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Report: Xbox division developing new music player

Greg Sandoval Former Staff writer
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.
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Microsoft's music hopes will soon set sail on the Argo.

The Argo is the warship that Greek hero Jason sailed to adventure, and it is also the code name given to Microsoft's new digital music player, according to a report in the Seattle Times.

The Wi-Fi-enabled player is being developed within the Xbox division, which is headed by J. Allard, the Times reported on Monday. Allard has enlisted the help of some of the people who developed MSN Music, the critically acclaimed Web music service that has lackluster popularity.

A Microsoft representative declined to comment on the Times' story.

News hit last week that Microsoft was set to launch a digital music player by the end of the year. But according to the Times, Argo is only one of the Xbox-branded media devices under development. Also in the works is a device that plays media, a software media player and online media service, the paper reported.

The Argos will be hybrid of music and game device, pitting it against players offered by Sony and Nintendo, according to the Times.

Web electronics blog Engadget featured a photo of the player, which readers were quick to note looks a great deal like an iPod.