Turning Down The Volume On MP3 Players

The European Commission is proposing a volume limit on all MP3 players sold in the European Union (EU). Studies have shown that some players reach maximum volumes of 120 decibels and the commission is suggesting that a limit of 85 decibels be enforced with a user override allowing up to 100 decibels.

According to this BBC News article, Dr Robin Yeoh, an audiology consultant at the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, said: "More and more young people are referred to me by their GPs with tinnitus or hearing loss as a direct result to exposure to loud music.

"It's the sort of damage that in the old days would have come from industrial noise.

"The damage is permanent and will often play havoc with their employment opportunities and their personal lives."

Apple Unveils New iPod Shuffle - Smaller And Talkative

Apple has taken the wraps off of a new iPod Shuffle that half the size of it's predecessor, has 4 GB of storage for up to 1000 songs, and introduces a new feature called VoiceOver. VoiceOver tells you what song is playing and who’s performing it at the press of a button and can tell you the names of your playlists, giving you a new way to navigate your music especially handy during workouts. Perhaps the only drawback, though Apple will argue it is a feature, is that the controls are located on the earbud cord. While this may be a convient spot it necessitates the purchase of new ear buds from Apple, at least at the moment.

Microsoft not giving up on Zune MP3 player

According to PCWorld, Microsoft is not ready to call it quits on it's line of MP3 players just yet. A new line of Zune Players, the Zune 2, is reported to be coming with 2 flash memory devices and an 80 GB hard drive model. This generation will be equipped with Wi-Fi and supported by new community features and DRM-free music sales at the Zune Marketplace music store. It's a handsome looking device with a familiar looking "click wheel" like control, and while the first generation was not a huge success it had it's fans. With these updates the Zune 2 could become a solid contender in the MP3 player market, though it will be tough even for Microsoft to truly mount a challenge of Apple's iPod line.

Gizmodo reports the release of Sony Rolly in Japan

Well the wait is nearly over according to Gizmodo! The egg shaped Sony Rolly is said to be released on September 29th in Japan. The egg-shaped dancing MP3 player is motion-controlled, having sensors that know which way is up. Volume is controlled by turning the player clockwise or counter clockwise, and you can skip or repeat tracks by rolling the player forwards, backwards, or shaking it. Dance moves can be downloaded to the Rolly or you can create your own with the available software on your computer. The price is reported to be $351. It's interesting but is it $350 interesting? We'll see! More photos and video on Gizmodo.

Lightning strikes intensified by mp3 players

Both the Globe and Mail and the CBC are running this story and the main message is don't listen to your mp3 player outdoors during a lightning storm. The doctors are not necessarily saying that the devices, including cell phones and pagers, attract the lightning strike but rather the affect, on your body, of a strike nearby will be intensified by the metal in the devices and could cause greater injury. It is also noted that change in your pocket will have the same unwanted affect, but even so it's probably just good practice to put the devices safely away and head indoors if possible. The consequences chronicled in the news articles above sound rather unpleasant.

De-vice

It appears as though school boards everywhere are facing new challenges in their efforts to thwart cheats, and have been developing policies to ban or at least control the use of electronic devices in the classroom. One would expect those who are inclined to take the easy way out to quickly grasp the concept of texting but the little cheats are apparently more creative than I would have given them credit for... apparently some have taken to recording notes on their mp3 players and hiding their ear buds in the sleeve of their hoodies, placing their hand near their ear to listen to recording at the appropriate time. Even more ingenious is the use of the mp3 files tags to hide notes in a songs data for display on the screen... now that's using your brain! If only they would put those brains to good use and do a little studying.

News Release - Eastern School District - April 19, 2007 (pdf)

CNN article