Gateway upgrades Jukebox

Gateway on Thursday released a version of its MP3 Photo Jukebox with more storage and enhanced features.

The new device, GCM-6, has 6GB of storage capacity, which Gateway says is enough for as many as 1,500 MP3 songs or 2,000 digital photos. The player is about the size of a deck of cards and weighs 3.4 ounces, Gateway said.

Photos, playlists and track information are displayed on the color screen, which also includes a scroll feature for navigating the content. Users can browse music by album, artist, genre, track or playlist, while photos can be displayed individually or in a slideshow. Users can transfer photos to the Photo Jukebox via a USB 2.0 cable, Gateway said. The devices include Windows Media Player 10.

Apple currently dominates the digital-music marketwith its iPods. Other PC makers, including Dell, have entered the market with their own MP3 players.

The GCM-6 is compatible with music services such as Napster. When buying the device, customers who sign up for Napster will get the first three months of Napster to Go for free.

The new Photo Jukebox has begun shipping at a retail price of $249.99, the company said. Gateway's previous version of the MP3 Photo Jukebox has 4GB of storage capacity and retails for $199.99.

Wow!!!!

IT's so clunky, ugly, and only has 6 GB and USB 2.0 connectivity for 249.00?!?!?!?! That's a great deal compared to the 60 Gig iPod Photo that comes with USB 2.0/Firewire!!!!!! (that was sarcasm by the way)

Seriously, Dell needs to give up. I know one person who owns one, and everyone else I know that has an MP3 player has some type of iPod. Face it Apple's cornered the market with a sleak, elequant, desirable device. No one can beat them now.

[frankz00]

Not wow, WHY??

This is the same Gateway whose previous "iPod killer" didn't even have an option to play albums in track order. Their solution was for the user to create playlists with the tracks in album order! After that harrowing experiecne, I will never trust any third rate music player manufacturer again. Every music player I buy MUST have an Apple symbol on it or I have ZERO interest!

iPod versus Jukebox

I think that many people who are buying iPods
as their first Apple product and comparing
them to clunky designs like the Gateway
Jukebox are now starting to see why Apple
enjoys such strong support from its computer
users. Apple products are thoughtfully
designed and are a pleasure to use. For
example, they really haven't had to change the
basic design or control layout of the iPod
much from the first-generation iPods: Apple
nailed it and gave us a good, elegant design
right from the start. Contrast that with efforts by
Gateway and others who still can't come up
with a good, decent design even though they
have the benefit of following in the footsteps of
the iPod !

[mortis9]

ahhh but they don't

apple holds the patent on the touch wheel... without that, they can't follow in the footsteps. i love my ipod, but i must say: software is a concern. I have no doubt that when i replace my 20gig ipod i'll be getting another ipod, but microsoft's janus technology that allows for cheap expiring subscription services sounds really really cool. apple needs to wise up.