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Re: Friday, April 2, 2004
An idea, not sure if this is where you were going, but imagine: - a hardware device with wifi (and perhaps wired) capability, perhaps also (or instead) 3G - a small LED screen - ala a large ipod or other handheld - audio output - a service that aggregates RSS feeds from online media of audio content (and perhaps eventually audio + video), besides agregating it, perhaps also applying user defined rules, filters, and other features (such as tracking history so not to repeat segments). From this, I could easily see users creating a customized, personalized, streaming Radio - for example programming it to interject traffic and weather from local sources during the morning and rush hours (with an easy way to add this if you need it at another time of day, perhaps enhanced by integration with a locally available GPS to define "local" in a meaningful way). Programs and audio content could range from books, to investor calls, to talk shows, to sports games, to music (with or without a DJ). Further, the audio streams could include locally "on network" streams - so could have programming that filled in locally available MP3 files along side streamed content off the web. As well, it could be very possible to agree to include streamed ads and/or sponsored content along side other content you are listening to (and eventually watching). I know I, for one, would be perfectly happy to hear ads (exactly the same as one the regular radio today) if it meant I could listen to the Cubs no matter where in the world I was when they were playing (and/or if I wanted to timeshift listening to the game). Which raises another thought - from a technical perspective, it might be possible for this device to "Tivo"-like, in that it might capture content from a variety of audio streams and mix & match that content as desired (for example recording political interviews and/or speaches to be reviewed later while at the same time continueing to stream the sports game going one, and/or waiting until the particular song is over before starting another one (from potentially a different source). Is that anything like what you are thinking about? I am a huge radio fan myself - listening to AM and FM radio for probably more hours in the day than I watch TV, such a device far more so that the current Satelite Radio devices (though they are interesting) would be one that I would very, very seriously consider buying and using, especially if it were portable (and/or could also run on my laptop as well as on a dedicated device). Shannon
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