This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 21st, 2006 at 10:08 and is filed under Analysis & Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Site Search:
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
SvenOnTech has been calling for some advancements in the iPod for some time now. One of those is built-in Wi-Fi. Apple has been pretty quiet on any upcoming improvements to its DAP and rumors really haven’t made any mention of a wireless data connection (other than Bluetooth.)
Well, it seems someone else sees the power in Wi-Fi and with the release of MusicGremlin Direct, you can now download any of the offered 2 million songs from the service directly onto your DAP via Wi-Fi. MGD (MusicGermlin Direct, not the beer) is just another name for PlayForSure, so you won’t have to worry about yet another new service competing for iTunes Music Store customers. The DAP itself has 8 GB of storage and a small 2-inch QQVGA display. Also included is USB 2.0 that supports charging when plugged in, line-in, and an FM receiver, along with the aforementioned 802.11b radio. Only WMA and MP3 formats are supported. All this for $300 plus the $15 month subscription fee.
The true beauty of this device is its ability to find a hotspot, log into the service, and allow you to pick and choose a song or songs for immediate download and enjoyment. Even cooler is if a friend has an MGD, you can set up an ad-hoc network with each other and share songs! Why isn’t Apple doing this?
A direct connection to iTMS via your iPod would be a great feature, especially if movies are coming. To be able to just download a new song or movie in an airport, coffee shop, or even in the lobby of a company while waiting for a meeting to start, would increase the cool-factor of the iPod, as well as the usefulness. Sharing songs between other users would probably be a bit more difficult for Apple to pull off due to licensing; however, under current agreements, you can sync your iTMS DRM protected music with an unlimited amount of iPods. Maybe Apple was thinking of the future?
Apple really needs to be bringing this technology to the iPod. These features along with the ability to sync with your iTunes in the other room of your house would be nice. No, great. Hopefully Apple sees that and maybe with MGDs release, it will heighten its awareness to this.
June 21st, 2006 at 20:15
WiFi and battery life are not the best of pals.
June 21st, 2006 at 20:38
True, but that’s what 802.11n is all about. Better performance at reduced power consumption. Further, you can always have the Wi-Fi enable only when an item in the menu is selected that would require the radio. After it’s done being used, off it goes.