These days, the cool kids are looking to do more than just play back the freshest jams on their portable media player. We're talking video, PVR, WiFi, the works. Have a listen at Marco's question, and if you think you could do one better, send in your inquiry to ask at engadget dawt com:

"I'm looking for a new PMP, but I want a unit that can do it all. A large screen, big hard drive, support for lots of codecs, PVR functionality, TV output, etc. I'd also like Bluetooth and / or WiFi if possible. I don't mind units that are somewhat bulky, but I want one with a great user interface and decent battery life. Any help here?"

Yeah, he totally just called the Archos / Cowon fanboys from the woodwork, but seriously, what would you recommend to this fellow? Is your current PMP a dream come true? Would you advise against getting whatever you've got? Spill your soul in comments below.

GEAR4's BlackBox Bluetooth speaker is splendid for those with ample room in their abode, but where will you turn for lavish sound when space is an issue? Bose? Pish posh. The newly introduced BlackBox micro (sadly) ditches Bluetooth in exchange for a sole 3.5-millimeter auxiliary port, but it does include an integrated SFX gel base in order to use any flat surface to "provide rich bass sounds." Beyond all that fanciful stuff, you'll find another traditional driver kicking out mids and highs, and there's even a USB port for powering it with whatever computer you've got nearby. Look for this one to sneak into stores this August for £20 ($40).

[Via Pocket-lint]

So we've basically seen the wired version of this in Belkin's RockStar, but at least that made a modicum of sense. This, however, does not. Thanko's i2! Streams works as such: you plug one of the wireless transmitters in between your DAP / PMP and headphones, and up to five of your pals simply hold onto a receiver unit with earbuds of their own. As you can guess, those five pals now have your music piped to them through the air. The only problem? Why hold on to one of these things when you could pick up a chintzy DAP of your own down the street for a couple yuan / yen / whatever? Thanko's wonders never cease...

[Via CrunchGear]

Daaaamn, talk about clout. If DigiTimes' sources are correct, then Samsung, the world's primary supplier of flash memory, just told its non-Apple customers to suck it in favor of a "large batch of orders" it received from Cupertino. The order is said to be for 50-million "8Gb-equivalent" (we assume they mean gigabyte, or GB) NAND chips "mainly for use in Apple's iPhone." This order follows a June procurement for 25 million of the same chips. In response, Samsung has reportedly told its lesser customers that it would "sharply cut supply" of NAND to them while the order is being fulfilled. The shortage is compounded by Samsung lowering its manufacturing output in April and May in an attempt to reduce oversupply. Still, if these numbers are true (they seem high and DigiTimes can be hit or miss with its Apple sources) then the world is about to be awash in iPhone 3Gs come July 11th.

Update: We've given the Gigabits vs. Gigabytes a bit more thought. If it's 50 million 8Gbit chips as stated, they would divide evenly across about 2.1 million 8GB iPhone 3Gs plus another 2.1 million 16GB models. A reasonable production run for Apple's global launch but an order which shouldn't be so taxing on Samsung's production capability. Something doesn't add up.

Roberts may get ridiculed for its design cues, but one thing's for sure: it sticks to its guns. The latest patently ugly (but sort of cute) DAB radio to emerge from its lair is the solarDAB, which predictably gets energized by the sun. The unit packs a top-mounted solar panel along with a "level indicator on the display screen that shows the strength of the solar level being absorbed." Once the rechargeable batteries are fully juiced, said radio will blast out tunes for a whopping 27 hours. You should be able to secure one in a variety of colors here soon for £79.99 ($158).

[Via TechDigest]

[Via Yahoo News]

You've seen it toyed with, you've seen it unboxed and you've read the review. Now, the moment of truth has arrived. iriver's Lplayer is officially on sale here in the USA, with the 4GB models going for $109.99 and the 8GB editions demanding $159.99. You'll also have to choose between white, pink and black, but don't sweat the details, okay?

[Thanks, Jenn]

Rhapsody, the digital love-child of Real Networks and MTV, is best known for its DRM'd subscription music service. As such, the globe's population of sheep-white-earbudded, sidewalk zombies have been completely off limits to its charms. Until today. While its DRM'd subscription deals remain in place, Rhapsody is now offering unprotected MP3 downloads via its Rhapsody MP3 store and via partners including Verizon's VCAST over-the-air service and Yahoo. We're talking 5 million DRM-free tracks (generally priced at $0.99 per song, $9.99 per album) from Indies and the four majors. Uniquely, all tracks can be previewed in full before downloading. Rhapsody VP, Neil Smith said, "We're no longer competing with the iPod, we're embracing it." Perhaps, but Rhapsody's planned $50 million marketing assault on iTunes with the help of MTV's TV networks doesn't exactly make them best of friends. We're not DRM-free across the industry yet (in fact, far from it), but things are certainly moving in that direction.

Update: Signup now with the Rhapsody MP3 store and get a $10 credit which can be applied to your first album.

[Via Reuters]

The latest edu-gimmick to hit small-town America: Liberty, Missouri's handing out a hundred and change media players -- Zunes, to be specific -- to local high school and middle school students for listening to lesson-supporting podcasts in the hopes of saving them "lost class time." Surely this will raise test scores, right? Or at least improve the Zune's cachet? Who knows -- even the district superintendent said, "Is it the next great thing? I don't know. Maybe. But it is another tool." Maybe the Kindle might make a better tool, but either way, Microsoft apparently intends to release data on the case study later this year.

Analysts love to come up with all sorts of conjecture based on history, numbers, and general guesswork. In this case, FBR Research analyst Craig Berger has a few predictions to give us regarding the future of Apple's iPod and iPhone lines. We'll keep them short and sweet here and leave the static mulling to you. First, he expects an updated, lower-priced iPod nano in the near future along with product refreshes for both the iPod classic and touch. That sounds about right, as Apple is almost due for updates of those products anyway. As far as Apple's production rate, he says Apple has increased iPod production around 15 percent and sees Apple shipping 15 million iPhone 3G by the end of the year (he's a big fan of the number "15"). Nothing really surprising here, but if all this pans out, Apple will dig deeper into the smart phone market while tightening its stranglehold on the PMP landscape.

If anyone is going to make a decent waterproof MP3 player this time around, it would have to be someone like the tight bathing suit-producing Speedo brand. The Speedo Aquabeat -- made by Iriver -- contains 1GB of storage, plays for nine hours on one charge, come in three colors, and weighs just 35 grams. So what's so Speedo about them? These players (and earphones) are good for up to 3 meters below the surface and they float -- so you can just leave the things floating about while you go mix another margarita. Retail price is $145, available now from your local Speedo dealer or high school coach -- just listen for the whistle.

Hey, if Bill can give away tens of billions of dollars, the least we can do to celebrate his last day is to give away some Microsoft-powered gear, right? Next up: a black Zune 80GB.

• Leave a comment below. Tell us about your favorite Microsoft-powered product. Or your favorite Apple product, too, since Bill totally bailed those guys out back in '97.
  
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