Depending on your device of choice, one of the most expensive (in terms of cash and battery use) bits is the display. I think it would be nice to have the tracks (optionally) announced (DJ style), either all the time, or back-announced for a song you want to know the name of.
The track announcements can be recorded as mp3 files on the desktop device and copied to the player. With some sort of naming convention (perhaps) matching the tunes with the annoucements.
You can download the DJ you want to record your announcements, I shall have John Peel.-- neilp, Mar 23 2005 this isn't just to save battery and cost, it would obviously be useful for things with no screens and when you don't want to look at the screen say when you're driving or when the player's in your bag.-- neilp, Mar 23 2005 As opposed to automatic background peer-to-peer Bluetooth filesharing with that guy standing next to you on the train.(This would have the effect of, if you regularly commute on the same route, you will in time end up with exactly the same music collection as everyone else who regularly commutes on that route. Different train lines will become associated with different genres of music - "I'm travelling by the Wimbledon branch of the District line today to see if I can pick up some new reggae").-- hippo, Mar 23 2005 nothing to do with being on the wrong platform at Clapham Junction then?
<crosses hairy legs in the best possible taste>-- po, Mar 23 2005 [IanTindale] you may well be on to something there.-- neilp, Mar 23 2005 random, halfbakery