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Does the NewGen deal with playlists? That's my main problem with the Nex/IA, I listen to audio books on it and they are usually 200 to 300 mp3 files 5 or 10 mins each; the nexia can only order playback randomly (shuffle) or in the order in the DOS FAT filesystem directory. To play a book I have to format the card then copy files in in the right order (regardless of filename). You also have to break them up into directories with no more than 47 files each (the dirs have to get created in the right order too). Finally, when the battery dies it doesn't save where it was, which really sucks on a book. Overall a PITA but usable. I'd jump at a better solution (that doesn't require using some gay 'media manager' where you have to manually click on 300 files to load the damn thing).

As far as customer support they are absolutly top notch. The NEX IIa's battery cover wasn't all that well designed. It was not attached to the unit and therefore somewhat easy to loose. I have lost 3 personally. Each time, I emailed them and they mailed me a new one for no charge. (They fixed the design flaw in the NEX ia, BTW)

I love their new motto, "FL: Lucking Fovely Entertainment"

You got ripped off. This + 1GB CF card (bought separately) == less than $132, let alone $200.

But anyway, as far as "entering a crowded field" goes, Apple wasn't the first with a hard-drive based player either...

Not everyone wants flash because they can't afford a hard drive; some people want flash because they want flash. MTBF notwithstanding, I don't want moving parts, and I don't need more than 1GB of music at any given time. Hence, I don't want a regular iPod (except for a 60GB to mirror the one on my iBook), but I do want am "iPod Flash."

The funny thing is, for me the "halo effect" went in the opposite direction -- if I didn't have a Mac I wouldn't even consider an iPod (now I want an Apple music player just becuase it would sync with iTunes). Instead, I'd just get an iRiver or Nex IA.

A better idea is to get a player with a SD or CF port, and separate memory cards, just because the capacity can grow with you. A Frontier Labs Nex IA and a 1GB CF card can be found for $100 total if you look around.

The s/w is just a little lame: in over a year they haven't been able to make it follow a playlist in order (it does almost always play in the order the directory was filled in though, so you can use it for audio books). Whoever they got for support in the US has a worthless website, if you want to d/l the latest firmware you have to go to the europe support site. Other than those minor issues the thing does what it does and does it well.

Well, in the article the guy said he cracked some of the plastic on his, so it would have to be glued back together, but that if you were careful you could avoid that. So I'm sure if you looked you could get a shell of one of these, or of the Creative Muvo thingy (without the 4GB drive) off Ebay.

However, if you'd want an MP3 player that's designed to use CF cards, there's exactly one(!) company out there that makes them, called Frontier Labs. They make a CF-based player called the NexIA. I've thought about buying one, but I wish it would sync with iTunes...

Well, in the article the guy said he cracked some of the plastic on his, so it would have to be glued back together, but that if you were careful you could avoid that. So I'm sure if you looked you could get a shell of one of these, or of the Creative Muvo thingy (without the 4GB drive) off Ebay.

However, if you'd want an MP3 player that's designed to use CF cards, there's exactly one(!) company out there that makes them, called Frontier Labs. They make a CF-based player called the NexIA. I've thought about buying one, but I wish it would sync with iTunes...

You know, I'm quite happy with my little iPod look-alike.
So it does not have gigabytes of storage space or multiple playlists. I don't need that, I'm quite happy with my 128 MiB CF card (accessible as a standard USB storage device) and one playlist. And with the fact that sometime people ask me whether the thing was an iPod.
Not bad for a product I bought used for just about 30 bucks.

Now if they only would get the promised OGG support working...

I have a Nex II and it has an apparent 2 GB limit (filesystem limit), is the IIe different? The Frontier Labs webpage on the IIe (as well as the II) doesn't mention the ultimate limit. I'll bet it is 2 GB, so I'm hoping the 8 GB card (and 5 and 4) will drive down the prices on the 2's :-)

Any word on hacking the Nex II/IIe's? I figure with a CF to IDE interface these'd work great in a car with a notebook hard drive (and a lot cheaper than an 8 GB CF card!).

I have a Nex II and it has an apparent 2 GB limit (filesystem limit), is the IIe different? The Frontier Labs webpage on the IIe (as well as the II) doesn't mention the ultimate limit. I'll bet it is 2 GB, so I'm hoping the 8 GB card (and 5 and 4) will drive down the prices on the 2's :-)

Any word on hacking the Nex II/IIe's? I figure with a CF to IDE interface these'd work great in a car with a notebook hard drive (and a lot cheaper than an 8 GB CF card!).

FrontierLabs Nex 'A ($239) 1Gb Microdrive CFlash USB MP3,WMA,OggVorbis 3.1"(80mm) X 2.5"(65mm) X 0.9"(22mm)
Apparently they're very active in releasing BIOS updates etc.

My last MP3 player was a Compaq IPAQ-1. Compaq stopped supporting it and I had a lot of problems trying to get their software to work on Win 2000/XP/20003. I can't just copy my music to its memory cards because guess what? It is stored in a proprietary format. That means you need to have their software which means that if they go out of business or don't support your OS, your nice little gadget is worthless!

With my NexIIe, I can just plug the device in via a USB cable to my computer and it shows up as a disk drive. I can copy music files (or even copy other files for storage). If I want better performance, instead of connecting the NexIIe, I just pull the CompactFlash card and put it into a card reader. I use no tool more complicated than explorer to manage my music.

The current firmware even supports CF up to 2GB. I don't see why you would want a 2GB hard drive when you could have 2GB of solid state. That said, it would be nice to have a 10+ GB version of my player.

Frontier Labs. There's your answer... although there's no support for Ogg.. they claim there will be at some point. Frontier Labs And here's a place that sells it pretty cheap... Inside Computer

I presume you're talking about their Nex 1A? It looks like a promising player and, while it does mention that it supports "multiple formats (MP3 and WMA) and emerging formats such as Ogg Vorbis through firmware upgrades", I don't see any confirmation that their firmware upgrades have Ogg support yet :-/.

I presume you're talking about their Nex 1A? It looks like a promising player and, while it does mention that it supports "multiple formats (MP3 and WMA) and emerging formats such as Ogg Vorbis through firmware upgrades", I don't see any confirmation that their firmware upgrades have Ogg support yet :-/.

This mp3 player is worth checking out as well. It will play OGG/mp3/wma, takes CF and mini drives, has FM tuner and is ~$115USD.

Hey, maybe somebody knows, is there any MP3 players that can read compactflash?

The only one I've seen is the Frontier Labs Nex products, which is crippled with a horrible name and it's kinda chunky looking, and it seems too big. Ideally what I'd want is a tiny-sized MP3 player that can hold the same compactflash memory card I use in my digital camera. Though I could live with it being slightly larger to accomodate a MicroDrive, I really don't consider this a necessity. You can get 1GB compactflash these days, and the no-moving-parts solution really seems the way to go.

I guess I don't see what's so great about MicroDrive. If it had 100x the capacity of CompactFlash, that would be one thing. But it has maybe 4x the capacity. As both those numbers are bound to go up, 4x doesn't seem compelling to add moving parts to the system. Plus it uses 3x more power and takes up 2x the room. I'm not seeing the value of Microdrive here. Though, if I already had one for my camera, I would think it's great.

You forgot the geek favorite: The Frontier Labs Nex II series! And the new Nex IA features an FM tuner (although it also features a really stupidly placed headphone cord that comes out the bottom).

I paired my Nex II with the armband case from Tune Belt and I have the perfect jogging/gym solution. Got my Tune Belt case at PlanetMiniDisc.com and my Nex II from Choke Slam Media on eBay, where they always have TONS of various Nex models for sale. In general there's a great market out there for mp3 armband cases (I only know of two: Tune Belt's, and a crappier (less comfortable, IMO) one from Case Logic) and full-featured CF mp3 players. Really, really overlooked markets.

My only gripe about the Nex series is NO PLAY LISTS! Geez. I hate reshuffling around my jogging/biking/driving tunes into different folders depending on my mood. Cheap CF player (that doubles as a flash drive), great sound with custom 5-band EQ, and now with FM tuning...m3u playlists would make it perfect.

The Nex IIe from Frontier Labs is a real prodcut, and it supports both CompactFlash Type I & II (such as IBM's Microdrive). Then again, it doesn't support Ogg (yet?), so that's why I'm not buying one ;).

The Nex IIe from Frontier Labs is a real prodcut, and it supports both CompactFlash Type I & II (such as IBM's Microdrive). Then again, it doesn't support Ogg (yet?), so that's why I'm not buying one ;).

Check it out

I have had a Nex II from Frontier Labs for the past 2+ years. It's a sweet device that stores music on Compact Flash cards.

Their latest player is the Nex ia:
Compact Flash Storage
Plays MP3 and WMA
FM Radio Player
FM Radio & Voice Recording
Can be used as USB Hard Drive
And several other very nice things

I really like my Nex II. If it broke tomorrow I'd get a Nex ia rather than an iPod. Honestly. It's smaller, lighter, holds as much music as I want, and is just as stylish (if not more so) than the iPod.

Just a very happy customer.

I have had a Nex II from Frontier Labs for the past 2+ years. It's a sweet device that stores music on Compact Flash cards.

Their latest player is the Nex ia:
Compact Flash Storage
Plays MP3 and WMA
FM Radio Player
FM Radio & Voice Recording
Can be used as USB Hard Drive
And several other very nice things

I really like my Nex II. If it broke tomorrow I'd get a Nex ia rather than an iPod. Honestly. It's smaller, lighter, holds as much music as I want, and is just as stylish (if not more so) than the iPod.

Just a very happy customer.

Well, I think a better question is how many people consider a hard drive based system when MP3 shopping? A big clunky iPOD might be okay if all you want is music during your commute. But I use my MP3 player in a variety of situations (jogging, at work, etc.), and prefer the small size, better battery life, and ruggedness of the solid state storage based approaches.

You can get a pure Compact Flash based player like the NEX for around $90, and 512MB of compact flash is now less than $100. And as compact flash keeps getting bigger, and prices keep coming down, I think the hard drive based MP3 players will at some point become obsolete.

There are several CF-based players on the market. Even discounting the RCA Lyras with their RIAA-happifying encryption, there's the Nex, the Diva, and the Moveman.

I have a Nex II MP3 player from Frontier Labs. It runs on 2 AA batteries, has a Type I/II CF slot, costs 100 euro, is flashable, can be used as a standard USB HDD (in Linux too) and has the same size as a pack of playing cards.
The only thing I hate about the player is that shuffle mode isn't 100% random.
They plan to support Vorbis in the next firmware release, which should've been ready in Q2 2003, but still isn't.

Because taping from the radio, having listened to ads that funded the broadcast (or in the UK, paying a TV subscriptioN), is EXACTLY THE SAME as making a high quality MP3 and then redistributing it to MILLIONS OF STRANGERS.

Although it's not there yet, Frontier Labs makes a little player called the Nex IIe that they've pledged will have Ogg Vorbis support in the next firmware upgrade. It's small, cheap, and takes compact flash as it's memory. Also, it works as a general USB storage device, so it works in Linux, without the need for special software. It's not perfect, but I love mine, and I keep checking their site waiting for the Vorbis support.

There's an obvious cabal that thwarts unrestricted media management, be it through artifically inflated CD-R/DVD-R costs, MP3 players that don't ship with larger than 128 megs of storage space (Of course, present company excluded...

It just doesn't suprise me nobody has an 'all-in-one' box yet.

I just pre-ordered my NEX ia a few days ago (it doesn't ship for a few more days; $130 + s/h for a NEX ia + 128MB CF) - my NEX II served me well for two years and just recently died. One neat feature is that it does do 64kbps MP3 recording w/ an internal mic. I was originally looking for a decent MP3 recorder, but unfortunately, one doesn't exist (the only ones that have level meters for example are $1000+ bulky pro units).

Anyway, I posted some research on my blog which might be of interest:

My old NEX II MP3 player just recently died on me. I started taking it apart, and it looks like I might be able to do some soldering to possibly get it working, but chances are slim (approximately corresponding to my soldering skills). It looks like the new NEX ia is coming out though, with voice/FM recording, better firmware, and possible Ogg Vorbis support, among other things. I sent an email to see what the recording quality is (hopefully with line-in capabilities), and to see if some slightly annoying NEX II bugs have been fixed.

From correspondence w/ Frontier Labs:

• improvements: multiple folder support, alphabetical song listing, more buffering, improved shuffle (but no m3u support, so you'll want to keep your CopyNex handy - see also: FATSort, PlaylistExpander)
• Ogg Vorbis is actually being worked on, for the NEX II's as well as the NEX ia and will be released as a firmware upgrade
• 64Kbps recording (can record at higher bitrates, but no selection mechanism in the firmware right now)
• No (recording) level-meter
• No line-in, the only external input is the built-in voice recording microphone
• Can play back MP3 files at the same time as recording

Perception Digital has a PD-095-01 Portable MP3 player which has a can record from an internal mic, FM, or a line-in at 13Kbps voice or 48-320kbps MP3 (!). That's pretty frickin' awesome. It's a little bit on the chunkier side, and only accepts SmartMedia, no Compact Flash though. Still, tempting, if I could find some user reviews...

The e.Digital Odyssey 300 (SmartMedia) looks interesting, although it also looks like it's no longer available. [the Mpio DMB+ looks like the same thing]

Also, PoGo! Products has their RipFlash line of Recordable Digital Audio Players (the TRIO is one w/ mic and line in, but is not memory expandable). Uses SD/MMC... (CNet RipFlash DX review)

See Also: minidisc.org's Portable Recorders with Uploading Facilities list.

Places to buy: e.Digital Odyseey 300, PoGo! RipFlash Trio, Perception Digital Hercules (PD-095-01),

I just pre-ordered my NEX ia a few days ago (it doesn't ship for a few more days; $130 + s/h for a NEX ia + 128MB CF) - my NEX II served me well for two years and just recently died. One neat feature is that it does do 64kbps MP3 recording w/ an internal mic. I was originally looking for a decent MP3 recorder, but unfortunately, one doesn't exist (the only ones that have level meters for example are $1000+ bulky pro units).

Anyway, I posted some research on my blog which might be of interest:

My old NEX II MP3 player just recently died on me. I started taking it apart, and it looks like I might be able to do some soldering to possibly get it working, but chances are slim (approximately corresponding to my soldering skills). It looks like the new NEX ia is coming out though, with voice/FM recording, better firmware, and possible Ogg Vorbis support, among other things. I sent an email to see what the recording quality is (hopefully with line-in capabilities), and to see if some slightly annoying NEX II bugs have been fixed.

From correspondence w/ Frontier Labs:

• improvements: multiple folder support, alphabetical song listing, more buffering, improved shuffle (but no m3u support, so you'll want to keep your CopyNex handy - see also: FATSort, PlaylistExpander)
• Ogg Vorbis is actually being worked on, for the NEX II's as well as the NEX ia and will be released as a firmware upgrade
• 64Kbps recording (can record at higher bitrates, but no selection mechanism in the firmware right now)
• No (recording) level-meter
• No line-in, the only external input is the built-in voice recording microphone
• Can play back MP3 files at the same time as recording

Perception Digital has a PD-095-01 Portable MP3 player which has a can record from an internal mic, FM, or a line-in at 13Kbps voice or 48-320kbps MP3 (!). That's pretty frickin' awesome. It's a little bit on the chunkier side, and only accepts SmartMedia, no Compact Flash though. Still, tempting, if I could find some user reviews...

The e.Digital Odyssey 300 (SmartMedia) looks interesting, although it also looks like it's no longer available. [the Mpio DMB+ looks like the same thing]

Also, PoGo! Products has their RipFlash line of Recordable Digital Audio Players (the TRIO is one w/ mic and line in, but is not memory expandable). Uses SD/MMC... (CNet RipFlash DX review)

See Also: minidisc.org's Portable Recorders with Uploading Facilities list.

Places to buy: e.Digital Odyseey 300, PoGo! RipFlash Trio, Perception Digital Hercules (PD-095-01),

I just pre-ordered my NEX ia a few days ago (it doesn't ship for a few more days; $130 + s/h for a NEX ia + 128MB CF) - my NEX II served me well for two years and just recently died. One neat feature is that it does do 64kbps MP3 recording w/ an internal mic. I was originally looking for a decent MP3 recorder, but unfortunately, one doesn't exist (the only ones that have level meters for example are $1000+ bulky pro units).

Anyway, I posted some research on my blog which might be of interest:

My old NEX II MP3 player just recently died on me. I started taking it apart, and it looks like I might be able to do some soldering to possibly get it working, but chances are slim (approximately corresponding to my soldering skills). It looks like the new NEX ia is coming out though, with voice/FM recording, better firmware, and possible Ogg Vorbis support, among other things. I sent an email to see what the recording quality is (hopefully with line-in capabilities), and to see if some slightly annoying NEX II bugs have been fixed.

From correspondence w/ Frontier Labs:

• improvements: multiple folder support, alphabetical song listing, more buffering, improved shuffle (but no m3u support, so you'll want to keep your CopyNex handy - see also: FATSort, PlaylistExpander)
• Ogg Vorbis is actually being worked on, for the NEX II's as well as the NEX ia and will be released as a firmware upgrade
• 64Kbps recording (can record at higher bitrates, but no selection mechanism in the firmware right now)
• No (recording) level-meter
• No line-in, the only external input is the built-in voice recording microphone
• Can play back MP3 files at the same time as recording

Perception Digital has a PD-095-01 Portable MP3 player which has a can record from an internal mic, FM, or a line-in at 13Kbps voice or 48-320kbps MP3 (!). That's pretty frickin' awesome. It's a little bit on the chunkier side, and only accepts SmartMedia, no Compact Flash though. Still, tempting, if I could find some user reviews...

The e.Digital Odyssey 300 (SmartMedia) looks interesting, although it also looks like it's no longer available. [the Mpio DMB+ looks like the same thing]

Also, PoGo! Products has their RipFlash line of Recordable Digital Audio Players (the TRIO is one w/ mic and line in, but is not memory expandable). Uses SD/MMC... (CNet RipFlash DX review)

See Also: minidisc.org's Portable Recorders with Uploading Facilities list.

Places to buy: e.Digital Odyseey 300, PoGo! RipFlash Trio, Perception Digital Hercules (PD-095-01),

Come on, geeez!!! :-)

On a more interesting note, Frontier Labs recently released their new MP3 player, the NEX IA. From the site:

It's almost official then, go OGG! Can't wait!

It seems like that device makers have sortof agreed on a standard. I can buy an mp3 player (ex. Nex IIe), a digital camera (ex. Canon EOS 1D), and a PDA (ex. Sharp Zaurus) that all take CompactFlash. I could probably find a similar combination for the other types of flash memory, but I think they do not have the storage sizes that CF has right now (up to 1 GB, I think). I walked into a computer store the other day and saw desktop systems with built-in flash disk drives (one bay with four slots for the different types).

I emailed frontierlabs and they said the firmware for ogg would be added to their website soon for the nexII (model). It'll take CF and IBM microdrives for about $115 USD.

FYI, Frontier Labs expects to have ogg support ready for their Nex II player in Q2 2003.

There have been several rumors lately that the Nex IIe from Frontier Labs will support Oggs RealSoonNow (tm).

Link to yahoo group thread.

If you want an mp3 player that can also be used to transfer files, try the Nex IIe. There was a review and an slashback article about it on /. awhile back. Takes up to the largest compact flash or IBM microdrive you can find (about 1 GB currently). You just dump raw mp3s on to it and whatever other files you want and off you go.

Everything just works

This is something that seems to often get forgotten within the Linux world. When people complain that something hasn't worked, they tend to get a response like this:

It's easy to fix. All you need to do is edit...

And in that split second it strengthens the reasons why people are hesitant to move from comfy Windows land. Editing text files may be easy for you, but for everyone else it doesn't sound like fun.

Generally whenever I've said something like the above I get bombarded with questions like "why do i need to edit this?", "what happens if i make a mistake?" and invariably "why do I have to edit this in the first place?".

Hopefully these nice UI touches will make it into other distros. I'm looking forward to the day I can plug my USB MP3 player in and the OS automatically detects it, mounts it and allows me to use it ... without having to hit the command line.

Or are there distros like that already?

For anyone interested, I bought the microdrive at http://www.buymstar.com/detailsSto.asp?pid=901 for 105 bucks, and it includes a PC card adapter for my laptop. Joy of joys. (:

why not just make a portable audio player that allows you to flash any type of audio decoder into it.

Because then you wouldn't make money off of selling the next player when the old one isn't good enough any more?

Or because it's already been done. NexII and others. And you don't want to do something others already have done, do you?

a) Saying "inertia slows acceleration" doesn't exactly demonstrate good knowledge of physics. Inertia is no force, and thus it cannot "slow acceleration" in any way. It's just how stuff works when force translates to acceleration and not speed.

b) According to Emmett (CEO of Xiph.org), the Xiph.org team is working with Frontier Labs to investigate the possibility of Vorbis playback on the NEX II and NEX IIe series of portable players. In addition, PhatNoise has already released alpha firmware for Vorbis playback in the PhatBox and Kenwood Music Keg for in-car Vorbis listening. (Yes, the nexII thing is official. I'm quoting him directly here ;-) ) In other words, there is acceleration.

/* Steinar */

a) Saying "inertia slows acceleration" doesn't exactly demonstrate good knowledge of physics. Inertia is no force, and thus it cannot "slow acceleration" in any way. It's just how stuff works when force translates to acceleration and not speed.

b) According to Emmett (CEO of Xiph.org), the Xiph.org team is working with Frontier Labs to investigate the possibility of Vorbis playback on the NEX II and NEX IIe series of portable players. In addition, PhatNoise has already released alpha firmware for Vorbis playback in the PhatBox and Kenwood Music Keg for in-car Vorbis listening. (Yes, the nexII thing is official. I'm quoting him directly here ;-) ) In other words, there is acceleration.

/* Steinar */

a) Saying "inertia slows acceleration" doesn't exactly demonstrate good knowledge of physics. Inertia is no force, and thus it cannot "slow acceleration" in any way. It's just how stuff works when force translates to acceleration and not speed.

b) According to Emmett (CEO of Xiph.org), the Xiph.org team is working with Frontier Labs to investigate the possibility of Vorbis playback on the NEX II and NEX IIe series of portable players. In addition, PhatNoise has already released alpha firmware for Vorbis playback in the PhatBox and Kenwood Music Keg for in-car Vorbis listening. (Yes, the nexII thing is official. I'm quoting him directly here ;-) ) In other words, there is acceleration.

/* Steinar */

For companies to produce portable Vorbis players, they need to be made aware that there is a market for them. Every day, I hear the same thing from Vorbis listeners; 'I'm not buying a hardware portable music player unless it supports Ogg Vorbis.' It's nice to hear, but we can't do anything about it (we're not a hardware company). So, this page is here to let you send that message to people who can. Remember, be polite!

The Companies:

Frontier Labs - URL - has told a lot of people that they're considering implementing Vorbis support for the NEX II machine. Here's their information:

Frontier Labs
Unit 2206 - 8, Cyberincubator, Kodak House II
No. 321 Java Road
North Point, Hong Kong
Telephone: 852.2527.3322
Fax: 852.2528.5277
E-mail: techsupport@frontierlabs.com

iRiver - URL - has said they are planning to support Ogg Vorbis in the future via firmware upgrade, but the schedule is not yet finalized. Here's their information:

iRiver America
1716 Ringwood Avenue
San Jose, CA 95131
Telephone: 1-408-452-7940
Fax: 1-408-452-9944
E-mail: contact@iriveramerica.com

UPDATE: Forwarded E-mail from iRiver America

The engineers have Ogg Vorbis under consideration to support. However, at this time, there is no decision whether it will be supported in the future or not.

Regards,

Erica L. Briggs
Customer Service Representative
iRiver America, Inc.
Direct: 408.452.7940

Wouldn't you like to see Vorbis on the super-sexy iPod? We would, too. Here's some contact information for Apple Computer (URL):

Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
Telephone: 408-996-1010

UPDATE: Don't forget to drop a note to Apple about the iPod at http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html!

Other companies producing audio hardware:

Archos Technology Inc. - URL
3-A Goodyear
Irvine, CA 92618
Telephone: (949) 609-1400
Fax: (949) 609-1414

ReQuest Multimedia - URL
435 2nd Ave.
Troy, NY 12182
E-mail: bizdev@request.com

Evolution Technologies - URL
118 Kitty Hawk Drive
Morrisville, NC 27560
Telephone: 919-544-3777 / toll-free: 866-848-8070
E-mail: info@nowevolution.com

UPDATE: Note from Evolution Technologies

Evolution Technologies, Inc. is committed to support our consumers music appetite. We will support the formats that are consistent with both their desires and good business practices. While we have not ruled out supporting "open source" formats, we must first evaluate the acceptance levels with the buying public so that our organization can justify the expense of developing a new compatible CODEC. When the demand is sufficient, we will support the technology.

Sonic Blue - URL
2841 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054-1838
Telephone: (408) 588-8000

I-Jam Multimedia LLC - URL
1092 National Parkway
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Telephone: 847-839-1233
Fax: 847-839-1277
E-mail: ehamnett@geltzerpr.com

Alaris, Inc. - URL
44061 Nobel Drive
Fremont, CA 94538

Creative Labs, Inc. - URL
Developer Relations
1901 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, California 95035
Telephone: 408-546-6425
Fax: 408-432-6717
E-mail: devmusic@creativelabs.com

Daisy Technology, LLC - URL
111 N. Market Street, Suite 624
San Jose, CA 95113
Telephone: 408-286-7697
Fax: 408-351-3330
E-mail: info@daisytech-usa.com

Procell Media - URL
69 Wrexham Road
Whitchurch, Shropshire
SY13 1HT
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 (0)1948 665048
Fax: +44 (0)1948 667099

G-NET Canada Headquarters - URL
11 Sinclair Court
Cambridge, Ontario
N1T 1K2 CANADA
Telephone: 519-623-4901
Fax: 519-623-3229

For companies to produce portable Vorbis players, they need to be made aware that there is a market for them. Every day, I hear the same thing from Vorbis listeners; 'I'm not buying a hardware portable music player unless it supports Ogg Vorbis.' It's nice to hear, but we can't do anything about it (we're not a hardware company). So, this page is here to let you send that message to people who can. Remember, be polite!

The Companies:

Frontier Labs - URL - has told a lot of people that they're considering implementing Vorbis support for the NEX II machine. Here's their information:

Frontier Labs
Unit 2206 - 8, Cyberincubator, Kodak House II
No. 321 Java Road
North Point, Hong Kong
Telephone: 852.2527.3322
Fax: 852.2528.5277
E-mail: techsupport@frontierlabs.com

iRiver - URL - has said they are planning to support Ogg Vorbis in the future via firmware upgrade, but the schedule is not yet finalized. Here's their information:

iRiver America
1716 Ringwood Avenue
San Jose, CA 95131
Telephone: 1-408-452-7940
Fax: 1-408-452-9944
E-mail: contact@iriveramerica.com

UPDATE: Forwarded E-mail from iRiver America

The engineers have Ogg Vorbis under consideration to support. However, at this time, there is no decision whether it will be supported in the future or not.

Regards,

Erica L. Briggs
Customer Service Representative
iRiver America, Inc.
Direct: 408.452.7940

Wouldn't you like to see Vorbis on the super-sexy iPod? We would, too. Here's some contact information for Apple Computer (URL):

Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
Telephone: 408-996-1010

UPDATE: Don't forget to drop a note to Apple about the iPod at http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html!

Other companies producing audio hardware:

Archos Technology Inc. - URL
3-A Goodyear
Irvine, CA 92618
Telephone: (949) 609-1400
Fax: (949) 609-1414

ReQuest Multimedia - URL
435 2nd Ave.
Troy, NY 12182
E-mail: bizdev@request.com

Evolution Technologies - URL
118 Kitty Hawk Drive
Morrisville, NC 27560
Telephone: 919-544-3777 / toll-free: 866-848-8070
E-mail: info@nowevolution.com

UPDATE: Note from Evolution Technologies

Evolution Technologies, Inc. is committed to support our consumers music appetite. We will support the formats that are consistent with both their desires and good business practices. While we have not ruled out supporting "open source" formats, we must first evaluate the acceptance levels with the buying public so that our organization can justify the expense of developing a new compatible CODEC. When the demand is sufficient, we will support the technology.

Sonic Blue - URL
2841 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054-1838
Telephone: (408) 588-8000

I-Jam Multimedia LLC - URL
1092 National Parkway
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Telephone: 847-839-1233
Fax: 847-839-1277
E-mail: ehamnett@geltzerpr.com

Alaris, Inc. - URL
44061 Nobel Drive
Fremont, CA 94538

Creative Labs, Inc. - URL
Developer Relations
1901 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, California 95035
Telephone: 408-546-6425
Fax: 408-432-6717
E-mail: devmusic@creativelabs.com

Daisy Technology, LLC - URL
111 N. Market Street, Suite 624
San Jose, CA 95113
Telephone: 408-286-7697
Fax: 408-351-3330
E-mail: info@daisytech-usa.com

Procell Media - URL
69 Wrexham Road
Whitchurch, Shropshire
SY13 1HT
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 (0)1948 665048
Fax: +44 (0)1948 667099

G-NET Canada Headquarters - URL
11 Sinclair Court
Cambridge, Ontario
N1T 1K2 CANADA
Telephone: 519-623-4901
Fax: 519-623-3229

If you own a NEX II like I do, please write to frontier labs and let them know that you'd like an ogg decoder in their firmware and that it's even freely available for them to use now too!

Then we won't having to worry about that stupid mp3 licensing fee.

Go OGG Go!!!

P.S. Thanks xiph.org dudes!!!

If you own a NEX II like I do, please write to frontier labs and let them know that you'd like an ogg decoder in their firmware and that it's even freely available for them to use now too!

Then we won't having to worry about that stupid mp3 licensing fee.

Go OGG Go!!!

P.S. Thanks xiph.org dudes!!!

Info on the Frontier Labs Nex II here

Quick reasons why:

1. CF and Microdrive support
2. No proprietary software, just drag and drop files
3. Works on windows and Linux
4. Cheap
5. Great battery life
6. No DRM crap
7. Customer service that actually writes back (unlike SonicBlueBalls)