Rio users sick of listening to the same few songs by Tricky during their commute may be getting some relief. At least three companies are considering using IBM's microdrive as a component in portable MP3 player devices.
"There are at least three different companies we are working with at the design level to ... evaluate [the drive's] functionality" in "MP3 type" portable player products, said John Osterhout, program director in IBM's storage systems division.
Osterhout wouldn't say which companies IBM was working with, how big they were, or when (or if) the products would roll out. But he said that any products using the microdrive won't hit shelves until "the middle of this year."
IBM's microdrive -- unveiled last September -- allows for much more data to be stored in a small drive the size of a matchbook. This could give a boost to the memory capabilities of all kinds of handheld computers, cellphones, PDAs, and portable player devices. The microdrive could hold up to six hours of CD-quality music in a music playback device, or 300 hefty novels in an e-book, or 1,000 compressed photographs in a digital camera.
MP3 is a widely used audio compression format that offers near-CD quality and is used for distributing files over the Internet. To date, the major music industry labels haven't embraced the format, which is also handy for pirating music.
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The Recording Industry Association of America is creating its own open specification for a technology platform with an emphasis on security, to be released at the end of the year.
The existing Diamond Multimedia Rio MP3 player is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the RIAA against Diamond last October. The RIAA accuses the Rio of ruining the marketplace for digital distribution online. Diamond countersued last December, saying the Rio player is protected by the First and Fifth amendments.
Osterhout wouldn't comment on IBM's potential liability around such an MP3 player product. "Basically, we are neutral to all manufacturers of all types of products. We are certainly encouraging to make a number of things possible from a technical standpoint. We are not there to fight the legal battles."
"There are a number of companies looking at [the portable MP3 player market]," said Osterhout. "Once you create a new category like this, suddenly the consumer electronics companies come out of the woodwork."
