Computers & Gadgets

For just about forever people have been not so patiently waiting for The Beatles catalog to be available as mp3s to download so that their songs could be put onto a Zune or an iPod easily. As of early 2010, the Fab Four are not available to be purchased as downloads but instead there is a cool little gadget known as The Beatles USB Memory Stick which includes all of the new 2009 Beatles remastered stereo albums in the mp3 format.

This memory stick contains everything that is in The Beatles in Stereo except in a far smaller form! With this little flash drive you will be able to basically carry The Beatles complete stereo discography around with you wherever you go in your your hand.

When I say that it contains everything in that box set, I really do mean everything. Yes, it even includes the previously unpublished photographs and the liner notes. And yes, it contains the short documentaries on the making of each album on the DVD.

But there’s more, this USB flash drive actually includes 24bit FLAC versions of their stereo albums which are higher quality sound files than those on CDs. CDs are in 16bit quality, while these FLAC files are 24bit. This truly makes this USB memory stick a “must have” for any audiophile Beatles fan who needs to have these classic albums in the best possible quality available.

One negative aspect is that this memory stick doesn’t include the original mono versions that are found in The Beatles in Mono Box Set. If you want to hear the classic mono mixes then you’ll have to get the mono CD box set (at least as of now.)

I got both of the box and the flash drive because I’m a Beatles freak, of course not everyone has that kind of money available to spend on music (even when the music as awesome as this.) If you’re on a tight budget then you’ll have to consider how you most commonly listen to music. Do you play discs or do just play mp3s on your PC and your Zune? If it is the second one then the USB gadget is probably what you desire.