MSI Megaview 588 digital media player

Listening to music on the move is rather passé now; if you want to be at the cutting edge, video is the latest thing.

The MSI Megaview 588, however, caters for both without being overly bulky or expensive.

The 3.5in screen can display video at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, which is good for a screen of this size. It handled fast-moving video without any blurring and images were reasonably bright.

The 20Gb hard disk (enough for about 5,000 songs and 50 hours of video) is a reasonable size for the price, although a 30Gb iPod video costs just £15 more.

The Megaview 588 supports a variety of file formats including MPEG4, DivX, all popular digital image formats, such as JPEG and TIF, and Windows Media Video 9.
The Megaview can also record audio or video using the supplied composite cables, although recording resolution is limited to 312 x 324 pixels.

Unlike the more expensive Archos PMA400 media player, the Megaview 588 cannot record shop-bought DVDs from a DVD player. It will record unprotected discs, such as those you've created yourself, though.

The video recording cable also doubles up to connect the Megaview 588 to a television for watching videos and photo slideshows on a bigger screen.

There's a remote control to navigate media files from afar and a tripod stand. But, as the infrared sensor is positioned on the bottom of the player, it's is not possible to use both at the same time.

The Megaview 588 supports MP3, WMA and WAV music formats, which is more than the iPod. Sound quality was good but it won't playback any bought-music from the iTunes or Napster online music stores.

This model includes an FM radio that can store eight stations. FM broadcasts can also be recorded, as can voice recordings using the internal microphone.

Files are transferred from a computer using the USB socket, which will also connect to digital cameras and other storage devices using a supplied adapter. In this way, files can be copied directly to the Megaview 588.

There's also a slot on the top of the player for SD and MMC memory cards, from which files can be copied to the Megaview 588.

MSI has thoughtfully included the software driver for computers running Windows 98. It won't synchronise with Windows Media Player 10, though.

Battery life runs to around five hours for video playback and recording and seven hours when listening to music. The battery is removable so it's possible to carry a spare.

Comparisons will be made with the better-looking, more desirable video iPod, which offers and extra 10Gb for about the same price but if you want to record media on the move and listen to radio out of the box, the MSI Megaview 588 has the edge.

KODAK Easyshare V610 Camera

Kodak is celebrating five years of its Easyshare digital camera, software and docking technology with the launch of what it claims is the smallest 10x optical zoom digital camera.

The slimline six-megapixel Easyshare V610 is another dual lens digital camera - introduced by Kodak in January.

It has a 2.8in LCD screen and uses Kodak Retina Dual Lens technology, combining two Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon all-glass lenses that do not protrude.

The camera is also one of the first to come with Bluetooth wireless technology for easy sharing of photos with people up to 30ft away.

It will come with version 6 of the Easyshare software, which can be downloaded free from next month by existing Easyshare camera users here.

Due out in June, the V610 will cost £350.

Hauppage launches low-cost TV dongle

Hauppauge has introduced a low-cost TV tuner USB 'stick' for laptop and PC users. The £49.99 WinTV Nova-t Stick comes with a high-performance portable aerial and high-gain silicon tuner technology for improved Freeview reception.The supplied software scans for up to 40 Freeview TV digital channels, which can then be watched in full-screen or resizable windows or recorded for later viewing. Digital radio is also supported.

It is high-definition TV (HDTV)-compliant so users will be able to view the current trials the BBC is running on Freeview to see what all the fuss is about.You could have the Stick plugged into your desktop PC at home, then simply unplug it and take it with you and your laptop.

ZEN Vision:M 30GB Media Player

Zen Vision's 30GB multimedia center is bound to impress anyone who wants to carry all their digital entertainment files - tens of thousands of photos, up to 120 hours of videos, and 15,000 songs - everywhere. Zen Vision is not only lightweight and slim, beneath its classy magnesium casing are features that will fulfill all your digital entertainment needs.


Product Description Creative Zen Vision - portable media centre
Device Type Portable media centre
Dimensions (WxDxH) 12.4 cm x 2 cm x 7.4 cm
Weight 239 g
Key Features Digital audio player, voice recorder, digital photo viewer, memory card reader, digital video player, FM tuner
Hard Drive 30 GB
Flash Memory Cards Supported CompactFlash Card type I, CompactFlash Card type II
TV Standards Supported NTSC, PAL
Display Type 3.7" LCD
Supported Still Images Formats JPEG
Supported Audio Formats WMA, MP3, WMA DRM
Video Playback Formats MPEG-4 SP, XviD, DivX 5.0, DivX 4.0, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, Motion JPEG, WMV
PC Interfaces Hi-Speed USB
Battery Internal rechargeable - Lithium Ion
Included Accessories Stereo headphones, AV cable, USB cable, AC adapter, carrying pouch

Despite a few shortcomings, Creative's Zen VisionM is a great Apple iPod alternative. the video-ready music device, which possesses the finest color screen I've ever seen on a portable player.
The VisionM sounded great, too, though audio codec support is a bit weak--with support for MP3, WMA, and WAV, . In addition, it carries an FM tuner/recorder and a voice recorder.
The VisionM does more than play music. It supplies a raft of options for photo and video viewing on the unit's beautiful 320-by-240-pixel screen. The device supports enough video codecs to keep video enthusiasts happy, and an included dongle lets you link the player to a TV.
You will have no trouble navigating files on the VisionM, thanks to the player's touchpad interface. With the touchpad at the default sensitivity setting, a few quick flicks of the thumb allowed you to move through lengthy lists of artists and albums, though landing on a specific selection was sometimes challenging.
Unfortunately, the VisionM has a few drawbacks when compared to the 30GB video-ready iPod. For starters, it's about 1.5 times as thick, and you need a dongle to charge the player and sync files to it. Also, its MediaSource application needs work, especially when matched against Apple's slick iTunes. If you can look beyond these flaws, however, you'll find a capable portable media player with useful features and a stellar screen