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Microsoft Launches Portable Music Player

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the crowded-marketplaces dept.

prostoalex writes "Microsoft announced Portable Media Center, a digital music player, to be available in the second half of 2004. The announcement follows Dell's foray into portable digital music. Microsoft plans to license their software for the Media Center to third-party manufacturers as well. Samsung Electronics, Sanyo, ViewSonic, and iRiver are already on the list. The actual Microsoft-branded devices are promised to start at $350."

14 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. So... by Oen_Seneg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are we going to see a blog photo of 50-odd iPods being delivered to Redmond in the next few weeks?

  2. Far too little, far too late by GMFTatsujin · · Score: 4, Funny

    In *2004*???

    I'd been holding out on buying a MP3-enabled device until Microsoft put one out. Thank goodness the wait is almost* over!

    GMFTatsujin
    * For high values of "almost"

    1. Re:Far too little, far too late by mcc · · Score: 5, Funny

      My first thought was that they were holding off on releasing it until the release of the X-box 2.

      My second thought, and the one I finally settled on, is that this supposed portable music player will BE the x-box 2.

      -----

      "So we were sitting around at meeting, and someone said, hey, you know, that handheld gaming market is really heating up, what with the GBA2 and the Sony PCP coming out next year. We really ought to throw something in so that we've got a presence in that market too. So we were sitting there trying to figure out what the hypothetical R&D costs would be, but then Rob, you remember Rob, he designed the X-Box controller, he says, "hey, we're doing prototyping, and the X-Box 2 only weighs 6 pounds. that's less than a two-year-old child. Why don't we just do some rebranding, slap some buttons on the side, and release the X-box 2 as a portable game system?" And we got to thinking about it, and we realized, hey, that's a really great idea. Because look at all the things the X-Box 2 can do that the other handhelds can't. You can watch DVDs on it. You can record TV shows on it. You can do LAN play against other X-Box 2s. You can use it as a wireless way to browse the net and use MSN messenger with your friends [aslongasyouareatthemoment pluggedintoabroadbandconnection byanethernetcable]. But the kicker was when we realized, hey, you can use it as a WMA player. That's a broadside RIGHT AT the iPod. I tell you, when we release this baby, Apple's going to be running scared."

      --
      Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
  3. Re:Does it support ogg vorbis? by bryhhh · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's about as likely as it running a Linux kernel.

  4. Nice features by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It supports mp3, wma, and 0E formats. It also can play video and show pictures. I hear the visualization for IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is quite soothing.

  5. Re:Let me start it... by bryhhh · · Score: 3, Funny

    3. Blue screen of death in audio form?

    Have you been listening to the 'top 10' too?

  6. Re:It's Out WHEN? by Greyfox · · Score: 5, Funny
    They released a web browser long after everyone else already had, too. Look where we are today.

    As usual, release 1 will suck and release 2 will kill all competition after Microsoft starts implanting them in babies.

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  7. All your Base... by GSVNoFixedAbode · · Score: 5, Funny

    and Treble are belong to us

    --
    "I am Heisenborg. You will probably be assimilated"
  8. Use the new music format... by khenson · · Score: 3, Funny

    Instead of pirated WMA files use the new WMD format - the U.S. government has a hard time finding them on your system...

  9. In Other Security News Today... by morelife · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dateline August 23, 2004

    Microsoft released Service Pack 9a for its Portable Media Center music device today, much to the relief of hundreds of thousands of Donny and Marie Osmond fans whose music files were being stolen by remote Chinese Linux users using an exploit recently found in the device's Portable Media Messenger Service.

    Although Microsoft was quick to release the Security fix, they are still working hard to enlist other popluar music artists (besides Donny and Marie) into their roster of DRM'd Pay-for-Play music.

  10. Jesus Christ people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Every god damn story on /. has at least fifty "OMG who cares" posts: "Quit posting about SCO" "Quit posting about MSFT" "Quit posting about solar flares" "Quit posting about the 2.6 kernel" "Quit posting about Apple." So I went ahead and fixed the problem for all you whiny bitches out there who can't be bothered to figure out how to filter stories.

    Here's the new Slashdot, made especially for those of you who "care less and less".

  11. MS Technology by DrCode · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't you know: Portable music players haven't been invented until Microsoft comes up with one.

    (I think it was Petreley who came up with this notion.)

  12. Re:Ut-oh... by soft_guy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Jack Valenti and Hilary Rosen don't count as "lots of people" (or even "people" in my book.)

    I know lots of people who work at Microsoft and they all tell me that the company's explicitly stated (internally) plan is to fuck over Slashdotters. The reason that LongHorn has been delayed is because at every meeting some wise-ass says "I think we could fuck over people harder than this." and then they start thinking of new ways and adding them to the spec.

    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
  13. Re:Blue Screen? by r_cerq · · Score: 3, Funny

    It white noises. :)