Napster plans revival with new, legitimate service
Napster has offered up a few more details of a new, pay version of its once-popular music-sharing service. The new Napster, due out in "early 2002," will offer MP3 files as well as a secure ".nap" format the company has whipped up.
The new, legitimate Napster went live last week for a group of 20,000 testers, chosen from among 3 million users who volunteered to try the new service. The limited public test will continue until the paid service launches, a date that has not been announced.
The new service will screen each song that users make available to see whether Napster has a license for it. Don't count on completing your Metallica library this way the company is focusing on getting the rights to music catalogs from indie labels such as Matador Records.
A pair of smartphones deftly juggles data and talk
Chin up, U.S. cell phone users. This may be the year it actually becomes possible to choose a wireless service without hiring a consultant.
The nation's wireless companies are finally joining Europe and Asia in gravitating toward two prevailing standards. That should eventually mean better coverage, fewer dropped calls and faster data transfer rates.
In the meantime, so-called smartphones are making more sense than ever.
These handsets let you talk, exchange e-mail, fire off short text messages, even Web surf all while managing contacts, appointments and other information.
Yet even the most versatile smartphones are still a bit like gangly teen-agers, full of promise if sometimes awkward.
Two smartphones on the market are Ericsson's R380 World, above top, using VoiceStream service, and Samsung's SPH-I300, above bottom, offered by Sprint PCS. Both retail for about $450.
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