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Technology Stocks : RealNetworks (NASDAQ:RNWK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Champolion who wrote (2643)	4/14/1999 9:16:00 PM
From: Boplicity	Respond to of 5843

The below is what I want to see from RNWK spread out breakout from web based and go portable, with pocket real players. <<Microsoft, Casio Unveil Palm Device That Plays Music Los Angeles, April 14 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, said Casio Computer Co. will use its software in a new hand-held computer that also will play music downloaded from the Internet. The device, called the Casio E-100, will be available in May and cost about $500, Microsoft Senior Vice President Jim Allchin said. In addition to running personal-computing functions such as e-mail and calendars, it will play up to four hours of music stored in Microsoft's new Windows Media Technologies compression format. A follow-up version will hold up to 20 hours. By adding music capabilities, Microsoft is bolstering its software for machines that compete with 3Com Corp.'s PalmPilot, the market leading hand-held computer. The new Casio device will also try to snare part of the growing market for portable digital music players dominated by Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc.'s ''Rio'' device. ''We're in discussions with other manufacturers'' to make similar devices, said Allchin, recently named head of Microsoft's large business and Windows divisions. The PalmPilot leads the market for personal organizers, and the newest version will enable wireless connections to the Internet. Diamond reportedly has shipped at least 100,000 units of its Rio, a solid-state player about the size of a cigarette pack that plays songs converted to computer files and distributed over the Internet. Limited Appeal While the combination of a hand-held computer and music player is ''compelling,'' Forrester Research analyst Mark Hardie said its immediate appeal may be limited because music applications aren't a priority for many hand-held computer buyers, like business executives. ''It's a little premature,'' Hardie said. As expected, Microsoft late yesterday unveiled a trial version of its new system for playing and distributing video and audio over the Internet. The new technology is capable of transmitting FM-radio quality sound at higher quality than rival RealNetworks Inc.'s RealSystem G2 media player, Microsoft said. ''You can hear a whole new vocals dimension,'' said the musician Mick Fleetwood, who helped present the technology during an event at the House of Blues nightclub in Los Angeles. ''It's like the door's open on one and its closed on the other.'' Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft also unveiled its MS Audio compression format, which lets listeners download, store and replay songs from the Internet. MS Audio works at twice the speed of the most popular existing format, MP3, without sacrificing sound quality, the company said. The Microsoft format, which includes security features made by closely held Reciprocal, will compete with systems developed by AT&T Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and Liquid Audio that give music providers some protection from Internet bootlegging. There are an estimated 500,000 songs -- many of them pirated -- available on the World Wide Web in the MP3 format, which makes it easy to copy and distribute compact disc-quality music over the Internet. By 2003, digitally downloaded music will be a $1 billion business, Hardie said. That's compared with the $13 billion traditional recording industry, whose executives are meeting with their technology counterparts to develop uniform standards for transmitting music over the Internet by June. Microsoft shares fell 4 1/4 to 85 7/8. American Depositary Receipts Tokyo-based Casio fell 3/4 to 71. RealNetworks fell 39 1/2 to 189 1/2. >> Greg Greg