Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
miplease: I wrote to Mossberg also...
just didn't get quite in his face as you...a nice checklist though.
I had e-mailed CNBC earlier to see if they would ask Walt if there were competing products out there.
Almost got the answer I was hoping to hear.
JOBS: YES & YES...eom
rwrf: OT Yanks Play Sox Next 3 Days/
OT Bosox: Sometimes I embarrass myself.
I get so impatient waiting for EDIG to realize its potential. Then, I look at you guys. You've been hanging in there for 82 years!!!
Next three days should be exciting.
DoP
OT Lickily, What scares me...
is that an awful lot of people share the same feeling so, it has got to get even worse.
There are still far too many people that have yet to panic. This market flat out sucks. Unfortunately (and I pray I'm wrong) it would appear there's still a lot of work to be done on the downside. Just think of all the employees who are just getting their June 30th 401k statements.
DoP
My $.02...
Good news or bad...nothing other than future earnings will impact the price of this stock in our current market environment. Other than us, though, nobody outside the greater San Diego area will ever set eyes on this article.
Lastly, those locals who saw the story (and never knew the company existed) may now recognize the product the next time they see an ad from or walk into their local CE retailer and be more likely to buy it.
There's no downside here. Now,more than ever, the future of EDIG is solely in the hands of management.
DoP
Hugh, Hugh, Hugh
Edig doesn't have $58 million in debt, they have $58 million in non-taxable future earnings.
As for holding your breath...you should.
DoP
OT: Since We're Telling A&P Stories...
Allendale, NJ in the late 1950's had an A&P that was the size of a small shoe store. Floors were warped wood and sawdust, no air conditioning (ceiling fans)and the store owner retrieved items from the upper shelves with a long pole with hand-operated, mechanical clasps at the end.
Only thing missing was Opie and Aunt Bea!
From B&O Salesperson...
Demand for Beosound 2 at The Mall at Short Hills, NJ has been "great". There is a reserve list that's growing quickly, particularly for units without the headphones...keeps the cost within reason ($595).
Unfortunately, there were only 300 units shipped for distribution in the U S. Short Hills just got two and they're calling the clients now to come get 'em.
Sinkman: Earnings? EOM
Re: DP/MTV Player...
I was told yesterday by someone at DataPlay that the DP player (listed as MK1 in July issue of Business 2.0 magazine) would be available at the end of the summer.
Note that picture in mag carries no MTV logo. This, I presume, is due to NDA restrictions.
DataPlay MK1 in July Business 2.0...
looks identical to MTV player.
Will go to website to see if it's there yet.
DoP
Interesting That EMI...
a MAJOR record company might be selling the DP product. While lacking the PR clout of an MTV, EMI's support could be much more profound for what it says about the industy's posture regarding digital music players.
marc4: Shareholders have claimed...
manipulation of EDIG shares for at least 3 years. Only time they didn't was when it went to $24. Seems we always need somebody to blame.
Yanks trail by 1 1/2.
Who do you Sox fans blame every year?
:0)
DoP
Edigokie: EDIG and RP have nothing to gain...
by offering a comment.
Answering "yes" regarding any product would, no doubt, violate a nondisclosure agreement. A negative answer provides information that you might prefer your competitors not know.
While I appreciated Robert's work at e.Digital over the years, I've learned his responses(or lack of same) have had little relationship to the company's revenues or share price.
If BeoSound 2 has no LCD screen...
How do you know what you have loaded, what to play or how to find it? What about other functions?
DoP
BeoSound 2 Featured...
in June issue of "Business 2.0" , page 148.
Including $159 A8 headphones...$595.
sdr: Currently Available at Gateway...
External ports: (6) USB (2 in front and 2 in back are version 2.0, 2 more in back are version 1.1) Parallel, Serial and (2) PS/2
Also: Dell can be ordered with USB2
Scarab 1: Regardless what revenue/earnings...
you wish to assume, I believe your P/E ratio estimate is way too low. Unfortunately, these ratio determinations are rather arbitrary and can vary widely depending on market psychology and future growth assumptions.
In my mind, it would not be unreasonable to expect multiples of 30,40,50 or higher given a more normal environment.
DoP
SGE: If EDIG gets any more successful...
we'll all be broke!
j4k: Where would they get the cash...
perhaps by selling some of the new shelf offering?
Sorry...
Right now their funds are more productively spent on expansion.
Buying back shares would indicate to me a lack of vision as how to best grow the company.
DoP
JimC: db24 still raises a valid question...
and one that more than a few of us have difficulty understanding.
Presuming that there are at least a few knowledgeable EDIG investors out there who were amongst these sellers, it wouldn't hurt to speculate as to what their motivations were. We're all digesting the same research yet people continue to sell. I'll grant you that looking forward is more fun (productive) but that's like driving a car with just a gas pedal and no brakes. Better still, not looking in the mirror to see what's coming up from behind.
Are we dealing with a lot of extremely uninformed investors who have thrown in the towel? Are people actually shorting this stock after such a huge reversal? Is it tax motivated? Is it just the current market psychology? Is it, in fact, manipulation ( which I personally think is little more that the easy bogeyman when a logical answer escapes us). Hey, beats the S out of me.
So...is db24's concern unimportant? No, not at all. If two years ago people had spent a little more time evaluating the negative possibilities of their cherished high tech stocks they'd be much better off today. This is an investment forum as well as a fan club. We should attempt ( if possible) to uncover a reasonable explanation. I think we all could keep more focused on the road ahead.
DoP
tugs 1: Just a guess...
It might be due to employee 401(k) purchases at the end of the March quarter and/or exercising of stock options. I'd give anything to find out how much they own and have added over the past year or so.
If you find out differently, let me know.
DoP
Jimc1997: What Did You Learn?
You mentioned that you were on the west coast for several days. Did you visit e.Digital while on this trip? It wasn't clear to me.
Also, what did you uncover? Financial condition, new products and distribution channels are either already known or can be assumed from previous public disclosures.
Please understand that I have always appreciated your input and undying optimism. I just didn't grasp the importance of your latest missive.
Thanks
wm wallace: RP made it clear...
in his recent e-mail that breakeven would be "in" the year- end quarter, not by. My guess is that any cashflow between now and then will be directed towards capitalizing on opportunity with profitabilty a secondary consideration. We must establish our presence now since there will be so many players fighting for market share.
CES: The dilution would have been priced into the stock for quite awhile now. Something else appears to be up though I haven't a clue what it might be.
Revenue and, more important, earnings would help tremendously since it would establish a base for valuation that doesn't exist at this time. It leaves too much room for manipulation and rumor mongering.
Boxofredsnot: Clarification...
Given my limited typing skills I tend to abbreviate my thoughts and leave much room for confusion.
My concern at this time is really just focused on the entertainment applications. Placing restrictions on how you use your music or movie library discounts the appeal of DataPlay for those specific applications. Content availability is important for sure but its long-term value will be determined to a large degree by the medium's flexibility. While the sound of my "Meet the Beatles" album is poor by today's standards, I have always been able to transfer it to reel to reel, cassette, CD or whatever. I will no longer have this option with copy-protected content. A Britney Spears' recording therefore isn't worth $15-$20 since I would likely ( God forbid ) have to purchase it again at some point in the future. Why unlock additional content on the disc if you would have to replace the entire collection? It would seem that the model can only work if purchase prices are reduced to nearly zero. Perhaps a young buyer wouldn't mind paying a buck or two a half dozen times over the next 10 or 20 years for the same recording. Not as good as free but it might work.
It appears that the DP disc is going to be an excellent technology for numerous applications. I'm just not sure if restricted, pre-recorded content is going to catch on quickly. I already own a CD player but I wouldn't buy a restricted CD. Without free-use DataPlay content, I don't need the player all that much. I'll just carry my old stuff around on the Treo.
Lack of content has been a problem for the last several years. This is only a minor improvement. Hopefully I'm wrong but, under the indicated copy restrictions, they won't get my money.
DoP
PS- Even Babe's ghost says the Bosox suck!... Wicked
Mossberg and Personal Freedoms...
Some of his arguments are silly. Some legitimate concerns regarding the bugs in a prototype unit can be worked out.
The major point of his article pertains to the further erosion of personal freedom and, for that, he should be applauded.
The apparent reluctance of the public to buy copy-protected CD's could very well carry over to the the DataPlay disc. In that case, why buy new hardware for a limited application. It will be interesting to see who gives in first.
At least by marketing directly to the MTV crowd, they're young enough not to realize they're getting screwed.
cksla:E-mail From PoGo...
Saw your comments on Agora but can't remember my password.
Hello xx:
Our products do not incorporate technology from eDigital.
Thank you,
Bob Fullerton
Director of Product Marketing
PoGo! Products, Inc.
Office: 760-804-1730
I posted this a couple of days ago after my discussionn with torpeym #'s 11381-82.
richardosborne: See #11380, Trick 1
No mention of MSFT but apparently it can be done
E-mail From PoGo...
I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.
Hello xx:
Our products do not incorporate technology from eDigital.
Thank you,
Bob Fullerton
Director of Product Marketing
PoGo! Products, Inc.
Office: 760-804-1730
Pogo's RipDrive...
looks something like a Treo
Taken From #6502...
PoGo! is a new brand name that has been created by
Remote Solution, Inc., the U.S.marketing and sales organization for
HanGo Electronics Co., Ltd., Korea. The PoGo! brand
(www.pogoproducts.com) will be used for a new line of digital media
products. Remote Solution (www.remotesolution.com) is best known in the
digital audio market as the reseller of the PJBox, which was designed by
Compaq and was one of the first handheld jukebox players on the market
featuring high capacity internal storage. Our agreement with Remote
Solution/PoGo Products will make iObjects' platform the basis for all
new embedded media products sold under the PoGo! brand name.
torpeym: They could be twins...
I also shot an e-mail to the company (PoGo) to see if they have any working relationship with EDIG. I don't expect a response but couldn't resist.
Teaching Your iPod Some New Tricks
By: Josh Quittner
Issue: May 2002
Print Article / Email This Article
Four crafty ways to expand the horizons of Apple's potent MP3 player.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I've squired around dozens of MP3 players, from Diamond Multimedia's original mighty-mite Rio to Creative Labs's hefty Nomad Jukebox, I have never experienced more than a fleeting infatuation. Some didn't hold enough tunes or have enough battery juice. Others were either too clunky or too fragile to take on the treadmill at the gym. Then I met Apple's iPod. Even today, three months later, I still get a tingle when I hold it in my hand. Which isn't to say it's perfect -- it needs a hard reboot now and then, and while 5 gigabytes of storage space sounds enormous, I'm ashamed to admit I get a little tired of the same 1,000 songs (thankfully, a 10GB model has just come out). But I wanted a few other things from my iPod, and it seems I wasn't alone. You may have heard about the kid in Texas who reportedly swiped $500 in software by connecting his iPod to a Mac at CompUSA and downloading Microsoft Office for Mac OS X. That's more of an illegal iPod trick, but there are other hacks -- ones that remain on the right side of the law -- that have brought the near-perfect MP3 player that much closer to the Platonic ideal of Gizmohood.
Trick 1
Make your iPod work with Windows. Some people say that Apple is so close to releasing a Windows-compatible iPod that it will be on the market by the time you read this. Others say no, never: An Apple-only device is the best way to force Windows users to see the error of their ways and convert to Macdom. I say, Who cares? There's so much demand for iPod-Windows connectivity that at least two different programs -- Xplay and EphPod -- are already available to let you use an iPod with Windows XP, 2000, 98, or even, God help you, ME. The bad news is that neither "solution" is guaranteed. The good news is that neither costs anything. For now, anyway. Xplay, the slicker of the two, intends to start charging (less than $40, according to the website) as soon as it's able to bring a stable, bug-free program to market. Its competitor will be free indefinitely, according to EphPod creator Joe Masters. (Eph, pronounced "eef," is the mascot of Williams College, his alma mater.)
What are your your favorite hacks and add-ons for the iPod. Tell us.
The problem with both programs has to do with iPod's FireWire, a fast-transfer data port that now comes standard on Macs but is relatively new in the PC world, where it's known as IEEE 1394 (a.k.a. i.Link on Sony PCs). Like many other PC owners, I had to add my own FireWire card. And it turns out that a number of them don't work with the iPod. (The FireWire card of choice for this hack is a $60 Western Digital chipset). I don't know what FireWire chipset I installed -- it was too long ago and I am too lazy to open my box and look -- but I was able to get both EphPod and Xplay's public beta working after only a slight bit of agony. Xplay: www.mediafour.com/products/xplay; EphPod: www.mentaljewelry.org/ephpod
Trick 2
Make your iPod polygamous. All iPods sport a sticker that warns, "Don't steal music." This is not just corporate lip service. The company, from Steve Jobs on down, believes in the sanctity of intellectual property rights. By forcing you to "marry" your iPod to one computer at a time, the company figures it can cut down on piracy. Please add this to the canonical list of things that are like being "a little pregnant." Either let me manage my digital music collection or don't. I work on one computer at work and another at home; I have music on both. Let me automatically sync my iPod to both, thanks. Happily, iPod Free File SynX (or the catchy iPFFX) saves the day. It's still a little clunky -- syncing isn't as automatic as it is on an iTunes-equipped Mac; i.e., you still have to select, drag, and drop. But it's free, or "pay-what-you-like-ware," according to its developer, Christian Vick of Germany. Considering the money you're saving on Morpheus, don't you think you should pay something? www.cooc.de/softies/ipodfreefilesynx/index.html
Trick 3
Add the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com). No, it's not the entire database, just a subset. Tom Sheppard's program allows you to upload 16 weeks' worth, or information on about 200 movies. Each listing is sliced and diced -- you can search for titles, plots, actors, directors, etc. -- and the whole thing takes the space of about 2,100 MP3 files. This hack is a little like the Breakout game hidden on the iPod -- more a demonstration of what the device is capable of than a reason to buy it. www.magma.ca/~sheppard/IMDb/iPod.html
Trick 4
Send yourself notes. My fourth hack was originally going to be "Turn your iPod into a contact manager," but in the iPod Software 1.1 release, that utility -- as well as a graphic equalizer -- was added. Within hours of the 1.1 release, Atomic Media, a company that creates computer fonts, had posted PodNotes, a freebie that lets you store to-do lists, meeting reminders, and the like on your iPod. I'm holding off on downloading it, however, until I can get it to sync with a PC, two Macs, and the Internet Movie Database. http://atomicmedia.net/podnotes.php
PoGo Products
May have been posted previously but...
www.pogoproducts.com/products_2.html
Digital Piracy and the Economic Slump
LONDON, April 16 — Digital piracy and an economic slump caused global recorded music sales to fall five percent in 2001 to $33.7 billion, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said Tuesday.
• Yellow Pages
• Auctions at uBid
• Personals Channel
• Shopping
• Newsletters
• Weather
CONSUMER DEMAND FOR music is strong, but the rising popularity of downloading music from the Internet and copying CDs are ruining the recording industry’s business, the trade association said.
“The industry’s problems reflect no fall in popularity of recorded music. Rather, they reflect the fact that the commercial value of music is being widely devalued by mass copying and piracy,” said Jay Berman, federation chairman and CEO.
The federation said total unit sales fell by 6.5 percent while revenue from sales fell by five percent. Some analysts had predicted 2001 sales could fall by as much as 10 percent. In 2000, the recording industry suffered a slight fall in global music sales.
CD sales fell by 4.1 percent to 2.4 billion units, while sales of singles fell by 16.1 percent, the group said.
Sales in North America, the largest market, were hit hardest, declining by 4.7 percent to $14.1 billion.
Advertisement
Despite the cry against piracy, the global sales decline was actually slightly less than expected. Industry analysts had projected 10 percent drop in sales to $33 billion.
PIRACY TO BLAME
The group’s finding mirrors previous research. Recently the Recording Industry Association of America reported that music unit shipments in the U.S. also dropped nearly 10 percent in 2001 from the previous year.
Europe declined by 0.8 percent, while sales in Japan, the second-largest national market, fell by 9.4 percent, according to the organization.
Sales in the United Kingdom were up 5 percent and in France were up 10 percent, the association said although it gave no indication whether digital piracy proliferates in those countries.
Beyond digital piracy the new report also cites a sluggish global economy to stiff competition from DVDs for the music industry’s problems.
“The industry is now facing a multi-channel distribution structure,” said Matt Kleinschmit, an Ipsos-Reid analyst who recently released a report on the consumer attitudes towards digital music. “Consumers have much more choice in how they’re going to obtain music, whether through legal or illegal means.”
A study released Monday by market-research firm Odyssey found that 31 percent of online users over the age of 16 — or over 40 million U.S. consumers — report they have downloaded or transferred music online in the past six months, and they do so an average of 11 times per week.
CD-copying and illicit online song-swapping services such as Kazaa, Morpheus Music City and the now-grounded Napster were named as a factor in declining sales.
With the economic toll of piracy costing the industry billions of dollars in potential sales, the federation has decided to strike back hard. It has suggested that labels adopt copy-proof CDs, but added that the new technology must be specifically labelled so as not to confuse consumers.
There has already been some consumer backlash regarding copy-proof discs. With some, the CDs will not play in personal computers, car stereos and portable devices.
Industry analysts maintain that copy protection on CDs will be ineffective as savvy consumers figure out ways to get around the technology.
“The copy-protected CD is going to be an unqualified disaster,” Raymond James & Associates music analyst Phil Leigh has said.
MORE COPY-RESISTANT CDS
Undaunted, Jorgen Larsen, chief executive and chairman of Universal Music International, told reporters the company will release more copy-proof compact discs as it did late last year with the “Fast & Furious” movie soundtrack.
Digital music
• KaZaa chaos doesn't stop the music
• Is digital copying about to die?
• Napster postpones planned relaunch
• Napster ordered to remain offline
• Morpheus seeks new role in music
• Real to launch Pocket PC player
• Napster sheds staff as talks lag
“Because of the incredibly low number of consumer complaints we’ve received, I would say that on most major pop releases we would put in place copy protection,” Larsen said.
He added the company would hold off for now on adopting the policy in the U.S., its largest market.
Larsen said that Universal sees potential in the nascent business of charging consumers to download songs off the Internet, but did not offer any specific details.
The major labels, including Sony Music, Warner Music, EMI, Universal and BMG, late last year launched subscription download services of their own.
The major labels’ for-pay services Pressplay, MusicNet, and other online subscription music services they’ve agreed to work with have yet to make a dent in illegal downloading, industry experts say. Neither service is expected to be profitable for the recording labels for several years.
The services have been criticized for their limited music offerings and for being too restrictive in how they let people listen to music.
Larsen said he expects to see Pressplay and MusicNet strike an accord over the next six to 12 months to combine catalogues so that all five labels could have their music featured.
“The pressure is steadily increasing on the labels to offer terms that would make the online subscription services successful,” said analyst Leigh.
What's the password for egid private-thnx
The AOL deal is for many various products...
Read page 2 of the Comp ad...eom