A company founded by some of the pioneers of digital music players hopes to shake up the industry with a new device, Wired has learned. Former heads of Rio PMP 300 creator Diamond Multimedia, music software firm Musicmatch, and iRiver have together established a new startup company named Broadband Instruments with the intent of producing a next-generation music device. While the company is officially in "secret mode" and has chosen to reveal little about the player, wireless functions are expected to be central to the device and will let it tap into social networks, online radio, and music sharing. The key is said to be the disassociation of music players from host computers, which are normally essential for loading music.

"Traditional USB connections will (only) play a minor role in getting content to your device," the company said.

Although aiming to dismantle the "clunky" experience of most music players, the company's most conspicuous target is Microsoft's Zune, which has been attacked for imposing DRM whenever a track is shared over Wi-Fi, preventing the recipient from listening more than three times or over the space of three days. Former Diamond executive and Broadband Instruments co-founder Jim Cady explained that his new company intended to avoid the pitfalls of earlier devices. "Music technology should enhance the music listening and discovery process, not impede it," he said.

The name and technical details of the mystery player should be unveiled within two months, the company says, when the hardware and an accompanying music service are officially revealed at the same time. No details have surfaced for the final release.