portable media players

13 Stories

On iPod's Birthday, Sony Stops Making Walkmans

OK, one day before iPod's birthday, but still...

(Newser) - Almost exactly nine years to the day after Apple started selling the iPod, Sony announced it will stop making and selling its classic Walkman. The portable cassette player wasn’t an overnight sensation when it was introduced in 1979, but gained must-have status by the 1980s and ultimately sold 200...

Court: iPod Can't Be Faulted for Hearing Loss

Appeal decision finds nothing wrong with enabling high volume

(Newser) - Apple has won an appeals court decision in a case in which plaintiffs argued that the iPod endangered people's hearing. The court found no merit to the argument, ComputerWorld reports. Critics of the iPod didn't make the case that anyone's hearing had been damaged, only that the iPod's ability to...

Apple Slashes iPod Prices, Hinting at New Model

New price structure points to unveiling of new model today

(Newser) - Apple’s online store today briefly flashed new, lower prices for the company’s current slate of iPods, a likely indication that a new model will be unveiled at today’s invite-only event, the Wall Street Journal reports. The site was then down for a period for updating. The 16-gig...

Yes, the $1,100 Earbuds Sound Pretty Awesome
 Yes, the $1,100 Earbuds 
 Sound Pretty Awesome 
PRODUCT REVIEW
Sep 1, 2009 6:11 PM CDT

Yes, the $1,100 Earbuds Sound Pretty Awesome

JH Audio in-ear headphones offer near-perfect sound, for a price

(Newser) - Sure, the new JH Audio JH13PRO custom earbuds cost $1,100, Jackson Lynch writes in Wired, but you get what you pay for. “The three sets of twin drivers funnel fantastically detailed sound directly to your cochleae,” Lynch writes. “The proprietary drivers—two for the highs, two...

Apple Sought Gag Deal Over Exploding iPod

(Newser) - Apple tried to silence an angry British father and daughter with a gag order after the girl's iPod Touch exploded and "went 10 feet in the air," said the dad. The company offered a full refund of $275 for the music player, but only if the two agreed...

Back to the Stone Age: Teen Trades iPod for Walkman

Teen trades his Apple for a Sony for 1 week

(Newser) - In honor of the debut 30 years ago this week of the Sony Walkman, 13-year old Scott Campbell tried using the device for a week in place of his iPod. Campbell found the gadget took some getting used to, he writes for the BBC: “It took me three days...

New Virus' Worst Punch May Be Yet to Come

(Newser) - The devious worm that has infected up to 9 million personal computers worldwide may be just the first stage of a malicious attack, the New York Times reports. The so-called Conficker or Downadup virus, which exploits a Microsoft Windows vulnerability, pulls infected computers into systems called botnets that can be...

GameStop Axes Zune; Microsoft Shrugs

Video game retailer will no longer sell Microsoft's feeble mp3 player

(Newser) - GameStop, a national chain of video game stores, has announced it will no longer carry Microsoft’s floundering Zune digital media player, TheStreet.com reports. "We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated," a spokesman said of...

Apple Is Unlikely to Offer Unlimited Music, But If It Did...

Competitors cry monopoly, but consumers seem enthusiastic

(Newser) - Don’t expect a subscription music service bundled with iPods anytime soon: that’s the consensus emerging from the news flurry since last week’s report Apple was considering such a move. Still, the flurry made two things clear, declares Nate Anderson in Ars Technica: Apple would need to tread...

Audio Books Lose Copy Protection
Audio Books Lose Copy Protection
Mar 3, 2008 12:02 PM CST

Audio Books Lose Copy Protection

Major publishers' downloads can be played on all devices

(Newser) - Some major book publishers are planning to remove anticopying protections from digital audio books, allowing customers who download them to transfer the files between their computers and portable players. The world’s biggest publisher, Random House, will offer all its audio books as unrestricted MP3s this month, reports the New ...

iPods OK for Pacemaker Patients, Study Says

Contradicts two reports from last year

(Newser) - Heart patients who have both pacemakers and iPods can rest easy: The music devices don't affect the cardiac ones, reports Reuters. Two studies published last year suggested that iPods created electrical interference, but a new report by a team of FDA researchers concludes, “No interference effects can occur in...

Gotta Have My (Barbie) MP3
Gotta Have My (Barbie) MP3
Jan 21, 2008 2:18 PM CST

Gotta Have My (Barbie) MP3

Ever more kids use digital music players—and advertisers catch on

(Newser) - Digital music players are hot—even with the lunchbox set: A recent study shows 31% of 6 to 10-year-olds use them. This means a whole new market for kid-themed players, accessories, music and video, reports Advertising Age. Indeed, players aimed at children have proliferated in the past two years. “...

Microsoft Finally Makes a 'Pretty Good' Media Player

PC World 's qualified praise for the new Zunes

(Newser) - Microsoft released its latest Zune portable media players today, garnering approval from PC World. "This latest generation of Zunes should finally provide some real competition," declared the reviewer. The magazine praised the players for high sound quality and good extra features, but pointed to improvements to the Zune...

13 Stories