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MP3 Player News & Headlines
Apple Offers $10K in Music for 10 Billionth iTunes Download
(PC World)
PC World - Time to start loading up on music: Apple has announced it will give one lucky customer a $10k iTunes gift card once it reaches 10 billion iTunes song downloads. Apple calls the event a "huge milestone for music" and "our way of saying thanks" to the boatloads of people who depend on iTunes for all of their music needs.
SpeckTone Retro Stereo Speaker System for iPod
The SpeckTone Retro is one of the few iPod accessories that has caught our eyes recently. The fifties look of the all-wood speaker cabinet is finished with a high-gloss lacquered piano finish, and is a surprisingly nice complement to the modern look of iPods.
The Eight Thousand Dollar Piano-Shaped ipod Table
The Concerto Table, a piano-shaped table designed by Nicholas Lovegrove & Demian Repucci, has to be one of the most expensive and exclusive iPod accessories yet.
NAMM Update: Denon DJ Intros DN-S3500 Tabletop CD/MP3 Player
Denon DJ introduced the DN-S3500 tabletop CD/MP3 player, featuring a powerful 12-pole Direct Drive motor, 7 on-board effects and intuitive control.
New iPod shuffle Available Worldwide This Friday
Nearly half the size of the original, the new iPod shuffle is just half a cubic inch in volume, weighs just half an ounce and features a minimal aluminum design with a built-in clip, making it the most wearable iPod ever.
MP3 Tech Commentary
Will The New MusicDNA Format be MP3's Nemesis? A new music format called, MusicDNA, has been developed that could potentially replace the ageing MP3 format. Bach Technology, who co-developed MusicDNA with the Fraunhofer Institute of Digital Media Technologies (IDMT), say the new format will provide the user with a far richer media experience when compared to standard audio formats. The new technology makes use of an enhanced set of metadata tags to increase a user's interactive experience. Some examples of how these tags could benefit a consumer are: accessing the artist/band's latest videos; following links to related blogs; discovering related music on media-orientated services and social networks, etc. For a long time now, the music industry has been trying different methods to reduce online music piracy -- the most notable being (the almost defunct) DRM technology that prevents files from being copied, shared, etc. The problem with this however was it often restricted the user so much that even major music services like iTunes eventually phased it out. However, this new format potentially offers the consumer a great deal more entertainment for their money than just music. This could be just what the music industry needs to try to increase sales and reduce online piracy via file sharing networks. The big question now is, will the new MusicDNA format 'persuade' consumers to migrate from the trusted MP3 format with the promise of an enhanced multimedia experience? Related Articles:
Will The New MusicDNA Format be MP3's Nemesis? originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 09:00:30.
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iPad Camera On the Way? Well what do we have here, hmm? According to an article from MacRumors.com, a job posting on Apple's Web site appears to suggest that a camera might be in store for a future version of the iPad. As you may remember, the lack of a camera for video chatting was one of the things that critics bashed Steve Jobs' magical and revolutionary iPad for (cough* sheepishly raises hand* cough*). Fortunately, Apple seems to be able to take criticism constructively and appears to be already working on an iPad camera. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple was already looking into a camera even before the criticism. In fact, some people are pointing out that the soon-to-be-released iPad apparently has an empty space in its enclosure that would've been a perfect spot for a camera. Anywho, the "iPad Media" job posting is specifically looking for a software quality engineer with "a strong technical background to test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks." Think you're qualified? Then take your qualified derriere over to the Apple corporate job site. Just tell Steve-O that Jason Hidalgo sent you. I'm sure he'll enthusiastically reply, "Who?" Photo © Apple iPad Camera On the Way? originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 00:01:22.
Free Music Album: Download to Donate For Haiti The non-profit organization, Music Relief, which helps victims of natural disasters is offering a free 9-track music album for download. As part of the Haitian relief effort, Music Relief has released the album, Download to Donate For Haiti which contains previously unreleased tracks from major artists and bands such as: Linkin Park, Alanis Morissette, Enrique Iglesias, Slash, and others. Founded in 2005 by the music band Linkin Park, Music Relief is currently providing aid to victims of the Haiti disaster. If you do decide to download this free music album, please remember to be kind and donate whatever you can afford. Thank you. Related Articles:
Free Music Album: Download to Donate For Haiti originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 09:30:14.
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OpenTablet 7: New iPad Competitor Throws in Flash, Extra Features Much has been made about the Apple iPad's lack of support for Flash. OpenPeak Inc. has apparently taken note, making sure to highlight Flash capability in its press release for the new OpenTablet 7 slate. As its name implies, the OpenTablet 7 features a 7-inch multi-touch, LED backlit touchscreen that's nearly three inches smaller than the iPad. Like the iPad, it offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and "cellular connectivity." Unlike the iPad, however, the OpenTablet 7 features an HDMI output, two cameras for capturing high-definition video and photos, USB connectivity and a MicroSD slot. The OpenTablet 7 also has phone capabilities, allowing users to give iPad lovers a dose of their own superiority complex by placing a phone call right next to them and telling the person on the other line all the things their device can do that the iPad can't. Naturally, the OpenTablet 7 features all sorts of applications including YouTube, Facebook and Flickr. Serving as the brains of the device is Intel's Moorestown platform, which is designed for handhelds and tablets. Unfortunately, the release doesn't say anything about pricing, which would be the million-dollar question. Some say keeping the price down was likely a key reason why Apple passed on some of the missing features in the first-generation iPad. Unless OpenPeak goes for a smaller profit margin than Apple (who apparently will make quite a nice profit with the iPad according to folks who have looked at the device's components), all those added features must come at a price. Still, competition is always good. Photo © OpenPeak OpenTablet 7: New iPad Competitor Throws in Flash, Extra Features originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 02:26:12.
IREX DR800SG Now Available at Best Buy The eReader hot tub got a bit more crowded this week as IREX's DR800SG finally became available at BestBuy.com. According to a release sent out by the company, the IREX DR800SG wades in with an 8.1-inch E Ink screen, 3G connectivity via Verizon, and a touchscreen. For reading material, the DR800SG includes access to more than 750,000 books via Barnes & Noble's eBookstore plus access to newspapers and magazines via NewspaperDirect and LibreDigital. Formats supported are PDF and EPUB for eBooks and JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF and TIFF for images. So what's all this going to cost you? That would be $399, which pegs the DR800SG at the higher end of the eReader market. To put that in perspective, that's about $140 more than a Nook and only $100 less than the Apple iPad. Which begs the question: Will people be OK with paying $399 for what is essentially a one-trick pony or would they rather fork an extra C-note for an iPad, which — despite the justifiable criticism — can do a lot more than IREX's device? In IREX's case, they appear to be quite bullish about their prospects so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Photo © IREX IREX DR800SG Now Available at Best Buy originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 03:16:03.
Netbook Ownership Sees Increase The last few times I tried buying a netbook, I ended up buying a small, low-end laptop instead. In both cases, I ultimately decided that a netbook was just overpriced and underpowered for me, even for travel purposes. I think that, in a nutshell, portrays one of the key challenges for netbooks. (It certainly doesn't help that PC makers in general seem to collectively nerf netbooks to push people to buy a laptop instead.) Nevertheless, it appears that more people are warming up to the devices. According to Twice.com, a Pricegrabber study found that the number of folks who own a netbook has gone up from 10 percent in 2009 to about 15 percent in January. Interestingly, the primary market for netbooks has gotten grayer, now creeping up to the 45-year-old to 64-year-old age range. Respondents also said they won't spend more than $750 for their next computing device (not sure if they meant any computer or just netbooks). Personally, I think some of the prices I've seen for netbooks out there are just way too high for the performance they offer. Fortunately, it appears that prices are starting to go down. The same survey found that the average price of mobile computing devices fell from $808 in December 2008 to $645 in December 2009. Hopefully, this ultimately translates to lower prices for netbooks. Netbook Ownership Sees Increase originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 03:38:59.
Bear Hands Celebrate New Single With Free Music Downloads Brooklyn-based indie band, Bear Hands, are celebrating the imminent release of their new single, What a Drag, by giving it away as a free download on their Website. Until it's officially released (16 Feb. 2010 / Cantora Records), you can download it and another 2 free songs (Can't Stick Em, What a Drag (Cale Parks Mix)) simply by providing your email address and following the link sent to your inbox. As well as the new song, Bear Hands have also got a limited edition 7" vinyl that is being released at the same time. For more information, visit their Website. Related Articles:
Bear Hands Celebrate New Single With Free Music Downloads originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 07:25:33.
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