e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

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ot-Hard Drive for the Car Lets You Rip CD's on the Way to Work
By IAN AUSTEN


With its hard drive for storing music, the Sony MEX-HD1 is a bit like a built-in Apple iPod for the car. But unlike an iPod or other similar portable music players, the MEX-HD1 can download music from CD's without a computer.

Songs can be downloaded through the unit's CD player to the hard drive at up to eight times their normal speed. The player will also accommodate MP3 files recorded on CD-R or CD-RW discs.

The same compression technology used in Sony MiniDisc players enables the MEX-HD1 to hold 165 hours' worth of music.

Bill Lee, Sony Electronics' general manager for product development, expects that most owners of the unit will gradually download their music collections during the daily commute to work. If a disc is still downloading when its owner pulls up at the office, the device will complete the job and then shut down, even after the car's ignition is switched off.

The MEX-HD1 is now available at retailers for $1,500. Installation, of course, is extra.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/25/technology/circuits/25GEE1.html
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