Word: mp3
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...analyst with the NPD Group. The most successful new products are "consumer driven, not engineering driven," he says. Their benefits are obvious: whisper-quiet dishwashers or space-saving stackable washer-dryers rather than just machines with more powerful motors. That trend affects every consumer product, he says. Look at MP3 players. Before the iPod, they competed on how much memory they had. Apple figured out that the experience of the gadget mattered more and killed the category...
...more than 182 million cell-phone subscribers in the U.S., paying an average of just over $50 a month, according to CTIA, the wireless-industry association ? Plantronics' new Pulsar Bluetooth stereo headphones ($200) are phone savvy; they let you listen to music wirelessly from a PC or MP3 player, but when a phone call comes in, the music goes silent. --By Wilson Rothman
Oakley's Thump MP3 sunglasses, now available in 256MB and 512MB versions, ably serve the dual purpose of keeping sun out of your eyes while putting music into your ears. And they do have a sort of Riddick-like appeal. But are they cool enough to justify spending $400-500 on an undersized MP3 player and a pair of sunglasses...
...Well, uh, the built-in MP3 player does provide good sound. Its ear phones, mounted on a very adjustable piston and hinge system, can be positioned just over your ears so that you get the close-in sound of an earbud without the annoying feeling of plastic in your ear. It's easy to load MP3s from your computer-just connect the glasses and drag the files to the Thump folder like you were copying to an external drive. Windows users can even transfer purchased WMA tracks to the device, though you'll need Windows Media...
...wear in many situations and, also especially, ones that you suspect make you look dorky. How about $200? That's the lowest priced pair of the cheaper iZon Digital sunglasses (available at izonstore.com), which lack Oakley's reputation for eyewear but nevertheless have a decent-sounding integrated MP3 player that's just as easy to load up on your PC. Instead of adjustable ear phones, the iZon has standard earbuds dangling from short wires, but at a distance the two pairs of sunglasses are practically indistinguishable...