| The Volish Zune is better than Apple's Ipod Classic
MICROSOFT'S latest Zune player is proving better than the Apple Ipod, according to the latest reviews. Although not many appear to have bought the last version of the Zune, it seems that Vole has managed to do a bit better on its second generation machines which will hit the shops soon. This time its $250 80GB model wipes the floor with the iPod Classic with its wireless syncing and built in radio. The beast is not as pretty than the iPod, being a bit thicker. According to PC World, sound quality was all right thanks to the better quality headphones which ships with the beasts. The Zune supports MP3, WMA, WMA lossless, PlaysForSure DRM-ed audio, and its own DRM format for Zune Pass subscriptions. It can also play FM and video and displays photos on its 3.2-inch 320-by-240-pixel screen, and the Zune now supports h.264 and MPEG-4 encoding in addition to WMV.
STYLE ON THE RUN
WHO says runners don't care about what they wear? Here are some of our favorite accessories for pavement pounding. PHOTO GALLERY: More Great Running Gear It all comes out in the wash - even gross embedded smells - with Win Detergent ($7 at JackRabbit, 42 W. 14th St.; [212] 727-2980). Smell good and stay perky with the Adidas AdiStar Long Bra Top ($50 at Adidas Sport Performance Store, 610 Broadway; [212] 529-0081), made with ventilated ClimaCool to keep your skin dry, anti-microbial silver fibers to prevent stink, and soft molded cups to reduce chafing and skin irritations. Ward off foot odor with New Balance Performance Socks ($11 at New Balance, 51 W. 42nd St.; [212] 997-9112), made with extra toe cushioning for your tootsies. Keep your ears warm and happy with Nike's stealth new Sport Culture Headphones ($60 at Niketown, 6 E.
Improving the iPod experience
Wearable displays
Myvu's new headset for video iPods makes you feel as if you are sitting in front of a large TV, in a darkened room, rather than staring at a tiny screen in the palm of your hand. You wear the Solo Plus Edition (about $200 at myvu.com) as you would a pair of glasses, and plug its stereo headphones into each ear. The device's two tiny lenses are positioned to create the illusion of a single image in your field of view. You can see the outside world around the image, through the Solo's darkened, translucent, wraparound lens. It's not enough visibility to get you across Comm. Ave. in one piece, but at least you'll know if someone is approaching you on the T. If you are nearsighted, Myvu will direct you to an optician that makes prescription lenses that fit inside the headset.
Startup tries proprietary path to wireless hi-fi
Touting a successful pairing of wireless and hi-fi audio, fabless chip vendor Avnera Corp. (Beaverton, Ore.) today will announce chip sets for wireless audio connections in the 2.4-GHz band that outperform data-oriented wireless connections in range, freedom from interference, automatic network configuration and full CD-quality sound. But the proprietary approach means the chip sets are not interoperable with other brands. The company has spent the past three years in R&D mode, perfecting "chip sets that provide a wireless audio connection that rivals wired connections in both quality and ease-of-use. You can't do that using a standard designed for data transfers," said Avnera CEO Manpreet Khaira. Khaira earlier was CEO of Mobilian, the first company to put Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) on the same chip set.
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