Having the tag line "ideas for life", Panasonic was definitely able to live up to it by announcing that they will be launching a DivX certified Blu-ray DVD player early this March. It's certainly one good idea that they've come up with. Find out about the details in the full article.

"We want to go forward and make as big a difference to the media environment of the future as Commodore did in the 1970s and 1980s," so says Ben van Wijhe, President and CEO of Commodore International Corporation. A big difference indeed they will get as they announce a new Portable Multimedia Player (PMP) that has probably the, well, weirdest name.

Commodore Gravel In Pocket is very handy you can easily slip it in your purse or pocket. We wonder what's with the tag but maybe that's how it would feel: a gravel inside your pocket. This PMP can support all major file formats (MP4, MPEG, DivX, Xvid, WMV, MP3, WMA, WAV, JPG, BMP and GIF) and allows you to store them in its 1GB or 2GB internal memory, not including an SD card slot for removable memory.

The 2.8'' TFT screen is suitable for full motion (24fps) video playback. This music and movie player is very well suited for people on the go as it is readily offers direct WiFi access. Wijhe and Commodore is expected to give out more information about this Gravel In their Pockets come September 1 to 6 at the the International Consumer Electronics Trade Fair (IFA) in Berlin. The Commodore company is mostly distinguished for its 1982 desktop computer Commodore64 and The Amiga Systems.

Come the first day of September, Onkyo will be releasing a portable multimedia player with a 2.5" HDD bay, in addition to its very good PC sound cards, which are already manufactured.

The supported formats are MPED-1/2/4, DivX, Xvid, MP3/WMA/Ogg Vorbis/WAV, and JPEG. This player comes at 80x148x24mm, and weighs a mere 225g, without the HDD.

No pricing is yet announced.

In the age of tiny mobile phones, sleek cars, Plasma TVs and LCD monitors, the electronics design company Duck Image has finally come up with a suitable companion for all these skinny appliances.

If you're tired of that big, bulky DVD player that really doesn't look good with your Plasma TV, then you can check out the CinePlayer PDP100 DVD player. CinePlayer stands at a height of 18mm, and weighs in at a mere 430 grams.

Set it horizontally, vertically, or mount it on a wall, PDP100 is an electronic piece that combines function and aesthetics. This player also supports MPEG-4 and DivX video formats, and it comes with a nice, shiny chrome exterior finish, which is sure to look good in almost any environment.

This player retails at approximately $125, so get it now for that finishing touch for your dream pad.

Traffic jams always test the limits of our patience. That's why some of us would pimp our rides with the latest in gadgetries just to keep our sanity intact. So, when JVC announced it's KV-DV50 car player, we all felt giddy at the thought of watching DVDs while stuck in traffic.

What's more, JVC's latest offering can also play MP3, WAV and WMA files. And one sure way to pique the interest of our download warriors is that the KV-DV50 supports DivX formats. If there's one thing better than watching DVDs, it's watching downloaded episodes of our favorite shows. Of course, we don't recommend the use of the DVD car player while traffic is smooth sailing, so don't turn this versatile player into one device of doom.

No word yet on pricing and availability, but as always, we'll keep you posted.

There is more to Korea than Kim Jong Il, his brother Menta Li Il (a personal friend of David Letterman), and its most infamous export, the T Dong missile. If you go down south, Korea offers more peaceful products. The Blue Navi portable media player is one such item worth mentioning. The latest PMP from Elentec features the following:

• Tactile 4.3" Display
• Built-n Windows CE
  
• Supports MP3, WMA, WAV. and OGG
• Supports DivX 3/4/5, Xvid, MPEG1/4 and WMV7/8/9
• SD-card slot
• 3D GPS Navigation
  

Proof that the Blue Navi is purely for non-combat use: it is not armed with a nuclear tip. No word yet on pricing and availability outside Korea.

Long famous for its wine, food, fashion, perfume and chicks with unshaved armpits, the French unveils what could be the Champagne of handheld entertainment devices. The Neonumeric NTG-1 is player with a 2.5-inch TFT-LCD display, 512MB built-in memory, SD/MMC card slot, AV-out, and an FM tuner. It supports DivX, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MP3, WMA, and WAV. Other features packed into this saucy French original includes:

• 1.3Mega-pixel camera, camcorder and webcam capability
• Line-in audio recording to MP3
• Video recording to ASF
• AV output to TV
• JPEG photo viewing
• FM radio tuner
• Built-in lithium battery
• SD/MMC card slot

It measures 107 x 62 x 21mm and weighs just slightly heavier than a super model sashaying on a French fashion ramp. It is expected to retail between $370-$462.

If you're out in the market for a digital photo frame that has suddenly become a must-have for tech savvy homes, then you would want to check out SUN SG8 Digital Photo Frame. It plays photo, MP3, MPEG1/2/4 and DivX format in its bright 8 inch TFT screen.

This nifty gadget saves you the trouble of hooking up your digital camera to a television set just to view your photo collection, instead it allows you to view it on your kitchen counter, office desk, car, boat, train, etc. Just insert your flash card into the frame. You have options on how you want your pictures viewed. You can either display just one shot, or to cycle through all the photos as a self-running "slideshow" with interesting transitions like wipe, windows blinds and many more. A remote as small as a credit card lets you view your pictures with ease. The amount of pictures you can view is dependent on the capacity of your flash card. It also comes in a variety of colors to fit your home and your style like silver, black, red, yellow, blue, green and orange.

Features:

• Video format: M-JPEG (Camera), MPEG1 (VCD), MPEG2 (DVD), and MPEG4 (Movie)
• Support NTSC / PAL composite video output
• Support photo zoom, rotate and slide show with background music
• Allows for copying of files from different memory cards to a CompactFlash card
• Able to copy files from USB storage device, Memory Stick, to CompactFlash card
• Calendar with month and date display
• Clock: Time, Alarm clock with snooze function
• DXSB for DivX network & Multi, Audio Xvid for Divx codec
• Remote Control: easy operation for copy, delete files between different memory cards
• Select any photos to favorite file to make special slide show for your optional photos
• Photo rotate, Zoom, Thumbnail, Auto Slide show
• Adaptable for use in Car, Truck, Boat with a special design (12 or 24V) optional cable
• Can be connected with External HDD to load or run the HDD’s data
• Can pre-set up this unit Auto-power “On” or “Off” by user
• VESA Mount (75mm) compatible

Remember the company that sought the help of 'Robin Hood' to promote its Widetouch 5.6 GPS-DMB Combo? Well, that company is back with another GPS-DMB combo, minus the cutesy little fox donning the Robin Hood costume. Perhaps the device packs enough appeal that there's no longer any need for some silly mascot to hang around.

Inkel's latest offering is the W-7.0. As the name implies, the GPS slash DMB slash PMP device features a 7-inch widescreen display. It's mainly a navigational system, but Inkel has added some entertainment options for the media buffs who love to go on trips. No word on what formats it will support but it's a safe bet that MP3, MP4, DivX, and AVI will be supported. After all, Inkel is marketing the W-7.0 as a PMP.

As the device is designed for the Korean market, the integrated DMB tuner is not surprising. Koreans are crazy about watching their favorite shows on the go.

No word on pricing but I'm sure the price will reflect the extra 1.4-inch in screen real estate the W-7.0 enjoys over its predecessor.

I-O Data is jumping on the high-definition bandwagon by updating its AVel Link DVD Player to support High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). This simply means that your AVel Link DVD player will be able to scale video up to 1080i and 720p.

Two new AVel Link models were released: AV-LS300DW (Wi-Fi) and AV-LS300D (no Wi-Fi). Both models support DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, JPG, BMP, PNG, WMA9, WMA9 Pro, MP3, PCM, and WAV media formats. With the Media File server (included with the player) installed on your PC, you'll be able to stream video and audio files from your computer. With a DVD player as versatile as the AVel Link, you might be tempted to think there's no need for that Blu-ray disc player.