and and 30 fps playback makes for a smooth viewing experience. The S9 supports AVI and WMV, as well as SMI subtitles in case Kung Fu is your thing. Also of note – thanks to the beauty of OLED displays, COWON rates the S9 with 11 straight hours of video playback on a single charge. We didn’t try to watch 11 consecutive hours but judging by the battery performance we’ve seen, we don’t doubt it. Below are a couple of shots of video playback and as you can see, tilting the device will automatically rotate the picture in any direction.

Next on the list, and the function we’ve been waiting for the entire review to cover, is the music player. The S9 supports a variety of formats including MP3, WMA, OGG and WAV, as well as LDB 1.0 and 2.0 lyrics and ID3 V1 / ID3 V2.2/2.3/2.4 tags. Visually, the player is so-so. In landscape mode all you get is a row of album art along with the zoom slider beneath it. In portrait mode, the player displays the album art of the current track along with controls and a slider that can be used to shuttle. In the bottom right corner is a flip button that will swap play controls for options to bookmark the current track or add it as a favorite, toggle repeat mode or adjust EQ settings. There is also a “quick list” above the flip button that pops open a small visual representation of the current, prior and next tracks. Beyond the touchscreen controls, playback can also be controlled with a centrally located play/pause hardware button on the top of the device, flanked by rewind/fast-forward and volume up/down buttons. These buttons can be used in various other modes as well.

It should be noted at this point that the audio quality on the S9 is incredible. No, seriously. It tops Apple’s iPod line hands down – we were pretty taken aback by it in fact. We tested the S9 with Apple’s iPhone headphones, a pair of noise isolating Shure buds and a pair of AKG studio cans. Each was better than the next. Though we haven’t had a chance yet to pair it up with a set of stereo Bluetooth headphones, we would certainly expect similar performance. We played with the EQ settings a bit and while there are plenty of user-configurable options, we found the rock preset to be just right for most types of music. With the AKGs plugged in and the volume cranked up to 33 out of 40, we were in music heaven – though a while longer at that level and we might have gone deaf. Oh, and it’s rated at 55 continuous hours of music playback… Mmmm, OLED.

In terms of pricing, COWON set a good price point for the currently-available 16GB model, $239.99, but we would have liked to see the 8GB come in a bit lower than $199.99 as it will be priced when shipments begin hitting the States. $239.99 puts the 16GB a healthy $60 below the similarly-sized iPod Touch while the 8GB model only affords a $30 savings over the 8GB iPod Touch. These prices also put the S9 well above the Zune, with 8GB and 16GB models coming in at $139 and $179 respectively, though we would hardly put the user experience of the Zune on par with the S9. All in all, the major question in debating between the S9 and an iPod Touch – beyond price – would come down to to a trade off: Do you want a connected PMP with a web browser, mail and apps, or would you rather have pure media player with superior audio quality, smaller size and a ridiculously long-lasting battery? Either answer is perfectly acceptable but in the age of the smartphone, many people already have their browsing and app-related needs covered pretty well. If that’s the case for you, then you may want to give the S9 a thorough consideration the next time you’re in the market for a PMP.

COWON S9 distributor product page

Well look at what the cat dragged in! COWON’s sexy new S9 found its way over to BGR HQ and we decided to go ahead and unbox it for you – you know, holiday spirit and all. The mock ups of the S9 make the device look insanely attractive and truth be told, in person it doesn’t disappoint. So while we take some time to check the unit out and put our thoughts together, head on over to the unboxing gallery and feast your eyes on the latest and greatest from COWON.

Click on over to our COWON S9 unboxing gallery!

It seems like forever that we’ve been hearing about the Cowon S9 Curve, a sexy Protable Media Player (PMP) with a 3.3-inch 16 million color scratch-resistant touchscreen, and the wait is almost over. Cowon has finally made this puppy official, given it a release date and priced it – in Korea. On December 16th, a week from tomorrow, Korean S9 admirers will finally be able to purchase the player. As for pricing, the S9 will come in three flavors:

• 4 GB – 219,000 won ($150)
• 8 GB – 259,000 won ($178)
• 16 GB – 309,000 won ($212)

Not bad at all! We still have no word on a US release though speculation points to availability some time in January. Hit the jump for a few slides from Cowon that cover the “Advanced GUI System” pretty nicely.

[Via Engadget]

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