The scoop: Wireless Music System for PC, about $150, from Logitech
What it is: The Wireless Music System is a USB transmitter and Bluetooth receiver that lets you listen to music stored on a PC and stream it to any stereo system within a 330-foot radius of the transmitter. The system includes a remote control that lets you change songs or change the volume without having to run back to the original PC. A docking station for the USB transmitter lets you connect to a desktop PC, or you can detach that and use the transmitter with a notebook PC. The transmitter connects to the PC with the stored songs via USB, and the receiver connects to a stereo system via composite audio cables (you also can connect to a portable speaker system via a stereo headphone jack, but you'll need to buy a separate cable).
Why it's cool: If you've taken a lot of time to transfer your CDs into MP3 format, or if you've caught the wave of the 99-cent song download from iTunes, you have a lot of songs on a PC but can play them only on that PC (or your iPod). Playing the songs on a better stereo system becomes difficult, especially if you want to play a specific list that you've built. Existing products intended to let you listen to music stored on a PC on a separate stereo system require a networked media player or other device that connects via wired Ethernet or wireless (802.11b/g) network. Since the system is basically acting like an extended set of speakers and it runs over Bluetooth, you don't have to do any wireless configurations (especially security).
What it is: The Wireless Music System is a USB transmitter and Bluetooth receiver that lets you listen to music stored on a PC and stream it to any stereo system within a 330-foot radius of the transmitter. The system includes a remote control that lets you change songs or change the volume without having to run back to the original PC. A docking station for the USB transmitter lets you connect to a desktop PC, or you can detach that and use the transmitter with a notebook PC. The transmitter connects to the PC with the stored songs via USB, and the receiver connects to a stereo system via composite audio cables (you also can connect to a portable speaker system via a stereo headphone jack, but you'll need to buy a separate cable).
Why it's cool: If you've taken a lot of time to transfer your CDs into MP3 format, or if you've caught the wave of the 99-cent song download from iTunes, you have a lot of songs on a PC but can play them only on that PC (or your iPod). Playing the songs on a better stereo system becomes difficult, especially if you want to play a specific list that you've built. Existing products intended to let you listen to music stored on a PC on a separate stereo system require a networked media player or other device that connects via wired Ethernet or wireless (802.11b/g) network. Since the system is basically acting like an extended set of speakers and it runs over Bluetooth, you don't have to do any wireless configurations (especially security).
