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July 27, 2005

Self-playing audio books

I came across this interesting press release today. It seems that a company named Findaway is going to start offering a self-playing digital audio books. It's an interesting concept. I couldn't find a lot of information on their website but my guess is that the way this works is that you buy a cassette-type package, plug your headphones in and push play.

The advantage of this is that you're able to put a lot more information in a smaller space. A book that might normally be 10 CDs or cassettes could easily be consolidated into a player that fits into your pocket. Another advantage is that they could cater to people who would love to listen to digital audio books but who aren't versed enough in technology to figure out an iPod, Audible.com, etc.

The disadvantage in my mind has to do with cost and the disposable nature of the products. Will these products be priced comparably with CD/cassettes/digital downloads? If not, I'm not sure whether customers would pay much of a premium. And what happens when you finish a title?

Anyway, it's a creative idea worth keeping an eye on. Who knows, maybe these will be the rage someday...

For more information on the Playaway, click here.

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