Sure, we know that whenever we hear the word "aluminum" we're supposed to go all weak in the knees, but iriver hasn't really astounded us with this materials-tweaked rehash of the E100. Still, the OLED screen on the upcoming E200 has been bumped to 2.8-inches, so that's kind of nice, and while the capacitive touch buttons aren't a big win over the original rocker, at least the chassis seems thinner now. Check out the read link for some purported press shots that manage to be quite a bit more flattering.

[Via PMP Today]

Few details were available when Archos announced its new lineup of PMPs last month, but today we can provide you with fuller specs and news of imminent UK availability. The new flagship model, 3 Vision, comes with a 3-inch touchscreen, 8GB of storage, microSDHC card slot, video playback, and a few less significant features like a voice recorder, calendar, stopwatch and an FM transmitter for streaming music to your Hi-Fi. Positioned as a direct competitor to the iPod touch, the new Archos will cost nearly half as much at £90 ($148). Other models detailed today include the 2 Vision -- a 1.8-inch version of the foregoing that loses video playback but gains a 16GB option likely to be priced at £50 ($82) -- and the Archos Clipper, a 2GB no-frills player priced at £20 ($32). For those looking to get a head start on everyone else, the 8GB 2 Vision is already available through Archos' online store for £40 ($65).

[Via Pocket-lint]

French accessories company HOON has teamed up with audio company The Perfect Unison for a line of python skin skinned headphones. The cans are made of nine layers of birch wood, lined with goat skin, and finally covered in the skin of a mighty snake for the ultimate, luxurious audiophile experience. The ear pieces are made of hand-varnished carbon fibers, presumably because the beaks of dodo birds were unavailable. These high-tech, beastly beauties will run you €1,160.00 (roughly $1,650) should you choose to make them yours.

[Via ChipChick]

Here's what you get when a manufacturer tries to justify a $199 price tag on its newest headsets. The Jabra Go 6400 (pictured above) and Pro 9400 look to be standard noise-cancelling Bluetooth and DECT headsets, respectively, with a multifunction button to answer/reject/redial/mute calls and adjust the volume. However, these headsets are paired with an industry first touch-screen base for call management. The 2.4-inch capacitive LCD displays caller ID, call records, and lets users switch between their mobile, desk, and corporate softphones via a spin of the carousel. Fun sure, and exceedingly geeky, but hardly worth the $199 to duplicate functions already built-in to the headsets or accessible via the displays on the devices it connects to. Then again, these are aimed at office professionals (read: corporations) when they launch in September and $199 is nothing when you're spending someone else's money. DECT configuration pictured after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

If you want to get an idea of just how fast technology moves, a brilliant piece from the BBC should help light the way. The setup is simple enough: 13-year-old Scott Campbell is given a Walkman and told by his dad that it was "the iPod of his day" -- and that's when the fun begins. Having never used or even seen the device, the young man proceeds to experience the kind of equilibrium-destroying confusion which we can only imagine the elderly first felt when attempting to set a VCR timer (you do remember what VCRs are, right?). We've collected a few of the choicest bits from the teen's observations, but we highly suggest you read the full article... you won't be sorry. Our favorite picks (direct quotes):

• When I wore it walking down the street or going into shops, I got strange looks, a mixture of surprise and curiosity, that made me a little embarrassed.
• It took me three days to figure out that there was another side to the tape. That was not the only naive mistake that I made; I mistook the metal/normal switch on the Walkman for a genre-specific equaliser, but later I discovered that it was in fact used to switch between two different types of cassette.
• I managed to create an impromptu shuffle feature simply by holding down "rewind" and releasing it randomly - effective, if a little laboured.
• When playing, it is clearly evident that the music sounds significantly different than when played on an MP3 player, mainly because of the hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises on the Walkman.

[Via Richard Lai]

We don't know exactly what's going on, but both Xbox Live and Zune Marketplace are apparently acting up right now -- we've gotten reports that the entire Zune user database is more or less MIA, while Xbox Live seems unable to process purchases reliably. If we had to guess, we'd say that Microsoft's free Thriller video giveaway is causing some pretty massive server strain, but that's just a shot in the dark. Keep us posted on how you're doing, and we'll let you know if we hear anything official.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sure, we've been chummy with the Zune HD in the past, but we just took it for a quick spin on video so you can check out those smooth transitions for yourself. Unfortunately, the unit we were playing with had zero content loaded on it, but you can check out the slick unlock mechanism, swooping screen-change animations and a bit of pre-loaded Zune video on the gorgeous OLED screen. Plus we tossed together a few pics and a shot of the Tegra chip that's doing all the work into a gallery below. Video is after the break.

What the world needs now is another distraction to keep a driver's eyes off the road, and Pioneer is ensuring wheelmen of the future will have something other than the asphalt to focus on with what it's calling the Network AV playback system. It relies on WiMAX to send your entire backlog of Knight Rider episodes straight to your Trans Am, and could stream every track from the Ronin Original Motion Picture Soundtrack too. Pioneer also envisions its technology beaming data to your backyard and anywhere else you can get a WiMAX connection -- which, right now, isn't too many places. But, hey, at least with this tech you can drive somewhere that does. Optimistic video after the break.

[Via DigInfo]

Without a doubt, Sonos makes an excellent wireless distributed audio system. If we had to nit pick (and we do), then its massive controller, the CR100 is easily the first thing to complain about. For starters it's a $400 remote control that does one thing, it controls your Sonos audio system. Granted, the CR100 is rugged, splashproof, and turns on in an instant thanks to a built-in accelerometer; features that can't justify the price, however, in light of the solid Sonos did its user base when it released a free Sonos controller app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app even one-ups the CR100 with its on-screen QWERTY since the CR100's scrollwheel isn't exactly the best interface for typing out the name of an artist search. So imagine our intrigue when we saw a new CR200 Sonos Controller pass through the FCC. The new controller appears to prefer a portrait orientation (instead of landscape like the CR100) and was tested across 802.11g WiFi frequencies with a 24Mbps fixed data rate. While that doesn't give us much to go on, at least it passed the tests meaning we could be close to an official announcement. Considering the controller's physical design hasn't changed since its launch in January of 2005, a few more days or weeks of waiting shouldn't be a problem.

You can stop wondering what exactly is powering the new Zune HD. On the official Zune Insider podcast, host Matt Akers confirmed the rumors: yep, it's rocking a Tegra. No surprise, that announcement came with a heap of praise for NVIDIA's chip, so much so it's almost painful to listen. "So sick, so much better battery life, graphics acceleration. This thing is like a mini laptop in your hand, right, it's so awesome." We'll have to see about that for ourselves (in September, maybe?), but we are indeed encouraged by the news. Hear it for yourself just below.



[Thanks, Jon]

Sonos has been sitting pretty at the top of the wireless audio distribution space for quite awhile now. Today Yamaha is fighting back with a totally refreshed (and very Sonos-like) Musiccast2 system that supports up to 32 rooms of WiFi-based distributed audio from sources such as Rhapsody, Internet radio, or tracks stored on your Mac, PC, USB sticks, Bluetooth devices, or networked shares. iTunes support is enabled via a bundled TwonkyMedia Server in the $500 MCX-RC100 Network Music Commander remote control (above) with 3.5-inch LCD, touch-sensitive trackpad, and GUI that displays details such as album art and song information from all your MP3, WMA (no lossless or PRO), AAC (no Apple lossless or FairPlay DRM), FLAC and WAV audio files. To distribute the audio, you'll need a $400 MCX-A300 (amplified, just add speakers) or $400 MCX-P200 (non-amplified for AV connection) Network Music Player placed in each room where audio is desired. The MCX-P200 can also function as a universal IR remote with multiple IR outs to control other devices in the AV rack via IR flashers or the MCX-RC100 remote control. So yeah, it gets expensive, but it's easy and quick and won't require a sledgehammer, wiring, or sheetrocking skills. Our only reservation is with Yamaha's choice of straight-up 2.4GHz 802.11b/g to link the audio compared to the rock-solid, customized-802.11n mesh created by Sonos -- nobody wants a microwave to harsh their mellow, dig? More component pics after the break.