Long Life MP3 Players

 

Long Life MP3 Players
PC Magazine - USA
... Our audio battery test consists of a real-world mix of MP3 files encoded at a range of bit rates from 128Kbps to 320Kbps for audio. ... 

 

Source: Techsplosion, Cheap MP3 Players & More.... Welcome To ...
PRMinds (press release) - Palaiseau,France
A brand new addition to the T-Classic MP3 player range, this mp3 player boasts all the same features as the standard T-classic MP3 players, and more! ...

Volume of hearing loss rising
Chicago Tribune - United States
... Apple Computer Inc., which makes the market-leading iPod, sold 14 million of the MP3 players in the last quarter, its best performance ever. ...

MP3 Pacha Player
CNET Reviews - USA
I have been informed Pacha discotheque has launched an MP3 Player. ... The Pacha MP3 has been pre-recorder with a mix of 23 new tracks from best DJs Worldwide. ...

Keepin' it real fake, part XVIII: another day, another iPod ...
engadget - Santa Monica,CA,USA
Watchful reader Fabio spotted this 512MB "Pocket Media" MP3 player going for $65 in Switzerland. We're not quite sure what they're ...

Audiobooks any time online
Rockland Mariner - Marshfield,MA,USA
Audiobooks (digital versions of traditional audio books on tape or CD) can be enjoyed on a PC or on hundreds of portable WMA/MP3 players. ...

What mp3 player do u think i should get?
CNET Reviews - USA
Hey Guys, Im looking for a mp3 player with at least 20-30GB and great sound quality with long battery life and as well as the size being not so thick and ...

Numark Intros MP102 Rackmount MP3 CD Player
Synthtopia - AZ,USA
... of a cost-effective, rackmountable solution to a wide variety of music playback requirements, the new MP102 plays both standard CD audio and MP3 CDs, provides ...

Creative Distant 2nd in MP3 Player Race
addict3d.org - USA
... Creative met their goal though to become profitable again. In terms of sold 2.6 million MP3 player in the so important holiday season Quarter. ...

Smartphone as a portable MP3 player?
Geek.com - USA
Every mobile device that I own has the ability to play MP3 files and serve as a mobile music player. I do actually load music onto ...

Creative second in MP3 player sales, but it's not close
Mobilemag.com - USA
The good news is that Creative is in second place in the race for dominance in the MP3 player market. The bad news is that they ...

HIGH-FIDELITY MP3 FILES OF "OFF THE HOOK" AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
2600 News - USA
Later, we switched to the more open and better-sounding MP3 format, at 16 kb /second, and the popularity of this format grew to the point that we no longer ...

Sony unveils car deck with built-in MP3
Mobilemag.com - USA
Given that most head units these days come with detachable faceplates, why not integrate some flash memory in there and create a drag-and-drop MP3 player? ...

X9 XN-F3 MP3 Player With Color Screen
Gizmodo.com - Budapest,Hungary
... Unfortunately, it's only available in Korea for now. This looks really cool, but for me, anytime I look at a new MP3 player I have one concern. The battery. ...

Peter Cochrane's Blog: The MP3 Wars, part 2
Silicon.com - UK
Just when we might have thought the MP3 wars were over and all the problems had gone away, up pops a new point of vexation for the music, movie and ...

Lonely? Virtual Friend Spleak is Ready to Chat on MSN Messenger

 

Your New Virtual Friend Spleak is Ready to Chat on MSN Messenger

A new alliance between MSN and Morten Lund company IMT Labs makes it easier and more entertaining than ever to chat with Spleak, the AI based chatbot.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (PRWEB) January 26, 2006 -- IMT Labs, a company founded by Danish serial entrepreneur and business genius Morten Lund, announced today a new relationship with Microsoft Corp. that will allow MSN Messenger users to add IMT Labs’ chatbot, named Spleak, to their list of MSN Messenger contacts and start chatting with Spleak immediately. Users will be able to enjoy free and instant access to the extensive and entertaining Spleak character, without having to download or install any applications.

IMT Labs has spent the month of December 2005 testing the Spleak chatbot on its new platform, and results have been impressive. Although no public announcements have been made, more than 350,000 internet users have already added Spleak to their MSN Messenger contacts, resulting in an average of more than 45 minutes chatting with her.

“We are very excited about this new agreement,” said Nicolaj Reffstrup, chief executive officer and co-founder of IMT Labs. “It is extremely easy to chat with Spleak just by adding her e-mail address to MSN Messenger. I am confident that she will get thousands of new friends in the future.”

He adds that Spleak’s main audience are teens looking to have fun and be entertained online, and that is exactly what Spleak is all about, says Reffstrup. He now looks forward to developing the chatbot even further with new and exciting features that appeal to the picky teen audience.

Spleak – your best virtual friend
What exactly is Spleak then? The question is rather, who is Spleak? Spleak is a 20 year-old virtual girl, born in France and now living in New York. She attends international studies at a university and works in a coffee shop in her spare time.

The general idea of Spleak is to provide a human-like chatbot which is able to communicate in a natural language like “real” people – and like any real person, Spleak has a life and a personality.

She is available for chat on MSN Messenger every day around the clock, always ready to cheer you up, play a game, read your horoscope, teach you English, deliver the news and weather forecasts, and many, many other things. Her knowledge is close to unlimited - you can ask her almost anything and she will provide an answer.

How do you add Spleak?
You can chat with Spleak yourself by adding the e mail address email protected from spam bots to your MSN Messenger contacts, or visit her website at http://www.spleak.com

About IMT Labs IMT Labs (Intelligent Messaging Technology Labs) is a global innovator in communication technologies and concepts, developing and building highly sophisticated chatbots for MSN Messenger.

IMT Labs was founded in 2004 by Morten Lund and Nicolaj Reffstrup.

For more information, please visit http://www.imtlabs.com and http://www.spleak.com.

About Morten Lund
Morten Lund is the neo-classical serial entrepreneur, having founded or invested in more than 30 high profile tech start-ups including VoIP star Skype (recently sold to eBay), anti-virus consumer brand Bullguard, Scandinavian web agency NeoIdeo (sold to Leo Burnett), and high performing
Chinese browser Maxthon (47M downloads).Press photos and artwork is located on http://www.spleak.com/press/

Media contacts
Nicolaj Reffstrup
IMT Labs A/S
+45.46.966.400

Morten Hessellund
IMT Labs A/S
+45.46.966.400

Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

###

Press Contact: Rene Hjetting
Company Name: PRESSWIRE
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: +45 29 27 65 40
Website: http://www.spleak.com

Free Xbox 360 Reward Earned By 4Freebie.com Member

 

4Freebie.com Member Receives First Free Xbox 360 Reward

James Marpole of Denver, Colorado was among the first to receive a free Xbox 360 from 4Freebie.com. The website gave away two units during its launch phase in an effort to prove its legitimacy during its early stages. James stated "I never expected this site would actually work, but I am living proof that it actually does."

(PRWEB) January 26, 2006 -- 4Freebie.com member receives first free Xbox 360 reward.

4Freebie.com launched in December 2005 as a freebie network unique from its competition. The website allows users to register for free to try out sponsor offers and refer friends to do the same. Upon a member referring "x" amount of members, members can receive items ranging from gaming systems, to digital cameras, iPods and even PayPal cash payments.

The site has exploded in popularity, with over 2,000 members registered in little over one month's time since launch. And apparently the site is for real, three members have already received free cash and product from 4Freebie.com.

James Marpole of Denver, Colorado was among the first to receive a free Xbox 360. The website gave away two units during its launch phase in an effort to prove its legitimacy during its early stages. James stated "I never expected this site would actually work, but I am living proof that it actually does".

Mr. Marpole is not alone, other members have also been rewarded a $250 Amazon Gift Certificate and $225 PayPal Cash for their participation in the 4Freebie program. Proof of this can be seen at: http://www.4freebie.com/index.php?middle=testimonial&parent=Home&child=Testimonial

Through a cross promotion strategy with large businesses, retail outlets and online stores, the company’s unique business model works in such a way that the advertisers like eBay, Citibank and Jamster pay for the products that get sent to the consumer. These sponsors are looking for new customers and in exchange for trying their products and services the consumer receives high end, and totally free products. The sponsors pay 4Freebie.com referral fees for helping them acquire new customers and this money in turn goes towards the cost of the free items sent to the consumer.

In order to participate in the program, consumers must first visit www.4Freebie.com and fill out a simple registration. Secondly, the consumer must complete an online offer. These are special online offers from well-known advertisers, and can be found on the "Offers" page once a person is logged in. Once a member tries one of these offers and completes the referral requirements they receive a free product.

In order to receive the free products, each consumer must refer friends or business associates to the site and have them click on their referral link. Once that new person has joined, they must also complete one online offer from their account. The more referrals a member makes, the more credits they receive that can be used towards free products.

Once the consumer has completed the above steps, 4freebie.com will ship their order out promptly exactly the same as ordering through any other online store. The difference is that the consumer doesn’t pay a dime.

4Freebie currently offers Apple 30GB Video iPod, Xbox 360, Digital Cameras, a $500 Wal-Mart Gift Card, PayPal Cash & more. The company plans on offering numerous high quality free products as more advertisers begin to participate in the company’s unique advertising model.

About 4Freebie.com
4Freebie.com is a unique way for advertisers to access potentially new customers while giving consumers the opportunity to receive cash and high quality free products.

# # #

Press Contact: Kyle Johnston
Company Name: 4FREEBIE.COM
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-800-853-3259
Website: http://www.4Freebie.com

Music With a Message Seeks To Divert a full 25% Of Retail Sales

A Music with a Message Support Community Opens Online

Press Release by: HarmonyNet Media Group

Published on openPR 01-25-2006 10:36 am - CET

(openPR) - The recent excitement around the rapid growth of online music downloads was punctuated by a strong exclamation mark, based on the analysis of US Holiday music downloads. According to a reputable marketing research firm, nearly 20 million songs were downloaded in the week just prior to the US Christmas holiday. And MOST IMPORTANTLY, almost 20% of those download sales, were from gift cards. HarmonyNet Media Group, a CA based, HI operated Marketing Architecture and Business Development firm, is pleased to announce an innovative program to raise money for good causes.

Music With a Message Membership Communities

Based on a personal story heard by our CEO, Patrick Michaels, during a trip in the 80’s in the Midwest, from the outgoing CEO of MCI (Mr. McGowan) and his son, we’re introducing our campaign to deliver supportive musical expressions, through a combination of high touch and high tech packaging. The Music with a Message Membership Community program, will make the music that encourages support for your favorite charity, non-profit, or good community cause, as a gift item for your friends, relatives, neighbors, and associates.

As in all the In Business 4 Good campaigns, a full 25% of the retail sale will be dedicated and allocated to a specific charity, non-profit, or community effort. The musicians will be nominated by a community of activists, advocates, and supporters, to align the musical message with the campaign theme. All musicians will be paid royalties for the use of their music, in amounts ranging from 12 to 20 % of retail sales.

For additional information on this, connect with our CEO, Patrick Michaels, through one of these electronic methods.

Inbusiness4good@yahoo.com
Yahoo Instant Messaging (messenger.yahooo.com) ID lean bicycler

Additional information is accessible here:

http://www.angelfire.com/indie/indiemusicreports/musicwithamessage.html

***
HarmonyNet Media Group
Patrick Michaels
Chief Encouragement Officer
inbusiness4good@yahoo.com
Yahoo IM ID leanbicyler

---

From their site:

 

*Membership in any community provides a special monthly artists and good causes e-newsletter; special incentives for gift sets for a good cause, including music downloads, music gift cards, support merchandise, and support campaigns. Payments can also be mailed to HarmonyNet Media Group, c/o Patrick Michaels, P.O. Box 2091, Kapaa, HI 96746. Anticipate 2 - 4 weeks for processing, depending on whether the mail personnel are surfing or fishing over here.

 

While they may be well-intentioned, they do not seem to be a legal 503c charity...

Mercedes jumps into MP3 market?

 

Mercedes jumps into MP3 market?
Mobilemag.com - USA
Other auto manufacturers have already put their emblems and branding on a handful of multimedia devices, and Mercedes-Benz seems to be jumping all over the ... 

 

Macworld Podcast #26: Intel iMac Benchmarks
Macworld - San Francisco,CA,USA
Macworld Lab Director James Galbraith joins us for this episode of the Macworld Podcast to explain what our testing has found and what it will mean for you if ...

Podcast 6 - Strathpuffer and Hemming
Singletrack - Todmorden,Lancashire,UK
... A podcast is simply a multi-media file that you can download and play on your computer or on a portable media device such as an iPod. ...

Anime Network Tops Podcast Charts
Anime News Network - Canada
... dedicated to anime, announced today that its popular program DVD Dojo cracked the top 20 on the Apple iTunes Music Store's US Top Subscribed Podcast list. ...

County to podcast meetings
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne,IN,USA
For an investment of less than $100, Allen County Commissioners meetings will be podcast over the Internet beginning today. Translation ...

Medialink:''Tiger Wins, You Could Win'' Podcast
Autochannel - USA
--Some say winning isn't everything. Most of the time, they're right. But as Tiger Woods kicks off his 2006 PGA Tour season and ...

Real Stern Shocker: No Podcast
DisInfo.com - New York,NY,USA
'Satellite radio is a pretty good technology that's attracting a respectable audience primarily through excellent programming. But ...

Engadget Podcast 065 - 01.24.06
engadget - Santa Monica,CA,USA
Lot of music going on in the Podcast this week, between Apple's ongoing tiff with The Postal Service, Franz Ferdinand's limited edition Network Walkman, and ...

Mix: NBC sales, Podcast searches, The Munsters, Steve Jobs
iLounge - Irvine,CA,USA
An NBC executive has revealed that the company has sold approximately $2.5 million in TV shows on the iTunes Music Store, one third of it from "The Office ...

Podcast Site Features Free Serialized Audio Books
Podcasting News - Des Moines,IA,USA
Podiobooks.com is now out of beta, and currently offers 19 titles to listeners in serialized fashion. The site lets subscribers ...

Internet Daily
MarketWatch - USA
... 13. New categories for the "Bloggies" this year include the best craft blog, best teen Web log and best podcast of a Web log. Nominees ...

IPod's, MP3's Could Cause Hearing Loss
KXAN-TV - Austin,TX,USA
If you or your kids have an MP3 player, listening to music may be fun now, but down the road it could cause permanent hearing loss. ...

MP3 player goes bling bling with 24 carat gold back
Pocket-lint.co.uk - UK
25 January 2006 - Jens of Sweden has launched a new MP3 player that has plenty of "bling" factor as well as competing directly against Apple's ipod nano. ...

SanDisk Sansa m230 512MB MP3 Player Review
nForcersHQ.com - USA
... playback. And even if you're using iTunes, just make sure you rip your music to MP3 (and not AAC) format--you'll be golden.

A Grande Latte And MP3 To Go
Smart House - Australia
... Media Bars in several stores in the US, where customers could burn their own CDs, but these were unsuccessful as customers wanted digital mp3 downloads instead ...

Alibaba Rocks The New Mercedes MP3 Player
Autochannel - USA
Yesterday, the boys over at Jalopnik got word of this awesomely small piece of crap, an MP3 player that apparently attempts to capture the "I have enough money ...

Lowdown on MP3 artists
Brisbane Courier Mail - Queensland, Australia
... Perhaps one of the best new ways to keep abreast of music you may like are MP3 blogs. MP3 blogs are a sort of online tip sheet with free-samples thrown in. ...

MobiBlue DAH-1900 MP3 Player Offers World-Beating Battery Life
Digital-Lifestyles.Info - London,England,UK
MobiBlu's soon-to-be-released DAH-1900 MP3 Player (256mb/512mb/1gb) claims to have the longest battery life of any MP3 player in the entire known universe. ...

An MP3 With That Coffee?
Gearlog - New York,NY,USA
... 2004). Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks, says that his MP3 download idea is still in the works, so no date has been set. However ...

 

Podcast Marketing Master Class Offered

Business Guru David Maister Launches Podcast Marketing Master Class

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2006--Boston business guru David Maister today launches the first in a series of unique podcasts on marketing for professional services firms -- available free from his website, www.davidmaister.com.

Maister, a former Harvard Business School professor and named as one of the top 40 business thinkers in the world, covers topics including becoming a trusted adviser, attracting new clients, and growing current client relationships.

The first four of 14 (20-minute) podcasts are now available on his website, and he likens them to a college course in professional services marketing. "These podcasts are designed to cover a range of marketing issues that can be easily overcome, but which professional services firms seem to consistently get wrong," Maister said.

"I'm making these podcasts available because I think it's extremely important that businesses realize how easy it is to increase their fee income through just being better advisers. It's not rocket science, but so many organizations fumble their way through client relationships so awkwardly that you'd think it was."

Maister's work is dedicated to assisting managers in professional businesses energize people more effectively -- even where this may involve telling them things they don't want to hear. His website also contains numerous frank, constructive articles and videos about where professional services firms are going wrong, and what they should do to ensure staff are focused on making clients happy.

The new website makes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of consulting wisdom available for free. Maister says, "I firmly believe that the best way for an individual or a company to showcase both their expertise and their dedication to client service is to prove they have something to offer by giving a taste away for free. You sell by showing, not by telling. Anyone who wants to test my theory can check out the resources available on www.davidmaister.com."

As one of the most respected consultants in his field, Maister will also be making the closing address at a live web conference on January 25, hosted by Microsoft, in tribute to one of his role models, the late Peter Drucker. Other speakers at this event include Tom Peters, Dr Marshall Goldsmith and Frances Hesselbein. See http://tinyurl.com/87j72.

In 2002, David Maister was named as one of the top 40 business thinkers in the world (Business Minds, by Tom Brown, Prentice Hall/Financial Times). He was a professor at Harvard Business School for seven years before setting up his global consultancy practice in 1985.

He is the author of bestselling management books, Managing the Professional Service Firm (1993), True Professionalism (1997), The Trusted Advisor (2000, with C. Green and R. Galford), Practice What You Preach (2001), and First Among Equals; How to Manage a Group of Professionals (2002, with Patrick McKenna). All are published by The Free Press.

Pictures of David Maister are available on www.davidmaister.com for media use.

Contacts

Larry Bodine Marketing
Larry Bodine, 520-577-9759
or
David Maister, david@davidmaister.com

Professional Turntable / MP3 CD Player From Numark

 

NAMM06: Numark Introduces Professional Turntable / MP3 CD Player
Sonic State - UK
Numark, have announced the X2 (pronounced X-squared) Professional Direct Drive Turntable / MP3 CD Player which they say is a new concept in professional DJ ...

The MP3 Player is Likely to Become the Next Standard Configuration ...
TMCnet - USA
... 4. MP3 player-embedded handsets (2005 -2006) led to competition for storage capacity and battery lifespan, which characterized the fourth tide of development. ...

Some MP3 player vendors to be squeezed out
Telecom Paper (subscription) - Houten,Netherlands
Several MP3 player vendors are due to squeezed out of the Taiwan industry in 2006, due to strong competition and an over-crowded market, according to industry ...

Black Angels, Black Grease MP3
Filter Magazine - Los Angeles,CA,USA
... to guide you on a journey through Heaven & Hell and back again. Turn on, tune in, drone out...download the MP3 to "Black Grease".

How we test
CNET Reviews - USA
MP3 players come in all shapes and sizes. ... Diversity is the spice of life, but it also means that no two models of MP3 players are the same. ...

Walt Disney releases "MP3 player" in Korea
Telecoms Korea (subscription) - South Korea
... No. This time, the global entertainment company comes with MP3 player. ... Its Korean partner will be MPIO, the maker of MPIO MP3 player series. ...

MP3 blogs offer free samples and tip sheets of hot new music
The Spokesman Review - Spokane,WA,USA
... computer. They're called MP3 blogs, and they serve as a combination of tip sheet, word of mouth and free-sample table. Collectively ...

Fisher-Price tackles electronics with KidTronics
Reuters.uk - UK
... The product line, which will include an MP3 music player, a digital camera and the already-released Star Station, which lets kids watch themselves on TV as ...

Cell phones sing a new tune
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA
... music player? And could it possibly replace the love affair many of us already have with our iPods and other MP3 players? I tried ...

Industry report
Detroit Free Press - United States
... at a time of so-called music industry chaos, plans to move beyond compact disc sales and CD burning to allow customers to transfer songs onto MP3 music players ...

 

Worldwide Aid Recordings Music Aid Project Supported By DJ's and Music Industry

International superstar DJ's and industry chiefs from the world of music step forward to support one of the most innovative music-led aid projects ever launched

Press Release by: Worldwide Aid Recordings

Published on openPR 01-19-2006 08:37 am - CET PR Agency: Societás

(openPR) - The first fair trade record label, Worldwide Aid Recordings is the brainchild of music producer Steve Brown and business strategist Melissa Sterry. The project involves travelling to remote communities to record local musical talent including choirs, orchestras and bands and then bringing the recordings back to the UK where they are remixed by top DJ's and producers. The tracks are then sold globally, with all profits given back to the developing world community involved with the project.

Worldwide Aid Recordings (W.A.R) is to launch its operation in India. Working with the organisation Take Heart India, the W.A.R team will travel to Anandwan, the world's largest leprosarium and centre for those with disabilities. Founded by India's most prolific social worker, Baba Amte, who Ghandi dubbed 'Conqueror of Fear' and credited as being one of India's greatest Humanitarian, Anandwan provides training and education to every individual that walks through its doors. The centre gives back self-respect to even the most needy of people and enables them to build a sense of dignity, self worth and independence. Anandwan does not give handouts to those in need; Anandwan provides much needed work and living skills. The centre is a hub of activity; its residents engage in all manner of professions, including carpentry, farming, weaving and a myriad of tradtional Indian crafts. Anandwan also has its own 50-piece orchestra, dubbed the voice of Anandwan. Famous throughout India, the orchestra has played to many high profile international dignitaries. W.A.R will send a recording team out to Anandwan to record a number of tracks performed by the orchestra. An award-winning film director, his crew and two leading documentary photographers will travel with the W.A.R team to create a 1 hour documentary and photo-stories for global release across all major media channels.

W.A.R have approached a number of high profile DJ's to work on the project and have confirmed that DJ Pete Tong is amongst those onbaord. A well-known television and radio presenter has also been approached to travel to India with them to work on the project and act as narrator and presenter on the television docu-diary.

Worldwide Aid Recordings will be released to the International club circuit and the tracks will be distributed for sale across downloads, CD's and Vinyl. The releases will take the sounds and rythems of world music and mix them to produce dance tracks engaging a variety of contemporary musical influences. Having launched the project in India, Worldwide Aid Recordings will travel to other remote developing world destinations to build relationships with communities across Africa, South America, Asia Pacific and Australasia.

Unlike many aid projects, Worldwide Aid Recordings will provide a lasting legacy; sound & recording equipment will be given to the communities involved with the project, enabling them to continue to send recordings back to the UK to be remixed. Over time Worldwide Aid Recordings hope to build up a network of ethnic artists around the world and act as a melting pot for global talent.

Steve Brown, co-founder and director of Worldwide Aid Recordings

"Probably the best job I've ever had. We're a small setup and we out-source to amazing talent worldwide allowing us to enhance music by people not normally able to compete in the world market, which raises awareness of their plight and allows them to earn money to run their community or rebuild their infrastructure, rather than rely entirely on charity. The project also brings great music to our global village".

Melissa Sterry, co-founder and director of Worldwide Aid Recordings

'The project stems from our respect for musical talent. We are going to bring together exceptional talent from all over the world, regardless of race, creed or colour. By applying inspired and directional commercial strategy we hope to enable those who have literally nothing but talent to build themselves a sustainable living. This isn't charity; we are simply engaging developing world communities with the same level of respect and compassion that we show those from the developed world; this project brings those from remote poverty stricken areas to the global market place - it acknowledges talent as an international currency'

Count Lucian Tarnowski, Director of Take Heart India

'Take Heart declares W.A.R (Worldwide Aid Recordings) on the global music industry. With an army of student youth, Take Heart fights passionately and aggressively for peace and justice in the world. Our morale stems from the knowledge that we can help to enable other less fortunate communities to sustain themselves. Musical talent is a universal global phenomenon; W.A.R recruits those in the developing world to become soldiers in the war to Make poverty History'.

Babe Atme, Founder of Anandwan and world famous international humanitarian

'Work builds, charity destroys. Give them a chance not charity'.

Rachel Birchwood, IMD, Agent to Pete Tong, Jeff Mills, Danny Howells, Smokin' Jo, Paul Woolford, Max Graham, Danny Rampling, Sandy Rivera, MYNC Project, Demi and Steve Mac.

'I am delighted to support Worldwide Aid Recordings; the project is groundbreaking and inspired. Creatively W.A.R provides DJ's with a unique opportunity to get to the very source of a musical style; to travel to the heart of the culture from which the music is born. The fusion of old and new, tradtional and contemorary is a proven formula in today's music market. The appeal of this project is that it strips the components of dance music right down and enables DJ's the opportunity to remix an extensive fresh body of samples, whilst supporting a very worthy cause'.


For more information on Worldwide Aid Recordings contact:

Melissa Sterry
Societás
Tel: +44 (0) 870 910 4904
Email: press@societas.ltd.uk
Website: www.societas.ltd.uk

Sample Collection Music Production Tools Available

World Hottest Music Production Tools Available Now

Press Release by: Beatsbymail.com

Published on openPR 01-19-2006 08:29 am - CET

(openPR) - Beatsbymail.com Releases Da Mothaload Sample Collection
January 17, 2006

Beatsbymail.com the hip hop sound sample provider, has just released it's entire sample collections on CD. The sounds are wav format so they can be used in all major software such as Reason 3.0 and Fruityloops and virtually all hardware samplers and keyboard workstations that have sampling capabilities.

What is 'Da Mothaload'? Da Mothaload is all the sound packs available at Beatsbymail.com. The CD is over 450 megs and contains over 7500 wav sample files. In the collection you get the first 300 packs of the popular Chop Block series. These are all the one shots sounds samples of drums, percussions, claps, keys, bass tones, and fx.

It also includes Latin Guitars Vol 1 & 2. These aren't the typical Latin Guitars you find on most Hip Hop sample collections. These loops are authentic down to the expression and timing. They will add a certain character to your productions like never before.

The Italino Mandolinos collection is also included. For those that want to create gangster or dramatic productions this will definitely add that touch. These are the sounds of a beautiful mandolin. Including the slow tremolo you hear on Mob movies.

If you want that 70's funk sound on your tracks, that's in there also. The Funkin' Jaz collection gets down and dirty funk guitars and riffs.

Also in the collection are The Sound Collective series. This is a collection of various genre construction loops perform by a real band. Including Reggae, Funk and Soul. These kits contains everything from electric bass to guitars, from keys to sax. All keynotes and tempos are in the filenames for easy access.

Da Mothaload CD is now available for $97, for more information and to check out the other deals visit www.beatsbymail.com

XtremeMac FS1 Earphones Offer Bigger Sound, Lower Volumes

 

NAMM: H.E.A.R. Foundation Finds Support from XtremeMac FS1 Earphones - Offering Bigger Sound, Lower Volumes

The Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers Foundation (H.E.A.R.®) announced today their inclusion in new product manuals from XtremeMac, Apple iPod® accessories giant, in their new co-branding of the Future Sonics - designed model FS1 hi-definition earphones product materials. According to founder/director, Kathy Peck, "While Future Sonics has always included us in their product manuals and marketing, the new FS1 is the first consumer product available to produce a really outstanding quality of sound at lower volumes of that same type."

San Francisco, CA/Pineville, PA/Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) January 19, 2006 -- NAMM: The Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers Foundation (H.E.A.R.®) announced today their inclusion in new product materials from XtremeMac, Apple iPod® accessories giant, in their new co-branding of the Future Sonics - designed model FS1 high-definition earphones. According to founder/director, Kathy Peck, "While Future Sonics has always included H.E.A.R. in their product manuals and marketing, their new FS1 is the first consumer earphone to produce a really outstanding quality of sound at lower volumes."

Future Sonics has supported the H.E.A.R. Foundation for more than seventeen years. In continuing to support hearing education, their new designs are being distributed through a co-branding agreement with XtremeMac [originally announced May 25, 2005 that now feature H.E.A.R. in the FS1 product materials along with a more comprehensive warnings about the potential risks from misuse of personal earphone products with portable digital media players.

Peck's foundation offers outreach programs, educational support and organizational support so that people more fully understand how to protect the hearing that they have and to realize the risks of both prolonged exposure to sound as well as the potential damage from higher sound pressure levels (SPL's).

Legendary guitarist, Pete Townsend, continues to be outspoken regarding the risks involved with high SPL's from headphones and earphones. Townsend helped create The H.E.A.R. Foundation as an initial investor and supporter from the earliest days of the foundation's hearing clinics not long after Peck suffered her own permanent hearing damage. Peck's story was featured as the June 2005 cover story in Newsweek magazine ( link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8017906/site/newsweek/) and, most recently, featured on CBS News (link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/29/eveningnews/main1085446.shtml) discussing her teaming up with Townsend to bring the importance of hearing education to the public long before the iPod market exploded.

H.E.A.R. showcases a wide range of professional personal monitors and professional earphones from Etymotic Research, Future Sonics, Precision Audiotronics, Sensaphonics, Shure, Westone and others; however, Future Sonics and XtremeMac are the first companies to provide this important type of visibility for all consumers in this product type's marketplace.

H.E.A.R. will be at the NAMM show with their team at booth #2005.

About H.E.A.R.:

Founded in 1988, H.E.A.R.® is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of hearing loss and tinnitus among musicians and music fans through education and grassroots advocacy. With support from the music industry, musicians, audiologists, physicians, hearing health organizations, health manufacturers and individual donors, H.E.A.R.® is helping to raise awareness of the real dangers of repeated exposure to excessive noise levels from music. To take a self-hearing test online or find an audiologist in your area, log onto http://www.hearnet.com. Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers is a hearing health nonprofit public benefit organization 501 (c) (3).

About Future Sonics

Now in their 21st year of innovations, Future Sonics Incorporated's award- winning Ear Monitors (R) brand of professional earphones, Ears (TM) brand universal personal monitors and OEM product designs continues to make them the industry leader for concert tours, recording artists, audio engineers, professional media/broadcasting and houses of worship worldwide. Their dedication to excellence in sound quality, reliability and personal service serve the industry's audio professionals with their products, consulting services and complete system development. Future Sonics products are available online at http://www.futuresonics.com and via their preferred provider network.

About XtremeMac:

XtremeMac designs, manufactures and markets innovative accessories for Apple’s iPod. With its debut in January 2002 at Macworld Expo, XtremeMac entered the market as one of the first manufacturers of iPod accessories. XtremeMac products can be purchased online at www.XtremeMac.com and www.apple.com, and through retailers including The Apple Store and XtremeMac’s network of resellers and distributors.

For more information, contact:
Kathy Peck Director H.E.A.R.®
(415) 409-3277
http://www.hearnet.com

or

Daniel East
Future Sonics
(877) FSI-EARS
http://www.futuresonics.com

or

Jennifer England
XtremeMac
(866) 392-9800
www.xtrememac.com

Belinda Banks for XtremeMac
S&S Public Relations
(212) 946-2823

H.E.A.R.®, the H.E.A.R. "guitar" logo and "hearnet.com" are registered trademarks of H.E.A.R. Partners & The H.E.A.R. Foundation.

Ear Monitors(R) is a registered trademark of Future Sonics Incorporated.

iPod(R) is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

###

Press Contact: Kathy Peck
Company Name: H.E.A.R. Foundation
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 4154093277
Website: http://www.hearnet.com

Finale Music Notation Software Runs On Windows and Macintosh Computers

MakeMusic to Support Intel-Based Macs; Finale Will Run Natively on Both Power PC and Intel-based Macintosh Computers

 

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2006--MakeMusic, Inc. (Nasdaq:MMUS) announced today that the next version of Finale(R), the award-winning music notation software, will be released as a Universal application. "Universal" refers to the fact that it will run natively on both Power PC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers. Finale will also continue to support current Windows operating systems.

"Many of our Macintosh users are very excited about the recent release of new Intel-based Macintosh computers," stated MakeMusic's chief marketing officer, Ron Raup. "We want to let all our Macintosh users know that we're committed to supporting this important and exciting development for Macintosh in Finale 2007 once it is released later this year."

While a release date for the next version of Finale has not yet been announced, MakeMusic typically releases a new Finale upgrade annually -- the most recent version, Finale 2006, was released on July 25, 2005.

About MakeMusic, Inc.

MakeMusic, Inc. is a world leader in music-education technology whose mission is to enhance and transform the experience of making, teaching and learning music. Among its leading products are Finale(R), the world's best-selling music notation software, and SmartMusic(R), the complete music practice system that features Intelligent Accompaniment(R) and the world's largest interactive accompaniment library. MakeMusic maintains its corporate headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company can be reached at www.makemusic.com.

Contacts

MakeMusic, Inc., Minneapolis
Investors:
Alan Shuler, 952-906-3690
ashuler@makemusic.com
or
Media:
Anne Bartsch, 952-906-3625
abartsch@makemusic.com

At A Glance

MAKEMUSIC! INC
Source: via Business Wire Updated  04/29/2005  by company
Headquarters:	EDEN PRAIRIE, MN
Website:	http://WWW.MAKEMUSIC.COM
CEO:	Bill Wolff
Employees:	61
Ticker:	MMUS  (NASDAQ)

Popular Trade Publications: DV Magazine, eWeek, plus many more free subscriptions

 Subject: Popular Trade Publications: DV Magazine, CADBlocks, plus many more ...

	Greetings! All the publications below are available to you since you live in the United States. We hope you will find them of interest. Click on the titles below to see if you qualify, and be sure to forward this email to business associates - they may wish to apply to receive a complimentary publication in their industry as well. Subscribe and enjoy!   Popular Trade Publications at TradePub.com DV Magazine provides objective, hard-hitting, in depth reviews of digital video ... more info   CADBlocks targets architects, specifying engineers, and CAD Managers ... more info   eWeek enables readers to successfully evaluate, deploy and ... more info   Other Reader Favorites: Refocus reports on all the major developments in renewable energy ... more info   Biophotonics International delivers a unique global insight into the photonic products ... more info   Dr. Dobb's Journal enables programmers to write the most efficient and ... more info   Baseline provides the practical information needed to undertake ... more info   Investment Advisor features product surveys, planner profiles, and ... more info   Small Times spotlights key issues in nanotechnology, MEMS and microsystems ... more info   Remember, all subscriptions are complimentary to industry professionals who meet the publishers' qualifying criteria. If you missed last week's newsletter, please click here to see it now. Cheers! Gina Geertz TradePub.com Manager gina@TradePub.com www.TradePub.com Frequently Asked Questions Are trade publications really FREE and why? Yes! All of the trade publications on the TradePub.com Websites are absolutely free of charge. There are no hidden fees, and there is no obligation. TradePub.com will not invoice for subscriptions. Doing business in today's competitive environment requires a serious commitment to stay abreast of trends and technology, and every business needs a technology infrastructure to perform effectively and efficiently. Trade publications and their advertisers want to give you information you need to do business. It's worth it to them to give you the magazine free because you have a genuine need for the information and products described therein. Advertisers need a vehicle to deliver their message to you which justifies spending advertising dollars to give subscriptions for free. How long will it take to get my first issue? If the publisher determines your subscription is qualified, it may take up to twelve (12) weeks for the publisher or their fulfillment agent to deliver your first issue, however it varies, and may also depend on where your subscription application falls in their circulation cycle. How will I know if I've qualified to receive the free trade publication? All qualification forms are forwarded to the publishers. It is the sole discretion of the publisher to determine if they will accept or deny subscriptions. Unfortunately publishers do not always have a procedure to notify subscribers if they are not accepted. If the 12 week time frame has passed and you have not received your first issue, you may want to try selecting another publication of similar interest - different publishers may have different qualifying standards for each publication. You may also want to refer to the thank-you email that was sent to you when you submitted the qualification form. There you will find the contact information for directing your subscription status inquiries. What if I am looking for a magazine that is not listed? We add publications to our Website on a regular basis. If you join our email list, you will be periodically notified of any new publications that are added to our site. If I live outside of the U.S., can I qualify to get trade publications? The publishers determine the countries that are eligible for free subscriptions. Some publishers have an international edition available. Unfortunately, TradePub.com cannot make any exceptions. You may view the publication list by geographic eligibility by clicking here. What if my mailing address changes during my subscription? You will need to contact the publisher directly to change your address. For publisher contact information, refer to the masthead in the first few pages of the print magazine, or search online. Who do I contact if I want to find out about editorial calendars, publication advertising, or other content for a specific trade magazine? You will need to contact publishers directly to get editorial, advertising or partnership program information on individual publications. NetLine Corporation does not publish any of the titles listed on the Consultant-Directory.TradePub.com website. You can typically find the publisher contact information on the table of contents page or in the first few pages of the print publication. What qualifications do I need to receive a free subscription to a trade publication? The publishers are solely responsible for determining the specific requirements needed to receive their publications free of charge. TradePub.com is not involved in this decision, nor does TradePub.com have any influence on what this criteria is. Generally, one or more of the following is required: 1. your work requires you to be informed and up-to-date about the subject matter covered by the trade publication, 2. you need information about the types of products that are advertised or discussed in the trade publication, and/or 3. you evaluate, recommend and/or purchase types of products that are advertised or discussed in a trade publication. Publishers are interested in specific job titles and job functions, but may also evaluate and determine qualification based on other criteria asked in their qualification form. Additionally, publishers' criteria may change from time to time, based on their overall demographic needs and requirements. How long will my free subscription(s) last? Publishers determine the length of the subscription period for each publication. Most free subscriptions last at least a year. When the publisher's circulation period is over, however, they may ask you to requalify in order to continue receiving their magazine. Again, these are not soft offers and you will not receive an invoice for your subscription. Is Consultant-Directory.TradePub.com the publisher? Consultant-Directory.TradePub.com is not the publisher of the magazines on this Website or any partner sites. We collect qualified (free) subscriptions on behalf of our publishing clients. For editorial, magazine advertising, circulation, or other inquiries, you will need to contact the publishers directly. Why do the qualification forms ask a personal question? Most publishers work with third party agencies that audit their circulation numbers. These agencies require that subscribers answer a personal verification question to be used during audits to verify that the person filling out the form is indeed who they claim to be. On a standard paper-based qualification form, the publisher would ask for a signature, however since that is not possible to do online, this is the industry accepted alternative. I'm a Circulation Manager or publisher and would like to list my magazine on a TradePub.com site - how can I do this? For information about our subscriber acquisition services, please email your inquiry to pubsales@TradePub.com. Consultant-Directory.TradePub.com is a division of NetLine Corporation - please tell me more about NetLine. NetLine is a marketing automation service provider that combines powerful technology with proven "best practices" to help business-to-business marketers leverage the Internet for lead generation, relationship marketing, and building marketing intelligence. Our services are quite varied and include everything from email newsletters and event follow-up programs to email list rental, online registration pages, and most importantly, the backend tracking, reporting, and analysis of these efforts to validate their effectiveness. NetLine, an innovator in Internet marketing since 1994, is located in Los Gatos, CA.

AliveMedia Releases Alive WMA MP3 Professional Sound Recorder

Alive WMA MP3 Recorder 2.1.3.6 released

Press Release by: AliveMedia.net

Published on openPR 01-17-2006 09:11 am - CET

Alive WMA MP3 Recorder

(openPR) - Record any audio source from your computer into MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, and VOX files directly

AliveMedia has released Alive WMA MP3 Recorder 2.1.3.6, a professional sound recorder software for the Windows 98/NT/ME/2K/XP/2003 platforms, that can records any audio source from your computer into MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, and VOX files, quick and easy.

Alive WMA MP3 Recorder lets you to record all popular audio formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, VOX. With Alive WMA MP3 Recorder you can record sound from microphone, line-in, streaming audio from the Internet, or music played by WinAMP, Windows Media Player, Quick Time, RealPlayer, Power DVD, VCD, Flash, Games, etc... Alive WMA MP3 Recorder allows you to record sound without running out of memory as long as there's nough disk space. This Recorder have simple and intuitive interface. Sound quality of the recordings remains excellent. Alive WMA MP3 Recorder integrates the complete set of record volume control for your convenience.

In addition, Alive WMA MP3 Recorder includes an AudioPlayer and Audio Editor, enables you to play MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, VOX, MPC, AVI, MP1, MP2, MPA, g721, g726, g723 or RAW files, and edit audio file as you desired by cuting.

Alive WMA MP3 Recorder 2.1.3.6 costs $29.95 for a single-user license. A fully functional trial version of Alive WMA MP3 Recorder is available at website: http://www.alivemedia.net/mp3recorder.htm.

# # #

Evaluation Copy Available on Request

Should you need a full version for review, please contact us at:
support@alivemedia.net

Evaluation Copy Download
http://www.alivemedia.net/download/AliveWMAMP3Recorder.exe

Screenshot
http://www.alivemedia.net/images/recorderscreenshot.gif


AliveMedia, Inc. is a professional software company that specializes in creating enjoyable audio, video and image management tools for Windows-based computers. Other titles from AliveMedia Productions include Video Converter, Video Joiner, MP3 WAV Converter, CD Ripper, MP3 CD Burner and Text to Speech.

# # #

For more formation contact:
Paul SHU
Email: support@alivemedia.net
Phone: 416-299-3617

Apple iPod City Guides

mycitymate launches city guides for the Apple iPod

Press Release by: mycitymate S.L.

Published on openPR 01-16-2006 10:26 am - CET

mycitymate iPod city guide

(openPR) - mycitymate – iPod city guides
Who said an iPod's only for listening to music? We know better! You can now get all the essential information about your home city and other top European cities on your iPod.

In addition to the more than 60 mobile phones for which mycitymate already offers its city guides, we have now support for the mobile device of the year – the iPod. Now you can get mycitymate city guides on your iPod and take it with you wherever you go. These city guides contain the same information as our well established city guides for mobile phones.

 

You can customize them and structure them just like you can for any other device we offer. Try a free demo version now at http://www.mycitymate.com. mycitymate is creating the first community based internet and mobile city guide. We connect you with locals and travellers with local knowledge. Our community of users adds venues and reviews about places they know and like. The resulting city guides are much more current and accurate than any print guide written by editors.

But mycitymate isn't just for travellers. With mycitymate Urban Tribes, you can create a network to share your reviews exclusively with those that matter to you most – your friends. With an Urban Tribe guide to your home city on your mobile device, you'll have targeted insights on where to go at your fingertips - and from people you trust. Additionally, based on your favourites and those of your network, mycitymate adds a list of additional recommendations to your guide. Together this content forms an individual city guide that is completely unique to you and your social circle's particular interests.

The company will continue to expand rapidly over the coming weeks and months, adding new cities as well as new devices.

Information about mycitymate S.L.

mycitymate is a startup company based in Barcelona, Spain and Frankfurt, Germany. mycitymate’s aim is to take the travel guide to the next level by providing guides that are comprehensive and up-to-date with unprecedented levels of convenience and personalisation. The company intends to partner with local sources and create engaging communities of locals and travellers who provide reviews, bringing valuable local insights to those who need them.


Contact Information
mycitymate S.L.
Public Relations
info@mycitymate.com
http://www.mycitymate.com

MP3 Player Predicted to be a Big Hit in 2006

 

Unbeatable.co.uk Reviews Zen Vision:M, the MP3 Player Predicted to be a Big Hit in 2006

Unbeatable.co.uk attended the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. One of the best products on show was the Zen Vision:M the latest MP3 Player from Creative Labs.

(PRWEB) January 15, 2006 -- There is a new MP3 player that is about to hit the market that will bring a lot of interest and excitement to lovers of portable entertainment systems and it’s names is The Zen Vision:M from Creative Labs. When considering the purchase of an MP3 player for the question is which model to go for? uumm! While in deep contemplation one thought might be, “don’t get an iPod, everybody’s got one!” and for the chic geek that just won’t do, so here’s a real alternative to that Apple icon.

The Vision:M has a lot to offer. This 30GB MP3 player goes mobile not only with video, photos and music, it’s got FM radio, a personal organiser and voice recording as additional features. The Vision:M has a 64mm (2.5-inch) LCD screen displaying 264,144 colours, which will give video and photos clean, crisp definition with a 320 x 240 resolution. Navigation through settings and menus using the vertical touch pad control is easy to use; simply slide your thumb up or down when scrolling through a list and press the pad when making your selection, it’s a nice feature and simple to use whether relaxing or on the move.

So what can be put in to and get out of this 30GB device? Up to 120 hours of movies (based on 500Kbs MPEG4-SP format), tens of thousands of photos (who has that many photos?) or 15,000 songs (based on 4 minutes per song at 64kps WMA). The Vision:M has a rechargeable Li-Ion battery that provides up to 14 hours of music playback, MP3 and WMA format; however be aware that DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected music files take longer to process and as a consequence the battery life is cut down to around 8 hours of playback. Watch up to 4 hours of video, so that’s a feature length film from start to finish, and get up to 14 hours of FM radio playback.

The Vision:M is considerably more versatile than the iPod for download capability. Music can be downloaded from a number of online music stores such as AOL Music Now, MSN Music, Napster, and Yahoo! Music and also supports music subscription services which include Napster To Go, Rhapsody To Go and Yahoo! Music Unlimited.

The extensive range of video formats supported by the Vision:M includes DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV and XviD. Video content can be downloaded from a number of providers including Google, Yahoo and MSN; the ZENcast website is a great place to get audio and video podcasts and the BBC will be providing the iMP service which allows users to download TV and radio programmes up to seven days after they have been broadcast, so catch up on shows that have been missed; the Zen Vision:M is PlayForSure compatible, giving access to a large number of online music and video stores.

Photos can be viewed on screen individually, there is a zoom feature includes, or watched as a slideshow set to music; the slideshow can also be displayed on a TV screen via an optional composite video-out connector for all to share and enjoy. The FM radio tuner gives you a 32 preset option and the ability to record your favourite radio show to playback at your leisure, not bad at all.

Added feature include password protection for content security, a built-in mic for voice recording, organiser apps include date and time, calendar, tasks and contact lists, which sync with Microsoft Outlook and a clock with music alarm. The Zen Vision:M comes bundled with an AC adapter, USB 2.0 cable, headphones and a protective pouch; optional extras include a docking station and an AV-out cable.

The device is available in five distinctive colours; blue, green, pink black and white, and at present the 30GB is the only model available. This stylish device brings new features to the MP3 market and is well worth considering; it’s a good investment.

###

Press Contact: Hugh Mckinney
Company Name: Unbeatable.co.uk
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 0116 2999911
Website: www.unbeatable.co.uk

Music Software Weekly - January 13 2006

Music Software Weekly - January 13 2006
Vol. 10, No. 2
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/?nl02

If you think 'Music Software Weekly' is a useful and valuable resource, don't keep it to yourself. Send a copy to your friends. Let them know where you get your music software and news.
______________________________________
In This Issue

- Music Software Weekly is now available in HTML
- News Headlines & Features
- Recent Music Software Discussion
- Weekly Editor's Choice Award: athenaCL v1.4.3
- Windows users section
* Highlights of New Windows Downloads
- Tom's Music Thing
- Macintosh users section
* Highlights of New Macintosh Downloads
- Linux users section
* Highlights of New Linux Downloads
- Send us your Feedback
- Unsubscribing Information

o You can get help deciding what software to get, how to solve particular computer problems, and just about
anything else involved in making music on computers from our Music Software Discussion and Help page
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/?nl02

____________________________________

This edition of Music Software Weekly is proudly brought to you by...

Line 6 have a range of great offers with ToneCore pedals, Bass PODxt Live, Variax Workbench, and more - click here: http://www.hitsquad.com/rd/line6/?nl02

The New Yamaha AW1600 The Mobile Musicians Recording Studio Let it take you all the way from Inspiration to Finished CD. http://www.hitsquad.com/rd/yamaha/?nl02

Check out the new look zZounds where we guarantee we will beat ANY price! http://www.hitsquad.com/rd/zzmsw/?nl02
________________________________________
Music Software Weekly is now available in HTML

Every week you receive a 'plain text' copy of the Music Software Weekly newsletter, however a HTML version is now available.

The new HTML version will be much better and will be able to include improved things like pictures, more interesting text, and a better overall look.

All you have to do to change over to the new version of Music Software Weekly is to go to
http://www.hitsquadmail.com/msw-text/

If you still want to receive the 'plain text' version that you are getting now, then do nothing and no changes will be made.

If you have any questions please email us at Msw-text-owner@hitsquadmail.com
___________________________________________
News Headlines and Features

Hitsquad adds RSS Notification for updated software
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1200.html?nl02

Kjaerhus Audio Launches Spectra
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1352.html?nl02

Digidesign Adds the Factory Software Bundle to Digi Systems
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1353.html?nl02

Realmac Software to preview RapidWeaver 3.5 at Macworld
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1354.html?nl02

Recording School Online reaches 100 hours of online material
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1355.html?nl02

HaRdDiSkLiFe.com Streams FREE Mixing Movie
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1356.html?nl02
_________________________________________
Recent Music Software Discussion

Need help with music software? Head to the SMM discussion forums at
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/?nl02

Recent and popular threads:

MIDI driver for "Soul Drum"???
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1343.html?nl02

Copying cdg files
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1341.html?nl02

Help! Yamaha AW-1600 w error - Wrong Word Clock
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1351.html?nl02

Need good audio editing program
http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1359.html?nl02
____________________________________________
Weekly Editor's Choice Award: athenaCL v1.4.3

The athenaCL system is an open-source, cross-platform, object-oriented composition tool written in Python;
it can be...... Check it out.

Read more: http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1362.html?nl02

Looking for more csound and midi utilities software?
Head to http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/cat/CSOUND/?nl02
Head to http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/cat/MIDI_UTILITIES/?nl02

________________________________________
Windows users section

Current Top 5 PC Downloads
---------------------------

1. CloneCD
2. Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16/32/AWE Drivers
3. Windows Media Player 9
4. DirectX 8.1 Runtime
5. dBpowerAMP Music Converter

You can find the top 50 downloads via
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/top50/?nl02

Highlights Of New Windows Downloads
-------------------------------------------
o Voxengo Audio Delay v1.2 - 568 KB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/VoxAudioDelay/?nl02
Stereo audio delay plug-in. [VST]

------------------------------------------------------------
o Mp3tag v2.35 - 1.49 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/MP3_TAG/?nl02
Multi-format tag editor.

------------------------------------------------------------
o 2-2-SiX v1.01 - 2.72 MB - Demo
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/22Six/?nl02
Stereo to 5.1 Surround upmixer. [VST]

------------------------------------------------------------
o Midi Pattern Generator v1.0 - 932 KB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/MIDIPattGen/?nl02
64-step analogue style midi sequencer.

------------------------------------------------------------
o Voxengo Boogex v1.3.1 - 1.51 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/VoxBoogex/?nl02
Guitar amplifier PC VST plug-in.

------------------------------------------------------------
o megaCeloX v1.1 - 2.66 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/megaCeloX/?nl02
Polyphonic stereo synth. [VST]

------------------------------------------------------------
o Songsheet Generator v2.3.2.1 - 1.20 MB - Donationware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/SongsheetGenerator/?nl02
A free program for printing song sheets.

------------------------------------------------------------
o YamiPod v0.90 - 3.22 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/YamiPodWin/?nl02
Free iPod manager.

------------------------------------------------------------
o WinMPG Video Convert v6.1 - 2.93 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/WinMPG/?nl02
Video Converter to convert avi and mpeg.

------------------------------------------------------------
o Cheetah CD Burner v3.36 - 7 MB - Demo
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/CheetahCDBurner/?nl02
Burn Audio, Data, and ISO CDs.

------------------------------------------------------------
o VST Pulse Editor v1.2 - 2.02 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/PulseEditor/?nl02
MIDI synth editor. [VST]

------------------------------------------------------------
o SynthEdit v1.008 Beta - 3.29 MB- Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/SynthEditBeta/?nl02
Modular Synthesiser - Make your own VST plug-in synths.

------------------------------------------------------------
o J. River Media Center v11.1.091 Beta - 12.2 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/JR_mediacenter/?nl02
Organizes and plays music, photo and video files. Rips, burns and encodes and much more.

------------------------------------------------------------
o TagTuner v1.1 - 2.30 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/TagTuner/?nl02
Audio tag editor, unknown album recognizer and cover finder with built-in player.

------------------------------------------------------------
o Arial Audio Converter v2.3.30 - 2.08 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/ArialAudioConverter/?nl02
Audio conversion tool.

------------------------------------------------------------
o athenaCL v1.4.3 - 7.71 MB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/athenaCL_win/?nl02
Polyphonic, poly-paradigm algorithmic music composition in an interactive command-line environment.

------------------------------------------------------------
o FL Studio v6.0.5 - 46 MB - Demo
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/FruityLoops_win95/?nl02
Loop and Song creation tool.

------------------------------------------------------------
o iPod Media Studio Build 007 - 77.6 KB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/iPodMediaStudio/?nl02
iPod Media Studio.

------------------------------------------------------------
o ChordME v1.1 - 654 KB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/ChordME/?nl02
Converts incoming midi notes into full chords. [VST]

------------------------------------------------------------
o iTunes v6.0.2 - 34.7 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/ItunesWin/?nl02
Jukebox - Buy and download from iTunes Store - Burn CDs - Transfer to iPod.
____________________________________________
Tom's Music Thing

Atari's excellent forgotten music gear

This is the Atari Hotz Box, designed by Jimmy Hotz. If you're thinking he sounds like some crazy '80s dude with terrible hair, who used to ...

See pic: http://jam.hitsquad.com/vocal/about1361.html?nl02

Tom's Music Thing is brought to you by Music Thing, the London-based website about music gadgets.
http://www.musicthing.co.uk/ 

_______________________________________
Macintosh users section

Current Top 5 Mac Downloads
---------------------------
1. Pro Tools FREE
2. Winamp for Mac .71 Alpha
3. Acquisition
4. DSP-Quattro
5. EasyWMA

You can find the top 50 downloads via
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/mac/top50/?nl02


Highlights Of New Macintosh Downloads
------------------------------------

o Amadeus II v3.8.6 X - 2.92 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Amadeus/?nl02
Direct-to-disk sound editor and analyzer with MP3 support.
------------------------------------------------------------

o Disco v2.9 X - 2.16 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/discomac/?nl02
Complete DJ Mixing setup.
------------------------------------------------------------

o iTunes v6.0.2  X - 19.7 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/AppleiTunesOSX/?nl02
Jukebox - Buy and download from iTunes Store - Burn CDs
- Transfer to iPod.
------------------------------------------------------------

o athenaCL v1.4.3 X - 8.46 MB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/athenaCLX/?nl02
Polyphonic, poly-paradigm algorithmic music composition in an interactive command-line environment.
------------------------------------------------------------

o Amazing Slow Downer v2.8.1 X - 585 KB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/AmazingSlowDownerOSX/?nl02
Slows down music without changing the pitch.
------------------------------------------------------------

o BurnX Free v1.5 X - 1.08 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/BurnXFree/?nl02
CD burner with multi-session and hybrid format support.
------------------------------------------------------------

o WIDI Audio To MIDI v1.04 VST - 1.04 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/WIDImac/?nl02
Realtime Audio to MIDI conversion plug-in.
------------------------------------------------------------

o iTuneMyWalkman v0.92 X - 222 KB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/iTuneMyWalkman/?nl02
Sync iTunes with your Sony Ericsson Walkman phone.
------------------------------------------------------------

o Mopis v1.1 X - 13.6 MB - Demo
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/MopisMAC/?nl02
Software synthesizer that combines traditional subtractive synthesis with reconstructive synthesis. [VST]
------------------------------------------------------------

o Radio Days v3.0.5 - 372 KB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/RadioDays/?nl02
Announce iTunes song titles & exports to iPod shuffles.
------------------------------------------------------------

o PolyPhontics GB v1.1 X - 7.90 MB - Shareware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/PolyPhonticsGB/?nl02
Builds Software Instruments for GarageBand.

_________________________________________________
Linux users section

You can find more Linux downloads via
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/linux/?nl02

Highlights Of New Linux Downloads
------------------------------------

o athenaCL v1.4.3 -7.46 MB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/athenaCL_linux/?nl02
Polyphonic, poly-paradigm algorithmic music composition in an interactive command-line environment.
------------------------------------------------------------

o Jajuk v0.3.4 - 7.89 MB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/JajukLinux/?nl02
Java music organizer/jukebox.
------------------------------------------------------------

o GuitarTeX v2.8.2 - 400 KB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/GuitarTeX/?nl02
Create guitar song sheets or song books.
------------------------------------------------------------

o Brahms v1.02 - 2.52 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Brahms/?nl02
Brahms is a sequencer and music notaion program.
------------------------------------------------------------

o MidiMountain v0.3.0 - 307 KB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/MidiMountain/?nl02
MIDI sequencer for Linux.
------------------------------------------------------------

o Domo v3.0 beta1 - 622 KB - Open Source
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Domo/?nl02
A Qt/MySQL based Music Organizer.
------------------------------------------------------------

o YamiPod v0.90 - 3.56 MB - Freeware
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/YamiPodLinux/?nl02
Free iPod manager.

______________________________________________
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AUSTRALIA

Chapter 11 Filed By Musicland to Complete Restructuring

Musicland Holding Corp. Files Chapter 11 to Complete Restructuring Initiatives; Company Receives Commitment for $75 Million in Financing

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2006--Musicland Holding Corp., an entertainment specialty retailer operating more than 800 retail stores and online under the names Sam Goody (SamGoody.com), Suncoast Motion Picture Company (Suncoast.com), and MediaPlay.com, announced today that the company and its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The company believes the move is necessary to complete its restructuring initiatives and refine its business model. The company has received commitments for up to $75 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from its existing bank group, led by Wachovia as agent, which will enable it to continue to operate during the restructuring period.

"We have been exploring various options for cutting costs, such as the impending closure of the Media Play chain," Musicland President and CEO Michael J. Madden said. "We believe that the decisive action we are taking provides the Company with the most effective means to restructure our operations, strengthen our balance sheet and position us to compete more effectively in the current music and movies industry environment."

The company attributes their financial difficulties to a diminishing music and movies marketplace, growing competition from big box retailers and the increase of music downloading.

"Musicland has a solid management team, enthusiastic employees and loyal customers. We have funding in place to continue our normal business operations during the restructuring. We will continue our plans to launch innovative new business initiatives in 2006 and continue to build our highly valued vendor relationships," Madden concluded.

During the restructuring process vendors will be paid for post-petition purchases of goods and services in the ordinary course of business. The company has asked for court permission to continue to honor its current customer policies regarding merchandise returns and to honor outstanding gift cards and loyalty programs, so that there will be limited impact on customers. Courts typically grant such requests and Musicland expects that the court will do so here.

The Company and its subsidiaries filed their voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The case has been assigned case number 06-10064. Additional information about Musicland's reorganization is available at www.musicland.com or via the company's restructuring information line 877-568-3857.

About Musicland

Musicland Holding Corp. is a leading national specialty retailer of music, movies and entertainment-related products. Musicland operates more than 800 retail stores and online under the names Sam Goody (SamGoody.com), Suncoast Motion Picture Company (Suncoast.com) and MediaPlay.com. In June 2003, Musicland was acquired by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

Contacts

Sitrick And Company
Brenda Adrian, 212-573-6100
brenda_adrian@sitrick.com
or
Giovanna Falbo, 212-573-6100
giovanna_falbo@sitrick.com

Corporate Phone Cards Selects First Canadian Phone Card of the Month

 

Corporate Phone Cards Selects Ideazon as First Canadian Phone Card of the Month

Corporate Phone Card announces this month's winner of the Phone Card of the Month Competition: Ideazon, a global manufacturer and designer of specialized gaming keyboards.

(PRWEB) January 12, 2006 -- Catherine Cavanagh, President of Corporate Phone Cards, a major supplier of custom-designed promotional phone cards, announced today that Ideazon, a Canadian based firm in Ontario, was selected as Phone Card of the Month for January 2006. Ideazon is a global manufacturer and designer of specialized gaming keyboards. Cavanagh stated, “Every month we highlight one of our clients’ custom designed phone cards, based on the attractiveness of the card and/or the unique way the phone cards are being used.”

Cavanagh went on to say, “Ideazon won the January 2006 spotlight for the design of their ZboardÔ phone card, which represents their uniquely created keypads for the gaming industry. The selection is also significant as Ideazon is the first Canadian client to be recognized for their phone card design.”

When asked what he thought of the ZboardÔ phone card being chosen Phone Card of the Month, Ijaz Jamal, Ideazon’s North American Marketing and Communications Manager, said, “we are absolutely elated. We had separate cards for our American and Canadian customers and retail partners and we were tremendously happy with the outcome in both countries.” Ideazon is going to be targeting consumers identified as hardcore PC gamers and using the phone cards as corporate give-aways at sales meetings as well as promotional items at future trade shows.

The ZboardÔ custom phone card is highlighted on each page of the Corporate Phone Cards web site. The card is linked to an internal page, which provides background about Ideazon and ZboardÔ. Visitors are able to hear a short message that plays whenever someone makes a call using the ZboardÔ custom phone card.

About Corporate Phone Cards:
CorporatePhoneCards.com (CPC) is a full service provider of promotional phone cards serving large and small businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, and local and state governments. Their goal is to help clients achieve recognition or create consumer response by designing attractive, professional, and cost-effective advertisements in a space no larger than a business card.

The people at CorporatePhoneCards.com have been designing and producing custom phone cards since 1995. CPC has earned the reputation as an honest and dependable supplier of promotional phone cards. Their client base is comprised of Fortune 500 companies as well as small to mid-sized organizations.

Order your cards today
http://www.corporatephonecards.com

###

Press Contact: Jack Mills
Company Name: Corporate Phone Cards
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-800-391-2827
Website: http://www.corporatephonecards.com/

Toronto Jazz Lounge Near Subway

From Toronto Subway Right To The Jazz Lounge

Press Release by: Toronto Jazz Lense

Published on openPR 01-10-2006 08:34 am - CET

(openPR) - TORONTO, ON -- Just hop on the subway to Union Station, use 'The Path' underground map to BCE Place and, never having to brave the winter "elements" outside, you will reach your Jazz Lounge Destination! Acqua Ristorante at BCE Place promises to be your favourite regular jazz scene in downtown Toronto by hosting a series of jazz concerts featuring some of the best Canadian jazz vocalists.

Jazz lovers can spend a great night with friends at Acqua on Friday, January 13, 2006.

On the bill for that night is Heather Bambrick, the 2004 Jazz Vocalist Of The Year and the 2005 Broadcaster Of The Year, singing the all-time jazz favourites with the Joe Amato Quartet. Heather and Joe make great hosts offering stories behind the tunes they perform. The quartet will feature Joe Amato on the saxophones, Richard Whiteman on the piano, Jim Vivian on the bass, and Anthony Michelli playing the drums.

Heather is prominent name in the Canadian jazz audience, both as a singer and a radio host. She hosts the Sunday afternoon show on jazz vocals and vocalists on JAZZ.FM91, the Toronto-based all-jazz radio station. Native of St. John's, Newfoundland, Heather is a past graduate and current Faculty member at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. As a professional musician, Heather has shared the stage and recorded with some of Canada 's greatest Jazz talents, including Phil Nimmons, Kenny Wheeler, Guido Basso, Peter Appleyard, Rob McConnell, Carol Welsman, and the Beehive Singers. She's also a voice actor, heard in many commercials and television programs.

Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy some great music while indulging yourself in Acqua's stellar Mediterranean inspired cuisine. (http://www.acqua.ca)

Wine and port lovers should not forget to check out Acqua's extensive wine list and enjoy a glass or two in a cozy home-like atmosphere. The owner Helder Carvelho like to help Acqua's guest with the selection.


The cover charge is $12, with $2 of that going to the Rotary Club of Toronto Philanthropic Fund in support of inner city school music programs. So that's just $10 for amazing music, atmosphere and company.

The concert takes place on Friday, January 13, 2005 from 8 pm to 11 pm. Acqua Ristorante is located at BCE Place, 10 Front Street West.

For more information call: 416-368-7171 or visit http://www.squidoo.com/torontojazz.

iPod Nano Gets New Storage Case Option

 

SLAPPA Announces Release New Storage Case for iPod Nano

SLAPPA Distribution LLC., today announced the launch of its new SLAPPA® SlipScreen for the iPod nano just in time for this year’s CES tradeshow and the NAMM Show, where SLAPPA plans to exhibit this year.

(PRWEB) January 10, 2006 -- SLAPPA Distribution LLC., today announced the launch of its new SLAPPA® SlipScreen for the iPod nano just in time for this year’s CES tradeshow and the NAMM Show, where SLAPPA plans to exhibit this year at exhibit booth 7431.

The SLAPPA SlipScreen for the iPod nano is designed with a sleek outer appearance to protect your iPod nano from daily abuse. Built out of a shock-absorbent and lightweight PU material, the SlipScreen offers complete click wheel coverage and Dock Connector access, with a removable belt clip for ez transport. Each SlipScreen package also comes with a free gift of Screen and Body Protectors for added scratch protection for your iPod nano.    

“We at SLAPPA decided to help out Apple by making the iPod even hotter, with much needed protection and individual personality,” says Dustin Garis, Director of Marketing for SLAPPA.

SLAPPA will be exhibiting at the 2006 NAMM Show in booth number 7431.

The SLAPPA SlipScreen for the iPod nano is now available for only $14.99 at www.slappa.com (MSRP $19.99).

About SLAPPA Distribution LLC.
SLAPPA Distribution LLC. is a distributor of digital storage cases and accessories for digital products that are sold under the “SLAPPA” brand name. SLAPPA products have been recognized as “ground breaking” and “the best available,” and can be found at retail outlets around the globe.

SLAPPA’s innovative team continues to produce quality style savvy designs for digital gear, such as CD/DVD storage cases. For more information on SLAPPA, visit the website at www.slappa.com.

###

Press Contact: Kylin Clevenger
Company Name: SLAPPA DISTRIBUTION
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 704-248-7734
Website: http://www.slappa.com

MediaPass Delivers Music The Way You Want It On Your Windows Mobile Device

MediaPass® Network, LLC, one of the largest content provider networks in North America, today announced here at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that the latest version of the MediaPass Music high-quality audio and video music download service for Windows Mobile is now available.

[ClickPress, Thu Jan 05 2006] MediaPass® Network, LLC, one of the largest content provider networks in North America, today announced here at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that the latest version of the MediaPass Music high-quality audio and video music download service for Windows Mobile is now available. The service offers listeners the flexibility of choosing the download optimized for their personal portable device and computer setup.

Available at www.MediaPassDownloads.com and www.WindowsMobile.com, the mobile download service will allow MediaPass Music subscribers access to thousands of music audio and video downloads, via a 30-day license, where they can select – format based on whether or not they have a Smartphone, Pocket PC or Windows Mobile-based Media Center – and load what they like on to their own portable device.

“Music lovers want access to the highest quality content they can get their hands on,” said Daniel Harris, founder and CEO of MediaPass. “Our service and Window Mobile help listeners enjoy their favorite music on the go with the best experience possible."

About MediaPass Network, LLC
The MediaPass Network is one of the largest content provider networks in North America. The company’s unique technology allows it to initiate and manage profitable distribution of music videos and live events on behalf of rights owners through retailers, as well as through MediaPass’s own destinations sites: HipHopPass.net, DancePass.net and RockPass.net. MediaPass has historically been entrusted with the video assets of each of the four major music labels and is the exclusive video technology partner for the largest consortium of Independent Music Labels.

Company: MediaPass Network, LLC Contact Name: Jen Roberts Contact Email: jen@rockstarcommunications.com Contact Phone: 6198659045

Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music

Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music

You like a certain song and want to hear other tracks like it, but don’t know how to find them? Ending the needle-in-a-haystack problem of searching for music on the Internet or even in your own hard drive is a new audio-based music information retrieval system. Currently under development by the IST programme-funded project SIMAC, the system represents a major leap forward in the application of semantics to audio content, allowing songs to be described not just by artist, title and genre but by their actual musical properties such as rhythm, timbre, harmony, structure and instrumentation. This in turn allows comparisons between songs to be made and listeners to find little-known tracks that suit their tastes but may otherwise go unnoticed. “The music world is highly commercial and only the works of the biggest artists are really well known and widely promoted,” notes SIMAC project manager Xavier Serra at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. “Something like 10 per cent of music accounts for 90 per cent of music sales, while the remaining 90 per cent accounts for just 10 per cent of sales – this system could therefore herald a revolution for little-known music and artists.” From a technological viewpoint, the five project partners from Spain, The Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom have made significant progress toward bridging the so-called ‘semantic gap’ in audio content. Existing classification systems, such as those used to generate play lists on popular PC media players and MP3 devices, are based on low-level description techniques using text data about the artist, the track, album and genre. Users can find other tracks by the same artist, from the same album or within the same genre but there is no guarantee that the songs will be anything but remotely alike. Alternatively, websites and online stores selling music often provide recommendations to users based on their personal preferences and the past purchases they and other customers have made. “The ‘since you bought this artist, you might also want to buy this one, as other customers with a similar profile did’ method is not that effective, however, because there may be similar songs out there but if they haven’t been bought that much they won’t appear as a recommendation,” Serra says. A sound approach to describing music The SIMAC approach, which incorporates machine learning, signal processing and musical knowledge as well as text retrieval, overcomes these problems by using a high-level description technique to describe music by its actual properties and characteristics. The musical facets of songs, such as rhythm, harmony, instrumentation etc, are analysed and the tracks are automatically tagged by an annotator. This then allows them to be organised based on the similarities between them within a music surfer programme. “The technique represents a major advancement over the existing methods used by audio software,” Serra notes. “It improves the way users can organise, navigate and visualise audio files and how they can interact with music on their audio player, PC or the Internet.” The third component of the system is a music recommender that is intended as a way for users to obtain recommendations that really interest them about new or old songs from online stores. The recommender, called FoaFing the Music, uses not only the musical characteristics of songs to recommend similar ones but also the users’ profile, their past purchasing history and what has been written about the songs in website news and reviews. It is based on the Friend of a Friend (FoaF) concept that draws on information from thousands of machine-readable Web pages via RSS feeds. Strong commercial interest A prototype version of the system has drawn “positive feedback” from trial users, according to Serra, and commercial interest in the SIMAC project, which is due to end in March, is high. “The system offers evident advantages to users in the way they can find and interact with music, and big benefits to artists, producers and the music content industry as a whole,” the project manager notes. “Lesser known artists and small production companies who don’t have big promotional budgets should benefit in particular because it will increase their visibility and the accessibility of their content.” The system could also be a boon to the software and consumer electronics industries, Serra predicts, noting that there is extensive interest in employing the annotation and music surfing techniques in Internet music sites, PC software and portable devices. Project partner Philips is currently developing an MP3 player incorporating components based on audio analysis and one component of the SIMAC project has already been licensed to mSoft, a US company that will use it to search library music to find authorless tracks and sound effects that cannot be categorised using traditional methods. “Though we were originally planning to set up a spin-off company to exploit the project results, we’re now looking to collaborate with other firms to introduce our technology into existing products and others that are still in development,” Serra says. Contact: Xavier Serra Universitat Pompeu Fabra Plaça de la Mercè 10-12 E-08002 Barcelona Spain Tel: +34-935-422164 Fax: +34-935-422002 Email: xserra@iua.upf.edu Source: Based on information from SIMAC

Oakley and Motorola Sued for Infringement of Sunglass Headphone Patent

 

Oakley and Motorola Sued for Infringement of Sunglass Headphone Patent

USAmerican LLC of Beverly Hills has filed a complaint for patent infringement against Oakley and Motorola alleging that the "Razrwire" sunglass/bluetooth headset product marketed jointly by Oakley and Motorola infringes a patent issued in 1990 for "Sunglass Headphones."

(PRWEB) January 4, 2006 -- USAmerican LLC of Beverly Hills announced today that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Oakley, Inc. and Motorola, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that the popular "Razrwire" sunglasses and headset combination jointly marketed by Oakley and Motorola infringes U.S. Patent No. 4,902,120 ("the '120 patent"). The lawsuit, Civil Action No. CV06-0010 CAS (SSx) was filed in Los Angeles on January 3, 2006.

The '120 patent was filed in November 1988 by Frank Weyer, an attorney and engineer, who was annoyed by his earphones falling out while jogging. While jogging past the UN building in New York City, Mr. Weyer came up with the idea of attaching earphones to his sunglasses, thereby keeping them comfortably in place.

After the '120 patent issued in February 1990, Mr. Weyer formed a company, American Innovative Products, Inc., to market his invention. Advertising in running magazines and at running events, Mr. Weyer sold several thousand pairs of his sunglasses/earphone product, which were called "Cruisers (TM)." Mr. Weyer also licensed his invention to Virtual I/O, who used the patented earphone mounting system in a virtual reality goggle product called "Iglasses."

In 1994, Oakley unsuccessfully sued Mr. Weyer's company for patent infringement, alleging that the sunglasses American Innovative Products was using infringed on several Oakley patents. Mr. Weyer, who is a patent attorney, countersued, pointing out that if what Oakley alleged was true, Oakley's patents were invalid. Oakley quickly dropped the case.

"In the early 1990's, sunglasses with earphones were ahead of their time," explained Mr. Weyer. "Now, with the convergence of leisure activities and technology, their time has finally come."

The irony of his company sueing Oakley for patent infringment over ten years after Oakley sued his company is not lost on Mr. Weyer. "Oakley is known for filing multiple patent applications, obtaining patents of questionable validity, and aggressively asserting those patents, mostly against small companies, in an effort to prevent competition with its generally good quality but greatly overpriced products. There is some justice in Oakley finally getting a taste of its own medicine."

Mr. Weyer recently formed his new company, USAmerican LLC, to produce and market an updated version of the "Cruisers" product, as well as an MP3 player/sunglasses product to compete with Oakley's popular "Thump" product. "Our product," says Mr. Weyer, "will be lower cost, more comfortable, look better, and sound better than Oakley's Thump. We are calling the product 'Stompers', and our motto will be 'Why only thump, when you can stomp!'"

Mr. Weyer, inventor on more than 10 patents, is not a stranger to patent lawsuits against large companies. Last year, he successfully sued Ford for infringement of his patent for changing the color of automobile instrument panel illumination, used in the wildly successful new Ford Mustang. The year before that, he successfully sued Register.com and Network Solutions for infringement of an internet domain name naming system.

# # #

Press Contact: Frank Weyer
Company Name: USAMERICAN
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 310-926-3928
Website:

Belden Brilliance Low Cap OFHC Speaker Cables Offer Clean, Precise Sound, Easy Installation

 

Belden Brilliance® Low Cap OFHC Speaker Cables Offer Clean, Precise Sound, Easy Installation

Belden CDT Electronics Division, a world leader in the development of specialty cable products for the commercial, industrial, entertainment and residential markets, announces a new addition to its Brilliance® line of professional quality audio cables.

Richmond, IN (PRWEB) January 3, 2006 -- Belden CDT Electronics Division, a world leader in the development of specialty cable products for the commercial, industrial, entertainment and residential markets, announces a new addition to its Brilliance® line of professional quality audio cables. Belden Brilliance Low Cap Speaker cables are designed and engineered to meet the requirements of pro audio for high-end sound quality in indoor, outdoor and burial applications.

Brilliance Low Cap OFHC Speaker cables deliver enhanced sound performance with exceptional clarity. The cable's performance gains are achieved through the use of high-conductivity, oxygen-free, copper conductors that are inherently free of impurities. In addition, the use of a low-capacitance polyolefin dielectric rather than traditional PVC ensures a superior high frequency response, even over extended distance cable runs. The new speakers are available with 10, 12, 14 or 16 AWG bare copper conductors and feature round, brightly colored and satin-finished PVC jackets to make the cables aesthetically pleasing to end users.

For installers, Belden Brilliance Low Cap OFHC Speaker cables offer significant benefits, as well. Their highly stranded conductors and PVC jackets provide optimal flexibility for faster, easier installation. Distinctively colored jackets, with ascending/descending sequential markings at two-foot intervals and print legends that incorporate location information (e.g., Room 1234, Zone ABCD), also facilitate accurate, streamlined installation.

For more information about Belden Brilliance Low-Cap OFHC Speaker cables, contact Belden CDT Electronics Division, P.O. Box 1980, Richmond, Indiana 47375, or call 1-800-BELDEN-4 to request New Product Bulletin NP232. FAX: 765-983-5294. Or visit the Web site: www.belden.com.

About Belden CDT Electronics Division
Belden CDT Electronics Division, a unit of Belden CDT Inc., is a leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of cable products for the entertainment, residential, industrial and security markets. It also provides highly engineered products for both the aerospace and automotive markets. Belden CDT Electronics Division is headquartered in Richmond, Indiana, it has manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe and distribution centers in the U.S., Canada, Singapore, Australia and the Netherlands. A majority of Belden's manufacturing, engineering and support functions are registered to the International Organization for Standardization.

Belden CDT Inc., formed in July 2004 through the merger of Belden Inc. and Cable Design Technologies Corp., is one of the largest U.S.-based manufacturers of high-speed electronic cables and focuses on products for the specialty electronics and data networking markets, including connectivity.

Contact:
Frank Stone
Belden CDT Electronics Division
1-800-BELDEN-4

# # #

Press Contact: Frank Stone
Company Name: Belden CDT Electronics Division
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-800-235-3364
Website: