Sonos updates music player software
updated 10:50 am EDT, Thu September 14, 2006
Sonos Software Update 2.0
Sonos today released Sonos System Software 2.0, a software update to its digital music system. In collaboration with RealNetworks, Sonos 2.0 enables users to connect directly to millions of songs and thousands of radio stations without ever installing an application or turning on a computer using the company's Rhapsody music service. Other features include alarm functionality, improved multi-national Internet radio, additional language support, and other feature enhancements. The computer-free, direct-to-service architecture of Sonos 2.0 allows users to instantly browse and play music. The Sonos Digital Music System is a wireless multi-room music system with a full-color Controller that lets consumers enjoy digital music all over the house. Pricing for Sonos' music systems starts at $1000 for a Sonos system.
The software bundles a 30-day trial of the Rhapsody music service, which features millions of songs from hundreds of genres, more than 100 commercial-free, professionally-programmed radio stations, and the ability to play customized radio stations based on users' favorite artists. Discover new music with Rhapsody's Artist Radio features creates a radio station with music from that artist as well as similar artists.
In addition, Sonos 2.0 provides access to Rhapsody's charts of the top 100 songs, artists and albums in hundreds of music genres. The software also allows users to create an instant music library: when you hear a song that users like in the Rhapsody Music Guide or on Rhapsody Radio, they can instantly add the song or entire album to their music library.
Version 2.0 also brings clock, snooze, sleep timer, and scheduling functions; an expanded Internet radio guide with more than 300 pre-programmed stations, organized by country; new French, Italian and Spanish language support; automatic indexing of an music library; support for the album artist tag; plus, the Apple iTunes compilation setting; gapless MP3 playback (of files encoded with Lame) and gapless Ogg Vorbis playback.
