MusicGremlin
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SanDisk acquires MusicGremlin, slips it in front pocket
Quite a bit of time has elapsed since we last saw fit to mention MusicGremlin on these pages, but the long-lost outfit has found itself relevant again thanks to SanDisk. Announced today, the latter firm has acquired the former, and we're told that the acquisition will (expectedly) fall under the Sansa audio / video business unit. According to Daniel Schreiber, general manager and senior VP of the aforesaid unit, MusicGremlin's "digital distribution platform and capabilities will provide SanDisk with adaptive and innovative technology that will play a key role in the development of future Sansa products for consumers," though he didn't elaborate much beyond that. To be frank, we have some serious respect for the Sansa line as-is, so we're quite interested to see what impact (if any) this will eventually have on the crew we've come to know so well.
Startup claims to be working on a, um, Zune-killer
For those music lovers out there who were eagerly awaiting entry into "the social" only to find out that the Zune's WiFi-enabled sharing feature was gimmicky at best, all hope is not lost: according to Wired News, a San Diego-based startup is poised to release a DAP that will not only let users get their share on, but actually enable direct-to-device downloads as well. While this as-yet-unnamed product sounds an awful lot like the promising-but-flawed MusicGremlin, the industry vets behind Broadband Instruments -- former Diamond Multimedia (makers of the Rio) boss Jim Cady, former MusicMatch CEO Dennis Mudd, and former iRiver America chief executive Jonathan Sasse -- may have enough experience and clout among them to ensure a successful implementation where others have previously faltered. Besides the wireless features, the BI device is also said to offer "a new type of integration with online radio stations," although so far details on this and other functionality remain under wraps. What we do know for certain is that "traditional USB connections will (only) play a minor role in getting content to your device," and that this content will come from a proprietary service, reflecting the Apple- and Microsoft-led trend to develop vertically integrated ecosystems. So when will we learn more? Wired claims that all the pertinent details will be revealed within the next two months, so if you're in the market for a new DAP, see if you can't hold out just a little longer (or buy from an outfit with a very lenient return policy).
Epigon thinks it can make a true WiFi media player
Epigon is putting together all the pieces for what it's calling the "Versus," a new WiFi streaming media player, according to the EE Times. Now of course, this is just a reference design at this point, which means it could turn into any of a reported six possible branded devices. From what we can tell, the Versus is aiming to be what the Zune isn't. That is to say, it'll have real WiFi, according to CTO Jayakumar Singaram, who told the EE Times: "We think the most important feature such a player needs is Wi-Fi connectivity, and so have an on-board Wi-Fi based on silicon from NXP [Semiconductors], so that users do not need to connect to a computer via Ethernet or a USB to download." Beyond WiFi, the Versus may even have an Ethernet jack as well, in addition to the traditional USB jack option. It'll be an interesting project to keep an eye on.
MusicGremlin MG-1000 review roundup
We've been following start-up Music Gremlin for some time now, from its ambitious beginnings as a software company through its transition to a reference device designer and finally into a self-branding manufacturer, so we were more than a little disappointed to learn that lukewarm reviews of the recently-launched MG-1000 DAP indicate that it contains no small number of bugs and frustrating restrictions. Like the prototype Zing player that we recently spotted (but unlike the similarly-equipped SoniqCast devices), the MG-1000 offers direct-to-device downloads along with device-to-device file transfers thanks to built-in WiFi, but these features are limited to customers who also pay $15-a-month for the proprietary Music Gremlin service, on top of the $300 they already shelled out for the unit itself. Some of the problems reviewers have mentioned -- such as an intermittent WiFi connection, cumbersome search process, and lack of automatic power down or FM presets -- can be addressed by the company in future firmware releases, but other issues -- like the small 8GB hard drive, relatively weak battery life, and inability to share any tracks besides subscription downloads with anyone but fellow subscribers -- are either hardware-based or can't be resolved due the conditions that music studios include in their licensing agreements. Unfortunately, unless you really, truly need to ability to download music when you're away from your computer, the drawbacks to this device when compared to a similarly-priced, video-playing 30GB iPod don't seem to outweigh the limited benefits you'll derive from its wireless capabilities.Read- The Wall Street Journal's Walter MossbergRead- CnetRead- Laptop Magazine
Zing-based DAPs to offer Sirius, downloading over WiFi
There's a new player in town looking to expose the Music Gremlin to some harsh sunlight, and with Sirius and VoIP capabilities along with the Gremlin-like WiFi and Bluetooth for sharing and downloading, the Zing reference device may prove to be a formidable nemesis for the player we first caught at CES. Cnet was hanging out at the D4 conference today and got to check out the Zing in action, and report that the device will enable third-party content providers to offer convenient PC-less download services, although unfortunately the Sirius-branded version will get its radio content not from satellites or terrestrial repeaters but solely through relatively short-range WLAN connections. Still, the built-in mic means that Zing-based products could potentially incorporate VoIP services as well, which would make them serious contenders for some of the musicphones on the market if not for their limited utility outside the range of a hotspot.[Via Orbitcast, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
