Microsoft Argo Portable Media Player

In Microsoft’s “Argo” / Xbox wireless portable media player, Engadget publishes a photo of a possible configuration for the long-rumored device. It’s a flat, iPod-like configuration with what appears to be an unusually large screen. The larger screen would be particularly useful for viewing videos, playing games, etc.

Even as the electronics and storage media get more compact, portable media devices are bumping into the reality that screen sizes can’t shrink, and may even need to grow. I’ve got an iAudio G3, for example - a great unit that incorporates not only a powerful MP3 player but FM radio, voice recording, and more. The display must scroll album and song titles, though, to maintain a reasonable font size; some of the information, like the elapsed time for a song, is displayed in such a tiny size as to be almost useless. Video and gaming, of course, place new demands on a unit’s display. Thus, the flat form factor and large screen of the purported Microsoft Argo are not surprising.

The Engadget post indicates that there might be a variety of different Microsoft portables in the pipeline.

We think the most amusing prediction about Microsoft’s presumed iPod killer comes from InfoWorld columnist and tech industry pundit Robert X. Cringely, who suggests,

I understand Microsoft plans to provide a streamlined user experience. You’ll only have to click through 17 screens, confirm all your selections six times, and have your hard drive scanned for pirated music before you can buy a song.

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