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MP3 IS FOR COMPUTER, TRAVEL AND HOME

Digital audio is a wonderful thing. It offers total control over what you hear and unlike conventional analog sound, there is no audio degradation no matter how often it is duplicated. The only major downside is that digital audio files take up lots of storage space. Applying compression made the files smaller but the sound quality suffered. Something new was needed and thus MP3 was born. MP3 is a compression standard specifically designed to make audio files smaller while preserving the quality of the aural experience. But although MP3 is really good, it still isn't perfect. As more MP3 compression is added to an audio file, the sound quality degrades. Without getting too technical, most agree that a compression factor of 128 bits per second produces near-CD audio quality music. There are several popular programs that will convert analog sounds to digital audio and add the MP3 compression. One you might want to consider is Jukebox Deluxe from MusicMatch. Currently in its 6.0 release, you can create, identify and manage your MP3 files using titling and visual images such as album cover art. The soon to be released 6.1 version offers thumbnail images and Radio MX, an MP3 music streaming service. Available for Windows and Macintosh. $29.95

www.musicmatch.com

Wearable MP3

Panasonic's SV-SD75 is the company's latest MP3 player that offers style as well as excellent performance. Utilizing the latest postage stamp-size 64 megabyte SD Memory Cards to hold your tunes, Panasonic calls their line of portable electronic devices as "e-wear." The wearable digital audio player is about the size of a book of matches. It's only .6 inches thick and weighs only 1.5 ounces, without batteries. It can be worn either around the neck using the included lanyard, on the arm or wrist via the snug-fitting armband or attached to a pocket or belt using a multipurpose clip. The player's LCD screen is more than 50 percent of the player's face. The listener can easily monitor the play list, artist name, album title and elapsed time on the player's two-line, 12-character display, which features unusual looking highly visible silver characters on a black background. The unit is quite striking in appearance. I give it a really high gee whiz factor. The USB connection lets you download MP3 files from your Windows PC. $399.

www.panasonic.com

Play MP3 on any radio

So now that you have the MP3 software and hardware, wouldn't it be nice to be able to play MP3 files on your existing home stereo, portable radio or even your car? Well if any of your FM radio components are within 1000 feet of your computer, you can. USRobotic's SoundLink is a transceiver that plugs into your computer's sound card output. When activated, the SoundLink transmits a stereo FM signal up to 1000 feet away. Tuning any FM radio to the usually unused 88.1 or 88.3 frequency will pick up the stereo MP3 music being played on your computer. Now you can enjoy your computer files from anywhere in the house. Compatible with any PC, Macintosh or any other audio device with a sound output jack. $99.

www.usr.com