Issue Date: June 6, 2004
News to go
Why use precious minutes reading the paper before work when you can listen to it while stuck in traffic? And why tote your favorite magazine around when you can enjoy it during your morning run instead?
Use your commute to bone up on current events: Just download audio versions of books and magazines.
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Periodicals aren't just for reading anymore, you know. Now you can listen to audio versions of some of the nation's leading papers and magazines whenever and wherever you want, thanks to Web sites that let you download spoken-word files.
How it works: Content is downloaded from the Internet onto your computer's hard drive. Once there, downloads can be burned onto compact discs or transferred to a digital audio device or compatible PDA.
The current leader in spoken-word downloads is Audible.com, which offers audio versions of newspapers and magazines as well as radio programs (such as "Car Talk" and "Marketplace") -- plus 6,000 audiobooks. You can purchase radio programs and periodicals by the month, but an annual subscription gets you a better deal. "Forbes" magazine, for example, costs $11.95 a month or $34.95 a year.
Don't have a digital audio device? No problem. Audible.com gives one away to customers who purchase an annual membership. A nice feature: You can set your computer to automatically download content overnight so it'll be ready for your morning commute.
Another option for periodicals (if your computer's operating system is up to date) is iTunes.com, which offers "Fast Company," "Scientific American," "Harvard Business Review" and other titles for $6.95 an issue.
-- Brenda Biondo
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