CNET Reviews posted a great article last week on the best MP3 players for people who like to record audio directly to a device without the aid of a computer. (The article referred to these people as "pirates," rather than "lawful archivers of personally owned content." Argh, mateys!) I second their strong approval of Toshiba's Gigabeat U, and generally think the Gigabeats were sorely underrated.
The iRecord Pro gives you an easy way to import audio or video from almost any source to your iPod, without a computer.
(Credit: Streaming Networks)But what if you've already got an iPod, as sales statistics suggest more than 70 percent of you do? Streaming Networks' iRecord is the answer. Connect any device with an S-video or composite video (or audio-only) output to the iRecord, connect the iRecord's USB output to your iPod or other MP3 player, hit the record button, and you're on.
The original was released two years ago, and the iRecord Pro came out earlier this year, adding support for more devices (including the iPhone and iPod Touch), a timer that lets you set recording times, and the ability to transcode MPEG-2 video files stored on a computer to the device's preferred H.264 video format. Today, the company announced support for the iPhone 3G as well.
It's a bit expensive for an accessory--the Pro costs $259.95--but worth it if you like to grab content from a wide variety of audio and video sources for your iPhone or MP3 player, and don't want to muck around with a computer and recording software in the middle.
I've mentioned it before, but I continue to be amazed at all the buzz about Pandora's online radio service, which creates playlists based on your musical tastes. About once a month, someone comes up to me and asks me if I'm familiar with it, and don't I just love it?
These fans seem to be casual music listeners in their thirties, knowledgeable about computers and personal technology but not obsessed with it. They may have an iPod at home, but have grown tired of their own personal music collection or haven't gotten around to connecting it to their car stereo. They're old enough to remember a time when music radio didn't suck, and would listen to more of it if they could find a station they liked. They're amazed at how well Pandora fits their musical tastes, and wish they had a way to listen to it away from the computer.
Pandora on the iPhone.
(Credit: Pandora)I've never had this conversation about Last.fm, or iLike, or Imeem, or any other online music service. For whatever reason, Pandora seems to have hit a nerve with my demographic, just like MySpace did with teens and twentysomethings about two years ago.
In other words, Pandora's perfectly poised for a big mainstream bump. And the iPhone version, covered here by CNET's Donald Bell, is the necessary catalyst.
Once the early adopters have gotten through the queue, I think the iPhone will appeal mostly to this same audience. Thirtysomething professionals who are interested in but not obsessed with technology will find the iPhone to be the first phone that actually lets them do things they want to do without requiring a certified geek to show them how. (Example: snapping a decent-quality photo and e-mailing it from the phone. Doing that from my Verizon-enabled Razr is not easy, and the pictures suck. My neighbor did it from his new iPhone in five seconds.)
Pandora on the iPhone is attractive, intuitive, and offers an obvious tangible benefit--great music at no charge. Plus, if you just have to own a song, you can buy it from iTunes with one click (if you have an active Wi-Fi connection).
Pandora is already available for selected other phones, but there it costs a few bucks per month after a free trial. Plus, none of those other phones have the mainstream brand-name appeal of the iPhone. The only question is the money--once Pandora on the iPhone takes off, how will Pandora make money from it? I'm hoping they don't ruin the appeal of the service with overly intrusive advertising.
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