RCA @ CES - Lyra Mini Photo MP3 player
RCA is aiming to offload the "average" household's store of 600 digital pictures (we've been known to shoot that many before lunch) with the Lyra Mini Photo, their new MP3 player which sports a 5GB hard drive and a 1.5-inch color LCD screen for annoying your friends with slideshows. Products like this shiny new 5GB hard disk MP3 player fit into that plan. At $270 this one actually costs more than the iPod mini, in case you were wondering.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kamalot @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
Yet, does the iPod mini have a sweet color screen or display photos?
mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
This is very very cool.. I can't believe it's an RCA.. is that FIREWIRE?! Dope!
Regarding the mini... Apple doesn't think the price is fair either.. but as it is now they have enough shortages.. dropping the overpriced/sold out mini would be ludicrous..
Sorry man.. Supply/Demand..
Whiplash @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
This actually is the first MP3 player besides Apple's that I think is even remotely attractive. But will it play my 700 or so AAC files?
Kurt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
Add an SD reader on this thing and you have yourself a sale. Seems perfect for offloading photos from a digicam.
frankly @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
wow!
I think the whole ACC thing Whiplash mentioned is the MAIN reason I haven't picked up an ipod. I hate the tether of being tied to a single company for my music listening needs. Sorry apple, the more you tighten your grasp, the more customers will slip through your fingers.
Aaron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
"But will it play my 700 or so AAC files?"
This is the biggest downfall of going with a format that only one company makes. Imagine if Sony had come out with an iTunes-ish service that took off before Apple had. We'd be talking about ATRAC or whatever crap they used.
Yuck.
I'll stick with OGG and MP3, thank you. Works on every player out there and doesn't keep me tied to any one device.
Galley @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
That RCA is pretty sweet-looking!
BTW, all files from the RealPlayer Music Store are 192Kbps AAC RealAudio 10.
Suntiger @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
Those of you bitching about AACs:
Winamp plays AACs. And anything Winamp can play, it can convert to MP3 or OGG. AACs are not that big of a deal.
cmoney @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
and uh, i'm sure you bought your ugg and mp3 files from an online music store? because the only reason you'd be "stuck" with an ipod and aac was if you bought music from the itunes music store. otherwise ipods play mp3s just fine.
Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
At least the RCA logo (that cute Fox Terrier) is nicer than that stupid shiny apple with a bite out of it.
I say it's time to end Apple's monopoly of the mp3 playing market!!! TO THE STREETS!
:)
Kev @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
frankly and Aaron,
You are so confused or worse, ignorant!!! Unless you bought songs from the iTunes Music Store, you do not have to use AAC at all. iTunes rips to MP3 just as easily as AAC - maybe you've been fussing with WMP which can't do that without an extra LAME encoder. And since you (Aaron) mention OGG and MP3, I doubt you bought anything from any of the mainstream AAC or WMA music stores.
Remember this: iPod plays MP3. iTunes rips to MP3. Nothing extra needed. Okay? Go ahead and complain, but please, no more ignorant complaining. It doesn't do the anti-Apple, anti-iPod cause any good to make foolish statements.
And Mike choosing a player because it's got a nicer logo - well, that's duh ... intelligent!!!!
Kev @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
This is a good-looking player and it's even got a wheel. I assume it is the iPod mini size.
But I'd want to check out the ease-of-use, responsiveness, and synchronization before picking this over an iPod. And I'd wait until after MacWorld next week before doing anything assuming that this Lyra is even shipping.
Trent @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
Imagine if you purchased a CD that only played on Pioneer CD players. How lame would that be?
I don't like being locked in. Why do you? Is there an advantage to only one brand of portable player supporting AAC files? Wouldn't the world be a better other manufacturers had the option of putting AAC support in their device? You could then decide what player you wanted without worrying about leaving 700 songs behind when someone makes a sweet piece of hardware and you are left with Apple-only products.
Anyone who blindly follows such a draconian way of thinking is a tool to the company.
ty @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
just an effort to clarify:
it seems to me that this is a post about a new mp3 player. as such, a comparision between the ipod and this new rca player are apt.
agreed?
the ipod will play anything that this new rca player will. in fact, the ipod will play anything any player will, except for that proprietary sony stuff, and nobody's using that anyway.
this is not a post about online music stores. many people here seem to be confused on this point.
note: an ipod is a music player. the itunes store is an ecommerce system that sells music. therefore, an ipod is not the itunes store.
still with me?
actually, it's pretty cool that so many see the two as a the same thing. it illustrates how well the apple experience is integrated. but i digress.
the ipod is not the itunes store. nor is it necessarily tied to the ITMS. the ipod is not the apple component that limits choice. the itunes store is.
again: ipod=flexibility. itunes=limited choice. ipod does not = itunes.
so all those afraid to limit their choices by purchasing an ipod--go ahead. do it. buy one. buy music from wherever you like. play it. everything's great.
oh yeah. if you want to buy itunes music, go ahead. it'll play just fine on your ipod. it won't on this rca though.
i guess that makes the ipod a more versatile, pro-choice product than every other player out there.
remember: itunes offers limited choice. you don't have to spend a dime there to fill your player with hours of music. ipod will play everything.
okay?
as for this rca unit, i have no idea how big it is, but it looks great. however, adding photo capabilities without an input interface (a cf slot to download photos to from a digital camera) is like engineering a car without wheels.
the ipod photo misses the point there too, despite its tight integration with iphoto.
andrewmel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:49AM
actually the ipod wont play ogg vorbis which gives smaller file sizes for the same quality, albeit at battery cost. the iriver h320 and h340 both play ogg vorbis.
a
John Doe @ Jan 5th 2006 12:30AM
I like iPods, but they're too big, and the mini doesn't have a display. I buy from iTunes because I prefer the ease of purchase compared to wal*mart.
What about my MP3 player? Well, it's a bit crude, but all i need is an un-scratched CD-RW. For those of you wanting to convert your protected MP3 files to a playable format for any MP3 player, just burn a music CD and rip it to standard, unprotected mp3 format. Apple thought of everything - they thought...
It's a hastle, but one i'm willing to put up with until I can virtually rip mp3s.
There's also the endless possibilities for the future with the new Mac OS for Intel-based chips. The gulf dividing Apple and the main streem is being bridged.
I'll continue buying mp3s from iTunes and playing them on my Lyra or iRiver player.