| Home > Community thoughts > Is this the 5G iPod's first serious competition? No, not a "killer", but worth a serious look... |
| Is this the 5G iPod's first serious competition? No, not a "killer", but worth a serious look... | | Date Created: 30 Oct, 2005, 05:05 PM |
 It won't or shouldn't come as a surprise to regular visitors to this blog (why not subscribe via RSS, by the way. You get my news first, and get to see all my spelling and grammatical corrections to boot!) that I participate in a number of professional and hobbyist discussion lists.
One of them is the Telehealth list co-administered by Bob Pyke Jnr. It looks at the use of technologies in the health sector which promote distance-based treaments, education and learning. You can find out more here.
Naturally, when the 5G iPod was released those with an interest in innovative health-related technologies sat up and paid attention. Indeed, on Apple's own homepage you can see how medical applications of the new iPod are already under development, via Apple's linking to a CNN story on radiology here.
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 The world of medicine is often the first to harness new technologies, and if it's not the first, then it's a close second to the sex industry.
So when Bob posted to the Telehealth list of a new device which sounds like an iPod competitor, it was time to skip over to Taiwan and the PQI (Power Quotient International) site to examine the product itself, the P600, photo above left. Manuifacturer's link here.
PQI has three units, including the P400 and 800.
But the P600 is a good unit to start one's examination.
Let's look at the specs. first. PQI offers the following:
- A 20GB or 30GB 1.8" hard drive.
- A display which is 4.0" Wide TFT LCD, 16Million colours, 480 x 272 (WQVGA)
with a "Maximum Video Decoding Resolution" of 800 x 576
- 4 hours video and 8 hours audio playing time
- decodes the following codecs: MPEG1/2/4, AVI, VOB, DAT, XviD, MOD, with WMV and ASF supported by converting software
- USB 2.0 and infrared connectivity
- and the kicker: optional GPS & Navigation. "With GPS navigation, you can save time and get to places you want to go with ease. It is more convenient to your life. (Optional - For USA, EU, and Korea markets only)"
And from the media relase: "Besides supporting general Composite TV output, this device also supports full 480i/480P/720P/1080i screen (HDTV via a YprPb component), with a maximum playback resolution of over 800 x 576. As for sound quality, it is as good as its predecessor the P800 as the mPack P600 is fully designed to support 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND (SPDIF 5.1 Channel Surround Optical output)."
The unit weighs about the same as the 5G iPod. Price in Europe is around 430 euros without GPS options.
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 The P600 has a big brother, the p800 which looks a little like a Sony PSP. It's about 3 times as heavy as the iPod, yet its screen is only 3.5" (but the same resolution).
Specs from the website:
- supports MPEG4, WMV9 and AC3 formats. It plays movies wherever you go. Just record your favorite movies and TV programs directly from TV.
- A/V In, SPDIF Out, Type II CompactFlash slot, USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 compatible), IrDA Remote Controller
- 2.5” HDD 30/40/80GB (explains the weight!)
- ‧Video Decoding : MPEG1/2/4, XviD, WMV, ASF (upto 800 x 576, 30fps)
- Audio Decoding : MP3 CBR/VBR, WMA, AC3, AAC, WAV, OGG
- Image Decoding : JPEG, GIF, BMP, Raw Image(CRW, NEF, ORF, RAF, MRW, etc.)
and of course, FM radio.
Neither of the units is Mac compatible, so for many that will be a deal breaker. They might be cute in Taiwan, but clearly don't possess the elan of the iPod.\
Still, it's interesting to see developments in this area taking the game up to Apple. When there is content for these devices (see my blog entry on MTV below, although it uses WMP 10, not 9) then the challenge will be on... |
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