mp3 news stories on Newser

Microsoft Axing Zune Player

Rob Quinn — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:58:55 CDT

The music has died for Microsoft's Zune music and video player, a well-placed source tells Bloomberg . The company is going to stop producing new models of the player because of tepid demand and will instead focus on providing Zune software for smartphones, according to the source. When Zune was launched...

Teens Get High on 'Digital Drugs'

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:45:00 CDT

The latest drug trend sweeping the nation has nothing to do with pharmaceuticals. Kids are getting high on MP3s, Wired reports , pointing to an Oklahoma News 9 report (at left) on the phenomenon known as “i-dosing.” Supposedly, just by putting on headphones and listening to music—which is really “a...

College Kids' iPod Volume Hurts Hearing

Nick McMaster — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:20:25 CDT

Most young people listen to their iPods at levels that will damage hearing over time, a new study shows. Researchers measured the output of an iPod while college-age students listened to music in a lab setting, and they found 55% of the subjects set the volume higher than 85 decibels—...

Things the Internet's Killed

Nick McMaster — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:15:35 CDT

The efficiencies granted by the Internet have rendered many aspects of life obsolete—the Telegraph has compiled a full 50. Some highlights: The art of polite disagreement. A quick look at the comment section on YouTube or any news or politics-related site will confirm this. Fear that you are alone...

Yes, the $1,100 Earbuds Sound Pretty Awesome

Harry Kimball — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:11:23 CDT

Sure, the new JH Audio JH13PRO custom earbuds cost $1,100, Jackson Lynch writes in Wired , but you get what you pay for. “The three sets of twin drivers funnel fantastically detailed sound directly to your cochleae,” Lynch writes. “The proprietary drivers—two for the highs, two for the midrange...

New iPod Shuffle Is Smaller, Holds More, Talks

Harry Kimball — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:13:06 CDT

Apple today unveiled the newest iteration of its iPod Shuffle, which is just 1.8 inches by 0.3 inches, can speak titles in 14 languages, and holds 1000 songs, Macworld reports. Smaller than a AA battery, it’s half the size of the last version, but more functional. The device...

Zune Sales Plummeting

Kevin Spak — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:05:10 CST

Is the Zune on its last legs? Buried in Microsoft’s terrible earnings report yesterday was news that revenue from the MP3 player plummeted $100 million compared to last year, or 54%, “reflecting a decrease in device sales.” Microsoft can’t just blame the economy, either; sales of rival iPod are still...

Leap-Year Bug Zapped Zunes

Rob Quinn — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:21:11 CST

All 2006 model Zune30s froze up at midnight last night because of a problem handling the last day of leap years, according to Microsoft. The company advises owners to wait until 4pm PST today, drain the device's batteries, and then recharge, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Microsoft apologized for the inconvenience,...

All the World's Zune 30s Mysteriously Freeze Up

Nick McMaster — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:17:00 CST

Microsoft’s Zune has a bizarre bug: Hundreds, if not thousands of the 30G models froze up simultaneously at 12am PST, CNET reports. The MP3 players all displayed a startup status bar frozen at 100%; the timing has prompted some Zune owners to call the problem “Z2K,” after the Y2K bug.