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BY KURT HANSON
Microsoft, the Seattle-based software monopolist, released a trial version of its new Windows Media Player software yesterday that includes a host of new features, including snazzy visuals to accompany the music.

At the same time, Microsoft also debuted a major redesign of its WindowsMedia.com website (pictured below), which includes its guide to Internet radio.

Microsoft called streaming audio and video "the biggest thing for computers since the Internet" in announcing the player's release.

The new version of Windows Media Player has lots of "cool" features that may not mean much to professional adults like you and I, but are, in fact, genuinely cool.

For example, there are dozens of "visualizations" of the music you can choose from (which would have been excellent for late night Pink Floyd music listening sessions when I was in college) and numerous different "skins" for the player itself that allow the user to change its shape, color, and user interface.

The tuner is designed for a lot more than radio, in that it also is designed to play streaming video, downloaded music files, and more.

As for the radio tuner/guide itself, which can be accessed either via the WindowsMedia.com website or within the player itself, it has 12 "featured presets" today that include not a single station owned by any of the major commercial U.S. radio broadcasters.

(As shown in the screenshot at left, the only commercial U.S. station represented at all is Bloomberg's WBBR/New York City feed. All the rest are either British, non-commercial (NPR), Internet-only broadcasters, or programming produced by cable operators or other new media interests.)

The player comes with a very nice "Search" feature that allows you to set multiple criteria simultaneously (see screenshot at right).

When I tested it this morning, it was able to find about 340 U.S. FM stations and about 100 AM stations.

Read Reuters's story on the release in Yahoo! News here.

An perhaps even more interesting review of the software ("'Not Bad,' Says Analyst") from Newsbytes is here.

Of the 630 seats scheduled for the Radio Ink Internet Conference East, to be held May 15-18 at the Copley Theater in Boston, less than two dozen seats were available as of yesterday, according to Radio Ink's Ed Ryan.

The first Radio Ink Internet Conference, in Santa Clara last fall, was extremely well-received by its attendees.

Speakers at the Boston event are scheduled to include Yahoo!'s Seth Godin, author of "Permission Marketing," and The Wall Street Journal's Walter Mossberg.

For more details, including registration information, click the logo above.

Lots of RAIN readers had opinions regarding yesterday's story on a new startup's plans to bring Internet radio to cell phones next month. (Click screenshot at right to read the original story.)

"They can buy a Walkman for about $2 bucks..."

RAINman: Why the [heck] would anyone listen to the radio on their cellphone for $.25 per minute plus [lousy] reception when they can buy a Walkman for about $2 bucks? I have no idea where Savros is coming with this business, but I think it is a big short. Perhaps there are other applications? There better be.

"Going to sound as good as the old 'listen line'..."

Unless these folks have come up with yet another codec that will provide the encoding, the low speeds from wireless connections are going to sound as good as the old "listen line," that only the consultant had that number. If you look at what's going on in the wireless world for the web, you'll find it's a different protocol -- either WML or WAP depending on where in the world you're reading this. I'd leave open the option of a caching server being able to deliver streaming content at lower connection speeds. Live and in stereo (like a walkman) assumes there's a breakthrough in compression-decompression algorithims.                                            -- Lou Josephs, IBC

"The station [already] has several methods..."

I'm afraid that stations have already been able to produce short (or long) items for decades for use on phone systems in the event they'd want to do this. This development might be handy for some purposes, but I don't see how it could benefit radio stations. If a station would like to offer a short newscast to any phone user, the station has several methods to do that.                                            -- Herbert Visser

"I can't imagine a situation..."

Let me get this straight -- I will now be able to hold a microwave conducting device up to my head to listen to music for minutes on end, all the while draining my battery and incurring excessive use charges?!? I can't imagine a situation where this would ever be compelling enough to use.                                            -- Chris Petrovic, RequestLines.com

"I would have liked to have heard this pitch..."

Why would anyone want this service? Buy a Walkman...call the weather number..turn on the radio in your car to get traffic...that's when you need it..and it's free!! I would have liked to have heard this pitch to the venture guys!                                            -- Bob Christy, Straightline

"I still think..."

After six and one-half hours have transpired, I still think it's a lousy idea!                                            -- [same IP address as first comment]

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If you're hiring for a position that's radio- and Internet-related this week, we'll post it -- free! Simply e-mail the job description here. If you're looking for new opportunities that involve the Internet, you can take a look at the first three available positions here.

May 15-18	Radio Ink Internet Conference, Boston
May 22-26	Real [Networks] Conference 2000, San Jose
June 12-14	Streaming Media East 2000, New York City
June 14-17	R&R Convention 2000, Los Angeles
June 14-17	PROMAX & BDA, New Orleans
July 13-16	Upper Midwest Conclave, Minneapolis
August 3-5	Morning Show Bootcamp, New Orelans
September 20-23	NAB Radio Show, San Francisco
October 5-7	Billboard/Airplay Monitor Seminar, New York
November 5-7	NAB European Radio Conference, Berlin
Did we miss a major conference? E-mail us here.

Try it out! Explore the wide world of Internet audio by clicking the screenshot above.

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