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US Airways Announces More Liberal Headset Policy
Friday August 1, 9:48 am ET
ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways has changed its headset policy, making it more convenient for passengers to access the onboard inflight entertainment system.
Beginning today, customers are welcome to bring their own headsets to access US Airways' inflight entertainment at no charge. Those who do not have their own headsets may now purchase one on board from flight attendants for $5 (three British pounds or five Euros on transatlantic flights) and keep it for future use on board US Airways.
Previously, customers were charged a $5 fee to access inflight entertainment while traveling in Coach Class within the U.S. and the Caribbean. Toward the end of the flights, the rental headsets were collected by US Airways' flight attendants.
"We are pleased to bring our customers a more cost effective and convenient means of accessing our inflight entertainment system on our long- haul flights," said Steve Tracas, US Airways vice president of sales and marketing.
US Airways' headsets have two prongs, which allow for stereo sound on select aircraft. Many headsets used for other purposes, such as portable compact disc players, have only one prong. Headsets with one prong can access inflight entertainment; however, stereo sound may not be available.
US Airways is the nation's seventh-largest airline, serving nearly 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. Most of its route network is concentrated in the eastern U.S., where it is the largest air carrier east of the Mississippi. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers operate over 3,300 flights per day. For more information on US Airways inflight entertainment, visit US Airways online at usairways.com/travel/inflight/entertainment/index.htm.
On2 Technologies Releases VP4 Personal Codec
Friday August 1, 1:57 pm ET
Free codec offers better quality than MPEG-4 and compatible codecs
NEW YORK, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On2 Technologies (Amex: ONT - News) today announced the release of its VP4 Personal codec. The codec is offered free-of-charge for personal use. A low-cost commercial license is also available.
VP4 Personal can be used with any video processing utility that supports the popular Video for Widows format. Files encoded in VP4 can be played back locally from a user's hard disk, CD-ROM, or DVD drive, or they can be streamed over an IP network using On2's TrueCast Server software. A five-stream version of the Server is also available free for personal evaluation.
"After the recent release of our VP6 codec we decided to offer VP4 Personal as a great solution for the home user and entry-level commercial users," said Eric Ameres, Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice President of Software Development of On2 Technologies, Inc. "VP4 has been proven to offer better quality than MPEG-4 and MPEG-4 compatible codecs. We think the fact that we can offer such a great codec for free puts us even further beyond our competitors who are selling MPEG-4 compatible codecs."
VP4 Personal is immediately available for download at www.on2.com. Those who are interested in commercial licensing should contact sales@on2.com.
About On2 Technologies, The Duck Corporation
On2 Technologies (Amex: ONT - News) is a leading technology firm at the forefront of video compression. The Company revolutionized video encoding with the creation of its advanced full-motion, full-screen, video compression and streaming technology (TrueMotion® VP4/VP5/VP6). On2 licenses its high quality video codecs for use in set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices and wireless applications. In addition, On2 offers a suite of products and services, including high-level video encoding, customized technical support, and consulting/integration services. Located in New York City, the Company has an office in Clifton Park, NY, and operations in Cambridge, UK. On2 may be reached at 21 Corporate Drive, Suite 103, Clifton Park, NY 12065 or info@on2.com or sales@on2.com.
Source: On2 Technologies
HP plans massive consumer product push
FROM CNET NEWS.COM
As part of its broad "Radically Simple, Better Together" pitch to consumers, the company is readying the largest consumer product integration in its history.
As part of a broad new pitch to consumers, Hewlett-Packard is planning the largest consumer-product introduction in its history.
The company has scheduled an Aug. 11 event in New York where CEO Carly Fiorina will outline the new push, which will focus on linking HP's broad portfolio of technology, from PCs to printers to cameras. For some months now, the company has been developing a broad strategy that's known internally as "Radically Simple, Better Together." The idea is to make HP products easier to use than rival products and so effective when used together that customers stay with the company's offerings when buying different types of devices. Executives said in the spring that the first fruits of the design strategy would appear later in the year, and sources said next month's New York event will mark the first in-depth public discussion of the approach.
On the product side, HP has been calling this launch "Big Bang 2," making it the sequel to last year's overhaul of HP's printer lineup.
In addition to its existing consumer products, HP is also working on a few new categories of products that it feels play to its strengths in digital imaging. One such product expected as part of the new launch is designed to let people burn their VHS home movies to DVDs.
In a recent interview, Fiorina told CNET News.com that linking various islands of technology together is critical for the tech industry.
"The real big thing in technology is that all this stuff has to work together," Fiorina said. "And when all this works together, what do you have to think about? Security, reliability, mobility, rich media, total cost of ownership--all these things matter. "
On the consumer side, the company is trying to create HP as a unified brand in consumers' minds, suggesting that when consumers buy more than one HP product, the devices will work well together and will offer a similar look and feel, NPD Group analyst Stephen Baker said.
"Sony tries to create that same kind of image," Baker said. "Anybody that has the broad portfolio that Sony and HP do--that's the value of their brand."
Sony, for example, has tried to use its Memory Stick removable storage media as a unifying way to connect its various products. The approach allows, for example, pictures that are taken on a Sony camera to be easily transferred to a Sony handheld or PC.
HP, meanwhile, is including Secure Digital memory slots on many of its new notebooks and cameras. Its printers and many of its desktop PCs are already capable of directly reading from several removable flash media types.
Getting it together
Integration has become a buzzword throughout the computer industry. As PC growth has slowed, computer makers have tried to tie the PC to other devices. Apple Computer, for example, has tried to make the Mac the center of a "digital hub" that connects to devices such as its iPod music player. Gateway, meanwhile, is trying to transform itself into what it calls a "branded integrator" that sells devices like home stereo systems and plasma TVs alongside its computers.
Like Sony, HP is likely to aim at the higher end of the market with many of its new efforts. Although the company has offered low-end PCs under the HP brand, it has said that the Compaq brand is especially targeted at the budget segment of the market.
The new products and strategy come as HP and its competitors gear up for the back-to-school season. Next to the holiday buying season, the third quarter is the second most active period for PC makers, with the bulk of sales in the period coming in the last two weeks of September.
Among other promotions, HP plans to start selling a new tablet PC at retail stores, as well as new notebooks with DVD+RW drives. Before the end of the year, HP will sell a notebook with a 17-inch screen, company executives have said.
HP is in the midst of picking up momentum after the long and often difficult job of absorbing Compaq Computer. The company saw PC shipments rise in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, the first time PC shipments have grown in annual comparisons since the Compaq acquisition was completed.
The new consumer effort follows a May initiative to focus HP's corporate sales strategy on what the company has dubbed the "adaptive enterprise."CNET News.com's Richard Shim contributed to this report.
CNET First Take Nomad Jukebox Zen NX
By John P. Falcone
(July 30, 2003)
The Nomad Jukebox Zen NX is the newest member of Creative's family of hard-drive digital-music players. It debuts in August with 20GB and 30GB versions selling for $249 and $300, respectively.
Upside: The NX models are 0.08 inches thinner and 1.5 ounces lighter than their predecessor. Battery life is rated at the same 14 hours, but a removable, rechargeable lithium-ion cell has succeeded the old Zen's sealed-case design, so you can replace a bum battery. Support for USB 1.1/2.0, rather than FireWire, ensures compatibility with just about every PC on the market.
Downside: These Zens come with earbuds instead of the previous model's beefier, wraparound headphones. And you still don't get a built-in FM tuner or line-in recording.
Outlook: The NX line isn't revolutionary, but it may be enough that these smaller, lighter Zens deliver capacities, features, and a form factor similar to those of the Apple iPod--for hundreds of dollars less
ACOUSTIC-TECHNOLOGIES) Acoustic Technologies Introduces the ATR2000 Hands-Free Car Kit Reference Design; Complete Reference Design Based on Acoustic's ATH2400 Digital Voice Processing Engine
MESA, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2003--Acoustic Technologies today introduced the availability of a complete reference design for hands-free car kit and telematics applications. Based on the company's ATH2400 Digital Voice Processing Integrated Circuit, the ATR2000 reference kit is designed to provide easy design in and quick time to market. The ATH2400 leverages Acoustic Technologies' unique echo cancellation and voice processing technologies for cellular hands-free speakerphone applications.
"The ATH2400 digital voice processor is the ideal device for enabling hands-free solutions," said Sam Thomasson, Acoustic Technologies president and chief executive officer. "The ATR2000 reference design is a complete system solution enabling customers to quickly introduce Bluetooth or wired hands-free car kit products."
The ATR2000 hands-free car kit reference design comes complete with a fully functional car kit platform, design schematics, layout design files, bill of materials, eXcho(TM) tuning software and comprehensive documentation. The reference design kit provides everything customers need to quickly evaluate the system and bring their products to market.
The ATH2400 Digital Voice Processor combines patented echo cancellation and bi-directional noise reduction technologies, providing users with clear loudspeaker volume for increased intelligibility and natural flowing conversations. The device includes unique sound enhancement techniques to increase audio fullness and presence for richer, clearer speech. Sound enhancement effects in the ATH2400 are tunable to specific plastic designs, speakers, microphones and user preferences.
About Acoustic Technologies
Founded in 1998, Acoustic Technologies is a privately held company headquartered in Mesa, Ariz. Acoustic Technologies creates high-quality semiconductor and software solutions for leading telecom manufacturers worldwide. The SoundClear(R) brand of patented full-duplex communication and echo cancellation solutions is enabling significant advancements in telecommunications voice quality. SoundClear provides natural bi-directional communication in business speakerphones, mobile phones, VoIP telephones, hands-free car kits, Bluetooth accessories and other speakerphone-enabled products. For additional information, the company can be reached directly at 480-507-4376, or via the Internet at www.acoustictech.com.
Neuros HD 20GB
Thursday July 31, 2003 - [ 09:09 AM GMT ]
Topic - Hardware
- by Lee Schlesinger -
The $399 Neuros HD 20GB is that rare product that actually exceeds expectations.
As a music player, it's hard to beat. The Neuros HD 20GB comes with a 20GB hard drive; my 1,300-odd (in some cases, very odd) MP3 songs barely fill a quarter of the space. (The company also sells a 128MB solid state MP3 player.) Playback quality through the bundled earbuds is excellent. Neuros also includes an FM tuner that uses the earpiece cord as an antenna.
Other accessories include a wall charger for the built-in lithium-ion battery and a car adapter that lets you take the Neuros on a road trip without having to worry about losing power.
The Neuros lacks a cassette adapter for playing its audio through a car cassette player. Instead it offers MiFi, which broadcasts the music over a short distance to an unused frequency on the FM radio spectrum -- much more convenient. Unfortunately I couldn't get MiFi to work, so I was stuck with listening through the earbuds, unable to share my music with my family (for which they blessed the vendor) until I realized that you use either the earpieces or MiFi, but not both at the same time.
I had other troubles getting things to work. The Neuros HD comes bundled with synchronization software for Windows PCs, but it requires the Microsoft .Net Framework be installed. If .Net isn't there already, Neuros will install it -- except on my computer. Every time I tried, either from the installation mini-CD or via a download from Microsoft's site, the installation process hung. I finally got it to complete successfully by disabling several IIS component services -- something I probably should have done long ago for the sake of my system's security.
Luckily, Neuros also works with Linux synchronization software, though it's not as slick as the Windows version. Positron runs in a console window and lets you perform all the major functions of adding, deleting, and synchronizing songs. It's extremely well documented, and offers support for Ogg Vorbis files, once you've downloaded and installed pyogg and pyvorbis.
The Neuros Sync Manager application for Windows, despite its graphical interface, leaves something to be desired. It lets you play tracks, but any changes you make to ID3 tags within the interface aren't saved back to the files themselves. And while the program is designed to automatically check for software and firmware updates, the latter feature always seemed to think I wasn't connected to the Internet.
Neuros offers a cool feature called HiSi, short for "Hear it! Save it!" I could do without the cutesy name, which is easily confused with MiFi, but the feature is nice. When you hear a given song on an FM station but don't know who sings it, you press a button on the unit, which then records a 30-second sample of the song. When you get back to your computer and synchronize, you can right-click on the sample and have the software identify it across the Internet. Unfortunately HiSi only works with the Windows verion of Neuros Sync Manager.
Battery life was acceptable, not exceptional, as you might expect of a device that has to actually move the platter and heads of a hard disk drive. The vendor claims 10 hours of continuous playback, but I'd feel lucky if I got half that. FM reception was pretty good when the earbud wire was fully extended. The front of the player sports five preset buttons for your favorite stations on the left, and a lock button on the right that disables all the other buttons, which makes it practical to carry the player in your pocket without having it switch songs midstream.
Neuros HD came out in March, and is well poised to compete with other hard drive-based MP3 players like the Archos Jukebox, RCA Lyra, and Apple iPod. It's more expensive, but it offers more too. And for Linux users, it's definitely the best game in town.
Philips HDD100 MP3 AVAILABLE NOW
http://www.goodguys.com/catfeatures.asp?catky=162625
Below e.Digital player
O-1000 2.9" W x 1.0" H x 4.4" L weight 8.2oz
HDD100 2.5" W x 0.8" H x 4.2" L weight 5.9oz
Philips HDD100 MP3 Recording Audio Jukebox with 15-GB Hard Drive
Imagine absolute freedom - having your way...all the way.
Enjoy any music for all your moods and experiences while you're on the go with Philips' Recording Audio Jukebox. Immense 15GB hard disc capacity means you can fit a universe of your coolest stuff into this superbly compact form.
Features
Direct MP3 recording: Record directly to MP3 files via built-in microphone and digital or analog line-in connection.
MP3 and WMA playback: You can play MP3 files as well as Windows Media Audio files.
SuperScrollTM keys for faster navigation: Double action search buttons allow easy speed control when scrolling through large libraries. You can choose to move through your playlist one song at a time or just press and hold down a little harder to SuperScrollTM swiftly to your desired track.
Programmable genre-linked equalizer: Depending on the genre, the player can automatically select the desired equalizer setting. And with 4 traditional presets: Rock, Pop, Jazz and Classic, you can easily tag your music by genre. So the next time you play a particular track, it will instantly recognize your chosen setting.
Super-fast USB2.0 PC connection: Supports the new USB2.0 standard enabling the speedy transfer of data between USB connected devices at 480kbps. It is also backwards compatible with the old USB1.1 standard, so a USB1.1 computer port will work with HDD100 using the same by packed cable and connectors.
Can be used as external hard disk: Connects through USB to be used as a spare portable HDD storage via Windows Explorer. 15GB of immense storage capacity allows you to pack an entire world of music and data into your HDD100.
EQ by genre: Automatic selection of EQ setting depending on genre
Programmable EQ: Equalizer presets can be reprogrammed and renamed SuperScroll™: 2-step manually controlled scroll speed
Bass enhancer: DBB (Dynamic Bass Boost)
Specifications
Playback
MP3 playback: 8-320 kbps and VBR
WMA playback: 32-192 kbps
Sample rates (kHz): 8, 11.025, 16, 22.050, 32, 44.1, 48
ID3-tag support (ver 1.2/2.0)
Recording
Voice recording (MP3): Via built-in microphone (mono)
Audio recording (MP3): Via 3.5mm line-in jack (stereo)
Analog (64/128/192 kbps)
Digital optical (64/128/192 kbps)
Storage
Hard disk: Low profile 1.8" HDD
Capacity: 15GB (Actual formatted capacity of HDD100 will be less)
Output power: 2x5mW (16 Ohm)
Frequency response: 20-20.000Hz
THD: 0.01%-0.1%
Equalizer: 5-band DSP controlled
Buffer memory: 32MB for approx 30 min music buffer (depending on bitrate)
USB connection: USB2.0 (USB1.1 compatible)
Display: 4-level grayscale, 160x128 pixels
Backlight: White superbright LED
Battery: Built-in 1200mAh Li-Polymer
Lens: Hardened optical glass
Encasing: Die-cast molded magnesium
Connections
Stereo headphone
Wired remote control
Mini USB (B-type)
DC power supply
Combined analog and digital input
Dimensions: 2.5" W x 0.8" H x 4.2" L
Weight: 5.9 oz.
PC system requirements
OS: Windows 98SE or later
Software Internet connection
Supplied Accessories
5-key in-line remote control (AY3779)
Hi-quality in-ear headphones (SBC HE570/77P)
Travel pouch (AY3274)
USB2.0 compatible cable (AY3911)
Multi voltage AC/DC power adapter/charger (AY3192/17)
CD-ROM with software and full user manual (AY3498)
Quick-Start-Guide
Software
Media management: Only via supplied Media Management Software
General data storage: Directly accessible via Windows Explorer (Mass Storage Device Class compliant)
NPD Reports Consumers Embracing Traditional Items this Back-to-School Shopping Season
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2003--The NPD Group, Inc.
-- Most consumers plan to spend $500 or less this year
-- More consumers will spend child tax credit than save it
-- School requirements drive purchases
A just-released survey of consumer spending intent for the upcoming back-to-school season by leading market information company The NPD Group, Inc. reports traditional back-to-school items like clothing, shoes, backpacks and school supplies should experience healthy sales increases this year versus last. The survey found 69 percent of consumers with children attending school (kindergarten to college), said they intend to spend $500 or less on back-to-school purchases this season, while 31 percent said they plan to spend over $500. Twenty-one percent said they plan to spend between $501-$1,000; just 10 percent plan to spend more than $1,000 this back-to-school season.
Parents with two or more children attending school this fall are likely to plan on spending over $500 on back-to-school purchases. Forty-four percent of households with three or more children in school this fall plan to spend over $500 this season. Thirty-six percent of households with two children in school intend to spend more than $500 and only 24 percent of households with one child are likely to spend more than $500 this back-to-school season.
Consumers indicated they plan to spend more in certain categories than they did last year. These categories include clothing (36 percent intend to spend more than last year), school supplies (30 percent), shoes (28 percent) and skincare/cosmetics (21 percent). Categories where respondents expect to spend the same as they did last year include backpacks/lunchboxes (63 percent will spend the same as last year), perfumes (60 percent), skincare/cosmetics (60 percent), educational software (55 percent), educational toys (55 percent) and cell phones (47 percent). Consumers said they will spend "a little less to much less" than last year on electronic items such as MP3 players (59 percent intend to spend less this year than last), PDAs (56 percent), portable CD players (50 percent) and digital cameras (47 percent).
"Back to basics is the theme this year. Consumers are seeking value and are indicating they will be cautious about spending. They're more inclined to spend on the essentials," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group. "Back-to-school is all about clothing, footwear, supplies, and even some cosmetics and skincare products. The big-ticket electronics push we saw last year is not expected this back-to-school season. Many consumers and their school-aged kids will make do with what they have, and if they have one from last year, it will just have to be good enough for this year. So little Junior will not be getting a new PDA this year -- last year's model will have to do."
School-provided back-to-school supply lists are what determine which products consumers will purchase for their children. Sixty-six percent of consumers surveyed said school requirements have the greatest influence on their purchase decisions. Sixty-three percent and forty-nine percent of consumers, respectively, said "price" and "sales" are what influence back-to-school purchase decisions. Lesser influences include "child wants it" and "replacement item," with 34 percent and 30 percent of consumers, respectively, saying those factors influence their purchase decisions. The weakest influences on back-to-school purchases include "trends" and "favorite licensed product," with eight percent and five percent of consumers, respectively, saying those factors influence their buying decisions.
Consumers and the Tax Cut
NPD also asked about consumers' intent to spend or save the tax cut money they will soon receive in the mail from the Federal Government. Sixty-one percent of consumers with children attending school said they would either save or spend the money. Thirty-nine percent said they are still undecided about what they will do with the money. Among those who have decided, 56 percent of consumers said they will spend the tax cut money, while 44 percent said they will save it.
Sixty-two percent of families with three or more children said they plan to spend money they receive from the tax cuts. Fifty-eight percent of consumers with two children and 52 percent of consumers with one child plan to spend their tax cut refunds.
Who responds best to back-to-school promotions and sales? The NPD survey indicated women are more likely to respond to back-to-school sales than men. Fifty-two percent of women surveyed claim sales will influence their decisions when purchasing back-to-school items, versus just 45 percent of men.
When Do We Begin Back-To-School Shopping?
When it comes to the timing of America's back-to-school shopping, 69 percent of consumers said they will start their back-to-school shopping in August. Twenty-nine percent of consumers intend to begin shopping in July, while only two percent of consumers said they will begin back-to-school shopping in September. Interestingly, those heavy back-to-school spenders who will spend over $1,000 this season are more likely to begin their shopping earlier in the season. Forty-five percent of consumers who plan to spend over $1,000 will begin their shopping in July. Only 27 percent of those who spend between $501 and $1000 and 26 percent of consumers who spend less than $500 said they plan to begin their back-to-school shopping in July.
"This back-to-school season will go a long way in telling us whether we are on the road to economic recovery," said Cohen. "While generally, back-to-school is not the big indicator of retail performance to come, this year is particularly important for retailers. We lost spring, and some retailers made up some ground in summer, but without strong back-to-school performance we will see retailers and manufacturers once again chasing after the consumer to entice them to spend money."
Methodology
The NPD Back-to-School Consumer Purchase Intent Survey was fielded July 15 to 22, 2003. It was e-mailed to 5,000 members of the NPD online panel. The findings here are based on information from 2,795 completed surveys. The margin of error at the 90 percent confidence level is 1.6 percent.
For more information visit www.npd.com.
Creative Ships NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX - the Slimmest, Lightest NOMAD Jukebox Ever
NO SIZE OR WEIGHT ADVANTAGE OVER O-1000 " NEW" NOMAD ACTUALLY WEIGHS MORE!!!
Compact NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX 20GB and 30GB Models With Sleek, Silver and White Design Carry Up to 1,000 Hours of Music
MILPITAS, Calif., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC users, today expanded its popular line of award-winning NOMAD(R) Jukebox Zen digital audio players by announcing the ultra sharp-looking NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX.
The NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX is the slimmest, lightest NOMAD Jukebox yet and features a removable, high-capacity Li-Ion battery for up to 14 hours of continuous playback versus just eight hours for the Apple(R) iPod(TM). The pocket-sized NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX features USB 2.0 connectivity for super fast file transfers and compatibility with virtually all PCs. The 30GB NOMAD
Jukebox Zen NX is now shipping with an ESP of only US$299.99. A 20GB model is also shipping with an ESP of only US$249.99.
"The slimmed down and super cool-looking NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX with 30GB is only US$299.99, a 40% lower price than the Apple iPod 30GB model," said Lisa O'Malley, senior brand manager for portable audio products at Creative. "With the introduction of the NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX, Creative now offers 20GB, 30GB
and 60GB models of its popular NOMAD Jukebox Zen. Creative was the first to develop cutting-edge features such as creating playlists while away from the PC and AudioSync(TM), for uploading, downloading and synchronizing music between multiple PCs. Now we continue to innovate with even more functionality by including new features such as the Sleep Timer and Wake to
Music modes for convenience whether traveling or at home."
The sleek, silver and white NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX makes a stunning match with the cool new Creative I-Trigue(TM) L3450 speakers -- connect the Zen to the I-Trigue speakers for a visually pleasing, great-sounding audio system that looks like it should cost hundreds of dollars more.
The NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX is the first hard drive MP3 player to ship with Creative MediaSource(TM), an easy to use music ripping and organizing program with a fresh, clean interface. Consumers can use Creative MediaSource to convert their entire collection of CDs into a digital library that can be transferred easily to the NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX and taken wherever they go.
The stylish NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX can store up to 8,000 songs and supports WMA and MP3 formats. Users can take massive amounts of music on the go and enjoy high-fidelity playback at 98dB SNR for up to 14 hours on one full battery charge. Since the high-capacity Li-Ion battery is removable, users who opt to purchase an additional battery can extend music play time even
further.
While on the go, it's easy to create and edit playlists and search through music libraries using Quick Scroller Navigation. With the Find function, users can locate tracks in seconds using alphabetical input. Music on the NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX is automatically indexed by ID3 tag information and conveniently categorized by genre, album and artist so it's never hard to
find. The player also boasts music enhancement features such as SVM(TM) (Smart Volume Management) to match volume variations across MP3 tracks.
The NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX comes with Creative File Manager which enables the player to function as a high-speed external hard drive that can be used to store,transport, and transfer photo, text and video files.
The NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX ships with a designer black travel pouch withbelt clip, comfortable stereo earphones, and power adapter. More information is available at http://www.nomadworld.com.
Dell Prepares CE Rollout In Time For Holiday Sales
By Doug Olenick
TWICE
7/21/2003
New York— Dell Computer is busily working on its upcoming consumer electronics product rollout, which if all goes according to plan could be ready for the 2003 holiday selling season.
The direct computer seller made it known several months ago it would delve into this space, but the company is still not revealing what type of Dell-branded CE products it will eventually sell. David Schwarzbach, Dell's senior manager for product marketing, said the CE products will tie into Dell's core PC business in some manner, as the company did when it initially expanded outside the PC area with PDA and inkjet printers.
Selling CE products through Dell's direct model will be a challenge because consumers tend to enjoy handling them prior to making a purchase, Schwarzbach said, Dell will hopefully avoid this problem by using a series of 3D models and in-depth product descriptions on its Web site.
In addition there are the 60 mall-based Dell kiosks where people can go and physically check out a product before committing to a purchase, he said. Dell will probably expand the kiosk program to additional malls and airports for this holiday season, said a company spokesman.
Year-To-Date DVD-A And SACD Sales Outdistance All Of 2002
Current sales of Digital Video Disc (DVD) players capable of playing high-resolution audio formats have taken off this year, compared to 2002, according to figures released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). At a time when audio manufacturers are experiencing an industry-wide drop in sales - year-to-date figures were down 12 percent by the end of April - many are hoping high-resolution (hi-res) audio will be the next hot product to capture the hearts of consumers.
"Historically there is a similarity between the introduction of hi-res audio and that of the compact disc (CD). Each product - CD, DVD, DVD-Audio (DVD-A) and Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) audio players - met the 250,000 units-shipped mark by the third year," said Sean Wargo, senior industry analyst for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). "The audio industry tends to cycle through periods of growth as each new and improved technology is introduced, witness the move from turn tables to tape to CDs and now to music DVDs."
According to CEA market research, manufacturers shipped 148,000 DVD-A and 100,000 SACD players to retailers through May of this year.
"If DVD-A and SACD players are going to truly mimic history, we could see the majority of consumers enjoying hi-res audio by the year 2015, with an even more rapid acceptance of the new audio technologies across the next decade and really driving growth in the audio market," added Wargo.
In addition to tracking shipment and sales, a study conducted by CEA shows that the market is primed for digital audio formats. According to a survey conducted by eBrain Market Research earlier this year, there is strong consumer interest in DVD-based music, particularly among the 28 percent who currently own surround sound receivers. The majority of these consumers (96 percent) noted discernable differences between the audio quality of a music soundtrack and a CD when played through their surround sound system. Likewise, more than half (61 percent) expressed interest in music on DVD.
The audio industry also is placing hope in home theater-in-a-box sales - which may help kick start sales in speaker upgrades - and the MP3 and compressed audio categories, as well as the new area of distributed audio products. CEA market research shows that MP3 player sales are up this year across all categories. Sales of in-dash MP3-compatible CD players increased 186 percent. Additionally, portable CD/MP3 player sales are up by 116 percent and sales of portable MP3 players increased by 10 percent
Video Without Boundaries(TM) Chooses Sigma Designs EM8475 MPEG-4 Decoder Chip for New MediaReady(TM) 4000 Internet/DVD Player
Advanced Chip Features REALmagic(R) Video Streaming Technology for Highest Quality Video
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Video Without Boundaries(TM), Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VDWB), a leading provider of interactive, media-convergent home entertainment devices, today announced the selection of Sigma's EM8475 digital media processor, for Video Without Boundaries' new MediaReady(TM) 4000 Internet/DVD Player, from Sigma Designs, Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM), a leader in digital media processing for consumer appliances. The EM8475, an advanced MPEG-4 decoder designed for set-top box applications, will drive digital video playback on the MediaReady 4000, a breakthrough in convergent home entertainment.
The Video Without Boundaries (VWB) MediaReady(TM) 4000, slated for commercial release September 2003, combines a DVD/CD/MP3 player, Internet browser, email, and karaoke, along with a range of PC componentry, for the ultimate in multimedia access, storage, and playback. The product's open computing architecture will support a number of consumer upgrades; options
planned for the near future include Personal Video Recorder (PVR), hard drives, video games, joysticks, video conferencing, and more.
Sigma Designs' EM8475 MPEG-4 digital processor is the premier product for IP video streaming in set-top boxes and media gateways. Incorporating the company's award-winning REALmagic(R) Video Streaming Technology, the chip was the industry's first MPEG-4 chip to support full-resolution (720x576) and
streaming video based on ISMA specification 1.0. The EM8475 provides highly integrated solutions for decoding of MPEG-4, as well as DVD, MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 formats.
"Sigma Designs is at the forefront in digital media processing and MPEG-4 technology. By incorporating MPEG-4 support into our MediaReady(TM) software platform and deployment within the Lafayette 4000 series, will provides full- screen DVD quality movies to be delivered directly to the consumer mass market," said Jeffrey Harrell, President of Video Without Boundaries. "As
most movie studios have endorsed the Internet as a valid distribution model for their content, the MediaReady(TM) 4000 bridges the last hurdle of convergence by providing high-quality video on demand over the Internet and supporting industry standard digital rights management (DRM) solutions."
"The EM8475 was the first MPEG-4 decoder of its kind, and continues to exhibit exceptional performance in a wide range of deployments," said Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing, Sigma Designs, Inc. "Adding Video Without Boundaries to the list of premier consumer electronics manufacturers using this high-performance, dependable processor is another
validation of its overall quality."
The EM8475 enables the rapid development of adding PVR, progressive DVD playback and streaming video playback functionality to advanced set-top boxes and other PCI-based devices. In addition to providing state-of-the-art MPEG-4
playback capability, the EM8475 will allow the MediaReady(TM) 4000 to access sophisticated online multimedia content containing audio, video, text, graphics and interactivity. MPEG-4's object-oriented environment supports complex scene manipulation at low bit rates, making it ideal for streaming
content over today's broadband connections.
In addition to its advanced online multimedia features, the MediaReady(TM) 4000 will include a full-sized wireless keyboard, 5.1 Surround Sound, picture- in-picture capability, karaoke microphone jack, wireless remote control, and microphone. Similar in size to a standard DVD player, the MediaReady(TM) 4000
is expected to retail for $349 (MSRP).
VWB's MediaReady(TM) 4000 units via Lung Hwa Electronics, the company's manufacturing partner, will be available September, 2003 via specialty and mass consumer electronics retailers. The private-label units, carrying a market value of nearly $3.5 million, will be sold under the Lafayette brand in the United States and elsewhere.
For more information on the MediaReady(TM) 4000 or VWB's other convergent home entertainment products, please visit http://www.vwbinc.com.
About Video Without Boundaries
Video Without Boundaries (OTC Bulletin Board: VDWB) is a leader in the onverging digital media on demand, enhanced home entertainment and emerging interactive consumer electronics markets. VWB is focused on home entertainment media products and solutions that enhance the consumer experience, while providing new revenue opportunities for online music and
movie content providers. VWB, and its subsidiaries, are leading suppliers of broadband products, services and content including its ability to deliver broadcast quality digital video and web interactivity at transfer rates as low as 56K. Website: http://www.vwbinc.com.
FlashTrax Multimedia Device
http://www.smartdisk.com/Products/DigitalMultimedia/FlashTrax.asp
OT: Sharp, Matsushita Electric Beat Rivals With Camera-Phones, DVDs
July 30 (Bloomberg) -- Sharp Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. are boosting profits by reaping the benefits of investment in products such as camera-phones and flat-screen televisions that are leading consumer demand, investors say.
Osaka-based Sharp, Japan's largest maker of liquid-crystal displays, yesterday said net income in the three months ended June 30 rose 14 percent, helped by sales of its Aquos televisions, components and mobile phones with built-in cameras. Matsushita will probably announce today its profit gained almost two-thirds in the period, analysts estimate, boosted by its DVD recorders.
``Sharp's earnings show that it has an edge in really good products like LCD televisions and camera-equipped mobile phones,'' said Nobuaki Murayama, who helps manage the equivalent of $514 million in Japanese equities at Cigna International Investment Advisors K.K. and doesn't own Sharp shares. ``The company has a clear focus.''
That's in contrast to Sony Corp., the world's second-largest consumer-electronics maker, which last week blamed a shortfall at its electronics unit on slumping sales of bulky cathode-ray tube televisions.
Sharp's group net income rose to 14 billion yen ($117 million), or 12.74 yen a share, in the three months ended June 30 from 12.3 billion yen, or 11.03 yen, a year ago, the Osaka-based company said. Sales rose 7.2 percent to 511.7 billion yen.
Matsushita Electric, the maker of Panasonic brand products, may today say profit rose to 7 billion yen in the three months ended June, from 4.3 billion yen a year earlier, according to the median estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
Strongest Hope
``Digital cameras and mobile phones are the strongest hope for Japan's technology companies,'' said Makoto Suzuki, who manages 15 billion yen at Chuo Mitsui Asset Management Co. and holds the shares of Sharp, Fujitsu Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. ``Those that focus on components for consumer electronics will keep posting decent earnings.''
The surge in profit at Sharp, maker of the Zaurus hand-held computer, highlights the boost the company has received as consumers turn away from cathode-ray televisions to slimmer flat- screen models. The company also benefited by being the world's first with a digital-camera equipped mobile phone.
Flat-panel televisions are one of Sharp's main growth drivers. Industry-wide shipments in Japan rose 31 percent in May, following a 61 percent gain in April, according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.
Sales of audio-visual and telecommunications products, a category including LCD TVs and camera-phones, rose 3.8 percent in the quarter, adding to a 17 percent gain in operating profit at the division to 7.06 billion yen, said Sharp, whose camera-phone is endorsed by Real Madrid soccer star David Beckham for Vodafone Group's Japan Telecom unit.
Components
Electronic component sales, including semiconductors, flash- memory chips and semiconductors used in digital cameras, surged 19 percent to 209 billion yen. Operating profit from component sales rose 12 percent to 16.1 billion yen.
Matsushita Electric, which tapped former Minnesota Vikings star Bob Sapp to advertise its DVD recorders, has increased profits in Japan by releasing new flat-panel TVs and DVD players at lower prices than rivals Sony and Pioneer Corp. The company, maker of DIGA DVD recorders and Strada car navigation systems, holds more than a third of Japan's DVD recorder market.
Matsushita has also increased its share of Japan's TV market with its line of large-sized plasma displays. The company aims to capture 30 percent of the global plasma TV market in two years.
``Matsushita's superiority in its product line-up is becoming clear, leading to growth in sales and profit,'' Hiroshi Takada, an analyst at JP Morgan Securities Asia Ltd., who this month upgraded his rating to ``overweight'' from ``neutral,'' said this week.
JVC Decline
Not all Japan's top consumer-electronics makers are doing as well as Sharp and Matsushita Electric.
Apart from Sony's sales slump, Victor Co. of Japan Ltd., the maker of JVC brand audio-visual products, yesterday said sales at its consumer electronics business fell 13 percent in the first quarter of its business year.
Consumer electronics sales, which comprised 67 percent of total revenue, fell to 148 billion yen for the three months ended June 30 at the Yokohama-based company.
Sales at the business, which accounted for two-thirds of Sony's sales in the year ended March 31, fell 9.8 percent in the first quarter to 1.1 trillion yen, contributing to a 74 percent plunge in operating profit to 12.8 billion yen.
More Competition
The ability of Sharp and Matsushita Electric to keep posting profit gains isn't assured, investors say.
The companies face increasing price competition from rivals such as South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Taiwan's Quanta Display Inc. They must also keep cutting costs, invest in the latest technology to outfit chip and flat-panel display plants, and find new areas of growth.
Operating profit at Sharp's liquid-crystal display unit fell in the first quarter, declining 19 percent to 7.87 billion yen even as sales rose 7.6 percent to 103.9 billion yen.
Investors may look for signs Matsushita can compensate for lower prices in the U.S. by cutting costs. U.S. sales accounted for 36 percent of Matsushita's total revenue last business year.
Investors say Japanese electronics makers such as NEC Corp. and Fujitsu are also at a disadvantage to rivals like Intel Corp. and Samsung Electronics because they're hampered by mounting debts, executives reluctant to make quick decisions and a lack of focus.
Tokyo-based NEC, which posted losses for the past two years, for example needs funds to help repay 1.5 trillion yen in debt and fund a new semiconductor plant. Fujitsu makes everything from telecommunications equipment to personal computers.
``The Japanese aren't as strong or attractive as Intel and Samsung,'' Chuo Mitsui's Suzuki said. ``They just don't have the dynamism that their rivals have.''
Last Updated: July 29, 2003 11:37 EDT
Upheaval on the Storage Scene
By Sebastian Rupley
July 29, 2003
Sea changes are going on in the market for storage devices large and very, very small. The past couple of months have brought several big advances in capacity and reductions in costs for tiny drives. Meanwhile, the hard drive industry is coming to grips with the physical limits on longitudinal (along the surface) recording and preparing to usher in new and not necessarily thoroughly dependable perpendicular recording technology.
One of the biggest wave-makers in the storage arena in recent months has been Cornice. The company is based in Colorado—perennially a hotbed of storage innovation—with a management team made up of drive and memory pundits and has a tiny drive called the Cornice Storage Element that promises to shake up people's assumptions about how much consumer electronics devices such as MP3 players and camcorders ought to cost. The Cornice Storage Element is a half-cubic-inch, 1.5-GB drive that can store about 30 CDs worth of music or about two hours of MPEG video. A number of consumer electronics companies have announced products based on the drive.
The real innovation within the Cornice Storage Element is a reduction in electrical components—31, according to a Cornice white paper, as opposed to upwards of 110 in competitive devices. "While flash costs 18 cents per megabyte and a mini-drive from a competitor costs 15 cents per megabyte, the Cornice SE costs four cents a megabyte," the white paper contends. Cornice intends to keep volume pricing of its drives at about $65 instead of the $200 or so for competitive drives. IBM's Microdrives are among the chief competing units.
The Cornice drive's pricing has made it a hit with consumer electronics manufacturers, for whom even a small reduction in the cost of a device can make the difference between a hit and a failure. The Cornice SE is in Rio's new MP3 players, the Samsung Gadget camcorder (which drew raves at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year), and the RCA Lyra Microjukebox. Cornice deserves recognition "for tackling the problems that face the cost-versus-capacity issues that are critical to the design of handheld devices," said Gerry Purdy, principal analyst at MobileTrax.
As consumer electronics devices and digital cameras proliferate in a gadget-hungry tech arena, their storage requirements are growing by leaps and bounds. Standard hard disks in desktop computers are big enough to easily host thousands of photos, for example, but affordable removable media hasn't kept pace. Meanwhile, the capacities of tiny fixed drives in gadgets have gotten surprisingly big and have resulted in some pricey items. The newest $499 Apple iPod, for example, has a tiny 30GB drive that can store up to 15,000 songs. At that price, though, the iPod is one little device you don't want to forget on the taxicab seat.
Colby Systems Corp. has also responded to the needs of consumer device manufacturers, in this case with a new $279, 2.4GB micro hard drive, which more than doubles the capacity of popular 1GB miniature drives from Hitachi and others. The data transfer rate is also purportedly higher for the Colby drive, but PC Magazine has not yet tested that claim. Giving a perfect example of the leapfrog game being played in the storage space, though, Hitachi has already announced a similar 4GB drive, due in the fourth quarter of this year. All these drives are primed for digital cameras, MP3 players and other gadgets.
Meanwhile, Iomega has announced a new 1.5GB digital capture technology (DCT) platform targeted at camcorders, portable video players, portable PCs, and various handheld devices. Several OEMs are now evaluation working samples of the DCT drive and rewritable cartridge, according to Iomega. The drive is about the size of a half-dollar coin, and weighs 9 grams. Fujifilm, Citizen Watch, and Texas Instruments have signed on as technology partners. Iomega is touting the drive as a low-cost solution, but pricing has not been finalized.
"Existing portable storage solutions in today's consumer electronics products are too expensive, too slow, too fragile, or too power hungry for the coming generation of mobile devices," said Werner Heid, president and CEO of Iomega, in a statement. "Iomega's new DCT platform is different. It is being designed to offer the industry a low-cost drive with high capacity in a convenient form factor. It is a product designer's dream because it can provide high capacity, rugged, shock-resistant storage at low power consumption for small portable devices such as next-generation camcorders, personal video recorders, and tablet PCs."
As makers of all things tiny keep delivering greater capacity at lower costs, the future of the hard drive in your desktop PC is facing big changes too. Several high-profile hard drive manufacturers have recently announced that they are about to reach the physical performance limits for longitudinal (along the surface) recording technology. Specifically, while current drives store about 50 Gbits per square inch, when densities reach about 100 Gbits per square inch, the technology hits a performance brick wall.
Several drive makers intend, later this year, to deliver drives that use perpendicular recording as a replacement storage technology. Seagate, Read-Rite Corp. and a few other Silicon Valley hard drive makers have demonstrated such drives, but big issues loom. Perpendicular recording depends on stacking bits end-on-end, rather than laying them down along the surface of a drive. That requires brand new drive heads and numerous other new technologies which could create reliability problems. Perpendicular recording drives are also expected to be expensive in their first incarnations.
Young and looking for wheels
Automakers worry about selling to Gen Y;
Toyota's new Scion brand is aimed at children of boomers.
July 28, 2003: 12:43 PM EDT
By Chris Isidore, CNN/Money Senior Writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Half of them are too young to drive -- let alone buy cars -- but some automakers are going to extremes to reach the so-called Generation Y.
Toyota even created an entirely new brand aimed at the demographic bump in car shoppers coming after Generation X.
Those born between about 1977 and 1994 are the most important group of new car buyers since baby boomers started breaking their parents' buying habits to buy Volkswagens and Japanese imports in the 1960s and '70s. By some estimates Gen Y is larger than the famous Baby Boom generation. They are expected to be buying one out of every four new U.S. vehicles purchased by 2010. Gen Y's membership is estimated at somewhere between 85 and 100 million, as much as twice as large as Generation X.
Toyota Motor Corp. has created a whole new brand, Scion, to try to sell to young car buyers.
The most radical effort so far is by Toyota Motor Corp., which created an entirely new brand -- Scion -- aimed at the youth market. Scion started selling its first vehicles at California dealerships last month.
John Pangilinan, 23, works in an after-market car parts shop in California and he's just the sort of buyer Toyota had in mind when it created "Scion." He said he recently bought one of the first the Scion xB's, turning in a VW Eurovan he had bought only a year earlier.
"I didn't really consider any other car. I was looking forward to this car," he said. "I like that it's small and boxy. It's different."
In an attempt to reach Pangilinan and his peers the designs automakers are coming up with are often boxier than the cars preferred by their parents and older siblings. The theory is that Gen Y car shoppers are interested lots of space for friends and equipment and a low price tag.
Pangilinan says he would have bought the new car even if it had had the Toyota rather than the Scion brand on it, but company officials insist they needed to go through the expense and trouble of creating a new brand if they were to compete for the new generation of younger buyers.
"When we asked the customers we're targeting at Scion what do you think about Toyota, they said it's a mainstream company that's for someone else," said Jim Farley, vice president at Scion.
Among the things that differentiate Scion from other brands is the use of alternative media, such as concert sponsorship rather than mainstream television ads, and no stereo system in the car when it arrives in the showroom. That makes it cheaper and easier for buyers to upgrade to their own high-end system.
"Dealers don't have to throw audio units away and the customer doesn't have to pay twice," Farley said.
Honda Element is designed for the youth market but has a more typical spread on age of its buyers.
Farley said he sees Volkswagen and Honda as Scion's main competitors. Some lower-end luxury models do well in this market, too, so luxury brands, including Toyota's own Lexus are counted among Scion's competitors, said Farley. This is in spite of the fact that Scion's prices are a bit lower than prices for some of the smaller Toyota cars and far closer to low-priced Korean imports.
"The affluent-minded kids don't have the money to buy what they want to buy now," he said. "They want all the good stuff but right now they're on a subcompact budget. We're affordable but if we're seen as a cheap car, we're in big trouble."
Evidently, Gen Y members aren't the only ones interested in lots of space for less money. Honda's Element is similar to the Scion Xb van and was likewise targeted at the Gen Y sweet spot. As it turns out, according to sales data from R.L. Polk and J.D. Power and Associates, the age distribution of Element buyers closely matches the average for all vehicles.
Not everyone trying that hard
The U.S. automakers insist they're in good position to market to Gen Y with the brands they have. GM is gearing marketing of its Saturn brand towards the younger buyer, as well some of its Pontiac models. It is also preparing to roll out two new vehicles aimed at the youth market under the Chevrolet brand -- the Avevo, a subcompact sedan built by the Korean automaker Daewoo that GM recently purchased, and the Equinox compact sport/utility vehicle.
"You need a favorable cost structure to make these profitable," said Paul Ballew, executive director for market and industry analysis at GM. "The transaction price will be the in low teens. This is a price sensitive area."
Ford executive point to strong sales of three of its top selling vehicles to the under-30 market -- the Ford Focus subcompact, the Ford Escape small SUV and the Mustang sports car, as a sign they're in fine position with Gen Y buyers.
"I suspect you couldn't find three products at any other brand that attract so many young buyers," said Ford spokesman George Pipas. "To go to additional expense of creating an additional brand name isn't necessary if you're already connecting with this group."
But Walter McManus, automotive analyst for J.D. Power and Associates, said Ford has those large Gen Y sales because those are three inexpensive, mass market vehicles, not because they're connecting particularly well with the youth market. He said that Ford's share of Gen Y is still a bit below its overall market share, unlike Honda, which has almost twice the market share with the under-30 buyer than it does with the overall market.
"Ford actually is a little better than 10 years ago (in selling to those under 30)," said McManus. "But they have more to be concerned about than Honda."
OSTA Releases MPV Music Profile Working Draft for Comment; Specification Available to Music Industry at Jupiter Plug.IN
Music Profile for MPV Specification Enables Faster, Easier Solutions for Listening to and Interactively Browsing Digital Music Collections
NEW YORK, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Optical Storage Technology
Association (OSTA) announced today at Jupiter Plug.IN Conference and Expo 2003(TM), a prestigious digital music conference, that it released a working draft of the Music Profile for its MPV(TM) (MusicPhotoVideo) specification focusing on enhancing the exchange and playback of digital music. OSTA representatives will be available at Jupiter Plug.IN on July 28 and 29 to
discuss the Music Profile extension to the MPV specification.
MPV (MusicPhotoVideo) is an extensible, open and royalty-free standard format designed to enhance the way consumers can store, exchange and enjoy collections of music, photo and video content on PCs and consumer electronics products. The core specification has been ratified, and is supported by many of the leading PC and CE device manufacturers. Additional profiles are being developed. The Music Profile defines the formats necessary for listening to and interactively browsing digital music collections.
"Consumers today use a personal computer as the central repository for thousands of audio files but they want to enjoy the music on all their consumer electronics devices -- CD/DVD players, portable music players, car stereos and the new wireless networking receivers.
There is no standard way to transfer the music between all these devices. With MPV, you can put a disc you've made with 200 or so songs into your DVD player and sort and access your songs by title, musician, or genre," said Raza Zaidi, MPV Music Initiative Lead for OSTA. "Today's media players have convenient management features including creating multiple playlists based on genre or artist similarity. However, these playlists often use proprietary formats. The MPV Music Profile defines a universal format that will result in a better music experience and improve business processes in the digital music world. People will no longer be limited to viewing information about a music clip on a PC."
MPV Improves Consumers' Digital Music Experience
Examples of ways in which MPV could improve the user experience and facilitate business processes for digital music follow:
* When consumers use an MPV-enabled disc recording application to make a compilation CD, the application will also record the MPV information (song identification, playlists and metadata) in a single file to the disc. Consumer playback devices could then quickly read that one file determine the contents of the disc to display an easy-to-use navigation system enabling users to search or sort by genre, artist, album or song.
* The new wireless receivers in home networks that stream music from the personal computer use Universal Plug and Play (UPnP(TM)), an XML specification, to communicate. MPV, also XML-based, can work gracefully with UPnP to standardize the playback of collections and playlists from and to all devices on the home network.
* Music labels could add MPV information along with cover art, artist photos and lyrics to pre-recorded audio CDs that could be played back on consumer electronics devices. For example, when listening to an audio CD on a DVD player, the consumer could view a photo slideshow of the artist on the TV screen. The music industry often adds exciting content to Audio CDs that only plays back on PCs with added software. With MPV,it would be possible to access this content on consumer electronics devices.
* MPV could also be used by online music subscription services to track songs the user burns onto a recordable disc. The MPV information would be in the data portion of a mixed mode disc.
Industry participants may comment on the MPV Music Profile working draft until Sept. 1, prior to its scheduled ratification in September 2003. To obtain the Music Profile Working Draft, please visit the OSTA website at http://www.osta.org/mpv/public/specs.htm.
About MPV
MPV (MusicPhotoVideo) provides multimedia playlists and access to their associated metadata. MPV is an open specification that makes easier the representation, exchange, processing and playback of collections of digital media content, including music, still images, stills with audio, still sequences, video clips, and audio clips.
The MPV specification is being developed in phases and results in "Profiles." The MPV Core specification as well as Basic and Presentation profiles are already ratified and are available at http://www.osta.org/mpv.
The Music Profile defines the formats and practices necessary for listening to a music collection and interactively browsing content collections.
Earlier this year, a group of leading PC and CE device manufacturers announced support for MPV, along with their intention to incorporate the open and royalty-free specification into their products. The first MPV creation applications and players are scheduled for release in Fall 2003.
Portable Audio and Compression Products Combined in Summer Promotion to Ease MP3 Downloads and Transfers
Monday July 28, 10:19 am ET
Aladdin Systems' and FID Co-Market StuffIt(R) and MP3i Creator(TM) Software To Ease Music, Pictures, and Lyrics Transfers
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- First International Digital (FID), maker of irock! portable audio players and innovative MP3i interactive software, and Aladdin Systems, Inc., an Aladdin Systems Holdings, Inc. company (OTC Bulletin Board: ALHI - News), maker of the compression technology: StuffIt, today announced an agreement to co-market their products through reciprocal product bundling and online promotion programs.
FID is bundling Aladdin's StuffIt data compression software with its irock! line of portable audio players including the 256 MB irock! 760i, which plays MP3 and MP3i files that display pictures and lyrics, and the 128MB irock! 800 series available through major consumer electronics retailers later this summer.
"StuffIt is the superior cross-platform compression application on the market," said Erik Attkisson, Director of Business Development for FID. "irock! customers who use StuffIt will appreciate its effectiveness at compressing those really big files everyone needs to email from time to time."
Aladdin is bundling the MP3i Creator with StuffIt for Windows(r) to help customers save time when emailing or posting files to the Internet. With the MP3i Creator music fans, digital photographers, and karaoke lovers can add photos and lyrics to regular MP3's to create slideshows and karaoke multimedia MP3s.
"Aladdin's multimedia community can appreciate how interactive MP3i's really extend what you can do to regular MP3 audio," said Mark Leitch, VP of Sales for Aladdin. "Adding slideshows or karaoke to any MP3 file is cool and a breeze with the MP3i Creator and StuffIt helps files travel faster and safely to their recipient."
Founded in 1988, Aladdin Systems, Inc., an Aladdin Systems Holdings, Inc. company (OTC Bulletin Board: ALHI - News), develops and publishes award-winning business and consumer products, including StuffIt, the complete compression solution for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris platforms. Aladdin's software offers a range of solutions to increase user efficiency in the areas of information access, removal, recovery, security and Internet distribution. Internet: http://www.aladdinsys.com and http://www.stuffit.com
FID, or First International Digital, Inc., a Motorola spin-off headquartered near Chicago, is a global multimedia company with nearly 100 patents in audio, video, speech and communications technology. The company is a leading provider of multimedia software and hardware solutions, including the patented MP3i(TM) and maxMIDI(TM) technologies and related hardware platforms such as digital audio players and language learning devices. FID licenses its software technology to OEM's for creating rich media experiences for entertainment and education applications. First International Digital is privately held and has successfully completed two rounds of financing. Internet: http://www.myirock.com
For more information contact:
Alejandro Arango
Brodeur Worldwide for FID
(617) 587-2034
aarango@brodeur.com
Jennifer Watson
Aladdin Systems, Inc.
(831) 768-3630
pr@aladdinsys.com
www.aladdinsys.com/pressroom
Can any MP3 player beat the iPod?
San Francisco Chronicle, CNET.com Monday, July 28, 2003
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/28/BU153268.DTL&type=t...
With its compact size, slick design and big storage capacity, the Apple iPod is the hottest MP3 player around. We've singled out a few MP3 players that, though bulkier than the iPod, provide the same performance and storage capacity but don't cost as much.
Creative Nomad Jukebox 3
Editors' rating: 8.7 out of 10 (Very good)
The good: USB and FireWire connections; 40-GB capacity; improved interface; digital and analog recording to WAV or MP3; excellent audio quality, sound processing; syncs both ways with a PC; rechargeable battery can be replaced.
The bad: Somewhat bulky; no protective case included.
The price: $344 to $446
At first glance, Creative Labs' Nomad Jukebox 3 doesn't look all that different from the original Nomad Jukebox, which looked like a large CD player.
But this hard-drive-based MP3 player is smaller and sports a vastly improved user interface as well as comprehensive connectivity options. Though it may not be as slick looking or compact as the iPod, it offers more connectivity, recording and sound options than anything else currently available.
E-Digital Odyssey 1000
Editors' rating: 8.0 out of 10 (Very good)
The good: Rugged, attractive design; 20-GB capacity; voice navigation and recording; USB 1.1/2.0; FM reception.
The bad: Difficult file transfers; lacks remote control.
The price: $349
By combining some aspects of the iPod's impressive design with a slew of cool features, E-Digital has a winning, hard-drive-based MP3 player in the Odyssey 1000. This stylish, mirrored-silver unit has some file-organization shortcomings, but it holds 20 GB of music and incorporates voice-activation features, all for $150 less than the 30-GB iPod. Our biggest gripe was with E- Digital's Music Explorer file-transfer software, which requires you to have all your files in subfolders two levels down from the designated folder that will be transferred. Compared with Apple's iTunes or even average file- transfer software, Music Explorer is a major pain.
Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen
Editors' rating: 8.0 out of 10 (Very good)
The good: Excellent sound quality and options; 60-GB capacity; optional remote will enable recording from FM radio; supports USB 2.0.
The bad: Doesn't record; difficult to shuffle all tracks.
The price: $399
The 60-GB Nomad Jukebox Zen features a sleek, silver, compact design that's smaller than that of previous Creative Jukebox models. It's still significantly larger than the iPod but has twice as much storage as Apple's highest-capacity player. Its USB 1.1/2.0 connection is a nice combination of compatibility and speed, and it features the same great sound as other Creative models. However, in creating a more affordable and compact player, the company has ditched the recording capabilities and the additional connectivity options of other MP3 players in Creative's product line. Whether you miss those extras will depend on what you're looking for in a hard-drive- based MP3 player.
IRiver iFP-195T
Editors' rating: 8.0 out of 10 (Good)
The good: Small, triangular design; 512-MB of onboard memory; voice and FM recording; graphical user interface; armband carrying case.
The bad: Joystick snags on carrying case; memory not expandable; somewhat flimsy battery door.
The price: $349
The IRiver iFP-195T is the first flash-based MP3 player to come with 512 MB of onboard memory. The most distinguishing characteristic of the iFP-195T's design is its elongated, triangular shape, which allows the screen to be viewed comfortably when the player is on a horizontal surface. The iFP-195T packs MP3/WMA/ASF playback, an FM tuner, a voice-memo recorder and FM recording to MP3. The sound quality is excellent, and the FM tuner sounds better than most other similarly equipped MP3 players'.
The following Cnet staff contributed to this story: senior editors Annette Cardwell and Eliot Van Buskirk. For more reviews of personal technology products, including MP3 players, please go to www.cnet.com.
OT: ScanSoft Dragon NaturallySpeaking Wins 2003 Law Office Computing Readers' Choice Award
07-25-2003
PEABODY - ScanSoft, Inc. , a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that ScanSoft(R) Dragon NaturallySpeaking(R) 7 Legal, the world's best-selling speech recognition solution designed specifically for law firms and legal professionals, has won the Law Office Computing Readers' Choice Award for "Best Speech Recognition Technology" for the second consecutive year. The winners of the Readers' Choice Awards represent the most widely used software applications in the legal community.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal has been proven by thousands of legal professionals to be the leading speech recognition solution designed specifically for the specialized needs of the legal community. Used by legal professionals and law firms worldwide, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal converts text into speech at up to 160 words per minute, reducing or eliminating the costs associated with manually creating documents and transcripts. The Microsoft Windows application is used to create contracts, citations, letters and transcripts by voice, and also enables hands-free interaction with practice management, legal research, e-mail and Web applications.
"ScanSoft is honored to receive this prestigious award from the readers of Law Office Computing magazine, widely considered to be the most trusted resource for legal professionals," said Robert Weideman, chief marketing officer, ScanSoft, Inc. "The readers of Law Office Computing are ultimately ScanSoft customers, and are invaluable to the company as we continue to develop specialized solutions for vertical markets and eliminate barriers to productivity."
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal is a significant new release, delivering unrivaled levels of accuracy and speed, the benchmarks most widely associated with speech recognition applications. The new version achieves up to 99 percent accuracy, and is 50 percent faster than the previous release. It also expands its support for mobile dictation, a mainstay of the legal industry, allowing users to record speech using Microsoft Pocket PC devices and have documents automatically created the next time they sync to their PCs. The software also comes standard with a vocabulary of more than 250,000 words, and includes a comprehensive legal vocabulary containing Latin and French law phrases, court names, and abbreviations and specialized legal terms.
Key Features of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal
To help legal organizations improve productivity and reduce or eliminate manual transcription costs, ScanSoft has added a number of key capabilities to Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal, including:
-- Most Accurate Ever - Significant improvements to the Dragon NaturallySpeaking recognition system has yielded an unprecedented accuracy improvement of up to 15 percent over the previous release, resulting in speech recognition accuracy levels as high as 99 percent.
-- Fastest Ever - More than 50 percent improvement in the initialization time of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 enables "10 seconds to dictation" on baseline systems. Users can train the software on their voice patterns in just five minutes.
-- Mobile Dictation Support - Users can now "talk-and-dock" using standard Pocket PC devices, in addition to handheld digital recorders, to record mobile dictation for automatic transcription when they synch to their PCs.
-- Support for Array Microphones and Wireless Headsets - This release represents the first Dragon NaturallySpeaking to support array and wireless microphones, giving users the freedom to dictate without being tethered to their PC by a wired headset.
-- Pre-configured Legal Vocabulary - Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal comes with a pre-configured legal vocabulary, and automatically formats citations.
-- New Vocabulary Optimizer - Users can instruct Dragon NaturallySpeaking to instantly analyze sentence structure and word use frequency in previously created documents. Dragon NaturallySpeaking then automatically adjusts the recognition engine to match the user's unique writing patterns, thereby further increasing accuracy.
-- Section 508 Accessibility - Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal can help people with disabilities achieve maximum productivity on PCs, as well as help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal disorders. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 is the only PC dictation application that meets U.S. Section 508 mandates, which were established by the federal government to insure access to technology by people with disabilities.
Availability and Pricing
ScanSoft Dragon NaturallySpeaking 7 Legal is available immediately through the ScanSoft professional sales organization and its global network of reseller partners. The retail price is $995 for individual users, with multi-seat and site licensing available. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.ScanSoft.com or call (1) 800.443.7077.
Future ARM based processors for RISC OS?
Published: 25th Jul 2003, 21:13:26GMT Source: drobe.co.uk
By Chris Williams
Page 1 of 1
From ARM7 to ARM11 and XScale, our stocking wishlist
Editorial OS owners Castle recently stated that their 32 bit, HAL abstracted RISC OS 5 can be used in devices powered by ARM9, ARM10, ARM11 and XScale processors. This fact was pretty much obvious when Castle first revealed details of its 32 bit OS however it's worth looking at what's on offer in terms of ARM based processors.
Remember that these days ARM designs processor 'cores' which are the inner fundamental components inside processor chips. Usually, third party companies and manufacturers then license the rights to take these core designs and put them in custom designed chips to form a full processor. This means a company could take an ARM9 core and package it up in a chip that features LCD and wireless support circuitry to make a processor designed ideally for small portable devices.
So, it's therefore unusual to pick up a chip now with just an ARM processor core in it, like the processors in the ARM610, ARM710 and StrongARM daughter cards for RiscPCs. However, it does mean that ARM based processor chips contain built in useful functionality.
Processor cores suitable for RISC OS:
ARM 7 family [details]
We're all pretty much familiar with cores from this family, as seen in the ARM710 processor chip and the Cirrus PS7500FE. Cirrus offer other processors powered by the ARM 7 family including three chips aimed at portable products that use the ARM720T core. The ARM720T is a good modern core designed for embedded and low power products, like MP3 players and digital cameras. The core clock speed can run up to 100MHz.
ARM 9 family [details]
We're now entering the territory of intelligent consumer based eletronics where Symbian OS, Palm OS, Linux and Windows CE roam. The ARM920T core can be used in products such as next generation mobile phones, PDAs and set top boxes and ARM suggest clock frequencies of up to 200MHz. Earlier this week, Samsung boasted an ARM920T based processor, clocked at 533MHz. Their S3C2440 chip, which features the ARM 920T core, is touted as "the world's fastest mobile CPU" and includes built in support for LCD displays, interface for a touch screen and support for USB.
ARM 10 family [details]
The ARM 10 family is aimed at digital consumer projects and also industrial control systems. While the ARM1020E core is a 32 bit processor with 16 bit Thumb support, a 64 bit internal bus and digital signal processing (DSP) extensions. It also has a clock frequency of 325MHz. We're not aware of any high profile use of this core although last year, Samsung spoke of using an ARM 10 core in a 400-600MHz processor for PDAs. Samsung also said last year they had an ARM core capable of running at 1.2GHz. The 1GHz barrier breaking ARM1020E compatible core, nicknamed Halla, was said to be ready for sampling by Q3 of 2003.
ARM 11 family [details]
The ARM 11 family is really pushing into specialised areas. This family of cores focuses on applications where memory is a premium and there is a need for high performance, real time processing with low power consumption. This means wireless, sub-notebook computers and networking devices. ARM offer clock frequencies up to 400MHz for this family. We're not aware of any ARM 11 cores being widely available, however around this time last year, the EE Times reported that ARM wanted to control the release of their ARM11 based cores.
Intel XScale [details]
The XScale core is currently overseen and packaged into integrated chips by Intel as a result of Intel buying DEC and thus the StrongARM design that ARM and DEC created. The XScale was once upon a time dubbed the 'StrongARM 2' and current cores are ARM architecture and code compliant. The XScale core can be found in numerous flavours of processor chips that are highly integrated with additional features to suit the markets Intel are aiming at. Firstly, there's the PXA26x family of chips designed for wireless products and mobile phones - by now you've probably started seeing a trend in the suggested applications of these ARM based chips. The PXA26x family offers clock frequencies of 200-400MHz and supports storage cards (such as CompactFlash), USB and the Bluetooth wireless standard. The PXA255 processor also runs between 200 and 400Mhz and also supports PCMCIA, other storage card media, USB and Bluetooth wireless.
Next, we move onto the familiar XScale I/O processor family. The IOP321, as used in the Castle Iyonix, runs at 600MHz and provides PCI interface and DDR SDRAM support. The 733Mhz IOP310 is a two chip chipset but is slower than the IOP321 in terms of PCI bus speed and DDR SDRAM access speed. The IOP200 is unlike the other ARM based processors we've seen here as it's a straight ARM compatible processor with no special integrated abilities. It can have a clock frequency as high as 733MHz. You can read a run down of what the XScale IOP321 brings to RISC OS here.
Will we see ARM processors breaking the golden 1GHz barrier? We have to consider that ARM processors are going into mobile gadgets where power usage is critical or into devices that don't need to go beyond 1GHz. However, this may one day all change.
"Desktops today are (consuming power of) 75 to 100 watts and when you go to handheld devices you are typically operating at less than 1 watt," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel's chief technology officer speaking at the Intel Developer Forum in Japan last October. "Obviously, you are optimizing the design for different criteria. So today, if I was going to look at a StrongArm core or XScale core, could I create a 2GHz or 3GHz XScale today? Absolutely. Could I do so and deliver the best trade-off of power and performance inside a 1-watt envelope? No. You tend to design the chips differently to live inside different devices."
Summary
The bottom line is RISC OS can be employed on any available processor that features an ARM7 to ARM11 or XScale core and a suitable memory management unit (MMU). A processor's MMU provides flexible manipulation and control over the memory and memory mapped hardware in a device.
With these new processor cores unlocked, the leaping of RISC OS from the Iyonix to existing ARM based PDAs and similiar gadgets will rely on the availability of drivers for the proprietry PDA hardware. The HAL in RISC OS 5 enables the OS developers to adapt RISC OS to vital systems like hardware timers, clocks, interrupts and interfaces provided by new chipsets. With this and 32 bit compatibility out of the way, it's now largely down to the substantial work required to produce the necessary device drivers for newer hardware.
With thanks to David Ruck, Martin Wuerthner, Steffen Huber and Ian Jeffray for their individual assistance.
20GB RD2780 RCA LYRA Audio/Video Jukebox delayed
Update July 17th 2003 - We spoke with RCA Thomson Electronics and they have not gone into production yet. Production will take place shortly and estimated availability will be the begining of September 2003 regardless of what retail outlets may tell you.
I wouldn't wait up until Christmas. With a shortening deadline to meet consumer demands, who knows how far they are from actual production. Quality may be sacrified in the end.
Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX is Slimmer and Lighter
Dave Conabree on July 23, 2003 12:22 PM EDT
Creative, today expanded its popular line of award-winning NOMAD® Jukebox Zen digital audio players by announcing the ultra sharp-looking NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX. The NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX is the slimmest, lightest NOMAD Jukebox product yet and features a removable, high-capacity Li-Ion battery for up to 14 hours of continuous playback, and USB 2.0 connectivity for super fast file transfers and compatibility with virtually all PCs. The 30GB NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX will ship in August 2003 with an ESP of only US$299.99. A 20GB model will also be available for only US$249.99.
"Creative is very excited to offer the NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX with 30GB for a 40% lower price than the Apple® iPod™ 30GB model," said Ho See Kwee, director of marketing for Creative Labs Asia. "Creative was the first to develop cutting-edge features such as creating playlists while away from the PC and AudioSync™ , for uploading, downloading and synchronizing music between multiple PCs. Now we continue to innovate with even more functionality by including Sleep Timer and Wake to Music modes for convenience whether traveling or at home. Consumers will also love the new Creative MediaSource™ application. It’s an easy to use music ripping and organizing program with a fresh, clean interface."
The stylish NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX can store up to 8,000 songs and supports WMA and MP3 formats. Customers can take massive amounts of music on the go and enjoy high-fidelity playback at 98dB SNR for up to 14 hours versus just 8 hours for the Apple iPod on one full charge of the removable and rechargeable Li-On battery with the removable battery, the playtime can be further extended by carrying optional additional batteries. While away from the PC, it’s easy to create and edit playlists and search through music libraries using Quick Scroller Navigation. Consumers can also use the Find function to locate tracks using alphabetical input. Music on the NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX is automatically indexed by ID3 tag information and conveniently categorized by genre, album and artist.
The sleek, silver and white NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX makes a stunning match with the cool new Creative I-Trigue™ L3450 speakers—connect the Zen to the I-Trigue speakers for a visually pleasing, great-sounding audio system that looks like it should cost hundreds of dollars more.
PoGo! Radio YourWay
Stephen Huen, July 2, 2003.
http://www.goodstereotogo.com/reviews_radio_yourway.asp
PoGo! RadioYourWay has been generating great buzz in its radio recording capability. It is by no means a revolutionary concept, the ability to timer record radio programs. However for some reasons beyond my comprehension, few manufacturers like to explore the audio VCR concept, let alone incorporating the idea into a portable product. Radio YourWay is the only portable player that I know of that timer records AM and FM radio digitally, albeit not at a very high quality but more about that later.
Bucking the current trend, the design is very retro looking in a technical kind of way. The front face has a big LCD and is dazzled with big buttons arranged in fairly logical positions. Nearing the top of the unit is a built-in microphone. On the left hand side is a USB1.1 port, a line-in port, a phone jack and a SD/MMC memory expansion card slot. The unusual placement of the phone jack on the side makes the unit awkward to carry in your pocket when a earphone is attached. On the right hand side is a DC-in jack, a hold switch and a digital lever volume control. The back of the unit has a built-in loudspeaker and room for 2 AAA batteries. The unit retails for USD150. Accessories include earphone, line-in cable, USB cable, neck strap, external antenna and the RYW-Explorer software CD.
The unit has 10AM and 10FM presets. It comes with 32MB of internal memory which stores 135 mins of recordings at 32kps using ADPCM compression or 270 mins of recordings at 16kps. There are 10 timers, each of which allows a daily, weekly or Mon-Sat schedule. With the RYW-Explorer software, you can also use the memory to play MP3/WMA files or store non-music files.
AM and FM receptions are ok but are plagued by inherent noise caused by the low signal to noise ratio which carries over to MP3 playback. The low bitrate ADPCM compression normally used by voice recordings is awful for recording anything other than talk radios. Once the recordings are made, you can upload these RVF format files to the computer and convert them to WAV format using the RYW-Explorer software. The MP3 playback ability is really an after-thought. It does not read ID3 tag information or file names so you have to go by track numbers! No random playback neither.
There are many improvements to be made. I would like to see recordings in MP3 format at configurable bitrates. I would like to see the signal-to-noise ratio to improve and timer recordings to be made at minimum external volume so that when it time records, it will not be blasting out the built-in speaker when I am not around (the idea of timer recording). Software installation can also be a bit more user friendly.
Radio YourWay is so unique that there are really no alternative products. Many years ago, Aiwa and Sony made some high-end cassette recording walkmans that timer record. Nowadays this ability is rare even in the home audio market. In North America, the only products I know of are Sony's CMT-L7HD micro hard-disk system and possibly the upcoming Sony's CMT-M333NT micro CD/MD system. For talk radio fans, this is a must have. For everyone else, skip it.
What's HOT: timer records AM and FM radio programs, memory expansion, built-in speaker.
What's NOT: poor recording quality, noise, MP3 playback features, phone jack on the side.
Hard Drive Vendors Think Perpendicular
By Francis Chu
July 24, 2003
Hard disk drive vendors, looking beyond serial technologies, are developing even more advanced technologies to improve the physical data recording capacities of HDD magnetic media. Many HDD manufacturers, including Hitachi Data Systems, IBM and Seagate Technology, are exploring a new magnetic recording technology called perpendicular data recording. Based on its potential capacity boosts, eWEEK Labs believes this is the shape of HDD storage to come, although it probably won't emerge for several years.
In today's "longitudinal" HDD products, data bits are recorded on magnetic mediums using a recording method in which data bits are placed parallel to the media plane. Current recording techniques can carry storage densities beyond 100 gigabits per square inch, but new recording methods will be necessary in coming years to maintain the growth rate in HDD capacity, industry experts said.
To achieve higher storage capacity, drive makers must increase the areal density of the magnetic media. Current methods involve making data bits smaller and placing them closer together, but there are several factors that can limit how small the data bits can be made.
As the data bits get smaller, the magnetic energies holding the bits in place also decrease and thermal energies can cause demagnetization over time, leading to data loss. This phenomenon is called the superparamagnetic effect. To counter it, HDD manufacturers can increase the coercivity (the magnetic field required for the drive head to write the data on the magnetic media) of the disk.
However, the amount of coercivity that can be applied is determined by the type of magnetic material used to make the head and the way the data bits are written—and vendors are approaching the upper limits in this area.
Perpendicular recording places data bits perpendicular to the magnetic media surface. The data bits are formed in upward or downward magnetic orientation corresponding to the 1s and 0s of digital data. Perpendicular recording gives hard drives a much larger areal density in which to store data because it can achieve higher magnetic fields in the recording medium.
HDD vendors have been harnessing current technology to double their drive capacities every year, and advances in Serial ATA and SCSI drives will make large storage systems cheaper, faster and more efficient than before.
We therefore don't expect to see HDD systems that use perpendicular recording technology for several years, but this recording method will take future HDD systems to densities many times greater than the current longitudinal recording methods. Some experts estimate this new recording method can create areal density up to the terabit-per-square-inch range.
Imagine being able to store terabytes of data in your iPod or handheld devices—the possibilities are almost endless
HandHeld Entertainment Adds Sales and Marketing Veterans to Its Executive Team
Ted Richards and Victor Brandstetter Join HandHeld to Bring First Full-Color Portable High-Quality Digital Video Player to Market at Under $100
SAN FRANCISCO, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- HandHeld Entertainment today announced it has added Ted Richards as executive creative director and Victor Brandstetter as vice president of sales to its executive team.
"Ted Richards and Victor Brandstetter bring a combination of experience that will help take the ZVUE! and its content to consumers around the globe," said Nathan Schulhof, chief executive officer of HandHeld Entertainment and the credited inventor of the MP3 player.
"Both of them have impressive backgrounds that extend to numerous Fortune 500 companies. I'm talking about guys who know what it takes to successfully develop and market a global consumer product."
Richards brings to HandHeld a 17-year career in interactive marketing as a creative director and as an interactive product designer and developer. His portfolio of large-scale, interactive applications, marketing products and dynamic Web sites include that of Ford Motor Company, BMW, General Motors, Dell Computer, Apple Computer, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Sony Pictures, Maverick Records, Virgin Records, TestDrive Inc., Walt Disney Corporation, Knight-Ridder, Allied Signal, WebMD, audiohighway.com, DNA Sciences, Chase Manhattan Bank, Bank of America, Symantec, Computer Associates and Ogilvy & Mather Direct.
"I'm very excited about my decision to join the HandHeld team," Richards said. "I've done some of my best creative and product development work with Nathan Schulhof, and HandHeld promises to be our best effort yet. I also think his decision to bring Victor aboard gives us an edge in getting our ZVUE! player into the right channels, with the right message and a lot of interest and excitement."
Brandstetter has been developing sales channels in the consumer electronic and personal computer markets for more than 20 years and has taken more than 100 products to market. He has put together winning sales teams for companies like Logitech, UMAX, A4Tech and Best Data. Brandstetter has also built and established relationships with major retailers in North America including, Wal-Mart, Costco, CompUSA, Fry's, Best Buy and many more. He has also sold products on live television, the Home Shopping Network and on QVC.
"When I learned about the team at HandHeld, it was an easy decision for me to join the company," Brandstetter said. "The timing is right! The product is right! The pricing is right! But still, our team has to get the ZVUE! off the shelf and into consumers' hands. I'm confident that Ted and his team will get our message to our target audiences while building our brand."
Richards and Brandstetter join HandHeld Entertainment in the wake of its announcement of the ZVUE! personal video player, which will be in retail stores nationwide this October. Content for the $99 ZVUE! will include some of the most recognizable branded entertainment names in the world, chart-topping music videos, and other titles from all areas of the entertainment industry.
About HandHeld Entertainment
HandHeld Entertainment (http://www.hheld.com) was formally created in February 2003 in order to fill the gap in the portable electronic entertainment industry left open by the absence of affordable full-color hand held personal video players. Led by an experienced team of seasoned professionals, HandHeld Entertainment is on track to become the foremost provider of digital audio/video media content and the hardware necessary to view it.
Price gives Creative advantage over iPod
By Mike Langberg
Mercury News
Thu, Jul. 24, 2003
I've been writing this weekly column for 10 years, so I've now earned the right to occasionally lean back in my chair and dispense pearls of wisdom.
I began July 11, 1993, by reviewing a long-forgotten CD-ROM game called ``Hell Cab'' that I didn't like very much. Nearly 500 columns later, I'm still amazed by the unending torrent of innovation in personal technology -- both good and bad.
So here's my pearl for the week: Products that are adequate and inexpensive often triumph over products that are better and cost more.
I'm betting this will prove true in the market for hard-disk portable music players, now dominated by Apple Computer's elegant and expensive iPod.
While Apple has gotten all kinds of publicity for the iPod, rival Creative Labs has pulled into a tight No. 2 position through its well-designed if less slick Nomad Jukebox line. With prices significantly lower than Apple, Creative could eventually pull ahead.
Creative is already out front of Apple in capacity; the new Nomad Jukebox Zen (www.creative.com) at $399 offers an awesome 60 gigabytes (GB) of storage. Apple's iPod (www.apple.com/ipod) at the same price offers only 15 GB, with a $499 model at 30 GB.
I'm also betting hard-disk players, a niche product today, will become very popular. As more and more people maintain big libraries of digital music on their computers, hard-disk players offer a huge advantage over portable CD players or memory-chip players: You can put your entire music collection in your pocket, not just a small selection of songs.
Creative saw the opportunity first, introducing the original Nomad Jukebox with a 6 GB hard drive at $499 in September 2000. Apple followed with the first iPod in November 2001.
But Creative lacks Apple's not-so-secret weapon: founder, chairman and chief evangelist Steve Jobs. I've watched with equal parts frustration and admiration as Jobs repeatedly unveils Apple products with such flair that otherwise skeptical journalists don't question his assertions -- and give their audience the impression Apple is creating pure innovation rather than building on the painstaking work of others.
Which doesn't mean the iPod is undeserving of praise. There's no question in my mind the iPod is the best digital music player on the market today, if money is no object.
The three current iPod models -- 10 GB for $299, 15 GB for $399 and 30 GB for $499 -- are truly portable; about the size of a pack of playing cards and weighing a mere 5.6 to 6.2 ounces. They run for eight hours on a rechargeable battery and work with either Windows or Macintosh computers. They synchronize with iTunes software on the Mac or MusicMatch on Windows to automatically transfer any new music on your computer into the iPod.
Even 10 GB is more capacity than most people need, enough to hold about 250 to 300 music CDs converted to the compressed MP3 format.
Creative, meanwhile, has been pushing down prices. A few months ago, with little fanfare, Creative broke through the $200 price point with its 10 GB Nomad Jukebox 2 at $199 -- occasionally discounted with rebates to as little as $149. The Jukebox 2 is considerably bigger than the iPod and somewhat heavier, but it's a bargain.
The Jukebox Zen line, consisting of a 20 GB model for $299 and the 60 GB model at $399, is a much closer match to the iPod.
I borrowed the 60 GB model, available only by ordering directly from Creative's Web site and in such demand that it's often out of stock, and found much to like.
The Zen is about a half-inch wider, higher and thicker than the iPod, and at 9.5 ounces is about a third heavier. The LCD window that displays information on the music stored inside is smaller, and the control wheel and buttons for navigating to your selection are tiny and awkward.
But, aside from the slight extra heft and somewhat longer time to find individual tracks, the Zen played back my 5.3 GB collection of MP3 music with no problems. The battery life, at 14 hours, also exceeds iPod.
The Zen even has some features Apple's iPod lacks. Unlike the iPod, the Zen will play Microsoft's WMA format and can make voice recordings with an optional wired remote that costs $69. Both the Zen and iPod, by the way, can store data files as well as music, acting like an external hard drive for your computer.
I haven't yet bought a portable hard-disk music player, although I'm interested. When I do take the plunge, I'm not going to spend $300 or $400 or $500. So, unless Apple makes a sudden and unexpected change in strategy, I probably won't be buying an iPod. Creative's adequate and inexpensive line will meet my needs.
Meanwhile, competition is gradually picking up. Although Apple and Creative are the only two big contenders today in portable hard-disk players, more than a half-dozen other companies offer one or two models, including Archos (www.archos.com), Philips (www.consumer.philips.com), RCA (www.rca.com) and Toshiba (www.tacp.toshiba.com).
By the end of September, two more companies will roll out products: Rio (www.rioaudio.com), formerly part of the defunct Sonicblue and now re-emerging under new ownership, and Samsung (www.samsungusa.com).
iRiver 10GB iPod clone coming to UK
By Tony Smith
Posted: 24/07/2003 at 12:03 GMT
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/31943.html
MP3 Player
Japan's iRiver has launched the latest iPod clone, the iHP-100, a 10GB hard drive-based MP3 player.
While the iHP-100 certainly lacks the iPod's styling, it does have some neat touches of its own. Like the latest iPods (but not the 10GB version, it has to be said), the iRiver device ships with a remote control unit, but the iHP-100's version has a full-size backlit track information display screen. The iHP-100 also offers digital optical audio input and output ports, and you can hook up any source to digitise sound directly to the player's hard drive. There's a built-in microphone too. The iRiver also contains an FM stereo radio receiver.
In size, the iHP-100 is a little taller but the same width and fractionally thinner than the 10GB iPod. Both weigh around 160g -rather less than Creative's 20GB Nomad Zen, which comes in at 268g. Like the Apple machine, the iHP-100 offers a large, 160 x 128 backlit information display screen and a five-way navigation control, again better than the Zen's tiny 132x64 window. There's a built-in six-band equaliser; the iPods has a 20-band version.
The iHP-100 connects to a host PC via a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed link. It plays MP3 and Windows Media Audio files. Neatly, you don't need jukebox software to transfer files to the iHP-100 - Windows Explore will do. iRiver claims user get 16 hours of playback from the built-in rechargeable battery; the latest iPods only manage eight hours, while the Nomad Zen can offer 12.
The iHP-100 is currently shipping only in Japan, for ¥49,800 ($419), but MP3Players.co.uk is offering the device on pre-order for £329.95 and expects to ship in a week or so. As yet the player isn't available in the US, but MP3players.co.uk's .com offshoot hopes to offer it when it is, and presumably iRiver's US operation will do so itself.
Archos AV320 MP4 Player Announced
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1740/
Archos handheld product line takes a major leap forward today with the announcement of the much anticipated Video AV300 Series Video Recorder / Player. Available soon in all major retail outlets. Archos claimes the Video AV300 is the industry's first true personal video player that can record and play back movies with stereo MP3 audio. RCA has recently unveiled the Lyra RD2780 with a similar 3.5-inch LCD Screen, but has yet to deliver.
Sporting the industry's only high-resolution 3.8-inch color LCD screen, the Video AV300 series offers the most enjoyable video play back experience in any portable device. But the real power behind the Video AV300 is in its ease to record video from any video source. On the go enthusiasts are able to record their favorite video content direct from any video source, TV, or VCR. They can also quickly download and save large volumes of MPEG-4 video files acquired legally through the Internet. Once the video is saved to the Video AV300, users can play back the video either on the built-in color display or on any TV or PC in near-DVD-quality.
"At home people have TVs, stereos, DVD players and PCs for personal entertainment. Now consumers want to watch the latest release of a movie, favorite TV show, or music video while killing time, listen to MP3 music in the car or share videos and photos with friends, all while on the go," said Henri Crohas, President and Founder, Archos. "People also want to record music from their stereos or video from a TV, but they do not want to have to go through a PC. ARCHOS has created the perfect solution with the Video AV300 series --a single personal device that does it all."
With the capacity to hold up to 80 hours of video with MP3 audio, the AV300 video recorder / player becomes a 'live' cinema player. Recording from the analog signal and playback in VHS resolution, the AV300 series allows for comfortable viewing of full-length movies, entire seasons of TV shows, complete collections of music videos, or simply a young producer's own personal home videos.
Iomega's Mini-Storage Play
Arik Hesseldahl, 07.24.03, 10:00 AM ET
NEW YORK - The ongoing project of rebuilding storage company Iomega pressed on this week as the company announced plans to go after the emerging business for miniature storage technology for an array of portable consumer-electronics devices.
Iomega (nyse: IOM - news - people ) has dubbed its new technology DCT for Digital Capture Technology, and it consists mainly of removable matchbook-sized discs.
Iomega's Digital Capture Technology
At first the discs look almost identical to the old PocketZip discs that formed the basis of Iomega's ill-advised foray into the MP3 music-player business way back in 2001. What's new is the capacity of the DCT discs, which tops out at 1.5 gigabytes versus the 100 megabytes of the PocketZip days.
Indeed, Iomega has been busy. As sales of its core Zip drive product--the technology hit of 1996--have declined over the years, it's been searching for another big hit of a product. It hasn't found it yet.
With the DCT technology it's hoping to convince manufacturers of various devices--from mobile phones, digital cameras and notebook computers, among others--to integrate the DCT. The problem will be winning against the various removable flash memory formats which seem to be popping up everywhere. Most PDAs, whether they're running Palm's (nasdaq: PALM - news - people ) operating system or Microsoft's (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Windows Mobile, now have a slot for Secure Digital cards or Compact Flash slots, as do many notebooks from companies like Toshiba. Meanwhile, digital cameras are either sporting CF or SD slots, or using a new format called the xD Picture Card.
The other field of competition for removable storage will be in mobile phones next. Companies behind the SD card format, which are many, have developed the thumbnail-sized mini-SD card almost specifically for that purpose. Phone makers want something really tiny and flexible for their ever-shrinking phone designs. But eventually that device will start making its way into other devices.
That makes the competitive landscape for the DCT format a challenge from the start. Already Iomega says it is working with Fuji Photo Film, Citizen Watch and Texas Instruments (nyse: TXN - news - people ) to integrate the DCT into future products, but Fuji in particular is one of the primary backers behind the xD Picture Card for digital cameras so it's unclear where DCT might fit in future digital camera products, though it might make sense for other products Fuji and others have in development.
The true test will be cost. Product designers and manufacturers agonize over something called the bill of materials or BOM. That's the sum cost of all the various parts that go into making the gadgets we buy. Iomega hasn't been specific about what it might cost to integrate the DCT format into a product and how that might compare to other formats. One advantage it may have over the SD format is in the price of the discs themselves. SD cards, for example, have tended to be rather expensive at high capacities. A 512-megabyte SD card from Sandisk (nasdaq: SNDK - news - people ) can go for $250, while a high-speed SD card in that capacity from Lexar Media (nasdaq: LEXR - news - people ) can for $350, and cards at the 1-gigabyte capacity aren't due to hit the market until this fall at the earliest.
If Iomega can compete effectively with a low-price, high-capacity format--and that means pushing storage capacity to 2 gigabytes and beyond within a fairly short time--then the DCT format has a fair chance at establishing a beachhead in the marketplace.
Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. Enters Into Letter of Intent With SkyWay Communications Holding Corp.
TORONTO, July 23 /CNW/ - Star Navigations System Group Ltd. ("Star Navigation") (TSX Venture: SNA) announced today that it had entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with SkyWay Communications Holding Corp. (OTCBB: SWYC) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Sky Way Aircraft Inc., of Clearwater,Florida, United States of America.
Star Navigation Systems Group, Ltd. provides systems for improving the safety and fleet management capability of the air transport industry through the use of their patent pending and advanced technologies. Some of the Star technologies include, the in-flight safety monitoring system (ISMS(TM)),medical and patient monitoring, environment monitoring and Internet access.
SkyWay's advanced patented technology systems along with the availability of its nation-wide ground network and increased bandwidth technology will provide the high-speed connection to and from the aircraft.
Terms of the LOI calls for the both companies to investigate the
possibilities of joining airborne integrated systems to provide, both domestic and internationally, a full range of in-flight systems monitoring services to the aircraft industry.
Brent Kovar, President of Sky Way Communications Holding Corp. said, "The achievable outcome of this collaboration will be a hybrid system that combines both increased personal security along with an aircraft monitoring system that should prove to be the total solution package the airlines have been asking for."
Viraf Kapadia, CEO of Star Navigation commented, "We are positive that the outcome of this LOI will dovetail perfectly with our marketing strategies and will allow both companies access to a larger customer base. The joining of the efforts of both companies will result in an in-flight safety, fleet
management and entertainment package that will be faster and more versatile than previously envisioned."
About Star Navigation Systems Group, Ltd.
Star Navigation Systems Group, Ltd., is the developer of the In-Flight Safety Monitoring System(TM). Star Navigation is a Canadian company located in Toronto, Canada. Star Navigation has recently tested and certified, by both Transport Canada and the United States FAA, a proprietary system that it has developed to transmit data from the aircraft to ground based data centers for
the duration of a flight. Star Navigation has also received AWM 561 certification from Transport Canada. This certification complies with the mandatory quality controls and manufacturing requirements for production and installation of the ISMS on board a commercial aircraft. The ISMS closely and actively monitors a flight from beginning to end for the purpose of enhancing safety and improving fleet management operations. The Star Navigation system is one of the first systems in the world to offer a direct connection between the ground and the aircraft for real-time monitoring of on-board airplane systems.
About Sky Way Aircraft, Inc.
Sky Way Aircraft, Inc. is a Clearwater, Florida based company that is developing a unique ground to air in-flight aircraft communication network that it anticipates will facilitate homeland security and in-flight entertainment. Sky Way Aircraft is focused on bringing to the market a network supporting aircraft-related service including anti-terrorism support, real
time in-flight surveillance and monitoring, WIFI access to the Internet, telephone service and enhanced entertainment service for commercial and private aircraft throughout the United States. Based on the final upgrading of a previous airborne telephone and communications network, Sky Way Aircraft intends to provide broadband connectivity between the ground and in-flight aircraft throughout the U.S. using technology that provides a broadband high- speed data transmission.
Sky Way Aircraft intends to be the communications solution for commercial and private aircraft owners wanting real time access
to on-board security systems, aircraft health and welfare monitoring, avionics operations and for passengers wanting real time high-speed access to the internet. Their network will enable applications that can personalize the in- flight entertainment experience, provide real time access to flight management avionics with long-term data storage and also support for ground monitoring of in-flight surveillance systems that are being designed with the goal of enhancing current airline security standards.
I question the judgement of the company that just hired him. eom
OT Looks like we killed Saddams sons........eom
Ericsson and Parrot team up with Bluetooth in cars
News release 07/22/2003 08:25:33 AM GMT
(PRESSI.COM 07/22/2003) Ericsson Technology Licensing has signed a licensing agreement with Parrot, a provider of Bluetooth products for the automotive market. The license covers Ericsson's new Bluetooth baseband core, which holds the complete range of mandatory Bluetooth version 1.2 features.
The Ericsson Core Bluetooth Baseband Platform Q-E1 is based on the Bluetooth v1.2 specification with for example better voice and audio quality and improved coexistence with other wireless technologies. Parrot will use Ericsson's Core Baseband to develop their own system-on-a-chip (SoC), Parrot5, to be used in Parrot's next generation Bluetooth products. Parrot also has an option to license Ericsson's full portfolio of software and all profiles suitable for the automotive industry.
"We regard Parrot as a unique and important partner, due to their integrating capabilities as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), combined with their ability to develop system-on-a-chip for the Bluetooth market," says Maria Khorsand, President of Ericsson Technology Licensing. "Parrot is a pioneer and a major player in the automotive segment with handsfree products already on the market for numerous car manufacturers."
"Designing our next generation of chipset Parrot5 with Ericsson's Baseband Core allows us to bring a cost effective solution to the market in a very short time" says Nicolas Besnard, CTO of Parrot.
"We appreciate that Ericsson has long experience and dedication to Bluetooth and that they feel responsible for their solutions all the way to the consumer market, says Henri Seydoux, CEO of Parrot."
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press
Creative Technology launches new MP3 players and speaker systems
22 July 2003 2003 hrs (SST) 1203 hrs (GMT)
By Dawn Teo
Creative Technology has launched several new digital audio players and speaker systems.
The company hopes to sell "huge numbers" of the products but it wouldn't reveal any sales targets.
The new products include two new models of speaker systems, which are part of the I-Trigue line, that not only sound good but look good as well.
Its newest MP3 players - the NOMAD Mu Vo NX and the NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX - are more stylish and compact, yet they can also pack in more hours of music.
Creative says its latest offerings will hit the market from August.
The company hopes these new products will help users escape to what it calls "audio utopia".
Creative chairman Sim Wong Hoo said: "Last year, I started talking about raising the stakes in this game and move into lifestyle digital entertainment. So, besides these external devices, we put in lifestyle. It means brand, it means design, very good sexy-looking industrial design and also variety."
Sales of Creative's personal digital entertainment products rose more than 80% in the first nine months of this financial year, helping the company to diversify its revenue base beyond the traditional PC-related products like sound cards.
CREATIVE DOUBLES CAPACITY OF NOMAD® MUVO® TO HOLD UP TO EIGHT HOURS OF MUSIC
Super Compact NOMAD MuVo NX MP3 Player and USB Flash Drive with Backlit LCD Features M-PORT Compatibility for Seamless Speaker Connectivity
SINGAPORE – July 22, 2003 – Creative (NASDAQ: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC users, today announced the NOMAD® MuVo® NX digital audio player, featuring up to four times the memory capacity as the original award-winning NOMAD MuVo and a backlit LCD for easy on-the-go music navigation. The compact NOMAD MuVo NX is the first MP3 player to feature M-PORT™ compatibility enabling direct connectivity and audio streaming to any Creative I-Trigue™ speaker system featuring an M-PORT interface. The sleek, pearl white NOMAD MuVo NX with 128MB is small enough to fit on a key chain, yet can hold up to four hours of music will ship in August 2003 at an estimated street price of US$149.99. An even higher capacity NOMAD MuVo NX, featuring 256MB to hold up to an amazing eight hours of music in the same small form factor, will ship in September 2003 at an estimated street price of only US$199.99.
"With the launch of the NOMAD MuVo NX Creative again raises the bar for flash-based MP3 players," said Ho See Kwee, director of marketing for Creative Labs Asia. "We have taken the revolutionary NOMAD MuVo, the world’s first MP3 player and USB flash drive all-in-one, and made it even better by adding more memory, a cool blue backlit LCD and a built-in microphone for voice recording. The lightweight NOMAD MuVo NX is so easy to use and durable you can take it with you wherever you go, and since the player features solid-state construction you’ll never worry about music skipping during playback. This makes it a perfect companion for exercise too - just strap it into the bundled sports armband and enjoy."
Each NOMAD MuVo NX ships with an extra body casing accessory so that users can easily switch the color of their player whenever they choose. NOMAD MuVo NX 128MB users can dress their player in pearl white or sky blue, while NOMAD MuVo NX 256MB users can select pearl white or dark blue. Multiple body casing accessories in fashionable colors will also be available separately so that users can change the color of their NOMAD MuVo NX at any time to match their outfit or their attitude.
The blue, backlit LCD on the NOMAD MuVo NX displays full song information from ID3 tags and shows track number, play time, play mode and EQ setting. It’s easy to select favorite songs and set play modes, such as Shuffle and Resume, with the scroller button. With the built-in microphone, users can also record over 16 hours of live audio—use it to record quick reminders, hours of notes, lectures and conversations.
Like the original NOMAD MuVo, the NOMAD MuVo NX does not require cables and conveniently doubles as a USB flash drive. Just slide the player apart, plug it directly into the computer’s USB port, and it will be automatically recognized as a removable drive. Users can transfer any file type from their PC onto the NOMAD MuVo NX and vice versa with simple drag and drop functionality. The 256MB NOMAD MuVo NX can hold up to 176 floppies worth of data, which can be transferred onto the player ten times faster than possible when using a floppy. The NOMAD MuVo NX can also be connected directly to Creative speaker systems with an M-PORT interface, such as the new Creative I-Trigue™ L3500 and Creative I-Trigue L3450, for instant music playback.
True to Creative’s rich audio heritage, the NOMAD MuVo NX boasts superior audio quality with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 90dB—incredible sound quality that rivals players many times its size. The NOMAD MuVo NX can play uninterrupted high-quality music for up to 11 hours on just one AAA alkaline battery.
Although the NOMAD MuVo NX does not require software, the player comes bundled with Creative MediaSource™ software for consumers who may have never used MP3 or WMA files before. Creative MediaSource is a full MP3 and WMA ripping and organizing application with a fresh, clean interface. It also includes everything needed to convert a CD collection into a portable digital library that can be transferred easily to the NOMAD MuVo NX and taken wherever one goes. With Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2, you can enjoy exciting MP3 and WMA enhancement features in Creative MediaSource, such as:
SVM™ (Smart Volume Management) matches volume variations across MP3 tracks so no adjustment is needed during playback;
Audio Clean-up removes pops and clicks from MP3 and WAV files or recorded material from vinyl records or cassettes;
Time Scaling to speed up or slow down a track without distortion; and
"Find" tool allows users to find music quickly by entering the first few letters of an artist or song.
Hard-disk industry braces for major technology shift
Bolaji Ojo, 21-Jul-2003
After successfully postponing a crucial technology transition for decades through process re-engineering, the hard-disk drive (HDD) industry is finally coming to terms with the reality that many of its underlying technologies are approaching their performance limits.
Starting this year and accelerating in 2004, HDD manufacturers and component suppliers are gearing up to debut faster, more cost-effective, less power-hungry serial technologies to replace parallel SCSI and ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) interfaces for desktop and enterprise computing.
But while Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Serial ATA (SATA) will give the current generation of IT equipment a major performance boost, the most fundamental change in the history of the HDD market is actually taking place in a different arena. Industry executives say the longitudinal recording technology that has formed the bedrock of the HDD market soon will be replaced by perpendicular recording processes.
"We are running up close to the limits of the fundamental physics of longitudinal technology," said Ian Vogelesang, vice president of marketing at Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST), the disk drive joint venture between Hitachi Ltd. and IBM Corp.
"The HDD industry had been increasing recording density at a rate of 100% per year, but because of the increasing difficulty in longitudinal recording, we now have an outlook of more like 60% ," said Gary Gentry, vice president of marketing and planning at Seagate Technology HDD Holdings, Scotts Valley, Calif.
"The industry at large has been working on perpendicular recording for at least 20 years and it is a difficult technology, but we believe that finally it is coming together." Gentry said.
Most industry executives said the advent of perpendicular recording is still two to five years away. Although working prototypes have been developed, they were at less than desirable recording densities.
"Perpendicular recording holds promise for the future," said Chuck Nielson, chief technologist at Fujitsu America Ltd. "The difficulty is that it is an entirely different phenomenon. It requires a whole new approach to head and media designs. This adds to the uncertainty of when it can happen."
Instead of rushing the deployment of perpendicular recording, Fujitsu has initiated plans to advance longitudinal recording, "giving us more time to continue this discovery phase," Nielson said.
Meanwhile, HGST and rival Seagate, while conceding that the technology has not reached prime time, are working hard behind the scenes to introduce it within a few years.
As opposed to longitudinal recording, where the bits are impressed in a parallel format along the surface of a disc, perpendicular recording stands the bits on end, enabling more data storage per square inch.
Perpendicular recording will be required at the point when products reach capacities of about 100- to 200Gbits per sq. in., compared to approximately 50Gbits today, industry observers said.
"Once we master perpendicular recording, it will be the foundation for the industry up to the point of approaching 1Tbit per sq. in.," said Seagate's Gentry. What's holding back the deployment? Reliability.
In an industry where differentiation is based on manufacturing execution rather than technology, product reliability is not something any supplier is willing to compromise. And, although HDD suppliers, including HGST, Seagate, and Read-Rite Corp., Fremont, Calif., have demonstrated drives based on perpendicular recording, kinks remain.
"Perpendicular recording still has issues," Gentry said. "The No. 1 thing for our customers is reliability and the No. 2 is cost. You have to have all these things there at a very mature stage before a customer can take that to market."
In the interface area, there are hardly any doubts as to the readiness of serial technology. In fact, disk drive manufacturers and component suppliers, including Agere Systems, Intel, and LSI Logic. have collaborated to develop the specifications for the most extensive interface transition in the history of the storage industry.
Making way for Serial ATA
"In general, from our customers we are hearing a strong desire to transition to serial interfaces," said Joe Borak, director of marketing for the storage division at Agere in Allentown, Pa. "This is for all three serial interfaces -- Serial ATA, Serial Attached SCSI, and Fibre Channel."
Borak said Agere has worked closely with HDD suppliers like Maxtor Corp. to develop integrated chips that incorporate the serial ATA physical interface, eliminating the need for a bridge chip. The early joint-development efforts with companies like Agere and LSI Logic enabled Maxtor in June to begin shipping 80- and 120Gbyte SATA devices to retailers.
Both ATA and SCSI have limits that SATA and SAS are expected to correct. For instance, ATA has a 5V tolerance, leading to electrical issues. Serial interfaces are based on point-to-point connections instead of shared media and offer higher transmission speeds.
Vendors prep SAS
"We always have concerns about new connectors and backplane designs but those problems are minimized in a serial environment where the wiring is point-to-point," Fujitsu's Nielson said. "In a Parallel SCSI bus, you would have the same set of wires going from the host bus adapter to each and every hard disk drive and so the signal integrity is an issue."
This is especially important in the enterprise market where SAS is seen improving performance dramatically, although the full introduction of the interface is about a year away.
"In a Parallel SCSI environment, you can have one controller and up to 15 devices on a cable, so they are all sharing a total bandwidth of 320Mbytes/s," Nielson said. "That turns into an average of just over 20Mbytes/s.
"In Serial SCSI, the interface speed is 300Mbytes/s but that is dedicated to a single device," he added. "So each device has available to it 300Mbytes/s of interface bandwidth and that creates the opportunity for much higher-performance systems."
The development of SATA, which is used mainly in the PC market, began well before SAS and as a result its deployment is already in full swing. Apple Computer Inc.'s new G5 computers are all SATA-based while Intel systems will by the end of this year be based on the new interface. The industry collaboration in the development of SATA specifications has helped in the smooth rollout of the technology, according to industry executives.
Form factor evolution
SAS is benefitting from some of the preliminary work done by the SATA working group, hastening its adoption and rollout in the enterprise market where other technology changes are afoot. HDD manufacturers said they expect to start replacing 3.5in. disk drives with smaller 2.5in. devices in enterprise products sometime within the next year.
"End customers are looking for ways to improve performance density and you need to go to smaller drives to improve the total cost of ownership," said Seagate's Gentry.
That form factor change could help accelerate performance in the sector, according to Seagate, which plans to introduce its first 2.5in. drives in 2004.
Enterprise level 2.5in. drives being planned by the industry will not involve simply swapping similar drives now used in the notebook market.
"This will not be a souped-up mobile drive," said Fujitsu's Nielson. "This will be a specific new design for the enterprise market. Every time we come out with a new family of enterprise drives we double our capacity, there is an immense reduction in power, and the acoustics are better."
Rivals Ready to Take a Bite of Apple
July 20, 2003 3:28:00 PM ET
By Sue Zeidler
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Like a faded rock star determined to make a comeback, the record industry is looking to return to the online music stage in a very big way in coming months.
Spurred by the runaway success of iTunes, Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL) online music store, competitors are readying their own music download services in a surge of activity that record executives see pulling the music industry out of a three-year slump.
A crowded field is gearing up to offer single songs for sale, including retailers Amazon.com Inc(AMZN) and Buy.com, and leading Internet service providers like AOL Time Warner's (AOL) America Online.
Others likely to compete are a re-launched Napster, the song-swap pioneer that was idled by copyright infringement litigation in 2001, and Apple itself, which even competitors credit with demonstrating the power of an easy-to-use system and competitive pricing.
``There's going to be a gold rush in the fall, with a whole bunch of services eyeing the a la carte download market,'' said Lee Black, analyst with Jupiter Research. ``Everybody wants to get it going for Christmas.''
Apple's service, which enables music fans to download songs for 99 cents each, sold 5 million tracks within its first eight weeks, outpacing subscription-based services launched by the record labels in their struggle to compete with free unauthorized services like Kazaa and now-shuttered Napster.
Now, analysts say, the race is on to copy Apple's success for the much larger market of Windows-based PC users.
Online retailer Buy.com may be the first to the finish line when it announces the launch of a new music download service in New York next Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said.
Buy.com, which made its reputation as discount Web site for electronics and consumer goods, will position itself as an alternative to Apple's iTunes, although it has not yet secured licensing from all five major record labels, according to a record industry source.
WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY
Industry sources and analysts said other competitors are also keen to launch download services before Apple introduces its promised Windows version of iTunes later this year.
Analysts expect Apple to launch that expanded service by Thanksgiving to spur holiday sales of its popular iPod digital music player. The current version of iTunes is restricted to Mac users, about 3 percent of the overall computer market.
``I think Apple definitely struck a chord and one has to assume the success of Apple is not going to be left standing alone,'' said Mike McGuire, analyst with GartnerG2.
Analysts say Amazon.Com Inc., the online bookseller, might collaborate with Apple, while Microsoft Corp (MSFT) is well-positioned to step in if it chooses because it has been working with all five major music labels for years developing online offerings and because it provides Web access to millions of users.
``We fully intend to have a digital music offering when we feel that we have a great customer experience,'' said Kristin Schaefer, a spokeswoman for Amazon.
Microsoft declined comment.
America Online has said it planned to launch an expanded online music store later this year. AOL now lets fans sample and download as many songs as they want through its MusicNet service. Premium members can burn 10 songs to a CD a month. But later this year, it said it plans to let users burn as many songs to CDs as they want on an additional fee basis.
Meanwhile, Roxio Inc. (ROXI), which bought the assets of song-swapping pioneer Napster at bankruptcy auction as well as the industry-backed Pressplay service, is working toward launching a test version of a new legal Napster this fall, record industry sources familiar with the matter said.
``We have said that we would launch Napster by no later than March of this coming year,'' said Napster spokesman Seth Oster, declining further comment.
Roxio Chief Executive Chris Gorog is expected to unveil details about the new Napster later this month at the Jupiter Plug.In conference, a source familiar with the company's plans said.
Additionally, online radio company MusicMatch plans to add paid music downloads to its service by the fall, making it a direct competitor with iTunes and other services.
``Everyone is charging down the path as fast as they can and are looking at the fall timeframe,'' said Christopher Allen, senior vice president of marketing and strategic planning at MusicMatch. ``The labels have generally viewed Apple as a test experiment and I think its helped pave the way for huge consumer demand. We're in a very good position to capitalize on the other 98 percent of the market that are not Mac users.''
© 2003 Reuters