While Apple's iPod Shuffle offers random play, rival electronics firm Philips are hoping to capture the imagination of the MP3 player buying public with an intelligent sequencing system.
Using a new technology called Like Music, this system scans the player's hard drive looking for similar music. It then sequences songs based on common attributes, including tempo, genre and mood. The facility will appear on two new Philips players -
HDD095 and HDD093 - both due for release in early summer.
It remains to be seen if such a system proves popular with consumers.
Real music aficionados are sure to love the idea, and insiders point out that in the download age people buy individual tracks more than albums - meaning the usual way for experts to programme the order in which people enjoy tracks (ie what tracks appear on an album and in what order) is no longer available. The basic classification system on most players - ie genre - is not, they argue, very sophisticated, and some music fans are looking for ways to better programme the order in which they listen to music.
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