T wo days after Apple announced the iPod Photo, Gateway has announced its own music player and photo viewer device called the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox. The device offers 4GB of storage, a 1.6" (128 x 128 resolution) color LCD display. This compares to iPod Photois 1.8" (220 x 176 resolution) color LCD. Gateway said the unit will ship in mid-November, and is priced at US$249.
The MP3 Photo Jukebox supports JPEG and BMP image files, and MP3, WMA, and AAC music files (iTunes Music Store downloads are not supported). This is one of the few devices that supports the AAC format outside of Appleis iPod product line.
In Gatewayis press release, the company said "The new Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox will make anyone currently on a waiting list for other mini-digital music players think twice," clearly positioning the new device against the iPod. Apple has heretofore found it difficult to meet demand for the iPod, particularly the iPod mini, and Gateway wants to position its product to take advantage of that.
Gatewayis MP3 Photo Jukebox
Gateway has partnered with Napsteris Napster To Go music download service, and is giving away one free month of the service to customers who buy the MP3 Photo Jukebox. The device will support other WMA-based music download services as well.
You can find more information on the MP3 Photo Jukebox at Gatewayis Web site.