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New Toshiba Gigabeat P-series: colorful flash-based stuff
comment: 0 | Monday, November 14 (2005) 03:52AM | Posted by Robert Sinke
We knew they were working on something flash-based, but those fuel-cell prototypes seemed far away still. The actual design of the unit pictured in said news item wasn't too far off when looking at today's announcement, though - Toshiba's Gigabeat p5 is a new, oblong-shaped flash player that comes in a variety of colors.

Basic capacities are 512MB and 1GB (oh come on... where's that 2 or 4GB-package'o'fun already?) - prices have been set to 13.980 and 17.980 Yen respectively (some 100 & 130 Euro). Release is scheduled for "early Decemeber" (in Japan).

What's there to perk things up? Well, there's your basic 96×96px OLED display (JPEG support), MP3/WMA (+ DRM)/WAV playback, FM tuner, voice recorder and line-in encoder and a built-in battery (li-ion) that lasts for 14 hours per charge.

The P5 and P10 (512MB, 1GB) aren't exactly the smallest of players at 82.0x31.9×13.2mm, 49gram (1GB edition weighs 50 gram, should you care). Their main controllers are not touch-based but simple tactile buttons (who doesn't like those, right) shaped like the typical Gigabeat cross-thingy.
You've got yer basic black & white edition, as well as this Mondriaan-inspired cookie plaster orange/salmon pink/sugar candy pink/white/black version. The Graphical Interface is said to be inspired by the regular Gigabeat's one.

LINK (Babel'd Japanese)
Comments

Steve

Comments: 1197
Nov 14 (2005) 04:00AM  

Not bad looking, where's the card slot?




Donnie

Comments: 247
Nov 14 (2005) 04:10AM  

Wow, looks very different. (By this meaning it could sell well at Target stores.)




rockit

Comments: 5
Nov 14 (2005) 04:12AM  

it's funny that they lose the only thing going for their mp3 players... the big screen.




Roach

Comments: 48
Nov 14 (2005) 04:27AM  

I like toshiba's DAPs , very well designed.
but this little flash player is nothing special... no 2/4gb either so i dunno how well it might sell...




gunner

Comments: 16
Nov 14 (2005) 05:33AM  

Correct me if I'm wrong but this player is actually shorter lengthwise than the Shuffle while a tad bit wider so all in all pretty darn small. The white one reminds me of what the Shuffle could have been. If 100 and 130 Euros translate to the same in $, it may be a nice replacement for my Shuffle.




cacapis

Comments: 18
Nov 14 (2005) 05:37AM  

I would like this one better if the mondrian inspiration was a little bit closer. Those pastel colors are hedious.
Apart from that it's a great design. Probably the black model looks cool




Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Nov 14 (2005) 10:12AM  

The multi-colored player looks really fruity. If I saw a guy with this i'd laugh so hard. The black one on the other hand looks quite nice. I wonder if its surface will be as susceptible to scratches as that of the nano.




Lone

Comments: 973
Nov 14 (2005) 10:19AM  

I agree with ssjmichael, the pink/salmon one is awful, but the black one is cool.




debilio

Comments: 192
Nov 14 (2005) 10:19AM  

So is everyone gonna shrink their hdd-daps into flashplayers and keep the same formfactor? Although, I must say that black one looks sweet. Hmm, too bad about the touchstrips..




Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Nov 14 (2005) 11:16AM  

sure is,,,boring....and thick....oh well...




Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Nov 14 (2005) 11:25AM  

It doesn't look that thick at all.




Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Nov 14 (2005) 11:34AM  

i'm picky dude, why? cos its flash.




Robert Sinke

Comments: 1221
Nov 14 (2005) 11:43AM  

it's twice as thick as the nano, and still it's pretty darn slim. Oh how the times have changed, my friends .

Kinda like the shuffle-avec-le-LCD, not bad. Needs more MBs, though.




Hartmeister

Comments: 33
Nov 14 (2005) 11:55AM  

No OGG or AAC. No SD slot. It's an iPod without a high end music format (since no one can make a WMA encoder except Microsoft we have no independent research that says that they are high-end).

So why am I supposed to buy this rather than a Nano?




chicubs

Comments: 915
Nov 14 (2005) 11:57AM  

whats with the whole cross thing...need to get rid of that style.




theshape

Comments: 44
Nov 14 (2005) 01:45PM  

I actually quite like the look of it.




Allen
Location: Dub Vee Ooo
Comments: 1511
Nov 14 (2005) 02:45PM  

The black one looks hot... no really black hot... Its a shame it doesnt do ogg... and that the battery life isnt longer, (It has an old and flash memory?? come on.. at least into the 20's...:()




SowndOfDeth

Comments: 417
Nov 14 (2005) 02:56PM  

They should have had a black-white-grey combo on the same cross design. It would have been greeeeaaat.




SowndOfDeth

Comments: 417
Nov 14 (2005) 02:57PM  

Or
white cross for the black one and viceversa.




ralphb

Comments: 154
Nov 15 (2005) 12:35AM  

This has possibilities ... a red cross on a white background for the English market; a white cross on red background for the Danish market, blue cross on a white background for the Finnish market ... and so on.




Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Nov 15 (2005) 01:50AM  

This thing should have a long rectangular screen. To me that has become one of the trademarks of the Gigabeat series. When I think of the name gigabeat I think of beautiful big screens.




enCORe_XTG

Comments: 317
Nov 15 (2005) 06:28AM  

cool
but people still hard to get any Toshiba model since gigabeat,
they not serious for international market imo




adamsp70

Comments: 5
Nov 15 (2005) 07:28AM  

Agree with enCORe_XTG, where's my UK X30? I time for Xmas? No chance....




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