Music and Video Players Add Wi-Fi Access
Devices from AOL, iRiver, and Sandisk will let you acquire tunes without a PC.Eric Dahl
Sandisk's Sansa Connect ups the ante on Microsoft's Zune with streaming Internet radio.
Built-in Wi-Fi access hasn't done much to sell Microsoft's Zune or the less-well-known Music Gremlin. But Wi-Fi-equipped digital audio players are here to stay, and a new generation of devices from companies like AOL, Archos, iRiver, and Sandisk should expand the capabilities of these connected music players.
The Zune makes only limited use of its networking capability. Zune owners can share songs with each other, but the recipient can play the tracks just three times over a maximum of three days.
That left critics asking lots of questions: Why isn't there an online store that you could access without a PC? Where's the wireless syncing? And what about Internet radio? In coming months, connected audio players should have all of those features and capabilities, and more. As a result, Microsoft may well be forced to play a little bit of catch-up. Here, then, is a rundown of the forthcoming devices.
Connect in March
Anyone who is eager for a Zune alternative but who isn't too concerned about limited storage capacity should check out Sandisk's $250 Sansa Connect device. Arriving at the end of March, this 4GB player will work with a service called Zing to enable users to share playlists, stream Internet radio stations, and download tracks directly to the Sandisk portable as long as they have a Wi-Fi connection.
In addition to packing 4GB of flash memory, the Sansa Connect includes a microSD card slot for adding storage, and it supports PlaysForSure downloads and subscription services. Sandisk's player also permits you to view photos, though not video, on its 2.2-inch color screen.
Nameless Rhapsody
Rhapsody is working with iRiver on a Wi-Fi-equipped player as well, one with a few interesting tricks up its sleeve. The as-yet-unnamed device sports a 3-inch touch-screen display with a Flash-based interface. iRiver says it plans to make the player available in both 2GB and 4GB capacities sometime this summer, and it claims the device will go 25 hours on one battery charge.
Rhapsody subscribers will be able to access the Rhapsody service using the device's Wi-Fi connection and thereby stream music without a PC. The player also includes VoIP support, although iRiver hasn't released details on which services that capability will be able to work with.
Media-Friendly Archos Player
Archos got a head start on Wi-Fi integration last fall with its $450 604 Wi-Fi, a 30GB hard-drive player with a 4.3-inch, 480-by-272-pixel color screen. The 604 actually behaves more like a media-capable PDA--though it can record audio and video with various add-ons, its Wi-Fi connection is more focused on e-mail and Web access than on acquiring music.
Later this year Archos will release an updated version of that player. Details are still sketchy, but the Archos 704 is reported to boast a DVD-friendly screen resolution of 800 by 480 pixels and an 80GB hard drive. And according to one report, the 704 should be able to stream video directly from your PC.
The Wireless Wait
Beyond these devices, you will have to wait a little longer for the next crop of Wi-Fi MP3 players, but there could be a few winners in the bunch. Polaroid expects to launch its own slate of media players this fall, including a 30GB model that will have a 2.8-inch screen and a 40GB model with a 4.3-inch screen. Both will support video playback and will be able to connect to Polaroid's DEC1000 media server to wirelessly download media off your home network.
Finally, AOL has a unit set for midyear release. Its $250, 30GB player will include both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to download and stream songs from any PlaysForSure-compatible music store, including Napster, Rhapsody, and Yahoo.
Zune Updates?
With so much competition headed its way, Microsoft's Zune could start looking very old, very quickly. But to hear Microsoft tell it, the current Zune player is just the beginning. Flash-based Zune players should arrive late this year, and the company claims that it hasn't finished tweaking the device's wireless capability.
Microsoft says that it hopes to add Zune filling stations to hot-spot-equipped retail locations, so owners can load up on tracks while they're on the go. And rumors abound that the company will further open up Zune's Wi-Fi sharing capability so that transferred songs don't expire so quickly.
While the Zune may have stumbled out of the starting gate, Microsoft appears committed to the race--which it had better be: As the year progresses, we are sure to see even more competition.