Cydle Readies Tablets, PNDs, PMPs, And Mobile DTV Add-ons

By Joseph Palenchar On Jan 6 2011 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — South Korea-based OEM supplier Cydle plans first-quarter availability of a wide range of Cydlebranded portable devices, including a battery-powered cradle that adds ATSC-M/H (Mobile/Handheld) reception to an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Other new products due in the first quarter include:

• a USB dongle with embedded ATSC-M/H tuner, intended for use with laptops and PCs;

• an in-vehicle GPS-equipped navigation cradle intended for use with iPhones and iPod Touches;

• an updated HD Radio-equipped touchscreen portable media player (PMP); and

• an updated HD Radio-equipped portable navigation device (PND) that features ATSC-M/H (Mobile/Handheld) TV reception.

Early in the second quarter, the Fullerton, Calif., company will update its current Android-based tablet to add embedded ATSC-M/H tuner.

The current tablet, which became available in December, is the $249 M7 Mobile Tablet. The ATSC-M/H version will be priced at $299.

The current tablet features Android 2.1, 7-inch TFT touchscreen with 800 by 480 resolution, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, ARM 11 800MHz processor, gravity sensor, 1080p video playback, HDMI output, e-book reader, 8GB flash memory, MicroSD card slot, Bluetooth, microphone, email and multimedia apps, and other Cydle apps.

The M7 comes with detachable stand that doubles as a screen cover when closed.

The battery-powered ATSC-M/H cradle for the iPhone and Touch is the $149-suggested i30A, which doubles as a backup battery for the Apple devices. It features retractable antenna, embedded 1100mAh lithium battery, built-in speaker, and ability to simultaneously charge its battery and the iPhone/Touch battery. It comes with suction-cup car-mounting kit.

In another ATSC-M/H launch, the company plans first-quarter availability of the $89-suggested U1A USB dongle, which connects to PCs and Macs for watching and recording of ATSCM/ H DTV shows. The USB 2.0 device comes with pivoting rod antenna and displays program guides.

Another new product, intended for use with iPhones and iPod Touches, is the $99-suggested i20G in-vehicle navigation cradle, which turns an iPod Touch into a PND and improves upon the performance of an iPhone’s embedded GPS chip, the company said. The i20G cradle features SiRF Star III GPS receiver, embedded 1100mAh lithium battery, and such PND features as lane guidance, voice-delivered turn-by-turn guidance, automatic rerouting, automatic zooming at intersections, excess-speed warning, and multiple-routing options.

As for products equipped with HD Radio, Cydle plans to display an updated HD Radio-equipped P29H PMP and updated T43H PND. The current models, available since last year, feature analog-FM and HD FM tuner, with the PND adding HD Radio traffic-data reception.

For its update, the company’s P29H PMP will add Artist Experience, which displays images transmitted by HD Radio stations. Images could include album art. Like its predecessor, the updated PMP will be priced at a suggested $99 and feature analog FM, HD Radio FM, 2.9-inch capacitive touchscreen, and gravity sensor for use when viewing video.

The updated T43H PND adds Artist Experience and ATSC-M/H tuner compared to its $149-suggested predecessor. Pricing on the new version wasn’t available, but like its predecessor, it incorporates analog/HD FM tuner, PMP functions and live HD traffic.