Unlike most other portable media players on the market, the device will play EPAC files instead of MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group, Audio Layer 3) files, the companies said.

CNN: Lucent's digital music player to challenge MP3

MP3.com in the past six months has gained notoriety as a proponent of MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group, Audio Layer 3), a format for compressing audio data so that it can be downloaded easily over a network.

CNN: Digital grunge? MP3.com adds indie record label to roster

Now the group questioned whether adding GAIA as an additional layer to the qualifications for Earthwards would raise the bar for other products competing for the recognition.

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