Here’s a quick rundown on the specs for the Caanoo, courtesy of the guys at MaxConsole:

• CPU ARM9 533MHz + 3D GPU
• RAM 128MB
• Display 3.5” LCD 320*240
• NAND memory None
• External memory SD/SDHC (sold separately)
• Fun Factors Vibration Motor
• G-Sensor
• Dimensions: 146(w) x 70(h) x 18.5(d)mm
• Weight: 136g
• OS: Linux
• Game Open Platform
• Video Formats: MPEG4, Xvid, Divx, Avi
• Audio Formats: OGG, WAV
• Photo Formats: JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG
• E-book TXT
• Network Wi-Fi (via USB dongle)

While it’s not going to trounce the technology found in today’s higher-end smartphones, I’m happy to see that the Caanoo has a reasonably fast CPU and a dedicated 3D GPU, something not commonly found in handheld Linux devices. The built-in Wi-Fi is a nice touch too. (It turns out that the Wi-Fi requires a USB dongle, boo.) That said, I am concerned that they’ve moved from a digital control pad to an analog stick – which won’t be great for playing old arcade games.

Here’s a brief video from Gamepark, showing off some of the console’s more prominent features – along with Engrish translations like the tagline “The Extream Handheld Online Game Console”.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And here’s another clip where you can see the Caanoo playing OutRun on MAME4ALL, and using its motion sensors to steer the car.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Yeah, not all that exciting. Still, it might give my 2 year-old Dingoo (which also has a weird name) a run for its money. If you’d like to upgrade your Dingoo to a Caanoo, you can pre-order one over at Play-Asia for $149.90 (USD) now. They ship this August.

[via Engadget]

While there’s not a whole lot new going on here, the GP2X F-200 Game System updates the portable by adding a touch-sensitive screen and a totally overhauled game controller. The console will come pre-loaded with a handful of homebrew games, but can easily be loaded up with emulators like MAME and GNGeo among others. One (hopefully) major improvement over older models is an upgrade of the crummy joystick to a 8-way digital D-Pad. They also updated the user interface and you can now multi-task, so you can play music while using other applications like the e-book reader. But who are we kidding, GP2X has always been about playing games.

Expect the new GP2X model to be released this October. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s likely to be around $200 or less. Play-Asia will be carrying the consoles once they’re available.