Stereophile: Orb Your Tunes

Orb's Curt Van Inwegen explains how his company's software allows you to access your music collection on your home PC from anywhere in the world. All that's required is a connected web browser or a connected device that plays audio and Orb's service. What this means is that instead of having to carry your collection of tunes on an iPod or as a batch of CDs, you store them all on your home music server and leave them there. If you are at a pal's house and want them to hear that tune you are describing, you can use your pal's computer to call it up and play it on his system. Seems like the obvious step beyond using an iPod to carry your collection around.

External Link :: Permalink :: Blog Home

< Previous Post | Next Post >

Reader Comments

Posted 1/7/2006 at 0:31 — By Stephen Mejias

>Seems like the obvious step beyond using an iPod to carry your collection around.

Yes. When Jon first told me about it, I wasn't so sure I liked the idea. And I'm still not sure I want to be able to access all of my home media and files and life from anywhere in the world - the word "unnatural" keeps coming to mind. Like, when I'm away from home, I'm away from home, and I shouldn't be able to, for instance, listen to WFMU, as the Orb would allow.

But when I told Jon, "I don't want to be able to bring my home everywhere," he explained that this was actually the opposite. Instead of carrying an iPod, you don't have to carry anything.

And that makes a strange kind of good sense.

But, still, I don't know. It strikes me as the step before all of us turning into computers. You know? Just stick a pentium chip in my head, and put me on sleep mode.

Add Comment