This software is really cool. You can record any internet radio to MP3 and have it in you hands today.
This is a very easy piece of software to us.
Now you can discover new music without using peer-to-peer services.
CD Burner, audio splitter and converter
Record and play Internet radio with one click.
This is hot get yours today.
Corey Hoffman
Monday, May 7, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Cheap Mp3 Players - Two Best Buys For Less Than $100
As you are possibly aware from my previous articles, I have a shortlist of my top six favorite cheap mp3 players on my BuyCheapMp3Players site.
A couple of my top six are lower end of the price range machines from brand name manufacturers (Apple iPod and Sony).
Most people will be pretty familiar with these two companies and the quality of the products that they produce. Also, most of mp3 players that they have produced have been covered in some depth elsewhere, on review sites, in press reports and the like.
I therefore see little point in recovering well trodden ground by describing these machines in any detail.
What I would like to do instead is go into a little more detail with a short comparative review of a couple of cheap mp3 players from lesser known manufacturers.
Both of these machines, in my opinion, beautifully encapsulate the reasoning behind my impartial recommendation to buy a cheap mp3 player, rather than perhaps wasting our money on an expensive brand name machine.
The simple fact is that there are many cheap mp3 players that offer great quality at exceptional prices, and why pay more than you need to?
In other words, the two players that I have highlighted below simply provide tremendous value for money, and who amongst us doesn't want that?
iRiver iFP-700 (780T model - 128MB - @$60)
The first point to note about this player is the great sound quality, and my previous articles have all attempted to highlight how important this is. The bass response, in particular, is simply outstanding, making this a very good choice for those who will use their mp3 player mainly to listen to rock music, hip hop and the like.
The 128MB available to you translates into something like four hours of music, well within the lifespan capacity of the battery, which can easily last twenty hours plus in normal use.
It will play MP3, WMA & OGG music files, and can record from any sound source, not just through your PC. It also features an FM radio, is pretty resistant to the skips and jumps that are often a feature of Flash based players, and weighs in at just 3 grams!
So, there are a heck of a lot of good things that you can say about the 780T, making it an outstanding buy in its class and price range for me.
I do, of course, have a couple of small gripes!
First, the radio reception is often not particularly good. Obviously this is only relevant if you are interested in listening to radio, but, it is something to be aware of.
Second, I found the earphones a little difficult to use, and pretty uncomfortable into the bargain. Not that the 780T is unique in this, and, of course, earphones can be bought separately, but I didn't really like the standard phones that come with the 780T.
That being said, it is still a very, very good example of what you get if you buy a cheap mp3 player, and for the price, it is exceptional value for money.
SanDisk Sansa e100 (e140 - 1GB - $80)
This one comes with 1GB memory, so it obviously has the ability to load up considerably more music than the 780T above.
Again, this is five star mp3 player, great quality from a lesser known name, that can play mp3 or WMA files, weighs in at 0.4ozs and has a battery life of 15 hours continuous playback.
Also like the 780T, this one offers terrific sound quality, with its “TruBass” feature again adding considerably to the response at the lower end of the tonal scale.
The controls are extremely ergonomically laid out and are simple to use, and the backlit LCD screen, allied to the detailed album and/or song information shown on it, make this a very easy player to actually operate.
It has the added advantage that there is no requirement for special software to load songs on to it - simple Windows "drag and drop" is all that is required - and for pure functionality, the Sansa e140 is pretty hard to beat.
Again like the 780T, downsides are very few.
There does seem to be a noticeable (and slightly irritating) gap between tracks playing on the e140, but this seems to be a feature (or fault) that I have found with some other Flash based players a well, so maybe it is an inherent fault of the technology, rather than the manufacturers.
I also, once again, found the earphones uncomfortable, but (given the frequency that this appears to be the case) maybe I should blame that on the shape of my own ears, rather than on the phones!
In conclusion, the iRiver 780t and the SanDisk Sansa e140 represent all that is good about the idea of buying a cheap mp3 player!
Both retail for well under $100 in the high street or local mall, but, before buying, don’t forget to check the special eBay deals from my signature at the bottom of this page for extra cheap prices!
Both offer great sound quality, excellent functionality, light weight and good looks.
So, your choice is pretty simple.
Do you want to pay the extra $30 or so necessary to move up from four hours of music with the iRiver 780T to the fifteen hours or so (before a battery change becomes necessary) with the Sansa e140? Otherwise, there is so little to choose between them….
As they say, you pays your money, you takes your choice!
Steve Cowan is an avid fan of both music and spoken word mp3's. Get his "fabulous 30" free audiobooks at http://www.TalkAlive.com, then download his own unique free report “Top 99 Free mp3 Downloads” at http:/http://www.BuyCheapMp3Player.info
And, before buying an mp3 player, don't forget to check out Steve's unbeatable eBay prices at http://buycheapmp3player.info/ebayspecials.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_John_Cowan
Side Note: I hope that you found this article information.
All The Best,
Corey Hoffman
A couple of my top six are lower end of the price range machines from brand name manufacturers (Apple iPod and Sony).
Most people will be pretty familiar with these two companies and the quality of the products that they produce. Also, most of mp3 players that they have produced have been covered in some depth elsewhere, on review sites, in press reports and the like.
I therefore see little point in recovering well trodden ground by describing these machines in any detail.
What I would like to do instead is go into a little more detail with a short comparative review of a couple of cheap mp3 players from lesser known manufacturers.
Both of these machines, in my opinion, beautifully encapsulate the reasoning behind my impartial recommendation to buy a cheap mp3 player, rather than perhaps wasting our money on an expensive brand name machine.
The simple fact is that there are many cheap mp3 players that offer great quality at exceptional prices, and why pay more than you need to?
In other words, the two players that I have highlighted below simply provide tremendous value for money, and who amongst us doesn't want that?
iRiver iFP-700 (780T model - 128MB - @$60)
The first point to note about this player is the great sound quality, and my previous articles have all attempted to highlight how important this is. The bass response, in particular, is simply outstanding, making this a very good choice for those who will use their mp3 player mainly to listen to rock music, hip hop and the like.
The 128MB available to you translates into something like four hours of music, well within the lifespan capacity of the battery, which can easily last twenty hours plus in normal use.
It will play MP3, WMA & OGG music files, and can record from any sound source, not just through your PC. It also features an FM radio, is pretty resistant to the skips and jumps that are often a feature of Flash based players, and weighs in at just 3 grams!
So, there are a heck of a lot of good things that you can say about the 780T, making it an outstanding buy in its class and price range for me.
I do, of course, have a couple of small gripes!
First, the radio reception is often not particularly good. Obviously this is only relevant if you are interested in listening to radio, but, it is something to be aware of.
Second, I found the earphones a little difficult to use, and pretty uncomfortable into the bargain. Not that the 780T is unique in this, and, of course, earphones can be bought separately, but I didn't really like the standard phones that come with the 780T.
That being said, it is still a very, very good example of what you get if you buy a cheap mp3 player, and for the price, it is exceptional value for money.
SanDisk Sansa e100 (e140 - 1GB - $80)
This one comes with 1GB memory, so it obviously has the ability to load up considerably more music than the 780T above.
Again, this is five star mp3 player, great quality from a lesser known name, that can play mp3 or WMA files, weighs in at 0.4ozs and has a battery life of 15 hours continuous playback.
Also like the 780T, this one offers terrific sound quality, with its “TruBass” feature again adding considerably to the response at the lower end of the tonal scale.
The controls are extremely ergonomically laid out and are simple to use, and the backlit LCD screen, allied to the detailed album and/or song information shown on it, make this a very easy player to actually operate.
It has the added advantage that there is no requirement for special software to load songs on to it - simple Windows "drag and drop" is all that is required - and for pure functionality, the Sansa e140 is pretty hard to beat.
Again like the 780T, downsides are very few.
There does seem to be a noticeable (and slightly irritating) gap between tracks playing on the e140, but this seems to be a feature (or fault) that I have found with some other Flash based players a well, so maybe it is an inherent fault of the technology, rather than the manufacturers.
I also, once again, found the earphones uncomfortable, but (given the frequency that this appears to be the case) maybe I should blame that on the shape of my own ears, rather than on the phones!
In conclusion, the iRiver 780t and the SanDisk Sansa e140 represent all that is good about the idea of buying a cheap mp3 player!
Both retail for well under $100 in the high street or local mall, but, before buying, don’t forget to check the special eBay deals from my signature at the bottom of this page for extra cheap prices!
Both offer great sound quality, excellent functionality, light weight and good looks.
So, your choice is pretty simple.
Do you want to pay the extra $30 or so necessary to move up from four hours of music with the iRiver 780T to the fifteen hours or so (before a battery change becomes necessary) with the Sansa e140? Otherwise, there is so little to choose between them….
As they say, you pays your money, you takes your choice!
Steve Cowan is an avid fan of both music and spoken word mp3's. Get his "fabulous 30" free audiobooks at http://www.TalkAlive.com, then download his own unique free report “Top 99 Free mp3 Downloads” at http:/http://www.BuyCheapMp3Player.info
And, before buying an mp3 player, don't forget to check out Steve's unbeatable eBay prices at http://buycheapmp3player.info/ebayspecials.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_John_Cowan
Side Note: I hope that you found this article information.
All The Best,
Corey Hoffman
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Fight Continues Between Internet Radio and the Copyright Royalty Board
Shortly after March 2nd, 2007 webcasters began voicing their concern that the new performance royalty rates would essentially put them offline and out of business. In a very short time the internet radio community launched a grass roots campaign to draw public attention to this issue. By utilizing the listener reach internet stations currently have and the use of prerecorded public service announcements the outcry was heard. Very quickly websites appeared online to fight the legislation through email, letters and petitions aimed at congress. Listeners were asked to contact their representatives and voice their opinions on the legislation. This campaign caught the attention of many news outlets and effectively brought the desired attention.
SoundExchange after being pounded by the press defended their position and the rate increases. They then began their own grass roots campaign to counter the one launched by webcasters. Due to their recent publicity suing people for downloading illegal music when they didn't even own a computer, kids and little old ladies they have won no sympathy. They're next tactic was to get artists to speak out in favor of the new rates. A very few did. In response http://webcastersunite.net, an organization of independent webcasters, set up a petition for artists to sign that are against the new rates. It already sports 3 times more artists signatures than the SoundExchange posting. Webcastersunite.net believes all artists should have a say, not just the famous ones. This petition will be submitted to congress.
Currently the National Public Radio (NPR) has filed appeals along with many other webcasting organizations. The Copyright Board agreed to hear arguments to determine if an appeal was warranted. Soundexchange filed it's own appeal against a rehearing of the rates. In my personal opinion I forsee a long drawn out battle if the rates are not amended to a more fair rate for all webcasters. It appears to me that Soundexchange is biting the hand that feeds it. Internet music sales have been steadily climbing over the last few years. The excessive rates that exceed the income of even the largest internet stations, would put literally thousands of internet radio stations out of business and offline for good. How can that be good for music and the artists that create it?
Corey Hoffman
SoundExchange after being pounded by the press defended their position and the rate increases. They then began their own grass roots campaign to counter the one launched by webcasters. Due to their recent publicity suing people for downloading illegal music when they didn't even own a computer, kids and little old ladies they have won no sympathy. They're next tactic was to get artists to speak out in favor of the new rates. A very few did. In response http://webcastersunite.net, an organization of independent webcasters, set up a petition for artists to sign that are against the new rates. It already sports 3 times more artists signatures than the SoundExchange posting. Webcastersunite.net believes all artists should have a say, not just the famous ones. This petition will be submitted to congress.
Currently the National Public Radio (NPR) has filed appeals along with many other webcasting organizations. The Copyright Board agreed to hear arguments to determine if an appeal was warranted. Soundexchange filed it's own appeal against a rehearing of the rates. In my personal opinion I forsee a long drawn out battle if the rates are not amended to a more fair rate for all webcasters. It appears to me that Soundexchange is biting the hand that feeds it. Internet music sales have been steadily climbing over the last few years. The excessive rates that exceed the income of even the largest internet stations, would put literally thousands of internet radio stations out of business and offline for good. How can that be good for music and the artists that create it?
Corey Hoffman
Monday, April 16, 2007
MP3 Review. Why MP3 are better.
There are just a few audio compression formats out there, just like there are only a few image compression formats (you may have heard of them: JPG, GIF, BMP). Two of the most popular audio formats are WMA, or Windows Media Audio, and MP3 (Short for MPEG, Moving Pictures Experts Group, Audio Layer 3). WMA is the older audio format, produced by Microsoft, to work with Microsoft's Windows media player. The WMA compression format was designed specifically for this format, and thus can not be converted to other audio formats.
The audio quality of WMA and MP3 audio formats tends to be noticeably different. WMA is a decent quality audio format when streaming at phoneline speeds (maybe 30kbps or so). At such speed WMA almost reaches an FM level of audio quality, although not quite. At 128kbps, Microsoft claims the WMA is nearly CD-quality, although many would deny this. WMA, however, is not to be completely looked over. The compression provides relatively small audio files and they require less processing power to execute. It thus retains a deminishing niche as MP3 has become more popular and widely used.
The MP3 audio compression was developed in Germany in 1991 by the Fraunhofer Institute. MP3 typically provides higher quality sound than WMA because it uses perceptual audio coding to compress CD-quality sound by a factor of 12. As a result, MP3 has become almost the universal standard among audio usage and broadcasting. It provides CD-quality sound at reasonable compression sizes and high streaming speeds. Watch out, however, at low bitrates, as MP3 quality will likely suffer.
Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on MP3 and WMA audio formats, please visit our MP3 vs. WMA webpage.
All the best,
Corey Hoffman
The audio quality of WMA and MP3 audio formats tends to be noticeably different. WMA is a decent quality audio format when streaming at phoneline speeds (maybe 30kbps or so). At such speed WMA almost reaches an FM level of audio quality, although not quite. At 128kbps, Microsoft claims the WMA is nearly CD-quality, although many would deny this. WMA, however, is not to be completely looked over. The compression provides relatively small audio files and they require less processing power to execute. It thus retains a deminishing niche as MP3 has become more popular and widely used.
The MP3 audio compression was developed in Germany in 1991 by the Fraunhofer Institute. MP3 typically provides higher quality sound than WMA because it uses perceptual audio coding to compress CD-quality sound by a factor of 12. As a result, MP3 has become almost the universal standard among audio usage and broadcasting. It provides CD-quality sound at reasonable compression sizes and high streaming speeds. Watch out, however, at low bitrates, as MP3 quality will likely suffer.
Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on MP3 and WMA audio formats, please visit our MP3 vs. WMA webpage.
All the best,
Corey Hoffman
Saturday, April 14, 2007
How to choose a MP3 Player.
The market for MP3 Players can be a confusing one, just as it is for many home and portable electronics. Some of the most important things to consider when shopping for an MP3 player are how you personally wish to use the player, its weight/size, and storage capacity. In addition, you will need to become somewhat knowledgeable about file formats and compatibility with your PC.
First, think about the type of device you really want.
• Hard drive-based MP3 player:
These offer the most storage; from 10 GB and higher (up to 80GB) allowing you to put huge amounts of music on one device. They also have larger display screens and are easy to use. For these reasons, they are an excellent choice for use when commuting in your car. A hard drive-based MP3 player is larger and heavier however. They have movable parts which can be jarred during motion which makes them a poor choice for use during fitness activities. A hard drive-based MP3 player usually has rechargeable batteries which can be a cost saver but many are not removable and must be replaced after 4 or 5 years. There are also some "micro" hard drive-based players with a capacity that tops out around 12GB. Although smaller/lighter than a regular hard drive-based player their moving parts still make them a poor choice for activity.
• Flash-based MP3 players:
A flash-based MP3 player is an excellent choice for use during exercise/activity. They have no moving parts, are extremely compact, and have a 32 MB-8GB capacity. Due to the lack of moving parts their batteries tend to last longer. With all of this convenience however they actually have a much higher per megabyte cost than the hard drive devices.
• MP3 CD Players:
These devices can play standard CDs and can store up to 650 MB. They are the least expensive MP3 Player but they are large and can skip when moved thus are not a good choice for use during activity.
Once you have determined which type of MP3 player is best suited to you based on how you wish to use it and how much storage is desire, you will want to consider issues related to downloading music.
• What format is used?
MP3 is the most common but some of the others include .aac, .wma, .wav, and atrac. These are all formats used to compress music files so that they can be downloaded quickly and take up less memory. WMA formats for instance, allow the user to store nearly twice as much per megabyte but are a less common file type that MP3. This is important to consider since any particular file type can not be used if your MP3 player does not support it.
• Connecting to your computer and downloading:
If you want to download music from your PC a USB 2.0 standard interface is much faster than USB 1.0. A FireWire Port or FireWire PCI card is also fast but only supported on some computers.
Finally, be sure to check for other features such as the following:
• The display:
Can you read it? This is important as it allows you to use the functions on the device and provides information you want such as the title, artist and other playlist information.
• Other functions and features:
FM radio reception, a remote, a clip to attach to your bag or possibly an armband if you're active, the ability to record music live or from stereo components, voice recording, or advanced playback features. Some flash MP3 players offer a stopwatch function or other fitness related features. Newer MP3 players now offer color screens, photo viewing, and video playback for those who want all the bells and whistles.
There are a large number of MP3 player products on the market, finding the right one requires buyers to carefully consider which functions and features are most desirable for them. Using a simple buying guide can get a shopper thinking in the right direction and simplify the selection process.
The author, Christine Peppler, invites readers to visit her website at http://www.homemedias.info/ for more information about purchasing an MP3 player.
Corey Hoffman
First, think about the type of device you really want.
• Hard drive-based MP3 player:
These offer the most storage; from 10 GB and higher (up to 80GB) allowing you to put huge amounts of music on one device. They also have larger display screens and are easy to use. For these reasons, they are an excellent choice for use when commuting in your car. A hard drive-based MP3 player is larger and heavier however. They have movable parts which can be jarred during motion which makes them a poor choice for use during fitness activities. A hard drive-based MP3 player usually has rechargeable batteries which can be a cost saver but many are not removable and must be replaced after 4 or 5 years. There are also some "micro" hard drive-based players with a capacity that tops out around 12GB. Although smaller/lighter than a regular hard drive-based player their moving parts still make them a poor choice for activity.
• Flash-based MP3 players:
A flash-based MP3 player is an excellent choice for use during exercise/activity. They have no moving parts, are extremely compact, and have a 32 MB-8GB capacity. Due to the lack of moving parts their batteries tend to last longer. With all of this convenience however they actually have a much higher per megabyte cost than the hard drive devices.
• MP3 CD Players:
These devices can play standard CDs and can store up to 650 MB. They are the least expensive MP3 Player but they are large and can skip when moved thus are not a good choice for use during activity.
Once you have determined which type of MP3 player is best suited to you based on how you wish to use it and how much storage is desire, you will want to consider issues related to downloading music.
• What format is used?
MP3 is the most common but some of the others include .aac, .wma, .wav, and atrac. These are all formats used to compress music files so that they can be downloaded quickly and take up less memory. WMA formats for instance, allow the user to store nearly twice as much per megabyte but are a less common file type that MP3. This is important to consider since any particular file type can not be used if your MP3 player does not support it.
• Connecting to your computer and downloading:
If you want to download music from your PC a USB 2.0 standard interface is much faster than USB 1.0. A FireWire Port or FireWire PCI card is also fast but only supported on some computers.
Finally, be sure to check for other features such as the following:
• The display:
Can you read it? This is important as it allows you to use the functions on the device and provides information you want such as the title, artist and other playlist information.
• Other functions and features:
FM radio reception, a remote, a clip to attach to your bag or possibly an armband if you're active, the ability to record music live or from stereo components, voice recording, or advanced playback features. Some flash MP3 players offer a stopwatch function or other fitness related features. Newer MP3 players now offer color screens, photo viewing, and video playback for those who want all the bells and whistles.
There are a large number of MP3 player products on the market, finding the right one requires buyers to carefully consider which functions and features are most desirable for them. Using a simple buying guide can get a shopper thinking in the right direction and simplify the selection process.
The author, Christine Peppler, invites readers to visit her website at http://www.homemedias.info/ for more information about purchasing an MP3 player.
Corey Hoffman
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Record to your MP3 player.
Record Any Internet Radio Station with Radio2MP3.
Discover new music without using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks!
Capture MP3 files from any streaming source. Every song is automatically saved with artist name, song title, music genre, album, and perfectly separated into individual tracks. It also comes with click-and-drag CD Burner, audio splitter and converter. Easily copy songs directly to CDs or transfer them to your iPod or MP3 Player. What a great way to discover new music! Fill you MP3 library for FREE!
Corey Hoffman
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Record Internet Radio 2 MP3.
Record Any Internet Radio Station with Radio2MP3.
Discover new music without using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks!
Radio2MP3 is a new software that lets you record music from online radio stations or music subscription services to your PC. It works just like a VCR! Get the latest music for your MP3 library. Make individual song files automatically and listen on your iPod, MP3 Player or CD Player. It's 100% Legal - RIAA Safe. Now you can discover new music without using peer-to-peer services.
Corey Hoffman
My online Store is coming soon.
Discover new music without using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks!
Radio2MP3 is a new software that lets you record music from online radio stations or music subscription services to your PC. It works just like a VCR! Get the latest music for your MP3 library. Make individual song files automatically and listen on your iPod, MP3 Player or CD Player. It's 100% Legal - RIAA Safe. Now you can discover new music without using peer-to-peer services.
Corey Hoffman
My online Store is coming soon.
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