Word: mp3s
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
UNCHAINED MELODY Napster taught millions of Americans how to turn CDs and other sound files into MP3s. For the rest of us, Archos makes the Jukebox Recorder ($350). It lets you create MP3s directly from a stereo or CD player, it's more compact than similar devices like the Nomad Jukebox and it has a built-in mike for voice recording. With six gigabytes of memory, the Recorder can even double as a backup hard drive...
...download every time). But there's the rub: nobody appears to be even thinking of offering what we might call Morpheus Plus. The business models of Napster and MusicNet call for tunes to come in their own limited, secure format rather than what consumers want, which is play-anywhere MP3s. They're about subscriptions rather than micropayments. They give no indication that anyone in a position of power in these companies actually understands what it's like to download digital tunes on a regular basis...
...year-old son does his homework on the computer while instant messaging friends and talking on the phone (I figure he's calling the same person he's messaging, but I really don't want to know). The stereo is typically playing, and he's probably downloading MP3s. Occasionally his foot extends to gently connect with the dog. There may be something wrong with this picture, but the kid is definitely not sleepwalking...
...Palm clone market. There are two remarkable things about it. The first is its brilliant color screen, which makes the Palm m505's look putrid. The second is the built-in music player. This is the first Palm clone to feature a headphone jack and the ability to play MP3s--no simple trick, since the 33 MHz processor that powers these PDAs is too weak to drive MP3 music files. Sony created a neat hack: it added a digital-signal processing chip that bypasses the operating system. You'll need to shell out $150 more for a 64 MB memory...
...Rather than set itself up as a shining beacon for as many MP3s as possible - bring me your huddled tunes, yearning to be archived and played - RJP appears to be going in the direction of getting them off the hard drive and onto removable storage as soon as possible...