Gadgets

Microsoft recently announced a big change to the MSN Music website: as of November 14th (the launch date of the much-hyped Zune), the website will no longer be offering music downloads. While the MSN Music website will still remain, its focus will ... change toward offering information such as interviews with musicians and industry news, as well as hosting live concerts. The biggest change is that the "Buy Song" buttons will be taken off and replaced by links to the Zune and Real Rhapsody websites. In addition, the MSN Radio service will be free. (Source: news.com ) MSN Music was launched in ... (view more)

With Microsoft's entry into the digital music industry scheduled to launch before the holidays, many are wondering how Apple's iPod will fare against the new threat. In a recent interview with Newsweek, Apple CEO Steve Jobs left nothing unclear when ... expressing his lack of concern. Mircosoft's Zune, he says, does not measure up to his company's widely popular iPod. When asked point blank if he was worried about Zune, Jobs simply replied "In a word, no." (Source: news.com ) Jobs went on to dismiss Zune's capability for sharing music wirelessly, a feature that Microsoft has touted as a key ... (view more)

In the versatile world of digital equipment, it's always out with the old and in with the new. And of course, this is especially true with cell phone technology. Recently, mobile communications giant Sony Ericsson teamed up with Fossil, Inc. to ... develop the MBW-100: a specialized wrist watch that interacts with Bluetooth-friendly cell phones. For those who are not familiar with Bluetooth technology, it is simply a way to exchange information between devices, wirelessly. For example: the most commonly used Bluetooth device today is the Bluetooth headphone set, used by many people with their ... (view more)

Apple announced last Friday that it would be teaming up with U2 front man, Bono, in offering a special RED edition of the iPod nano to benefit the singer's charity. RED, the name of Bono's charity, supports fighting diseases in Africa, especially ... AIDS. (Source: betanews.com) The special-edition bright red iPod nano acts as a part of a large corporation-rock star campaign to raise funds and awareness for the fight against AIDS in Africa. In some Southern African countries, the national adult HIV prevalence rate has risen higher than initially thought possible. In Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, ... (view more)

Intel has finally released the details of a new low-budget notebook designed especially for students in developing countries. The notebook, dubbed the Classmate PC, will be offered to emerging markets as part of the company's "Intel World Ahead ... Program" which was announced in May. Although a price has not yet been determined, Intel expects to charge about $250 US, with the price expected to drop to $200 US when the order volume increases. Intel has reported that orders have already been placed from governments in Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and India. Production is planned for the first quarter ... (view more)

If you're the owner of a fifth generation video iPod, you can now turn your music machine into a bona fide pocket arcade, as Apple has officially added video games to the iTunes store. Leading the charge is the ultimate gaming classic: the ... dot-chomping, ghost-busting Pac-Man. The world famous Tetris and Internet favorites Bejeweled and Zuma are also on the lineup, along with several original titles. Each game can be downloaded for a very reasonable $4.99. However, they're only playable on an iPod -- not on a PC or Mac like regular iTunes video downloads. (Source: gamespot.com ) These are the ... (view more)

Microsoft announced Thursday that its new portable media player, Zune, is expected to be released for the 2006 holiday season. The device, which rivals the market-dominant Apple iPod, is aiming to gain popularity by including features that the iPod ... lacks. Microsoft's vision for its new product is to provide "music service and a foundation for an online community that will enable music fans to discover new music." (Source: abcnews.com ) The 30GB media player will have the capability, through built-in WiFi (wireless network access), to share songs with other Zune users -- a key characteristic ... (view more)

Recently, CNET News produced a story examining the stalled popularity of the iPod. According to the article's author, a lack of hardware updates to the iPod has led to a current state of tech purgatory, a place where Apple might see its digital ... music fanbase slowly decline. Has the iPod bottomed out? We'll look at a few angles in determining the answer to that here. The iPod has seen a few different versions, from the original massive-capacity player, to the half-gig shuffle, to the most recent "Nano." The Nano did revitalize the iPod name, despite CNET News' brushing off of the product. ... (view more)

Dell announced recently that it is pulling out of the MP3 player market due to high competition from products such as Apple's iPod. Dell began producing MP3 players in 2003; in February 2006, Dell halted sales of their hard-drive based MP3 players, ... but continued to produce the lower-end "DJ Ditty," (similar to the "iPod Shuffle"). (Source: dailytech.com) Dell spokeswoman, Anne Camden confirmed that "as of last week, we did remove the DJ Ditty from our web site and we are not going to offer a follow up product." Camden also noted that the company will be tightening " ... (view more)

Recently, Infopackets brought you a few details on the Zune, along with some visuals of the new portable player. And just a few days ago, those wonderful and mischievous sneaks responsible for the underground Zune images are whispering in-depth ... details about the device's appearance, controls, and features. We've made it pretty clear in our recent coverage of the Zune that it is Microsoft's upcoming rival to the immensely popular iPod. The Zune has gone through a number of stages, from gaming peripheral with the power to run Xbox software to its current state as a WiFi music player. Still ... (view more)