Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
The whole "smash my stuff" campaign was a tad comical at times, but we never really felt it connected with the 40-and-up age group per se. Au contraire, Jim Cramer from CNBC's Mad Money apparently felt that busting open a (cleverly chosen) brown Microsoft Zune would better illustrate how MSFT was a "loser," while AAPL was most certainly a winner. After (quite literally) ranting for a good bit about how Apple has single-handedly changed the way we listen to music, he informs everyone that the Zune was "beat before it hit the market," and proceeds to literally beat the Zune until it was (somewhat) damaged from multiple baseball bat blows. Notably, the Zune stood up fairly well to the torture, and still retained its shape after it took a lickin'. Of course, if you're really interested in whether the Zune or iPod give way to a brighter financial future for either company, you should probably hit up our pals at BloggingStocks for that...

Sonos is spending like Web 2.0 Bubble money is going out of style, and announcing they've bought support for almost all the major internet music stores. Along with Zune, there's Napster, Yahoo, AOL and MTV support, which makes streaming pretty simple.
Current owners can download Sonos 2.1 software which adds support for these new music stores as well as Apple iTunes 7 volume normalization and Windows Vista and WMP11 support. – Jason Chen
Product Update Page [Sonos]

Filed under: CES, Portable Audio, Wireless

SanDisk was quite a bit more accepting of our touching urges when it came to the Sansa Connect, so we got to spend a little bit of quality time with the unit. The screen was plenty bright, sharp and sizeable considering the form factor, and while the design imparts a bit of a pudgy look to the player, there's really not a lot of bulk here. We're fans of the simplistic interface, but since not a lot of the functionality was in "live" mode, it's hard to tell how effective the unit will actually be at managing all of its wireless sharing and syncing functionality. Pr0n galore after the break.Continue reading Hands on with SanDisk's new Zune-bestin' Sansa Connect
 
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!...

Filed under: CES, Home Entertainment
Today, Sonos announced a software update for its music setups, which will allow users to listen to Microsoft DRM-encoded music. Version 2.1 includes tracks purchased from AOL Music Now, URGE, Napster, Wal-Mart, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, Zune Marketplace and adds "improved playlist and volume normalization support" for iTunes 7.0. It also brings full compatibility with Windows Vista and Windows Media Player 11. So for the small group of you out there who have all your music constrained by Microsoft DRM and wished you could buy a Sonos system, Christmas has come very early for you. 
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: CES, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless

Finally, another entrant in the WiFi portable audio player space! These are still very early on in implementation, but ever since the MusicGremlin debuted, we've been hungry for more -- and no, the Zune didn't sate that. The new Sansa Connect features streaming internet radio (freaking FINALLY), microSD slot, and a 2.2-inch color display -- but the centerpiece feature here is, of course, the WiFi content acquisition. SanDisk claims the Connect supports "WMA in both unprotected and protected files" and specifically names PlaysForSure (and Vista) support, but also "utilizes an open (non-proprietary) digital rights management system that will allow users to purchase songs or access subscription download services from specific premium internet sites." (Which sites / services those are, we don't yet know, but apparently it's based on ZING.) No word about transferring subscription media to your pals with Connects, but the...

Filed under: CES, Features, Gaming, Interviews

So yes my good pal Chris Grant (of Joystiq) and I got a chance to briefly sit down with Robert Scoble, Brian Lam, and Brian Crescente to chat with Bill Gates before his annual CES keynote. We couldn't include everyone's questions here (for the full video go check out ScobleShow), but we've got a full transcript of our questions spanning such topics as the advantages of vertical integration in the Zune and Xbox 360, DRM, net neutrality, and Microsoft's direction after Bill's eventual departure. You know, the light stuff.

This may be the last time Engadget gets to speak with you. I don't know exactly what ...

No, no, it won't be. I promise.

So you'll be around in 2008? You'll deliver the keynote?

I'm full time until mid-2008. And we're mixing it up a little bit. Robbie's doing a big part of the keynote tonight. We'll have even more than one chance to talk between now and when I'm...

Filed under: Portable Audio, Transportation
Harmon Kardon's Drive + Play iPod solution was an innovative enough solution to the problem of in-car iPod playback to warrant three separate mentions on this little site that you're currently reading. At CES, Harmon Kardon has unveiled the second iteration of the Drive + Play, marking the occasion by sticking a big Roman "II" at the end. In case you didn't get it the first time around, the Drive + Play II is a media manager that takes the audio from your iPod, Zune, or Plays for Sure media player and routes it through your car stereo whilst simultaneously displaying song information on a separate 3.5-inch color LCD. Also part of the deal is a wireless control knob similar to the control scheme on BMW's iDrive system. This time around the Drive + Play can send your portable media player's audio to your stereo via an integrated FM transmitter, which will be handy for those who own stereos without a standard 3.5 mm analog jack. A couple of ...

MediaCatcher, the software used to rip music directly to portable media devices like the iPod and Zune will be available for free. MediaCatcher allows users to easily search for and legally time-shift unlimited music from broadcasts on the Internet. It's kind of like recording a mix-tape from the FM radio, like way back in the day, but a little more high-tech. It's legal, too, supposedly. I'll be checking it out—nothing to lose. Download from the beginning January 15 here. – Travis Hudson

Harman Kardon has updated their line of automobile media management gadgets with the Drive+Play 2, and FM transmitter that costs $400 bucks. (Yes, $400.)
Maybe justifying that cost is the D+P 2's screen. And its unique music browsing features that will create a personal DJ that selects music from the same artist, album or genre of music. Another music browsing feature is the ability for the D+P 2 to create dynamic channels. Imagine your wide music library being organized into stations or channels—similar to satellite or terrestrial radio.
The D+P 2 has an included wireless (!!) navigation knob and screen for full browsing capabilities on your portable music device. It also includes Harman Net (like a port for expandability), Bluetooth and supports for Sirius. The D+P 2 will supports many devices such as the iPod and Zune. – Travis Hudson

Speaking of videos. One of the readers asked me why video playlists didn't transfer to the Zune. I replied, "of course they do." And then I tried it. Sure enough, it doesn't work. The files all transfer over, but not the playlist. I'm still not sure why, but I intend to mail the dev team to find out. And I thought I knew all the features of the product! ;)