andy

Iit's *offiiciial* - yes you *diid* *miiss* somethiing, or rather a *Wiiii* couple of 'thiings', but not *Ii*!

Here:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/28/brandos-palm-phone-jammer-kills-gsm-calls-dead/

Here: http://www.engadget.com/2004/03/25/suresafes-cellphone-jammer/

And here: http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/30/the-cx-200-portable-director-ii-cellphone-jammer-for-the-polite/

~

Back on topic, this seems like a nice little 'hack' but its use is most likely very limited.

~

All the best,
Andy

Firstly, yes I know I'm replying to myself - but I've done some digging around on Newman's website and have been able to uncover some details:-

Highlighted Features
* Support a wide range of audio/video formats
* Touch sensitive navigation keys design
* SD card slot for capacity expansion (64MB - 4GB)

General characteristics
* Capacity options: 1G, 2G, 4G, more
* 3.6 inches 16 million colors TFT LCD
* Size: 108x76x14 mm
* Weight: 110g

Audio
* Support MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, SRS formats
* Up to 10 sound effects/EQ including BBE and SRS
* Built-in speaker
* Digital voice recording function (MP3 format)
* Built-in microphone

Video/Image
* Support RM, RMVB, AVI, FLV, MPG, MPEG, VOB, DAT formats video files
* Photo album and slideshow: support JPG, BMP, GIF

Battery
Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery (1500 mAH)

Data transfer/management
* High speed USB2.0 interface
* File management function

Menu Languages
English, French, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Czech, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, more.

Additional features/specs
* Synchronized Song Lyric Showing
* Electronic book (TXT viewing)
* Reset to factory default settings with no influence on saved files
* Automatic power-off setting
* Easy to set screen saver

Not too shabby if you ask me - and a nice, wide range of supported files. If AAC was there, I'd be sold, but there's still the Creative ZEN nagging at the back of my mind - and the fact that I probably won't be able to acquire one of these devices.
Also, has anyone had experience with Newman in the past - it could be useful to know of their build quality. All this, and there still isn't a listed price - useless, I tell you, useless!

"...a little smudgy today, but but we're willing overlook that..."

Surely you mean this - "...a little smudgy today, but we're willing to overlook that..." - no? Sadly, unlike Engadget writers, I would not be partial to an extra 'but' but (ah, irony!) would consider the use of 'to' (no, not two but[t]s, people - just 'to').

On the actual topic of this PMP, it looks rather nice - rather reminiscent of the LG Chocolate. Still, Aving could have picked a better still to take of the device playing video - that poor lady looks so sad, it quite nearly makes me depressed about a PMP.
Sadly, Aving doesn't actually state what music file types it supports - nor battery life - so who knows what the actual practicality of this device is.
And being only a 2Gb device - needless to say this is far more heinous than Apple's disastrous error in omitting a large capacity for such a nice, large screen in the iPod Touch.

All the best,
Andy

With love and gratitude for all you do.

With love and gratitude for all you do.

With love and gratitude for all that you do.

With love and gratitude for all that you do.

Of the two choices - the Creative Zen V in a heartbeat (the V+ for the radio etc. obviously, too).
However, I'm still more than happy with my Sansa e280 (8Gb) which I purchased for an equivalent of $180. This is far and away superior to the iPod Nano, and for me just has the edge over the Zen V/V+.
Now, the thing is - will Sansa bother updating their product line-up anytime soon? Methinks not, sadly - and it's a crying shame if they don't.
Still, this is a beautiful PMP & I may well find myself recommending it to friends looking for an intermediate sized PMP.

All the best,
Andy

Yet... for some reason, I don't think this will be replacing my Sansa e280 any time soon.
Now Engadget, I know that more people have the iPod Nano than any other small PMP of that size - but the A1 is more similar to the e200 series or the Zen V+ (boasting video support and a FM tuner). Also, the e200 and Creative Zen V+ would be rather closer in price to the A1 than the Nano.
Come on, Engadget - get your backsides in gear and name the closest rivals to this device!
(To all you smart alecs, I know it's trying to bite into the huge market dominance of the iPod Nano, but if people wanted an FM tuner and/or video playback they'd most likely buy an e200 series or Zen V+ - therefore, the A1 is trying to take business from these two superb PMPs)

All the best,
Andy