The (Giga)beat Goes On

AnchorDesk

The (Giga)beat Goes On

Bill Machrone
Contributing Editor PC Magazine
Monday, June 12, 2000

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My usual beat here on AnchorDesk is hardware and software, but I want you to know about one of the coolest new Web sites I've seen in a while. I've used lots of search engines to find music online, but never one like Gigabeat.

This innovative new site combines a search engine, an innovative display of artists and who they're related to musically, and links to Internet radio stations that play your kind of music.

The search engine is impressive. For example, it found a total of 473 songs with "search" or "searching" in the lyrics (not just the title), with none of the chaff that you'd get with a normal search engine.

It also locates artists and song titles. The search screen is geared to helping you find live links and downloadable files, making the shortest possible path between you and the music you want to hear.

Gigabeat's search engine is next to impossible to stump, but I did detect a note of confusion over searches on "Prince" and "The Artist." You'll also note what may appear to be a browser freeze if you ask for "all songs" when you have a couple of hundred, but be patient; it's just loading a really big page.

As handy and powerful as the search engine is, the Discover screen is easily the most fun. It depicts a spiral with your artist's name in the middle and two arms circling out above and below with other artists related by genre, era, popularity and fan feedback. If you care about any kind of music at all, check out the Gigaspiral -- it can spark entire new realms of listening pleasure.

The final component of Gigabeat is the Play page, which tunes you into Internet radio stations that play the kind of music you want to hear. If you have any kind of persistent connection, take a look, even if you haven't as yet taken the plunge into Internet Radio. Get the details in our hands-on review. Click for more.

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