Memory Corporation Plc, the Edinburgh, Scotland memory products distributor, has announced the launch of an MP3 home hi-fi aimed at the US market. The company has patented the technology and is now looking for a branding partner to bring the product to the global market. Memory claims it found a niche for a MP3 hi-fi between electronics giants such as Sony, and the big IT companies. Nobody was making consumer MP3 systems.
The MP3-GO consists of three devices: the Internet Audio Port; the Soulmate player; and the Music Store, all of which have playback capability. The Music Store sits at the center of the system, digitally downloading and storing up to 100 CDs of music on a hard disk drive. The IAP uses a cable modem to access designated retail sites, and will use a touch-screen interface for purchase and downloading. The Soulmate is a Walkman-style device similar to Diamond MultimediaÆs Rio MP3 player.
The entire system works around the MP3 music format. Once controversial, MP3 has shaken off its image as the piratesÆ choice in the last two months, due to large-scale corporate support and the development of several copyrighting technologies. MP3-GO will use AudioKEY, a hardware technology for the digital watermarking of music files, which prevents unauthorized copying.
The system is targeted at the $300-$500 market, and should be ready to ship for Christmas 1999. At first the Internet Audio Port device will only be available in the US, where the cable modem market is sufficiently mature. This means European users will need a PC for music download.
