Mediafour Corp., the folks behind such cross platform solutions as Macdrive, has released XPlay, software designed to let Windows users use the Apple iPod.
XPlay is based on Mediafour’s own MacDrive technology, according to Mediafour President Brian Landwehr. With it, the iPod appears as both a portable music player and as a normal hard drive on Wintel systems. Integration with Windows Explorer allows users of such systems to access and manipulate songs, playlists, artists and albums as they would other files and folders on a PC hard drive, Landwehr said.
XPlay users can create and organize their playlists, change equalization settings, trim song start and stop times, and tweak other song information, including song title, artist and album. They can also use the tool to synchronize the contents of the iPod with the music collection stored on a PC’s hard drive.
“The Apple iPod may well be the coolest consumer electronics device I’ve ever held,” Landwehr said. “When I first touched it, I knew that Windows users would want it, too.”
XPlay is available for online purchase now at the Mediafour Web site; it’s due in stores next month. The suggested retail price is US$29.95. XPlay requires Windows XP, 2000, Me or 98SE, a FireWire port, and, of course, an Apple iPod (either the 10GB or the 5GB model).