Gigabeat

The gigabeat are a line of Walkman S by Toshiba.

Gigabeat G

Gigabeat G of abbord was introduced during the WPC Japanese Expo in September 2003. The walkman with Hard drive has characteristics of capacity of 5GB with 40GB, support of the file MP3, WMA and WAV for the sound, USB 2.0, and integration with Windows Media Player. The reader has a monochromic screen of 160x86 pixels with a rétroéclairage of blue color. The lifespan of the battery is approximately 11 hours. This model exists only in Japan.

Gigabeat F

Gigabeat F is on the market since September 2004. The reader with Hard drive is of a capacity of 10 with 60gb, has a screen TFT LCD 16 bits of 2,2 inches. The lifespan of the battery is 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. according to the users if the rétroéclairage is 5 seconds. Gigabeat F introduced a new type of button called " Plustouch" who is a significant control system of form moreover. Like Gigabeat G, the reader supports file MP3, WMA (as well the protected WMA) and the WAV.

In November 2005, Toshiba announced an update of the system for Gigabeat F and the program Gigabeat Room. An American version was launched in March 2006. On the other hand, the CD-ROM must be ordered while calling at Toshiba. The update repaired the problems during the transfer of images of Gigabeat Room, but some plantings of the program were announced. They also added an equalizer and the problems of distortion were solved.

Data sheet

Processor: Samsung S3C 2440AL- 30, ARM920T with 300MHz

Screen: TFT 240X320 pixels 18 bits

Memory RAM: 32 MB SDRAM Samsung K4S56163PF BG75

Mémnoire Flash: 1 MB Spansion MBM29SL800TE-90

DAC: Wolfson WM8751L

Hard drive: Toshiba 1.8" 10-60 GB

Battery: 830 mAh Li-ion

Gigabeat X

It is an update of the series F, but while dropping the version 40gb for 30gb and 60gb, without forgetting the 16 hour old battery. Series X has a broader screen of 2,4 inches TFT LCD to view photographs. It is at present in market in Australia and in some countries of Asia. Concerning the data sheet, the whole is the same one as the model F.

Gigabeat P

Gigabeat P is the first reader of Toshiba to be included in the category of Flash memory on the market.

The reader has a screen of 1,1 inch of 16 bits with organic diode of a resolution of 96x96 pixels. He comes with 2 different capacity: P5 of 512mb of color black or gray and P10 of 1gb only in black. Both support the MP3, WMA and WAV and includes an antenna FM.

Special edition

Gigabeat P5S is Japanese only, memory of 512mb, put on the market in July 2006 for the model Trapnest and August 2006 for the model Blast which have the character of Nana.

Gigabeat S

Gigabeat S.A. took the market of Japan in April 2006 and in the in May 2006 United States. The reader has étét presented by Bill Gates to the Consumer Electronics Show, in the month of January 2006 to Mow-Vegas. He uses version 2 of the program Portable Media Center by Microsoft and communicates with Windows Media Player 11 and the Xbox 360. The reader has one lifespan of 12 hours for the music and 2,5 hour old battery for the reading of video. Gigabeat S is only (with Gigabeat V) has not to make use of Gigabeat Room to transfer from the contents.

The reader offer is equipped with a screen TFT LCD 16 bits with 2,4 inches and a capacity with 30 or 60gb. He has also an integrated antenna FM and the supported audio codecs are the MP3, WAV and WMA, while the video codec is WMV. The others codecs vidéos like MPEG-4, AVI and QuickTime are supported only while being converted. The reader is certified Playsforsure, i.e. compatible with the online music stores like Napster To Go.

Gigabeat S offers a connector USB One-Tea-Go to download images of a numeric camera directly on Gigabeat without the assistance of a computer and a connector of television out.

Critical

Some users encountered a problem when the reader removes all the files of the hard drive after being disconnected from port USB. However, the Zune of Microsoft which is based on same the model that Gigabeat S is not affected because of the difference of the firmware. This problem is not solved; there is no update for Gigabeat S.

Data sheet

Processor: Freescale i.MX31L, ARM of 532 MHz

Memory RAM: Samsung SDRAM 32 MB

Memory Flash: Intel F160C3TD7

Battery: Li-poly 3.7V 700mAh

Hard drive: Toshiba MK3008GAL (30 GB) or MK6008GAH (60 GB)

Gigabeat V

Gigabeat V is in market since October 2006 in a capacity of 30gb. The reader is however broader than his predecessor with a screen TFT LCD 16 bits of 3,5 inches. Gigabeat V with the same interface, supports same the codecs and has the same design that Gigabeat S. It is delivered with a cable USB, a cable Audio/Vidéo out, and a dividing cable. The reader has 30 hours of battery for the audio and 8 hours for the vidéos, which is largely larger than his/her little brother. On the other hand, like all other readers MP3, it cannot be reloaded by cable USB.

The Japanese version included the audio recording and televised programming.

Second generation

A new version of Gigabeat V is on the Japanese market since June 1st, 2007. It has a screen of 4 inches widescreen with a resolution of 480x272 pixels and is in version 40 or 80gb. The lifespan of the battery is approximately 28 hours for the music and 10 a.m. for the vidéos. There is no word of when this version is with thePlain ones.

Gigabeat U

March 19th, Toshiba announced a very new reader, Gigabeat U, in capacities of 1 and 2gb. The reader with memory flash has a screen of 1,1 inch with organic diode and is the first reader of Toshiba has to have an antenna FM, a recorder and a transmitter, and the first to include a digital converter/analog, which reduces the distortion while recording. A 10 minutes load will last 3 hours of music, but a truck load can last up to 8 p.m. The reader reads formats WMA (protected or not), the MP3 and the WAV not compressed. Impossible to still know if the reader will be available partou in the world but it is currently available to Japan.

Next readers

New Gigabeat, named MET401 at present, can have the possiblility of Wi-Fi (b+g) and rolls on Windows Embeded. Windows Embeded is minis Windows XP. The advantage of making roll something of the kind on Gigabeat is that gives opportunity to Toshiba of introducing all the kinds of programs on the reader. For example, Toshiba can include Internet Explorer to sail, which would be possible using Wi-Fi.

See too

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