Philips outs new GoGear Ariaz and Opus PMPs
Philips has just emerged from the novelty gadget names factory and has brought with it two new PMPs to satisfy the needs of iPod–haters everywhere. Dubbed the GoGear Ariaz and Opus, each packs plenty of features to ensure commuting and eschewing books is easier than ever.The Ariaz crams in Philips' FullSound tech, offering beefed up sound, as well as a 2in LCD and support for all your MP3s and WMAs, plus an FM radio. It's being handed over in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB flavours, with prices kicking off around the £79 mark.The real story here though is the Opus. With a bigger 2.8in screen, it rocks sideloading support for BBC iPlayer, just as like its aging siblings. There'll be 8GB, 16GB and 32GB editions, with prices starting around £100 for the 8GB version.Again, there's an FM tuner, although you can expect a spot of Bluetooth here too, making it easier to transfer your snaps and tunes and the like.
Comments
Steven Huffer
3 years ago
I quite like Philips' budget headphones, but these and other products are two years out of date. It looks chunky, the specs aren't anything special, there's no support infrastructure (a la iTunes), the distribution will be patchy and the iPlayer support is only marginally interesting and will no doubt be a pain in the *** to use. To challenge the Apple line, manufacturers need to exceed the iPod/iPhone. As it stands, even Sony (the nearest competitor) are still light years behind Apple when it comes to a viable alternative. I've had a hundred MP3/4 players, phones, PDA's and started ignoring Apple stuff due to the price. Some of the gear has more features/storage/FM tuner?! etc, but the fact remains that for the last 5 years, the iPod has been a constant. And I keep reading in Stuff that Sony gear sounds better than the iPod. It's been a while since I compared the two brands, but each time I buy a new MP3 player I do a pretty thorough test with the latest renowned Creative and Sony products and the Apple kit always sounds tip-top with the right 'phones, especially with AAC (MP3 has improved in the last 2 years as well). This FullSound tech will be the usual harsh top-and-bottom-end overload pap, to be honest. Bah!