Check out this review. http://reviews.cnet.com/eDigital_Odyssey_1000/4505-6490_7-20845399-2.html?tag=top Sarai and Rosie Isaiah 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Ball" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "PC audio discussion list. " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 7:59 PM Subject: New MP3 Player Ready to Rival IPod
> I hope this player is accessable. > We need voice recognition in an hd player. I hope the drive acts as another > hard drive and doesn't run on some unusable software. > New MP3 Player Ready to Rival IPod > Odyssey 1000 offers deluxe features, including voice recognition, USB 2.0 > connectivity, and 20GB of storage, and a lower price tag. > > Tom Mainelli, PCWorld.com > > LAS VEGAS-- A small company named E.Digital hopes to challenge Apple's IPod > for the title of World's Slickest MP3 Player with its new voice-activated, > hard-drive-based > Odyssey 1000. > > The company announced the $349 player this week at the > Consumer Electronics Show > and plans to begin shipping the unit on February 5. Among its many features > are 20GB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, and voice-recognition technology > that lets you navigate menus by speaking. > > In addition to playing MP3 and WMA audio files, the Odyssey also has an FM > tuner, a digital voice recorder with built-in microphone, and the technology > to act as an add-on hard drive to your PC. > > Just Say It > > Chief among the Odyssey's capabilities is its VoiceNav technology, says > Wendy Ravenel, director of product management and communications at > E.Digital. By > using the included Music Explorer software to transfer albums from your PC > to the unit you can then verbally request music by artist or track title. > > Best of all, the Odyssey doesn't require voice training: It works out of the > box, she says. > > "It's just regular American English; there's no need to recite the alphabet > or read the Gettysburg Address first," she says. > > Users who prefer to access their music by hand can scroll through their > collection using the scroll wheel and the backlight blue-green LCD. > > The unit is relatively compact and light at 2.9 inches wide, 4.3 inches tall > and 0.9 inches thick and 8.2 ounces. > > Service, Too > > An Odyssey will also come with a variety of music files from E.Digital's > WeDigMusic.com > Internet music site. The site contains more than 3000 royalty-free tracks > from independent artists, says Bryan Jones, vice president of broadband > entertainment. > > Right now, anyone can access the site for free, but in the future it will > likely become a pay-for-play service, he says. Odyssey owners will receive a > free > subscription, he says. > > The site's content runs the gamut from jazz to country to classical, Jones > adds. Once the site begins charging, the musicians can receive a cut, he > says. > In the meantime, it's all about people hearing their music. "Artists should > be everywhere they can be to get exposure," he comments. > > Taking on the Big Boys > > Despite E.Digital's small size (the company has just 30 employees), Ravenel > says she's confident its technology and burgeoning music site will help it > compete > with more established vendors like Apple and Creative Labs, which recently > launched the > Nomad Zen. > > Ravenel acknowledges the > IPod's strengths > and admits that Apple's extensive research and development resulted in a > sharp product. However, she says, the 1000 "does Windows better." Add to > that its > voice navigation and lower price and savvy buyers should be willing to give > the Odyssey a chance, she says. > > The Odyssey is just the latest MP3 player from the company, which launched > its first player, the Treo 15, in 2001--just prior to the iPod's launch, > Ravenel > says. Today the company offers three Smart Media-based players, one that > uses a CompactFlash card or microdrive, and two with built-in hard drives. > > > _______________________________________________ > PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
