The fiend is Freescale’s MC13783 PMIC, the power management integrated circuit–chips used to regulate and control power–which is used in the the Gigabeat S Series. This is the model that was used as the basis for the Zune.

Whoever is guilty here, don’t worry if you are one of the six people who have a Toshiba Gigabeat: According to one user in the same thread, the Zune fix works too [Anythingbutipod forum thread via Anythingbutipod]

The other point of note is that Toshiba has ditched their normal PlusPad (TM) in this prototype. You know, that ugly cross controller that the company swore by for years? Gone! If this mock-up is any indication, Toshiba’s trademark may soon hit the endangered species list, right along with those zebra pants that you’ve left in your closet for their future triumphant return that’s just not going to happen. [akihabaranews]

The screen, larger than most other screens in players this size, is the most impressive feature and definitely not too bad on the eyes. If this device reminds you of anything, by the way, it’s because Microsoft’s Zune was directly taken from Toshiba’s hardware, so it’ll be interesting to see if anything comes out of that relationship. The device goes on sale September 25th for $113.88. [Sam's Club via InfoWorld]

Watch 4GB’s worth of your fave Windows media video (WMV) on that 320×240 display, and the company says the battery won’t run down for five hours. Or you can listen to 16 hours of WMA-9 lossless or WMA audio slathered with plenty of DRM until the lithium ion battery runs out. Of course, you can always listen to MP3s on the thing, too. Expect to see it in Japan on September 7 for $214. [Toshiba]

That said, let’s hope Toshiba can smack a bit of this color sense into its bosom buddy Microsoft when it’s time to gin up the next color scheme for the Zune. [Newlaunches]

I don’t know if this is the future of Zune or not, but the Toshiba Gigabeat V has been updated with a bigger screen and hard drives than the previous generation: 4-inch 480 x 272 pixel screen and 1.8-inch 40 and 80GB drives. It will be out in Japan on the first of June but you will probably see it around here soon, either with its original badge or perhaps in a Zunefied incarnation (Although unlikely, as Zune v2 is supposedly going to be an in-house design). Whatever form it takes, it comes loaded, and like the original Zune Toshiba Gigabeat, it’s the size of a brick.

With a weight of 0.547 and 0.582 pounds, the new Toshiba Gigabeat V is quite heavy (compare that to the 4.8 and 5.5 ounces of the iPod with the same size). It’s quite big too: 4.9 x 2.97 x 0.94 compared with the 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 of the biggest iPod. Sure, the 4-inch 480 x 272 is bigger than the 2.5-inch 320 x 240 pixel of the iPod, but the difference in weight and size is just too much to justify it. Maybe the reason is the bigger battery to be able to deliver the 28 and 10 hours of audio and video playback time, according to Toshiba.

Like the S, the interface is very similar to the one in Windows Media Center and is compatible with WMA, WMA9 Lossless, MP3 and WAV. No AAC to be seen, so it won’t be compatible with the soon-to-be-released DRM-free songs from the iTunes Music Store. It comes with a game by Sega, which looks rather good on that big screen, as well as the obligatory karaoke mode. The Toshiba Gigabeat V401 comes in white, black and Bordeaux Brown (I know, beats me too) with 40GB for $410, while the Toshiba Gigabeat V801 comes only in white or black with 80GB for $490. – Jesus Diaz

Product Page in japanese [Toshiba via Impress AV Watch]