MP3 player upgrades and transferring iTunes content--Ask the Editors

Sometimes, a travel-friendly MP3 player just won't satisfy all of your portable entertainment needs. For those who watch tons of video on-the-go, a dedicated PVP with a capacious screen is a necessary investment. Find some of the longest-lasting options below. Also this week: get those iTunes purchases playing on both a Mac and a Windows machine.

Q: I am big fan of CNET--I think you guys give the best reviews for a wide range of products. Coming to the topic: I already own a 4GB Creative Zen and I really like the player--I bought it on your advice mainly. I really love the sound quality and the stunning screen, but I don't find it comfortably large enough for watching full-length movies. Can you suggest a good player that has a bigger screen, sufficient for video? It should also have good sound quality and of course a decent battery life, because I am constantly on the move. --Nikhil, via email
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Apple watchers spot iPod nano pix, iTunes hints

Tuesday's Apple event can't come soon enough for the gazillions of people eager to find out what the company has in store.

Hence, the latest rumor/hint/supposition: The Web site MacNN says it has confirmed that there is indeed such a thing as the fourth-generation iPod nano, which has long been suspected as one of the highlights of Tuesday's "Let's Rock" event. It also has what is says is a "verified authentic photo" of the device.

The supposedly imminent new iPod Nano, MacNN says and shows, sports the previously reported long, lean, tapered look, along with an aluminum skin. The photo on the site shows a copper-hued music player encased in a protective plastic display housing.

Engadget, meanwhile, is offering up a picture of an unboxed alleged iPod nano, in lime.
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Recycling tech and Creative Zen X-Fi curiosity: Ask the Editors

It's always tough to come back from vacation, especially on a Monday, which is already a day of dread in its own right. So much to catch up on. So. Much. EMAIL. But, on this Monday, there is a bright spot, which is that I received plenty of compelling questions and comments for this column during my absence, and I appreciate every one of them. This week, I've decided to focus on a couple of relatively simple items because (a) my brain is still out of the office and (b) I think the simplest tidbits can be the most useful at times. So, here you have it: How to recycle your old gadgets; and what's the deal with the new Creative Zen players?

Q: Can you tell me the best way to recycle used headphones? Are there hazardous or difficult materials (e.g. magnets, rubber coating on the wires or at the plug) that one needs to be aware of?--John, via email A: That's an excellent question. While I'm not sure exactly what the hazardous waste quotient is with headphones, it's best to recycle them just like any other electronics. The EPA has a Web site with some good resources on how to recycle electronics based on your location.
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Five ways to make digital music sing

Neil Young says the tech industry doesn't care as much about music quality as it should.

Perhaps that's because the average iPod-toting iTunes customer doesn't give a second thought to whether the digital file of the latest single they just bought is uncompressed or lossless.

Young told a bunch of tech luminaries gathered for an industry conference as much on Wednesday: "People's understanding has been skewed by MP3s and convenience. It's important to get music out there... but not at the expense of quality."

He's not the only one who feels that way. Grammy-award-winning producer T-Bone Burnett (who says audio nowadays is so degraded it's akin to viewing "a Xerox of a Polaroid of a photograph of a painting") is spearheading CODE, a new high-definition audio format distributed on a DVD.

CODE gives the music consumer options, by including many different formats, including 24-bit/96-kHz WAV files, uncompressed 16-bit/44.1kHz files, AAC, and MP3 on a single disc. What Burnett has done is show consumers that there are options, more than perhaps they are aware.
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iTunes 8 coming at next week's Apple event?

Add another possibility to the list of possible announcements at Apple's iPod event next week: A new version of iTunes.
Digg's Kevin Rose, fresh off his prediction that Apple has a new iPod nano design in store for next week, shares word from an unnamed source on Wednesday that Apple plans to introduce iTunes 8 at the same event. "iTunes 8 includes Genius, which makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together. Genius also includes Genius sidebar, which recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don't already have," Rose's tipster wrote.

I'm a little curious as to how that would actually work: By genre? By tempo? By finding like-minded artists?
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