Toshiba gigabeat S Series Digital Audio and Video Players

Bill Gates spoke briefly about the new Toshiba gigabeat S Series media player during his keynote speach at CES, and Toshiba America Consumer Products has now launched the gigabeat S Series -- a new line of hard disc drive (HDD) digital video and audio gigabeat players powered by mobile technology from Freescale Semiconductor  and Microsoft Corporation.

The new gigabeat S Series utilizes 1.8" hard drives for storing audio, video, photos and even recorded television programs. By working closely with Microsoft Corp., content management is made even simpler through the use of Microsoft's Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center software. The new S Series will feature two capacities -- 30GB(1) and 60GB(1) and three color selections -- metallic blue, piano black and piano white.    

"Our new S Series gigabeat players offer consumers superb multimedia capabilities and flexibility in an easy to use product that seamlessly integrates a wide variety of media," said Yoshi Uchiyama, Group Vice President of Toshiba's Digital A/V Group. "By committing to the Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center platform we are excited to work alongside of Microsoft to bring forth new and exciting devices that take advantage of a range of content.  With the new S Series consumers now have a multitude of entertainment choices helping them to effortlessly select, download, manage and enjoy their multimedia content from anywhere at anytime."    

Flexibility and download options    

With the new gigabeat players, consumers can not only select their content but also choose the option of purchasing or "renting" their music, videos and movies. Content from well-known sources such as TiVo(R), MTV, VH-1, and Major League Baseball means consumers can choose from one of the widest arrays of premium entertainment options.  More content information is available at Microsoft's new portal for Windows Mobile Media at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/media.    

With PCs that run on Windows XP Media Center Edition, consumers can even record their favorite television shows onto their PC and simply plug in their gigabeat S Series device for an easy sync so you can watch them anywhere, at anytime.    

A complete portable entertainment solution    

Although small in stature, the new Toshiba gigabeat S Series offers unprecedented portable entertainment options in a device of this type. The gigabeat S Series is powered by Freescale technology and features a large, 2.4" diagonal QVGA LCD screen that offers 320 x 240 resolution and more than 65,536 colors -- making images and videos appear vivid and rich. In terms of playback capability, the new models offer a wealth of compatibility. Inherent formats for video include Windows Media Video files plus any video files that can be converted by Windows Media Player 10. Compatible with Windows Media DRM 10 secured content, the S Series gigabeat supports both purchased and subscription model content for music and video.    

You can even take your gigabeat to a friend's house and plug it into their Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, listening to your favorite tunes as you compete. Xbox 360 shows the albums and songs automatically when you connect it and integrates playback control seamlessly inside the Xbox 360 console.    

gigabeat also acts as a camera companion, enabling a direct connection to many digital cameras to enable easy backup and playback of digital photos when on the go -- while syncing back to the PC for permanent storage.    

Playable music formats include Windows Media Audio (WMA), WMA Lossless, MP3 and WAV file formats. A built in FM tuner rounds out the consumer's entertainment options and battery life has been extended from last years "F series" to approximately 20 hours(2) for both the 30GB(1) and 60GB(1) models. Finally, for those on the go, gigabeat comes supplied with an A/V cable and output which allows for connection to most televisions for the viewing of downloaded movies, videos and photos.    

Keeping it simple    

Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Centers allow users to make anyplace their entertainment space, giving them the power to enjoy a wide selection of high-quality recorded television, premium movies, music and photos.  Best of all gigabeat's vast array of entertainment selections can all be accessed and controlled with Microsoft's friendly Mobile-based Portable Media Center software.  Microsoft's patented Twist Navigation helps users easily find the content they are looking for on the device, utilizing the power of the hard drive to scroll quickly through large media libraries. Portable Media Centers also synchronize well with PCs running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition software, which accounts for more than 43 percent of PC sales today.    

Pricing and Availability    

30GB(1) gigabeat MES30VW -- White ($299.99, March 2006)
30GB(1) gigabeat MES30VL -- Blue ($299.99, March 2006)
60GB(1) gigabeat MES60VK -- Black ($399.99, March 2006)

details | http://www.gigabeat.com