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By using FM radio, Heath got around another pesky problem: patents. Heath is not the only one who has thought that wireless music sharing would be a good idea, and some researchers already hold patents on ideas similar to hers. In 2005, researchers at the MIT Media Lab Europe patented their own system, which involved wirelessly sharing music using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (a wireless communication scheme used for short-range data transfer between digital devices).
Mike O'Malley, now a program manager for Microsoft, built a similar device while he was a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst last year. His scheme used Bluetooth to transmit music.
O'Malley thinks that Heath's product is interesting because it gets around a problem he encountered during his research. Unlike O'Malley's system, NoeStringsAttached can broadcast to multiple devices at once. O'Malley says he also appreciates the fact that it can work with different kinds of devices.
"That's the compelling part about it," he says. "Any device--whether it's a Zune, iPod, or Creative Zen [player]--can share the same music."
Microsoft's Zune player also lets owners wirelessly share songs, but the recipient only gets three plays or three days with the track--whichever comes first. And songs can only be shared from one Zune to another.
FM radio doesn't offer the same sound quality as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but Heath believes that people won't mind. She notes that the old-fashioned radio signal is still a popular broadcast medium.
"I think the quality is good enough for them, especially when you consider the price," says Heath.
Now CEO of her own company, Passive Devices, Heath hopes to study business in college. She has already submitted a patent for her idea of broadcasting to small spaces and plans to submit more. (The Heath family is still based in San Francisco, but the company is officially registered in Denver because Colorado allows teens to write checks.)
A NoeStringsAttached kit, which includes two transmitter/receiver units and a set of headphones, costs $59.99. Powered by a single AAA battery, each unit can transmit tunes for up to 9 hours or act as a receiver for approximately 20 hours.
Right now the kits, which are manufactured in China, can only be purchased through eBay. Heath declines to say how many kits she has sold so far, but she says that an updated version of the device should be in stores by Christmas.
Can I have email address for Allen Heath ?
and this is differant from a FM transmitter ?
I don't c a point in reinventing a FM transmitter. There are more than 1000 different short range FM transmitters and they are cheep to operate as FM radio can be bought from 1$.
Simplest example is a Car changer or there is a big new expensive range of FM transmitter for I-Pod ?
Re: and this is differant from a FM transmitter ?
agreed.
i actually had one of these in around '98 or so in my car. it was hooked up to my discman and i had my stereo tuned to the FM frequency, because i didnt have an in-dash CD player.
Can you point to even one out of "over a 1,000" FM transmitters that is relevant? Where did you come up with an inventory of over 1,000 FM transmitters on the market?
i'm not sure what you mean by "relevant", but here's one designed for the iPod: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7521149&st=FM+Transmitter&type=product&id=1127210996478
his point is that the device itself, a simple FM transmitter, has been around for years. i had one 10 years ago in my car to get my discman to play through my car stereo. you could create your own NoeStringsAttached system youself by hooking a self-powered FM transmitter to your MP3 player. anyone nearby with an FM radio could hear what you're listenting to.
it's her use of it, to share the signal with others rather than just yourself, that's novel. i dont think anyone's thought of using it for this purpose before.
Brunascle, I think you know what I mean by "relevant": This article is about a "novel way to share songs" - not the formerly novel idea of broadcasting music to a car stereo. The Griffin and similar devices wouldn't qualify as prior art and they aren't relevant because they do not solve the same problem that Kristyn Heath addressed: sharing songs with other paired-device connected person(s).
i dont know if it would qualify as "prior art", but the Griffin device (or any other like it) most definitely is relevant. the NoeStringsAttached system is two devices in one: an FM transmitter and an FM receiver. many MP3 players (such as Creative's Zen) already have an FM receiver. assuming the devices around me also have FM receivers (if not, you can usually buy an adapter), all i need is an FM transmitter.
actually, the Griffin device is only relevant if the iPod comes with an FM receiver (i dont know, i have a Zen). i was going to link to anyother device that adds an FM radio to an iPod, but it looks like both the Griffin and this radio use the same plug, which is unfortunate.
here's a better example:
Kensington iPod Digital FM Radio & Transmitter
http://www.educational-software.com/kensington-ipod-digital-fm-radio-and-transmitter-details.html
this is a transmitter and radio in one for the iPod. this _does not_ have the words "share with friends" in the description, but if it did have that description before Kristyn invented her device i believe that would qualify as "prior art".
Now the Kensington device is a better example, Brunascle. Question: does the Kensington allow simultaneous transmission of music over FM _and_ listening to the same music on the device transmitting? This may be the one remaining crucial difference: Kensington does not appear to allow the music-sharer to listen to the music on the device to which it is attached. That is to say, it can only be heard on an FM receiver. From what I can discern, Kristyn’s invention allows the music-sharer to not only share songs with other paired-device connected person(s), but also listen to the music she is sharing on her own headphones. Hmm… In any event, I hope Kristyn jams all the way to the bank. ;)
Re: and this is differant from a FM transmitter ?
Give the young lady a break. She didn't reinvent the FM transmitter, she found a new use for it. Her invention was making a device that was convenient and cheap for sharing music.
Re: and this is differant from a FM transmitter ?
I could not agree more, cyberpageman. Kristyn's work exhibits the exploratory problem solving nature of inventing. What these ridiculous comments on automobile FM transmitters have to do with her wireless music sharing invention totally escapes me.
That's pretty neat, 15 feet is a bit short though, but a great star!
A different way to share music under different circumstances is to let friends browse the music folders on your harddrive. They can copy what they want to their own harddrive, even entire folders of music, and it's not just restricted to music files. The way to do this is with GigaTribe software, which is free at: http://www.gigatribe.com
Congratulations, Kristyn, on your first patent pending _and_ new business. Sixteen and already cultivating your inner inventor and businesswoman. I hope to see NoeStrings on the store shelves, subways and streets of New York!
No offense to the inventors, but I could buy an Apple Shuffle (not to mention a multitude of less expensive players) for my friends to listen to and have it cost about the same...
...and burden yourself with loading music while only sharing that subset music collection from your total collection until you get home to rebuild the Shuffle library. Perhaps, you should just burn them a CD. ;)
actually, i think price is one of this thing's positive points. you could actually put together something that did the same thing as this right now, but it would cost quite a bit more than $60, and it would probably be awkward to use and could have limitations, because it was not designed with this use in mind.
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Way to go!
It's great to see more young entrepreneurs doing great things. Keep it up Kristyn! I think you can definitely get retail distribution for your device.
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