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We can not (with a clean conscience) carelessly fling Newsmy’s M521+ to the KIRF mound — even though we would absolute sttink to. It’s hard not viable to miss the design cues ripped directly out of SanDisk’s Sansa Fuze, while the unit performs suffer recently sufficient uniqueness to carry on it according to making a bona fide clone. Reportedly, the device packs an FM tuner, FM transmitter, validation for MP3 / WMA / APE / FLAC / AVI formats, a photo / text viewer and an interface the current we wouldn’t let our worst enemies use. Oh wait, is this the iTunes logo? Is it too late to reconsider the current gargantuan KIRF eligibility thing.

Our experiences with Microsoft’s Sync in Ford cars has been mostly a comedy of voice-recognition errors (we’ll never forget our rental at CES blasting NWA in response to “Play artist: David Bowie”), but it looks like other automakers will be able to join in the confusing fun in November, when Microsoft’s exclusive contract with Ford runs out. Hyundai and Kia are the first to sign up for what’s now being branded Microsoft Auto, and while it’s not exactly clear what their versions of the system will look like, you can expect the same basic features as Sync, as well as some new capabilities like navigation and emergency-response services. Microsoft also says that Auto will be available for “general release to the automotive community,” which could lead to the inclusion of the OS on aftermarket gear as well. Let’s just hope they tune the system to figure out the difference between Ziggy Stardust and Eazy-E, eh?

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Microsoft’s recently refurbished Zune store features a lot of NBC content like Heroes and The Office, but it looks like it may have come at what could be a steep price: NBC recently told the New York Times that it’s working with Microsoft to develop “copyright filters” for the Zune that would “remove pirated movies and videos.” (We’ll pause for a moment so you can gape appropriately.) Granted, it’s not clear whether NBC wants to actually delete non-DRM’d media or simply block playback, but apparently the network thinks it’s an issue on par with variable pricing, and it’s not in the iTunes Store because Apple refuses to cooperate. Microsoft, on the other hand, is apparently cheerfully working on such a solution, dubbed the “copyright cop,” and says that it’s sympathetic to NBC’s concerns because it also suffers from piracy issues. Sigh. Of course, none of this is new territory for NBC or Microsoft: the two companies are working in similar content filtering systems to be implemented at the ISP level with AT&T, and NBC and SanDisk are working on a filter for Sansa players as well. Still, if Microsoft is serious about competing with the iPod, signing up for consumer-hostile DRM systems that actually block playback and potentially delete files just isn’t the way to do it — let’s hope this one dies on the vine.

Update: Although a spokesperson told the NYT that Microsoft was working with NBC on anti-piracy efforts, the company is now saying that it has no plans to implement a “copyright cop” in the Zune, and the Zune Insider blog confirms. Great, now just cancel the ISP-level filtering system and we’ll be all set.

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There weren’t a whole lot of firm details on the reasons behind Apple’s acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi to be had back when the deal was announced last month, but it seems that a bit of the veil of mystery may now be lifting, at least if the word EETimes is hearing from its unnamed source is to be believed. Apparently, Apple was keen to have P.A. Semi’s crack chip-making team design a new chip for them, but P.A. Semi had “more or less burnt through its venture capital funds,” leaving them unable to take on the project. According to EETimes source, that meant that the only way to get P.A. Semi involved was for Apple to pay off all of P.A.’s investors and bring the company in-house, something they were able to do for a mere $280 million or so. Of course, as EETimes points out, the big question remaining is exactly what it is that Apple wants P.A. Semi to help it out with, and that’s a detail we’d expect to take considerably longer to trickle out.

[Via Mac Rumors]

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Well, that was fast, the XNA community technology preview with Zune games we were just talking about is already out. Unless you’re a developer ready to get your hands a little dirty it won’t be of much use though, especially since games can only be distributed and installed from source code right now.
Read - Official announcement
Read - How-to install Zune games

We rather liked Onda’s VX767 PMP when it hit the wires back in March, and it looks like the company is hard at work on a sequel with built-in WiFi. The upcoming VX777 shares most of the the 767’s specs, including pretty decent video codec support and TV-out, but adds in WiFi and potentially a touchscreen. We’re not exactly certain if there’s a browser included — the leaked specs only say internet radio — but if this thing is any kind of cheap when it arrives in August we’ll certainly be intrigued.

[Via GenerationMP3]

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While we’re still waiting for the early year flirtations of NBC and Apple to sprout into a renewed relationship, it looks like Microsoft is picking up the ball and running with it. The new Zune Marketplace TV lineup includes NBC favorites “The Office, “Heroes” and “30 Rock,” in addition to popular shows from Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and Sci Fi Channel. Over 800 episodes in total are available at the moment, and all of them are going for 160 Microsoft Points — about $2.00. A more complete list is after the break.

Comedy Central

South Park
FUNimation

Afro Samurai Witchblade
MTV

The Hills
NBC

The Office Heroes 30 Rock
Nickelodeon

SpongeBob SquarePants
Sci Fi Channel

Battlestar Galactica Eureka
Starz

Ghost in the Shell Street Fighter
Tuner Broadcasting

Metalocalypse Robot Chicken
UFC

The Ultimate Fighter Fight Night
VH1

Rock of Love

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Hear that? That’s the sound of dozens of Canadians rejoicing as they finally get a launch date for the Zune in Canada, a year and a half after Zune’s debut in the US. As rumored, Canadians will have a slightly limited lineup on offer, with no 30GB or green versions to puzzle over, but the red Zune 80 will indeed be making an appearance, along with the rest of the players. Prices range from $140 to $250 Canadian Dollars, which sources tell us is a real currency akin to salt traded by the ancients or a Starbucks Card.

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We’ll spare you our feelings on just how cheesy this thing looks, as we’re fairly certain you can judge that for yourself. Those with no shame and an unrequited love for all things gold, however, may actually find this one quite appealing. Cooper’s Amber F1 purportedly features a 2.8-inch widescreen LCD, support for RMVB, AVI and FLV formats, a built-in equalizer, SRS WOW technology, a bundled case and an obligatory set of gilded earbuds to ensure public humiliation. A price or release date wasn’t immediately apparent, but please don’t say you’re willing to dig around to find out. Please?

[Via PMPToday]

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We’ll spare you our feelings on just how cheesy this thing looks, as we’re fairly certain you can judge that for yourself. Those with no shame and an unrequited love for all things gold, however, may actually find this one quite appealing. Cooper’s Amber F1 purportedly features a 2.8-inch widescreen LCD, support for RMVB, AVI and FLV formats, a built-in equalizer, SRS WOW technology, a bundled case and an obligatory set of gilded earbuds to ensure public humiliation. A price or release date wasn’t immediately apparent, but please don’t say you’re willing to dig around to find out. Please?

[Via PMPToday]

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