According to Nielsen//NetRatings traffic to Apple’s iTunes Web site and use of the iTunes application has skyrocketed 241 percent over the past year, from 6.1 million unique visitors in December 2004 to 20.7 million in December 2005, reaching nearly 14 percent of the active Internet population. Teens are disproportionately represented among iTunes users; 12 to 17 year olds are nearly twice as likely to visit the iTunes Web site and use the application as the average Internet user. iTunes users are also more likely to be male; the site’s traffic is 54 percent male and 46 percent female.

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The Sony GIGA Panel Car is a classic example of Why are the simplest ideas always the best? The GIGA Panel in-car sound system has a removable front panel which has 1 GB of Flash memory and a USB port. Simply remove the panel plug in to your PC and transfer the songs of your choice. The main disadvantage is that the Flash memory is non upgradable so you are stuck with 1 GB of memory which offers 60 hours of music. The GIGA Panel is also an in-car CD player featuring all the high quality sound technology you would expect from Sony including a 24-bit DAC converter, BBE MP MP3 sound enhancement and EQ3 stage2 equaliser.

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The Digital Music market has not been kind to Microsoft, Apple is years ahead of Microsoft and everyone else in the market. Then, again Microsoft was never in the competition but with tons of cash and resources Microsoft is a force to reckon with. Businessweek reports that the Redmond giant is working on a portable media device to rival the iPod. Xbox boss Peter Moore says that the Microsoft Media device will include games. With it Microsoft takes on the Sony PSP and the iPod with one device. However with game capability it will become too bulky so Microsoft might also come out with a non game version.

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This combination recorder and stereo system allows you to preserve your classic vinyl records by recording them to CDs so you can enjoy your favorite music when traveling without damaging the delicate original medium, or having to manage an oversized protective case. It takes a few simple steps to faithfully transfer an LP to a digital audio CD-R or CD-RW, and at any time during recording you can pause to select only certain songs, turn the album over, change albums, or make compilation recordings. Unlike many single-function audio components, this system is more than just a recorder—it accommodates 33s, 45s, and 78s, and has a built-in AM/FM stereo with analog tuner and single CD playback tray, all in a footprint less than 2' sq.

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The Discalo CCD 6800 DEC from Grundig is a FM/MW (AM) stereo clock radio with integrated CD player. Other than Audio CD's it can also read CD-R / RW discs with MP3 and WMA formats. It's FM tuner has a 20 station memory. You can set 2 different Alarms with the option of waking up from CD, radio or alarm signal. It has USB port and SD / MMC card slot so you can play Audio from corresponding cards, external hard disks and MP3 sticks.

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The RSJ-K1000 from Rockridge Sound Japan is a cradle type speaker system for iPod, iPod mini/photo and nano (after 3rd generation). The built in amplifier has an output of 5W×2ch .The 7cm woofer ×2, 2cm tweeter - ×2 (anti magnetic) has playback frequency range 80Hz - 20kHz. With the included remote control you can perform basic operations of the iPod. Some functions are limited to the iPod Video. Other MP3 players can be connected via mini stereo output. The iPod can be charged via the RSJ-K1000. The Rockridge RSJ-K1000 measures 250 × 146 × 155mm (width × depth × height) and weighs 1.1kg.

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A really expensive case from the French fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton. The Louis Vuitton Classic Ipod Cover by Takashi Murakami has a monogram multicolor canvas with peach natural calf leather lining and golden brass pieces. It also has a flap closure with press studs, and a ring for a shoulder strap and belt loop on the back. There is no price mentioned on Louis Vuitton website but anything with the Louis Vuitton tag does not come cheap. Expect it to be more expensive than the iPod itself.

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Marware has announced the availability of its new iPod Remote Docking Station. It allows users to connect an iPod to their home entertainment system and enjoy music, videos and photos. It Includes everything you need to enhance your home theatre experience in one affordable package: the docking station, remote control, an A/V cable for use with a television or stereo system, a USB cable for charging and syncing, and a power adaptor. The Remote Docking station is S-video compatible. (S-video cable not included.)

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Apple has teamed up with universities and education establishments to offer lectures to its iTunes Music Store customers, the new service will called iTunes U (U stands for university). It is a free hosted service for college and universities providing easy access to educational content, including lectures and interviews 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Using iTunes users can download content to their Mac or PC's anywhere in the USA. They can then listen to and view content on their Mac or PC or transfer that content to iPod for listening or viewing on the go.

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Dapreview has posted a review of the MX-700 from Korean manufacturer M-Cody. It is however only available in Korea and retails for $ 119 for 256mb, $ 139 for 512mb, $ 179 for 1gb, and $ 260 for 2gb. It has a 1.1 inch 65k color LCD and supports a wide range of formats. It has FM Radio with recording and supports Voice / Line in recording.
There is a lot to like about the M-Cody MX-700. It has a nice look, great feature set, bright screen, and solid sound quality. The problem for the MX-700 is that there are so many other players with similar feature sets from more established DAP companies such as Cowon and Samsung. I would really have a hard time recommending this over those other players.

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The Jens of Sweden MP-500 is loaded with features and it's “Excentrique” edition has a 24-karat gold backside. It comes in two sizes 1 GB and 2 GB. It has a 1.6 inch TFT LCD capable of displaying 260,000 colors. It can play MP3, WMA and OGG Vorbis and supports MP4 (WMV, AVI, ASF, MPG, MPEG) via convertor for video playback. The MP-500 has stereo speakers, FM Radio with 24 automatically-set stations, Microphone, Clock and it connects to the host via USB 2.0. The Li-Polymer battery provides 15.5 hours of audio and 8 hours of video playback. The MP-500 measures 81 x 40 x 13 mm and weighs 51 grams.

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Ubergizmo has posted a mini review on the Kenpo Jacket with integrated support for the Apple iPod. The jacket has iPod controls on the left sleeve which allow you to navigate through tracks and performs other iPod functions. The jacket costs $ 275 and is not compatible with all iPod models so make sure your iPod is compatible before you buy the jacket.
Overall, we really like this jacket. It is warm, elegant (it actually look better in real life than in the photos) and practical. If you don’t want to pull your iPod from your Jacket all the time (especially with ski gloves) and get a nice Jacket at the same time, it is really worth considering. Although not present on most product photos, our review jacket had a hood.

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The capacity of Hyunwon’s MobiBLU DHH-200 will be upgraded to 8GB with Seagate’s latest ST1 Series hard drive. Seagate’s 8GB ST1 Series is the highest capacity 1-inch hard drive on the market. The DHH-200 can play a variety of audio formats MP3, WMA, WMA DRM, WAV and OCG. Supported video formats are not known yet. The built-in high performance microphone lets you to use the DAH-200 as a professional voice recorder. It also has FM recording and Direct Encoding function which allows to record from CD player, Walkman and other audio players. It's Lithium Polymer battery supports 12 hours of continuous audio and 6 hours of video.

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LG had first displayed the compact FM30 at the CES 2006. It will be soon available in China. It has 1.7 inch OLED capable of displaying 260,000 colors. It can play MP3, WMA and OCG files for audio playback. Besides this it also supports MPEG 4 playback. The FM30 when connected to the PC via USB automatically searches for firmware updates and downloads automatically if available. It also supports JPEG and BMP files for photo viewing. It's 810 mAh Lithium battery provides 60 hours of continuous playback. However pricing and availibility is not known yet.

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Its not just the dimensions and weight of MP3 players thats going down, its becoming increasingly cheaper to buy players which feature more memory capacity while keeping costs low. Check out the Live CA F280 for example. With a mere 12 mm of thickness, the 19 gram MP3 player is so light that it can be easily slipped into the pockets without a thought of it being inconvenient. A USB port in the device makes it easy to transfer music to and fro. Music files supported include WMA, WAV, ASF and OGG besides MP3. The CA-F280 operates on Lithium Polymer batterues which give a more than sufficient 10 hour of playing time.

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