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MP3 Player News & Headlines
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.
Download growth boosts 2009 UK music royalties
(Reuters)
Reuters - British songwriters, composers and music publishers earned 623 million pounds ($944.8 million) in royalties in 2009, up 2.6 percent on 2008 and the first time the growth in digital revenues outperformed the drop in CD and DVD earnings.
Spotify: The Savior, or the Destroyer of Music?
(PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Daniel Ek, chief executive of the music streaming service Spotify, spoke to a crowd of 2,000 SXSW attendees on Tuesday - virtually none of whom are legally allowed to use his service.
Apple: More than 70 Percent of 2007 Cars will have iPod Support
More than 70 percent of 2007-model US automobiles will offer iPod integration.
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: iKey Plus Turns Audio Into MP3s
iKEY-Audio introduced the iKEY PLUS – a device that records live audio and converts it into high quality MP3 and WAV files and saves them directly to an iPod or another USB compatible storage device.
MP3 Tech Commentary
Plastic Logic's QUE eReader Delayed Plastic Logic's high-profile -- and high-priced -- QUE eReader apparently won't be launching on cue as the company has delayed its release. Media outlets such as Wired.com are reporting that the QUE's release has been pushed back to sometime this summer as Plastic Logic attempts to "fine tune" the product. The QUE was originally slated for an April release, which incidentally is right after the launch of the iPad Wi-Fi and around the same time as the launch of the iPad Wi-Fi+3G. Speaking of yet another coincidence, the QUE also comes with a Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi+3G version, just like the iPad. But the QUE actually starts out higher, with its 4GB Wi-Fi-only model priced at $649 and its higher-end 8GB model costing $799. In comparison, the Wi-Fi iPad starts out $499 for a 16GB version while the Wi-Fi+3G version starts out at $629. Now while the iPad certainly has its share of issues, it's certainly looking like the better option on paper as far as value and features. As such, it'll be interesting to see what tweaks Plastic Logic will cook up during the extra time it takes to fine tune its product. Photo © Plastic Logic Plastic Logic's QUE eReader Delayed originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 23:11:26.
HP Talks Smack About Apple iPad Apple found itself taking plenty of hot lead from a competitor this week and — surprise — it wasn't from Microsoft. Getting some corporate smack talk from Steve Ballmer wouldn't exactly come as a surprise. But from Hewlett-Packard? That was enough to surprise folks such as Ashlee Vance of the New York Times, who's more used to the soft-selling approach from HP. Anywho, HP apparently took some shots at the iPad's omission of certain features — features that happen to be present in HP's own slate tablet. This includes support for multi-tasking and Adobe Flash and Air, something HP touts as part of the "full experience" it will offer on its yet-to-be released slate. HP says it has also been working on its slate for about five years now. So why is it coming late to this party? "We had it done a couple of years ago, but it would have cost $1,500," Phil McKinney, chief technology officer in H.P.'s personal systems group, told the NY Times. Interestingly, McKinney didn't say anything about how much the device would cost now (or when it's coming out). Photo © HP HP Talks Smack About Apple iPad originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 00:01:26.
Have You Checked Your MP3 Library For Errors Lately? Just like any file on your hard drive, digital music files can suffer damage. If you're lucky enough to have only suffered minor damage, then you may just hear the occasional pop or click while playing certain music files. However, if some of the MP3s on your hard drive are more corrupt, then you might not be able to play them at all. Obviously, the best way to keep your valuable digital music library safe is to back it up -- but even then, how do you know for sure that all your files are error-free? If you've only got a handful of files, then you could listen to each one to find out, but what if you've got hundreds -- or even thousands? Listening to each one until your ears drop off is hardly practical in this case, so what's the alternative? Thankfully there are MP3 error checking tools that you can use to quickly scan your collection for corruption. This method not only saves an enormous amount of time when dealing with large MP3 collections, but also negates the need to check each one manually. For more information, be sure to read our tutorial on How to Check MP3 Files For Errors to quickly scan your music library. Related Articles:
Have You Checked Your MP3 Library For Errors Lately? originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 06:42:22.
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Free Music Albums: Pretty Lights to Release Trilogy of Free EPs Colorado-based Pretty Lights (aka Derek Vincent Smith), has announced a trilogy of EPs due for release in 2010. The first album, Making Up a Changing Mind, is already available (released March 2) and can be downloaded from the official Website. Even though Pretty Lights' albums can be downloaded for free, there's also a donate button for each EP should your conscience get the better of you. This isn't the first time that we've seen bands and artists offering their music to the masses in this way. In 2007, British rock band, Radiohead, offered music fans their In Rainbows album for whatever price they wanted to pay. Nine Inch Nails also offered fans an exclusive deal for its Ghosts I-IV instrumental collection rather than going through the traditional route of using a record label. As well as Pretty Lights' upcoming trilogy of new EPs, there are also other albums that can also be downloaded for whatever you deem as a fair price. Related Articles:
Free Music Albums: Pretty Lights to Release Trilogy of Free EPs originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 09:00:00.
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iGamble: Web Site YouWager.com Taking Bets on iPad Sales Wanna bet on how fast the iPad sells 1 million units? Not quite sure there's an app for that. But there is at least one web site that's taking wagers for it. Seriously. Folks have apparently placed bets on how fast the iPad reaches 1 million unit sales at YouWager.com, with the pessimists gaining the upper hand so far. As of mid-March, 72 percent of prognosticators believe it will take the iPad more than 74 days to break the million barrier, according to a release sent by the site. This bet apparently pays -250 at this point, with the bet that the iPad will sell 1 million under 74 days paying +125 so far. Already, YouWager.com itself is describing the first-day iPad pre-order numbers of 120,000 as underwhelming. Then again, Apple Insider is now reporting that based on the latest numbers, some sources believe iPad sales in its first three months could eclipse sales for the iPhone during its first three months. In case you wanted to know, the iPhone sold about 1.2 million units in its first three months. But three-month sales are for 90-plus days so I'm not quite sure what the final breakdown would be for the iPad for 74 days, even if it outpaces iPhone sales by a certain amount. Thank goodness I don't gamble. Photo © Apple iGamble: Web Site YouWager.com Taking Bets on iPad Sales originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 01:18:38.
AT&T: iPad Won't Strain 3G Network, Won't Work With iPhone Data Plan For future iPad WiFi+3G owners who are always on the move, having access to AT&T's 3G network sounds like a nifty idea. But for iPhone users worried about crawling Internet speeds and dropped calls from a strained network, the thought of a mob of iPad owners piling onto their service doesn't exactly sound appealing. Heavy Internet use by iPhone owners are already leading to network issues in large metro areas such as San Francisco and New York. Perhaps this is why AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson tried to recently downplay the number of iPad owners that would be signing up for a 3G data plan? Meanwhile, Gina Pernetti, a West Region spokesperson for AT&T, responded to my queries about network strain by echoing Stephenson's remarks and saying that the company expects iPad users to mostly use Wi-Fi instead of 3G. AT&T is also prepared for the number of iPad owners signing up for 3G service and its potential impact, Pernetti added. "We have factored the anticipated usage of iPad into our 3G network investment plans for 2010 and beyond," Pernetti said. "This year AT&T is planning to invest between $18 and 19 billion in cap ex. Last year, AT&T invested more in America than any other telecom company. Our network investment plans will allow us to keep pace." Whether those investments ultimately do the job is something we'll find out as the year goes on. In the meantime, iPhone users who plan to get a 3G-enabled iPad shouldn't expect to be able to double dip via their iPhone data plan. According to Pernetti, iPhone users will need to pay for a separate data plan in order to access AT&T's 3G network with the iPad. Add the fact that Steve Jobs confirmed recently that the iPad will not be able to tether with the iPhone and it's becoming clear that Apple doesn't plan to let iPad users mooch off the iPhone as far as connecting to the Internet. For more information and news about the Apple iPad, don't forget to check out our iPad Central page. Photo © Apple AT&T: iPad Won't Strain 3G Network, Won't Work With iPhone Data Plan originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 00:01:02.
BPI Study: ISPs Could Benefit By Offering Consumers a Bundled Music Service The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has said via a press release on its Website that ISPs who embrace digital music could reap significant revenues. The recently commissioned report entitled, Is There A Commercial Argument For ISP Music Services, concluded that the top UK ISPs could generate in excess of $150 million (£100M) by 2013 if they bundled a digital music service with their broadband packages. The research which was conducted by independent industry analyst, Ovum, also found that providing consumers with a digital music service could also reduce 'subscriber churn' -- this means the number of consumers who change their ISP in a given time period. BPI Chief Executive, Geoff Taylor, said, "It's increasingly clear that it isn't smart to be a 'dumb pipe'. This report shows that the revenue potential of digital music services alone makes sound economic sense for ISPs." This study by the BPI certainly highlights the financial gains that can potentially be made by ISPs who offer some form of integrated digital music service with their broadband packages. However, the big question is, "will consumers who regularly use P2P file sharing networks be persuaded to sign up?" Related Articles:
BPI Study: ISPs Could Benefit By Offering Consumers a Bundled Music Service originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 15:46:03.
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