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MP3 Player News & Headlines
Griffin Intros Hi-Way Case for iPod Hi-Fi
Griffin Technology today announced Hi-Way, a versatile, custom fit, roadworthy carrying case for the iPod Hi-Fi compact stereo.
Microchip Tech raises bid for Silicon Storage
(AP)
AP - Microchip Technology Inc. on Tuesday raised its purchase price for Silicon Storage Inc., aiming to thwart a competing offer for the maker of flash memory cards used in digital cameras and MP3 players.
Griffin Intros 2007 Line Up
Griffin Technology today announced their 2007 lineup that will debut next week at the MacWorld Conference & Expo.
Two New iPod Games Announced
Electronic Arts today announced the availability of two new games for the fifth generation iPod – EA Sudoku and Royal Solitaire.
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.
Billboard CD reviews: Jimi Hendrix, Holmes Brothers
(Reuters)
Reuters - There are unending reasons why "genius" will forever be attached to Jimi Hendrix -- not the least of which is the voluminous amount of first-rate material that's been released in the 40 years since the guitar legend's death. "Valleys of Neptune," an hour-plus of unreleased material that marks the first foray in Experience Hendrix's Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project with Sony Legacy, is one of the most satisfying and illuminating of these posthumous exercises.
Griffin Intros PowerBlock Travel, International USB Power Adapter
Griffin Technology has introduced PowerBlock Travel, a package designed to simplify charging your USB devices (including iPods) while traveling.
MP3 Tech Commentary
Flash Absence Worries iPad Publishers; AT&T Exec Predicts iPad 3G Use What, me, worry? That, so far, has been the stance adopted by Steve Jobs when it comes to the absence of popular Web program Flash on his company's much anticipated iPad tablet. Content publishers, however, apparently are singing a different tune about the lack of Flash on the iPad, according to a story on MSNBC.com. While magazines such as Wired and GQ, for example, have embraced Flash on their Web sites, the absence of Flash support for the iPad means they can't simply port over their Flash content such as video to the iPad, the same way they can with, say, HP's Slate tablet. At the very least, offering such content for the iPad will come with some added cost as publishers re-package their content in a new format. Oh well, them's the breaks, eh? Meanwhile, AT&T's CEO took some time to put his Great Karnak turban on, predicting that there won't be that much demand for 3G service on the iPad, according to Reuters. That would be Randall Stephenson, the CEO of the same company that's actually, um, providing 3G service subscriptions for the iPad. "My expectation is that there's not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription," Stephenson said. Oh no he "din't!" Anywho, whether you agree or not, you must give the guy credit for his refreshing honesty — at least until Apple or his own shareholders send in the stormtroopers to straighten him out. Photo © Apple Flash Absence Worries iPad Publishers; AT&T Exec Predicts iPad 3G Use originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 00:01:49.
Apple iPad Release Date Now April 3 Just updated the iPad Central and iPad Availability sections with the official release date from Apple, which is now April 3. According to Apple, folks can start pre-ordering the iPad from the online Apple Store or making reservations at retail outlets starting Friday March 12. With talk about a launch delay panning out, albeit by just a smidgen (the iPad Wi-Fi version was originally slated for a late March launch), does this mean that rumors of a May launch for the iPad Wi-Fi+3G version — originally slated for an April release — have some credence as well? Photo © Apple Apple iPad Release Date Now April 3 originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 13:12:14.
Apple to Sell iPad at Best Buy, Other Locations Looks like Apple isn't planning to fly solo when it comes to iPad sales. Like Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer in Top Gun, Apple has apparently told Best Buy that it can be its wingman anytime when it comes to selling the iPad. As long as they don't start playing volleyball with shortened nets at the beach, then everything's still kosher... The comments were made by Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook at the Goldman Sachs annual tech conference in San Francisco, according to media outlets such as Computerworld and AppleInsider. Cook also said that Apple plans to expand to more retailers in the future. For more info, check out our article on iPad availability and pricing. Photo © Apple Apple to Sell iPad at Best Buy, Other Locations originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 01:41:17.
Wal-Mart Moves Into Video With VUDU Deal Retail giant, Wal-Mart, has announced via its Website that it has inked a deal with the VUDU video service. Since its inception in 2004, the VUDU media technology company has specialized in developing devices like the VUDU Box to deliver on-demand video such as movies. With the likes of iTunes and Amazon already offering multimedia content, Wal-Mart who also provide digital music downloads are hoping to muscle into the increasingly popular on-demand video market too. Edward Lichty who is VUDU's executive vice president said, "We are excited about the opportunity to take our company's vision to the next level, VUDU's services and Apps platform will give Wal-Mart a powerful new vehicle to offer customers the content they want in a way that expands the frontier of quality, value and convenience." Even though the official announcement doesn't reveal the financial value of the deal, a report by The Wall Street Journal puts the sum at 'slightly more' than $100 million. Related Articles:
Wal-Mart Moves Into Video With VUDU Deal originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 06:27:22.
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Free Music Downloads This Week The free music downloads in our spotlight this week are: Artist/Band: Erik Hassle Artist/Band: Groove Armada Artist/Band: Scanners Related Articles:
Genre: Pop / Rock / Soul
Free Music Download: Hurtful (Penguin Prison Remix) (4:36)
Music Video: Hurtful (2010 Version)
Album: Hurtful single available from the iTunes Store.
Genre: Electronic
Free Music Download: Paper Romance (Clasixx Remix) (4:51)
Music Video: Paper Romance
Extras: More free Groove Armada tracks via our previous music download blog.
Album: Black Light due for release March 2010 (Om Records).
Genre: Alternative / Pop / Indie
Free Music Download: We Never Close Our Eyes (3:28)
Album: Submarine (Dim Mak Records) available now digitally from iTunes and other digital music services.
Free Music Downloads This Week originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 11:03:10.
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Omniphone to Use Dolby Laboratories' Cloud Music Format Omniphone, which provides cloud-based music services for major consumer electronics vendors, has annouced that it has struck a deal with Dolby Laboratories to use its new Dolby Pulse audio format. Boasting up to 4 times more bandwidth and data rate efficiency compared to other file formats, Dolby Pulse is a multi-platform file format especially suited for music delivery from the 'cloud'. If you're not familiar with this buzzword, then it's simply just another term to describe Internet-based solutions. In the case of Dolby Pulse, this file format is particularly suited for delivering streaming music to mobile devices, and other consumer electronics that use streaming audio -- home computers, in-home or in-car devices that use digital music services are examples.
Omniphone intend to use the software that Dolby Laboratories supply (Dolby Media Generator) to encode their entire music catalog that currently contains over 6.5 million tracks. Looking at the inner-workings of Dolby Pulse, the file format is basically the same as the HE-AAC (High Efficiency AAC) format, but differs by the integration of Dolby metadata -- this ensures the quality and consistency of the broadcast is maintained. Kevin Yeaman, who is the president and CEO of Dolby Laboratories said, "As digital content services and networked devices become part of our day-to-day lives, the ability to deliver digital content in the most efficient file format becomes increasingly important." So far this is the second article this year concerning new music formats --will this year see the largest change in how digital music services deliver audio? Related Articles:
Omniphone to Use Dolby Laboratories' Cloud Music Format originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 07:36:14.
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Free Music Downloads This Week The free music downloads in our spotlight this week are: Artist/Band: Stacy B Artist/Band: Motor Artist/Band: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour Related Articles:
Genre: Pop / R&B / Club
Free Music Download: Do It Now (download Code: 1688).
Genre: Techno / Alternative / Electro
Free Music Download: Kick It (4:46)
Additional MP3(s): Kick It (Malente Remix) (4:25) via RCRD RBL
Album: Hyper Machine (Dim Mak Records) available from top digital music services.
Genre: Electronic / Pop
Free Music Download: The Sun Ain't Shinning No More (33 Hz Remix) (5:55)
Additional MP3(s): 2 more versions via RCRD RBL
Album: Fruit (Small Giants Records Ltd.) now available digitally
Free Music Downloads This Week originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 09:00:40.
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Sony Sets Sights on Apple's Turf Remember when Sony was the electronics company in terms of consumer mindshare? Fast forward to today and you have Amazon grabbing the reins of the eReader sector Sony pioneered while Apple's iPod has replaced the Sony Walkman as the music-playing phenomenon of this generation. (And we haven't even touched on the Playstation brand's fall from the No. 1 overall spot for video game consoles.) In fact, Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Companies list has Apple No. 1 while Sony is ranked 38th. Well, like Twisted Sister, Sony is apparently not taking it anymore, with the company setting its sights on countering Apple's rise as an electronics juggernaut. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Sony is planning to release two new portable devices — one aimed squarely at the iPhone and the other at the upcoming iPad. The first device is something Sony is working on with Ericsson, which is basically a phone that can download and play video games. The other is a hybrid device that incorporates features from netbooks, eReaders and handheld game machines (sounds like PSP content might feature prominently in both devices). Sony will also be launching sonyTunes, er, Sony Online Service — an "online media platform" that features music, video and, of course, games, later in March. Will Sony's latest moves be enough for it to regain its mojo? I guess we'll find out soon enough. Sony Sets Sights on Apple's Turf originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 00:01:48.
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