I-Jam unveils first Media Player 7 device

I-Jam has unveiled the first portable device designed exclusively for consumers to store and play music files compressed in Microsoft Windows Media Player 7 format, the beta version of which has been made available for download from today.

Media Player 7 is the first PC software to include SRS WOW 3-D audio enhancement technology from SRS Labs.

The software, previously only available in home stereo, home cinema and in-car entertainment systems, 'virtually enlarges' PC speakers, creating a surround sound effect.

It can also reproduce rich bass tones beyond what the speakers themselves can physically reproduce because of their size limitations.

Microsoft is selling the software in an 'all-in-one' format enabling consumers to easily organise and play digital media, while giving them one-click access to their most common media activities, including playing back CDs and streaming and downloading audio and video.

The software giant also claims that Media Player 7 offers integrated support for music transfer to more portable devices and storage media than any other player including RCA Lyra by Thomson multimedia, Pocket PC and palm-sized PC devices, CompactFlash, Smartmedia, and Iomega Jaz Zip and Clik! drives.

The beta version will be a premier feature of the forthcoming Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition. The final release of Media Player 7 is scheduled to be available later this year.

The Win-Jam Digital Music Player is slated to be available in July, priced at $129.99.