Slacker stops making hardware players
updated 05:10 pm EDT, Thu October 22, 2009
Slacker to phase out G2 player
Slacker will stop building its only hardware digital streaming music player, the G2 in the second half of 2010, according to a Wednesday WSJ report. The 2GB device was launched in 2007 and grew to include 4GB and 8GB capacities. Slacker is still selling a 4GB version for $129, while Best Buy has some 8GB models in stock, priced at $249.
No specific reasons for the planned discontinuation of the device have been given, but the company is service is moving to offer a service only via software platforms for existing devices such as BlackBerry and iPhone handsets. Slacker is also offered as a $4 per month online music service, accessible from computers, Logitech's Squeezebox, RCA's Infinite Radio and Sony Bravia HDTVs.
Slacker lets users create personalized Internet radio stations and stream them to their Internet connected devices. Unlike conventional streams, Slacker will also cache channels on a given device so it can still be heard while offline.
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Joined: Aug 2004
makes sense
It makes sense considering the iPhone, Touch, Sony X-series, etc can play slacker. Why spend the money to build a player when you can rely on other manufacturers to do so?