Pono

RIDE YOUR PONO: Neil Young and his tech partners have announced the imminent rollout of PonoMusic, a digital player and online platform/download store designed to offer a higher-quality listening experience than its rivals. Created in collaboration with Colorado-based tech firm Ayre, the PonoPlayer aims to capture the fidelity of live music, with major and indie-label music available for purchase in its proprietary format. Having created the product they envisioned, Young, Pono CEO John Hamm (not Don Draper) and team are now launching a Kickstarter campaign that will enable music fans to reserve their own player. The device will contain 128GB of memory—reportedly enough room for 1,00-2,000 albums—with external memory cards available. Its $399 list price puts it on the Beats tier, though Kickstarter participants will be offered a discount starting on 3/15. Commented a teen consumer, "What kind of phone is that?" (3/10a)