In other, non "overpriced audiophile boombox" news:

If you're a loyal follower of DAPreview's near-constant flow of jibberish, you might have heard of something called "SoniqCast" before. If you're a hardcore know-it-all, been-there-right-from-the-very-start follower of DAPreview, you might actually remember the original SoniqCast Aireo - a rather strange player back then, since it had WiFi support (for file transfers), a 1.5GB hard drive (so it had to compete with stuff like the Creative MuVo² and the Rio Audio Nitrus) and a bodywork the size of Mt. Everest (compared to other micro-hdd players).

Then there was the Aireo 2, which supposedly added Internet browsing and such to the original concept, on top of a capacity upgrade (20GB hard drive). Not sure if it ever actually made it to many places around the globe.

You'd expect the company to be down and out by now, given the limited successes gained from these Aireo thingies... but apparently, SoniqCast is prepping a whole new line-up for 2006-2007.



A-3000 (left)

• Bright 2.2" color LCD display for photo and video
  
• 4GB or 8GB flash storage
  
• FMTX
  
• FM receiver
  
• FM transmitter
  
• WiFi access
  
• DRM10 compatible
  
• Wireless downloads (WiFi and 4G cellular)
  
• Measures 98 x 54 x 13mm
  
• Battery life: 14 hours per charge
  
• TV output
  
• USB2.0 UMS compatible

A-3100 (left)

• Same as A-3000, except for:
  
• 2.6-inch color display (according to the PDF, site says 2.4-inch)
  
• 30 or 40GB hard drive
  
• Measures 104 x 66 x 19mm

A-3200 (center)

• Same as A-3100, except for:
  
• 3.5" color LCD display

A-3300 (right)

• Same as A-3100, except for:
  
• 2.4-inch color display
  
• Instant messaging
  
• Email
  
• Web surfing
  
• Keyboard

Seems as if SoniqCast teamed up with PassAlong and Audible.com content-wise, among others. Access partners listed are SBC (FreedomLink) and T-Mobile (HotSpot). Interesting aspects listed under the "SonicSync Software" header include "direct to device wirless content downloads", "device to device file sharing", "Internet connectivity", "Wireless network drive", "HotSpot locator" and "Streaming Audio & Video".

There are some funky accessories too, like the "big screen video glasses" and a car docking system. We'll have to wait and see when (if?) all of this stuff will unvaporize, and at what costs.

LINK