More than music
So DOWNLOADABLE, DIGITAL MUSIC ends with iPods? Think again — MP3 & players offer a jaw-dropping range of innovations. Henry Northmore investigates.
PERSONAL MEDIA CENTER
IMustér'i‘ i- - -
PLAY
CREATIVE
PORTABLE MEDIA CENTER
evelopments in mobile
music technology are
movittg at a bewildering pace. The iPod has become the designer piece of kit that’s flying off the shelves. and it‘s not sttrprising — it‘s a lovely. instantly desirable object. But there is far tnore to the portable music teclmology titan jttst what Apple has to offer.
A great example is ()regon‘s MPIZt) (RRP £99.99) the world‘s first waterproof and fully shockproof MP3 player with LCD.
This can withstand the extremes of
swimming. surfing and even jet-
skiing. And it holds two hours of
MP3 files (or up to four of WMA files) on its llb’Mb memory. Size is currently the biggest challenge in technology. and smaller is better. Oregon is also offering the world‘s smallest MP3 player (MPI()(). RRP £79.99) weighing in at just 28 grams. and measuring jttst 40 x 28 x l7.7mm.
Versatility is the key with MP3s. and many offer dictaphone capabilities: for example. the lCR- 8170 from Sanyo Speechtek (RRP £99) offers up to 8.5 hours of stereo voice recording. These files are then
easy downloadable. all wrapped tip in this slimline MP3 player. And the MSI Mega Player 5 lo can be linked
to your mobile phone for further
Bluetooth interactivity and mobile capabilities.
But the next generation includes full colour screens. which can be used to watch digital video and look at photos ~ in fact. any image you
can download onto your computer
you can transfer for mobile consumption. The Zen Portable Media Player (RRP £369.99) with its 3.8m LCD screen. can store up
It) 9.000 songs. tip to 85 hours of video or tens of thotisands of
photos. That‘ll explain why it won the Best of (‘l-ZS at the 2004 (‘onsumer lilectronics Show. The Mustck PVR-AI Personal Media Centre (RRP U30) can also record TV and video direct from the set. taking lo minutes of video/DVD footage with its 32MB onboard memory that can be easily expanded.
()r if style combined with top quality high end tech is what you‘re after. the beautiful Bang 8; ()lufsen BeoSound 2 (RRP £325) or Panasonic's SV-MPZU Digital Player (RRP £ l 3()) are hard to beat.
ic Ectopic...
DlQnA L “0'0 PLAYER
1. The Mustek PVR-A1 Personal Media Centre (RRP £120) 2. Oregon's miniature MP100 (RRP £79.99) at just 289 3. Oregon's waterproof, shock resistant MP120 (RRP £99.99) 4. Add images with the Zen Portable Media Player (RRP £369.99) 5. Panasonic's SV-MP20 Digital Player (RRP £130) 6. Bluetooth link to your mobile phone with the MSI Mega Player 516
7. Bang & Olufsen's stylish BeoSound 2 (RRP £325) 8. You get 8.5 hours of stereo voice recording with the ICE-8170 from Sanyo Speechtek (RRP £99)
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