Recently in MP3 Players & Digital Audio Category

As several news sites have reported, Microsoft plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the "Zune" brand this year to challenge the Apple iPod media player. The latest Apple iPod plays both music and videos with the ability to download TV shows and now even full-fledged movies via iTunes. Microsoft hopes to take some of the 70& marketshare from Apple which has dominated the portable media player market.

The sad thing is, Microsoft could have dominated this market had they minituarized the bulky PocketPC years ago. The PocketPC enjoyed some success, but never really took off. Part of the reason was that PocketPCs were too bulky to use as an MP3 player while jogging on a treadmill or just walking down the street. Even when Dell launched the Axim series of PocketPCs, which were thinner and lighter, it was too late. Blackberries stole the show for remote email access and the iPod stole the show for portable music leaving PocketPCs out in the cold. Even though the PocketPC could do remote email, play mp3s, as well as GPS navigation and other functionality, it unfortunately suffered from doing too many things "ok" and did not do one thing really really well.

Dell discontinued the Axim PocketPC series, and Windows Mobile 5 finally put the final nail in the coffin for PocketPCs. Why have a dedicated PocketPC PDA when you can get a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone that is a PDA plus a phone, and all the other functionality - mp3 player, calendar, email, etc.

Personally, I'd rather Microsoft offer a smartphone that can store >20GB of music and video content rather than try and compete with Apple's "one trick pony" iPod, which doesn't have smartphone functionality. All of the cellphones or even smartphones I have used have a terrible built-in MP3 player or didn't have enough storage. Most smartphones use SD/miniSD cards instead of hard drives to conserve battery power. If Microsoft were to offer a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone with >20GB of multimedia storage, decent standby/talk time, and an intuitive user interface (iPod-like) then I'd buy it in a nano-second.

So Microsoft, take my advice and forget about competing with the iPod with a single purpose "Zune" media player and instead offer a compelling converged device that does everything the iPod can do and more all on an easy-to-use smartphone. As a gadget-lover, this would be my dream device and I'd auction off my current iPod on eBay faster than you can say "buh bye iPod."

ThinkSecret, the guys sued for revealing Apple secrets, is at it again with a rumored Apple video rental service in the works that will allow you to rent videos for download to a video iPod. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is rumored to announce the availability of movie rentals on iTunes at next month’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Although carried on the iTunes site, I wonder if this means they'll call it iVideo? According to ThinkSecret, Apple has agreements with Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros, with others in the works.

Unfortunately, it appears that Hollywood and the movie studios have gotten their way with a strict rental model that forces the video download to expire using DRM (digital rights management). Whether or not the video expires after a certain date or after a certain number of playbacks remains to be seen. I'm not one for expiring content - unless it is heavily discounted - otherwise I'd rather purchase the content outright even if it costs a little more. I should point out that it doesn't cost the movie studios hardly anything to distribute their copyrighted material over IP, so they should be able to heavily discount video rentals that are downloaded. But don't count on $0.99/movie (ala iTunes music) downloads - that's just wishful thinking. (Note: iTunes currently offers TV show downloads and other video content, but currently not movies)

MovieLink offers digital downloads/rentals as well as the ability to purchase and own movies. CinemaNow also offers movie downloads - even HDTV versions, as does MovieBeam. So what Apple is doing is nothing new. What they bring to the table though is the ability for users to easily access digital media all from their online iTunes store. They truly bring a rich user experience that makes it easy to purchase music and "soon" movies. Still, I'm betting that Holywood will still place a high premium on movies and TV shows that will force users to get their video content for free on P2P sites such as Bittorrent, eDonkey, etc. Until Hollywood finally gets it and offers movie & TV downloads for a reasonable price, they will suffer the same Napster effect that finally brought about the inexpensive $0.99 music download (and lower).

I wonder how successful Apple has been with their current video downloads on iTunes.com which offers TV shows for just $1.99? I doubt Hollywood will allow $1.99 for movies - or if they do, you probably only get 30 days to watch the movie.

Also, really Apple should rename iTunes to iMedia or iEntertainment if they're going to expand into video and other content. Hmmm, better go check and see if those domains are taken.

Although it's not on too many people's radar quite yet, HD radio may be poised for prime time, if everything goes right this year.

(It may still be a challeng if everything does go right ...)

According to published reports, whether HD radio can successfully bring the cool factor back to terrestrial radio will largely be determined by success of this upcoming holiday sales season (which in retailers' minds is not all that far away).

According to Billboard's Radio Monitor, HD radio has been little more that a footnote on the digital music landscape, overshadowed by satellite radio, podcasting and Internet streaming.

But the industry is prepping a major holiday sales push for a range of new HD devices expected to hit the market in the coming months. Currently, only about 100,000 HD radio receivers have been shipped. According to Pat Walsh, CFO of iBiquity Digital — the primary provider of HD radio technology — that figure is expected to jump to 500,000 before the end of the year.

Laura Behrens, Gartner G2 senior analyst for media industry research, says this coming fourth quarter is critical to the success of the format. "They can't let the fourth quarter pass this year, or the rollout of the entire technology is delayed substantially," she said. "It's another year that podcasting and all other alternative forms of audio delivery then get to continue chipping away at local radio."

A successful season will depend on three advancements, she says — variety, features and price. Right now there are about a dozen models of tabletop and car stereo HD units available.

Polk Audio, JVC and Radiosophy are expected to join Boston Acoustics' Recepter (photo above) in the tabletop category, but like every new consumer gadget, prices will have to fall for a product to be embraced by the masses -- in this case, the sweek spot is $50 or less, but that will be some time coming.

Anybody out their listening to HD radio?

www.billboardradiomonitor.com

Is there a second act for Sony's Walkman?

Can the product that originally defined "personal audio" make it back to the top?

In fact, can the company that once topped the consumer gadget mountain, once again ascend to that lofty perch?

(So many questions ...)

While some of Sony's major products, such as TVs and digital cameras, are now regaining momentum, Sony president Ryoji Chubachi said the Walkman is a critical product "to reinforce Sony's resurrection."

He hopes to create demand for the Walkman by marrying software and hardware.

Once again, one of the best reads of what's happening in gadgets has the full story -- www.wsj.com.

 

Loved the Allsop Splash Pack DriPod so much that we've just added another one to keep some of my precious gadgets dry this summer!

(And no, that is not a giant tongue!)

The Splash Pack is an air-tight case for your iPod that features a triple seal, heat-sealed headphone jack, it's fully submersible to almost 10 feet (three meters to be exact).

The lanyard makes it easy to hang it around your neck, drape on your beach lounger or strap to your kayak.

Not just for iPods, it can be used with many small electronic gadgets, like another MP3 player, digital camera or cell phone.

Price: $19.99

www.allsop.com

Thinking about July 4th and how the holiday (at least for me) brings of thoughts of fireworks, BBQs and the beach ...

Now, with all of the noise about MP3 players and iPods and personal music players, whatever happened to beaches filled with boomboxes on July 4th? 

Yes, they are loud, often play music we don't want to hear, but they do foster a sense of community when you're at the beach with friends.

Are there still "No Radio Playing" signs at your local beach?

What with MP3 players, iPods, CD players, cell phones and all kinds of other gadgets, it seems like just about everybody is wearing earphones these days!

It may seem like a weird analogy, but the same adage about treating your feet to the best goes the same (at least for me) with earphones (or headphones as they used to be called).

With that in mind, it's hard to beat Shure's i3c Integrated Sound Isolating Earphones + Mobile Headset (some name!).

What makes these earphones work so well is Shure's long heritage in audio, especially in the very demanding professional audio industry. Wideband Microdriver Technology provides an extended frequency soundstage, and the VoicePort microphone filters out background noise and minimizes wind, ensuring every call is loud and clear.

Designed for on-the-go audio purists, the i3c gives me the convenience of either listening to music or answering a call on my mobile phone (via the bug-like device below). Standard versions work with portable audio players and most cell phones. The dual connector versions allows me to plug into both a portable audio player and a mobile phone, while a single connector version is available for use with the Treo 650 and 700W.

Let's get into the technology a bit.

The i3c's in ear design works like an earplug to block background noise naturally. This enables me to listen comfortably at lower volumes, even in loud environments. Unlike bulky headphones that utilize active noise cancellation technology, no audio artifacts are introduced to affect my listening experience. Sound isolating earphones are also much smaller and don't require batteries.

Outside noise is reduced by 30-37 dB, so no matter how noisy it gets on the train or at the airport, I can always hear my music or your conversation.

The i3c's speakers are constructed with the same studio-grade components as Shure's award-winning E Series Earphones, delivering an extended frequency range that allows me to hear all of the music, while the VoicePort Inline Microphone is acoustically tuned to filter out background noise and minimize wind noise-ensuring so that callers hear me clearly even in the noisiest situations.

MSRP: $209.00

www.shure.com 

Can't be too much joy in the land of Apple Computer with recent reports from PC Magazine and the Wall Street Journal.

Apparently, following a shift in suppliers, updated versions of Apple's iPod nano will ship in the fourth quarter instead of the third quarter, while the release of the wide-screen video iPod also may be pushed back from the fourth quarter into early 2007.

(Hate those product delays, especially at holiday shopping time.)

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has a fascinating report about Apple's focus on product secrecy, even about its own employees and customers. 

Reminds me of a Silicon Valley saying: "Only the paranoid survive."

(Now who said that?)

Now here'a a really good idea for summer fun in the sun (and water) -- Allsop's Splash Pack DriPod!

(And the way it's been raining in the Northeast, this might work well ...)

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Whether we’re talking cassette walkmans, CD players or iPods, portable music allows us to create a soundtrack for nearly every moment of our lives.

Until now the only concern has been our electronics surviving the elements: the sand at the beach, the water out in the bay or the splashing by the pool. Well, now those moments in nature can have their soundtrack, too.

The Splash Pack is an air-tight case for your iPod. Protect it from water, sand, Jell-o or anything else nature can throw at you. And unlike those hard cases, the Splash Pack lets you adjust the volume, jump to the next song or browse your music catalog while keeping your iPod sealed and protected.

Price: $19.99 (large); $14.99 (small)

www.allsop.com

It's a very simple premise -- why not create a light-weight battery that allows you to charge any number of mobile devices, rather than having a dedicated battery for each device?

Simple, but apparently not that easy to do -- until now.

APC's new Mobile Power Pack (UPB10)allows you to simultaneously charge and power your mobile phone and handheld computer using USB charging cables (sold separately, but you probably have them already). It works both with USB and min-USB devices to charge via te USB cable.
Although it retails for $69.99, you can pick up one on Amazon for a steal price of around $29.99

There are three really beautiful design elements in this gadget -- its weight (only 105 g), its size (approximately 4 inches x 2.5 inches x 0.5 inches) and its ability to charge any number number of the gadgets you always have on you. It's incredibly easy to use.

Plus (a big plus!) look at these additional runtimes:

• iPod Nano/Flash MP3 players (playing music) -- 55 hours
• iPod Video/HDD MP3 players (playing movies) -- 10 hours
• RazR V3/Mobile phones (talk time) -- 10 hours
• Blackberry/Treo (email and talk time) -- 9 hours
• Sony PSP (playing time) -- 5 hours

Price: $69.99. (Note: It's only $29.99 on Amazon)

Small is beautiful!