Today's digital music players let us copy thousands of songs from our home computers and stash them in a shirt pocket. Impressive, perhaps, but just the beginning.
After all, there are millions of tunes out there. Why not a digital player that lets you listen to all of them? How about a way to watch Internet videos? And what's this about plugging your player into a computer? Why not connect wirelessly? Indeed, why connect to a PC or a Mac at all?
Thanks to the rise of WiFi wireless Internet technology, there's an infinite supply of music and video streaming through the ether all around us. And now a bunch of new digital music players make it possible to plug in and listen.
You'd expect Apple Inc. to lead the way, and the company's iPhone and new iPod Touch devices have indeed hinted at the power of WiFi-enabled music players. But Microsoft Corp.'s also in the game. The latest upgrade to its much-derided Zune media player offers a wireless synchronization feature that the iPod can't touch.
But the most interesting WiFi services come from a couple of industry upstarts. Flash memory maker SanDisk Corp.'s Sansa Connect and the Ibiza Rhapsody from the Chinese appliance manufacturer Haier each allow users to listen to pretty much anything. All you need is WiFi access and a monthly subscription to an Internet music service.
These devices are attractive and sometimes surprisingly cheap - the Sansa Connect is less than $100. And all four use WiFi in clever and appealing ways.
Microsoft Zune
The first version of Microsoft's Zune music player attracted more wisecracks than customers last year. Since then, the laughter has died down, and with good reason. Zune 2.0 comes with an attractive display screen that's easier to read than the iPod's, and doubles as a good pocket video player.
While the Zune's three-button control interface isn't as efficient as the iPod's renowned clickwheel system, it's not at all bad. The hard drive version holds 80 megabytes of data and is decently priced at $249. The flash memory models come at $149 for four gigabytes or $199 for eight gigs.
The new Zune finally lets you put WiFi to good use. The original Zune's WiFi only let users temporarily "share" favorite songs with other Zune owners - if you could find any. Worse yet, you could listen to borrowed songs just three times.
The new Zune lets users synch their players without plugging them into their computers. If you have a home WiFi network, you can just tell the Zune to wirelessly connect to a PC and download new tunes, videos, and software.
The next logical step is a way for Zune users to buy tunes right on the device, without needing a PC connection, wireless or otherwise. Not yet, says Microsoft. Right now, says Apple.
Apple iPod Touch
Enter the iPod Touch - basically Apple's popular iPhone device, minus the phone.
At $399 for a version with 16 gigabytes of storage, it's a pricey little gadget, especially now that you can get an iPhone for the same price. But you do get that gorgeous Apple touch screen.
Like the iPhone, the iPod Touch lets you make WiFi connections to any nearby wireless router. Then you can visit websites using the Safari Internet browser, watch YouTube movies on its excellent video screen, or go directly to Apple's online music store to purchase and download new songs.
Still, the iPod Touch's WiFi has irksome limitations. Unlike the Zune, it won't let you synch wirelessly with your personal computer. And it lacks a built-in way to listen to Internet radio stations. There are add-on services, such as Orb.com, which can turn the Touch into an Internet radio receiver. But shouldn't this be built in at the factory?
Sansa Connect
SanDisk certainly thinks so. The company's Sansa Connect player lets users dial in thousands of Internet music streams offered by Yahoo Inc. The Connect is the smallest of the WiFi players, and the flimsiest-looking. It only carries 4 gigabytes of flash memory.
Then again, the price is right. It lists for $150, but is widely available for under $100. Unlike the other players on our list, the Connect offers an SD memory slot so you can add extra capacity. Besides, when it's in range of a WiFi hotspot, the Connect lets you hear all the music you want, for a price.
Connect users can tune into a handful of free music channels on Yahoo. Or for $8.99 a month or $71.88 for a full year, they can get Yahoo's Music Unlimited service. This service lets users download or stream over 2 million tunes in the Yahoo library. The downloads become unplayable if you cancel your Yahoo subscription, and you can only stream music when you're near a WiFi hotspot. Still, the Connect is a good option for music lovers on a budget.
Haier Ibiza Rhapsody
Yes, Haier - the outfit that makes those $88 air conditioners they sell at Wal-Mart. This Chinese appliance maker is going after the US consumer electronics market, and its new Ibiza Rhapsody is a pretty good start.
At $299 for the 30-gigabyte hard drive model, the Ibiza's a little pricey compared to the 80-gig Zune. But the Ibiza's in stock, while Amazon and other retailers have been running out of Zunes.
The Ibiza's multibutton layout makes the Zune look like a model of elegance; it's the player's worst feature.
On the plus side, it boasts a built-in FM radio, like the Zune. It offers free movie clips from AOL Video, though image quality isn't nearly as good as on the iPod Touch. And like the Connect, it lets you stream vast amounts of music, with a paid subscription to Rhapsody, the music service run by RealNetworks Inc. For $14.95 a month, you can download all the songs your Ibiza will hold, and listen to live streams whenever you're in WiFi range. Ibiza owners who don't want to pay a subscription fee can still listen to a few Rhapsody channels at no charge.
So we've now got WiFi music players that synch up wirelessly with our computers and deliver Web surfing, video viewing, and more music than we'll ever want to hear. Too bad that no single player delivers all this wireless goodness. We're running out of pockets.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.
