The Archos Cinema-to-Go is a portable video/audio recorder and player. It can also take digital pictures and movies.
Virgin, the company that brought you a record store, an airline and a sodo, has introduced a portable TV/DVD to rival firchos.
Jessaca Massey, Jayplay writer
Give it up. It won't fit. No matter how many heavy weights you get to sit on your suitcase, it will not yield to the amount of junk jammed into its depths. Besides leaving behind the other half of the closet, traveling means that we must also part with our dear consumer electronic companions. It wouldn't be possible to shove that new flatscreen TV or DVD recorder into the jumble. Lucky for us, the electronic industry has provided a couple savvy and small ideas that make it easier to take our technology on the road.
Tara Dunion, director of communications for the Consumer Electronics Association in Arlington, Va. , says products are getting smaller and portable, now there are more options available."The trend is to create the Swiss Army knife of electronics," Dunion says. It seems Archos has done that exactly.
Archos of Irvine, Calif. has merged the biggest techie needs of our time to create an all-in-one dream machine. The Archos Cinema-to-Go is a portable video and audio recorder and player. The Cinema-to-Go has an array of functions and features techie maniacs only dream about buying in one product. Its size will get to you as well. Much smaller than a laptop, the Cinema-to-Go is comparable to a larger size handheld, only with more capabilities.
The Cinema-to-Go allows you to record video from any source, including your computer, TV, DVD player or VCR. Available in a 20-, 40- or 80-gigabyte hard drive, the Cinema-to-Go can record up to 80 hours of video. The best feature about this little guy: You can watch what you record on its screen anytime you want anywhere you go. The Cinema-to- Go sports a 3.8-inch color LCD screen with near DVD-quality playback and MP3 sound quality.
Don't want to carry both an MP3 player and the Cinema-to-Go? You don't have to because it also stores and replays your favorite tunes. Samantha Steinwinder, PR spokesperson for Archos, uses hers to store and view her family photos. She says the Cinema-to-Go is perfect for consumers who have an abundance of media content. The Cinema-to-Go can hold 400,000 digital photos, 2,000 hours of MP3 audio, 4,000 hours of voice recordings and 40 gigabytes of data. You can also purchase the optional AVCam 300 to produce and record your own movies directly onto this portable gizmo. Talk about the primo package.
Forget Zip disks, MP3 players, digital cameras, televisions, DVD players and VCRs. This gadget covers it all. Unfortunately, this dream machine carries a price most people or small businesses would find hard to swallow. Thinkgeek.com sells the Cinema-to-Go for $499.99 for the 20 gigabyte hard drive, $639.99 for the 40 gigabyte and $899.99 for the 80 gigabyte hard drive.
Jamie Servaes says the Cinema-to-Go sounds like an item that would come in handy for her line of work. Servaes, a web developer for CNS, Inc. in St. Joseph, Mo., and Atchison, Kan., says despite the great features of the Cinema-to-Go, the asking price is out of reach. "The market is limited by the price. I would give it a couple years, then I think the price will be more reasonable," she says. The price tag may not be the only thing holding back interested buyers. Despite its potential, the tiny screen may not provide optimal viewing.
If you want a boob tube with a bigger screen, check out the Virgin Pulse 10-inch flatscreen/DVD combo. The total package size: 16.5 inches wide, 15.5 inches tall and 5 inches thick. Not to shabby for a television that also has a digital AM/FM radio tuner and plays MP3s — a perfect size for road trips and tailgating parties. Virgin also created a nifty carrying case so it can be strapped down while on the go. This telly is also wall mountable, so allow your creative juices to flow when you think about the possibilities of places to hang this piece of modern art. The perfect place: the loo; you never know when you might need some company in the bathroom. It, too, may be outside your budget, so it's a good idea to start saving now. Target.com sells this portable for $499.99.
These tiny gadgets don't sport tiny price tags, but maybe if we follow Servaes' advice and wait it out, we'll be rewarded by smaller prices. Maybe by then Archos will have expanded their Cinema-Go to include wireless Internet capabilities. Now that would be the ultimate dream machine.
- Jessaca Massey can be reached at jmassey@kansan.com
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