| S3's Diamond Multimedia on Tuesday announced future plans for its Rio digital audio player, including components for home entertainment systems and automobiles. The company also plans to roll out the Rio 600, the third generation of the portable MP3 player. All of the new products will include USB connections for Mac compatibility.
Diamond will offer two components for home audio. The Rio Receiver will incorporate Diamond's home phoneline networking software, enabling users to play digital audio (including MP3s) on a computer and listen to the music on networked receivers throughout the house. The receiver will also include high-speed Internet connections. The Rio Jukebox includes a built-in CD drive and hard drive along with onboard Internet connectivity, eliminating the need for a computer. Users will be able to download music files and store them on the Jukebox's hard drive. The devices can be used alone or as part of a home stereo system.
For automobiles, Rio will offer a removable hard drive that can be installed under the seat or in the trunk. Once removed, the drive can be connected through a USB port to a Mac or PC and updated with new music selections.
The company offered few details about the Rio 600, a new version of the company's flagship digital audio player. The company said in a press release that the new player will be available this month, but a spokesman told MacWEEK that it most likely will ship later than that. The other components will ship in a few months, the company said. |
