It seems there IS a way to get FM now on the iPod. Ok, so it's not built-in, but it's a good option. See here.

Keep in mind that the Empeg Car is the only product that has the hierarchical playlist system. Not even the Rio Central has hierarchical playlists. I wish it did.

I'm still hoping it will be a 2.0 feature. Rob already said it might be.

How about other features like the insert features of the empeg giviing you a dynamic playlist for the want of another term.

We've built on that. Pearl has a comprehensive running order editor which lets you save out the running order as a playlist if you want.

Hierarchical playlists are a logical upgrade so I'd anticipate they'll show up at some point. If they do we could put car player support into RMM2 which would be nice

Rob

And of course this one will sync with the central right

Oops. I didn't mean both tuner and receiver. Same thing. I meant tuner and MP3 player...

Bruno

> If any non-US BBS people want to get a Pearl I can look into some kind of group purchase when players are shipping.

If this is possible, and would include those of us who are a little further afield, then count me in...
I'm NZ and am holding out for Pearl's release, have bought a CD MP3 player(iRiver SlimX) to see me through until I can get my hands on the real thing...!

Duncan

p.s. I like FM tuners too, for traffic, weather, sporting events, and hearing new music, but as Rob said, it's a market research thing (and a fait accompli from what I gather) and I ain't gonna cry about it... :-P

In reply to:

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If any non-US BBS people want to get a Pearl I can look into some kind of group purchase when players are shipping.

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Yes please

Oh central doesn't have hierarchical playlists i thought it was almost identical to the empeg

This would be great.
I am definetely interested in such a group buy!

Marc

If any non-US BBS people want to get a Pearl I can look into some kind of group purchase when players are shipping.

Anotherone interested here...

/Michael

> If any non-US BBS people want to get a Pearl I can look into some kind of group purchase when players are shipping.

I'm interested as well (depending on the final $$)

Jelle

Bruno, perhpas you'd like this one...

http://www.msnbc.com/news/921628.asp

Oh, wait, has a tuner, must be "cheap."

I'm going to getting one (and a second base), and mostly because of the Ogg support! Make moving audio files a whole bunch easier between home and the office. The pictures are cool, thanks for posting them.

Two questions: First, will the built-in playlist software have the ability to randomly songs (either randomly sort the playlist or randomly pick the next song without repeating or playing too much from the same artist or album in a row)? Second, with the USB port will I be able to see it as an extra hard drive on my computer? (This way I can use foobar2000 as the player but store all the files on the Pearl?)

Thanks!

--Nathan

So, Rob, which flavor of USB 2.0 will the Pearl support?

So, Rob, which flavor of USB 2.0 will the Pearl support?

The non-fraudulently-deceptive kind.

Peter

It's from Archos. It's going to be crap. There are a number of companies that were onboard to release portable video players and/or recorders this year. Including one former SonicBlue... We'll see how tings are shaping up by the end of the year. Any device like this should most definitely support compact flash (for on-the-road image unloading), but yes, radio would be only a waste of space - internally and possibly a mis-use of buttons.

Bruno

Rob, I haven't noticed mentoined before, but, excluding the dock, what are the connectos on the actual Pearl/Karma unit itself? I'm curious to know what provisions there are for connection to a computer wihtout using the dock, if any. For things like file taxi, syncing when traveling without the dock, etc. Also if it has a charging connector on it (which I can't recall). I just noticed for the first time that the new iPods have eliminated the Firewire port and have gone to a dock connector only. Though they sell cables with a dock connector on one end and either firewire or USB connector on the other.

Umm, I don't suppose such a cable (to suport IEEE1394) could be made for the Rio, eh? ) Sort of sure I remember reading the chip used was USB only.

Bruno

On the top:

- Headphone/wing remote

On the bottom:

- Mini USB2.0 (standard mini USB cable)
- Dock
- DC power in

No chance of a firewire port I'm afraid, you'll have to be satisfied with ethernet

Hugo

I know that this has been asked before, but do we have any idea on how far back the release date for this is going to be? I'm dying to buy one.. Are we talking like within a month, or more like within 4 months?

Are we talking like within a month, or more like within 4 months?

Somewhere between the two.

Rob

OOooppps Robs given a date that means sudden unknown delay will turn up

If it does then Rob will be out of a job.

Rob

If it does then Rob will be out of a job.

Hopefully they'll only hold you responsible for delays that really are your responsibility. Because I know that there's already been a delay that's got nothing to do with you guys, or anyone within Rio for that matter.

Hugo, will there be a connection kit for my Commodore 64?

Yeah, I guess one would just have to *live* with ethernet. It does seem like you guys have a winner on your hands, so let's hope it gets marketed effectively and priced aggressively. A couple of people at work have just bought iPods nd only because this cool new rio product I told them about a month ago isn't out yet (I did tell them it would be later in the summer).

Nwo who's going to make the first IR receiver for it?

I'd love to see a small unit like this plug into a port on a head unit that would otherwise conceal the portable behind a full face VFD. Mmmm. Sweet.

Bruno

Hugo, will there be a connection kit for my Commodore 64?

What? You mean that you _want_ to wait 10 minutes for a single download and _then_ get told that it failed?

I just find this one, with 10Gb disk AND FM tuner.

http://www.iriver.com/company/news_view.asp?idx=342

If it does then Rob will be out of a job.

I suppose he could always find work as a DJ for Chinese Music CDs.

(don't ask)

Yes, "device controller" is a USB slave (just like the empeg-car); "host controller" is what we have in Pearl

Any chance of perhaps allowing Pearl to accept USB mass-storage slaves, and act as a photo data-dump from my USB CF reader(s). It's way smaller than the Digial Wallet thingie I currently lug around..

Cheers

It's too bad that anyone who has one of these units would probably be under NDA and wouldn't be able to talk about just how very very cool they are.

Maybe RobV will show off some of them at Amersfoort.. good enough reason to attend even if nothing else was happening there that weekend!

Cheers