__ The MP3 Players __ - What you get with the hottest portable devices since the Walkman.
__ Introduction __
Given all the pomp and circumstance, you might've thought that the graduation of Diamond Multimedia's Rio from precedent-setting court case to consumer-friendly MP3 player heralded a new age in music. The initial victory by the manufacturer over the RIAA did trumpet a new breed of "solid-state personal stereos." Yet despite the new buzz phrase - which simply means that music is stored on RAM chips instead of on spinning discs - the revolution is still playing out.
Enjoyed at the gym because no moving parts means the cigarette-pack-sized devices don't skip, Rios are slowly attaching themselves to spandex-clad stairmasters. But the industry that battled to keep the Rio out of weight rooms - and everywhere else - is still fighting to curb the spread of players that don't explicitly guarantee copyright protection.
In the meantime, copyright squabbles aren't slowing the slew of competitors. Samsung released a line of players in Korea this past spring, with the promise of a stateside invasion later in the year. Creative Labs unveiled the Nomad earlier this summer. Thomson Multimedia is building a portable player for RealNetworks' RealJukebox G2 player. Car decks have been announced. Other manufacturers are working on less portable MP3 stereo components. Simply put, the promise that all music will one day be in a universal digital format, distributed over a network to stand-alone audio players, has proved irresistible.
__ Diamond Multimedia __
__ Rio PMP300 __
Almost a year after its unveiling, Diamond's Rio PMP300 is beginning to show its age, both in terms of its dull, black appearance and its limited storage capacity. Using the built-in 32 megs of memory, the player stores only 30 minutes of CD-quality music, but removable flash memory cards (purchased separately) can be used to bump up the playback time.
__ Rio PMP300: $199; www.rioport.com. __
__ Diamond Multimedia __
__ Rio 500 __
The latest Rio packs 64 megs of RAM - upgradeable to 98 megs with flash memory - allowing for 90 minutes of CD-quality music. The 500 also supports Audible.com's codec for spoken-word programming. Available late 1999.
__ Rio 500: $269; www.rioport.com. __
__ Creative Labs __
__ Nomad __
Like the Rio PMP300, the Nomad sports 32 megs of built-in RAM, and you can boost that another 32 with flash memory cards. Creative Labs differentiates its player by including new features - including a voice recorder (holding up to four hours of audio), a snazzier LCD display, and an FM tuner - not to mention the oh-so-hip brushed-metal styling.
__ Nomad: $249; www.nomadworld.com. __
__ Pontis __
__ MPlayer3 __
Don't you just love the ergo-cool shape and those cute little removable flash memory cards with the Keith Haring-esque design? You'd better: The MPlayer3 comes sans built-in memory. While this scheme sounds a little impractical, Pontis is banking on forthcoming 128-meg cards to make this player sing.
__ MPlayer3: $195; www.mplayer3.com. __
__ Saehan __
__ MP-F10 __
The Korean electronics company takes the prize for getting the most complete line of MP3 players to market first. The MP-F10 is the entry-level bad boy, featuring 32 megs of RAM, expandable to 64.
__ MP-F10: $179; www.mpman.com. __
__ Saehan __
__ MP-F20 __
The MP-F20 uses flash cards and 32 megs of built-in memory to provide 60 minutes of CD-quality music. Unlike the MP-F10, this tune toter includes a parallel port, freeing you from the docking station once and for all.
__ MP-F20: $179; www.mpman.com. __
__ Saehan __
__ MP-F30 __
The latest Saehan player has more memory than the other RAM-based players - up to 128 megs - so you can take it on a 10K run and then some: It holds two hours of CD-quality music. It also comes with remote-control headphones and an electronic memo feature for phone numbers or notes.
__ MP-F30: price not available; www.mpman.com. __
__ Empeg __
__ Empeg Car __
The Empeg Car sits on your dash and holds up to 5,000 MP3 songs (or 35 hours of music) in a 2.1-gig hard drive. This removable auto stereo includes an infrared remote, USB and serial ports for transferring music files, and four pre-outs for your in-car amplifier. It's decidedly geek chic.
__ EmpegCar: $999; www.empeg.com. __
__ Saehan __
__ MP-CL10 __
The MP-CL10 underscores yet again the unresolved issue of removable media. Instead of flash cards, this player uses 40-meg Clik! Disks to store tunes. The advantage? Well, if you have a Clik! Drive it's pretty handy. Otherwise, it's yet another removable media to bother with. Available late 1999.
__ MP-CL10: price not available; www.mpman.com. __
__ Samsung __
__ Yepp E Series __
Yup, the Yepp is cool - although you might consider spending the extra money for the B or D series instead of buying this entry-level model. While it does offer the basics in terms of memory and appearance - as well as a direct parallel port connection to a PC - you're missing out on the sexy magnesium case (see Yepp B and D). Available late 1999.
__ Yepp E Series: approximately $200; yepp.co.kr. __
__ Samsung __
__ Yepp B Series __
Yepp B has that cool magnesium look, but why it requires a docking station (while the E series doesn't) remains a mystery. And, like the E series, it offers a paltry 32 megs of built-in memory with no means for expansion. Available late 1999.
__ Yepp B Series: approximately $225; yepp.co.kr. __
__ Samsung __
__ Yepp D Series __
Yepp D is what you're looking for: magnesium shell and 32 megs of RAM, with flash memory cards for an added 32 megs. And Samsung throws in a digital FM tuner for good measure. Available late 1999.
__ Yepp D Series: approximately $250; yepp.co.kr. __
__ Wired Global Communications __
__ CD^3 __
Hands down, the strangest MP3 initiative. This open-source project was started by five students at the DeVry Institute of Technology in Phoenix. Instead of storing MP3s in RAM, you use a CD burner to store MP3 files on a CD and then play the CD on the CD^3. That way, you can carry around 200-plus songs on this portable CD MP3 player. Prototype built, awaiting hardware manufacturer.
__ CD^3: approximately $399; cd3.wiredglobal.com. __
__ BayCom GmbH __
__ Oscar __
A home-stereo component of sorts, this MP3 player is most definitely not portable. Instead, it features a hefty hard drive. You compress music files with a PC and then transfer these MP3s to Oscar's massive hard disk. The advantage is that it stores 2,500 songs (six days' worth of music), so you never have to get off the couch. Limited availability.
__ Oscar: $410; www.oscar-mp3.com. __
__ Lydstrøm __
__ SongBank MZ3-3500 __
Of all the would-be MP3 stereo components, the SongBank MZ3-3500 seems the most likely to find a place in your living room. Like others, it has a CD player that stores songs and supports MP3 files. But unlike the competition, its hard disk holds a whopping 3,500 songs. What's more, Lydstrøm seems intent on taking the geek out of the MP3 experience by including a simple touchscreen remote, an interface that automatically recognizes and labels tracks, and an intelligent agent that learns your listening habits and can play the songs you want when you want to hear them. Available late 1999.
__ SongBank MZ3-3500: $1,000; www.lydstrom.com. __
__ Indigita __
__ RaV6 Digital Audio Jukebox __
Basically, the RaV6 Digital Audio Jukebox is a DDS DAT backup system that has been retrofitted to handle MP3 files. This means it can hold 2,000 near-CD-quality songs and play them back on demand. MP3.com uses this system in-house to store up to 2,000 songs.
__ RaV6 Digital Audio Jukebox: $599; www.indigita.com. __
