Despite the recording industry's attempts to stop it over piracy concerns, MP3 has become the de facto standard for downloadable music over the Internet (at least for the moment). The popular digital audio compression program has led to a profusion of MP3 websites and desktop players that allow you to download tunes and shake your bon bon for hours while toiling away in the data mines.

But what happens if you want to listen to MP3 music away from your computer? You have to get one of the ubiquitous mobile players, such as the Diamond RIO 500, or an in-dash unit like the Empeg Car for listening on the road, or something like the Lydstrom Songbank for plugging into your home stereo system. Or, you can cover all these bases at once with the Personal JukeBox PJB 100.

A little bit larger than a paperback book, the Personal JukeBox may not be the most "unconscious carry," but clipped to your belt, it's not that much more cumbersome than other personal audio devices. Its real strengths though are in its versatility and its huge storage capacity (compared to other portable MP3 players).

The Personal JukeBox plugs into your PC via a USB cable. Included software allows you to load MP3 files onto the device and also to covert CDs (via your CD-ROM or DVD drive) into MP3s. You can load individual tracks onto the player or entire albums. A set of stereo cables turns the Personal JukeBox into an auxiliary component for your home stereo, while an optional auto cassette adapter plugs into your car's cassette deck and allows you to play the JukeBox through your car's stereo system.

Many portable MP3 players come up a bit short in the storage department (audio files take up a lot of space). The Personal Jukebox has a whopping 4.8GB hard drive which can hold some 81 hours (that's 120 CDs!) of music. Of course, this kind of music muscle comes at a price. The PJB 100 currently sells for $799. That's high by other mobile MP3 player standards, but with this amount of storage capacity and the PJB's versatility, it's probably worth the investment.

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