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We’re bullish about the prospects for MPEG Surround and see it as inevitable it will be adopted by the mass market. MP3 Surround enables high-quality surround sound at bit rates comparable to those currently used to encode stereo MP3 material. It is backwards compatible to stereo MP3; a legacy MP3 device plays back MP3 Surround as high quality stereo. Most importantly, it comprises a full set of tools enabling the representation, reproduction and rendering of multi-channel audio for a broad spectrum of applications, from digital broadcasting, to mobile entertainment, to Internet music distribution. It brings true surround sound to any media system at next to no overhead in transportation and storage, and preserves consumers' investment as existing home stereo equipment can stay in use. The Fraunhoffer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS invented the MP3 and is working with Agere Systems, Coding Technologies and Philips, to demonstrate the full potential of the new Surround Sound system at AES (Audio Engineering Society) Pro Audio Expo which begins in Paris tomorrow. Wanna try for yourself? Go here to download a free evaluation version of the Fraunhofer IIS MP3 Surround player.

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There have been a lot of reports about how hot the bottoms of Apple's new MacBook Pro laptops get, but apparently the high temperature isn't the problem — rather that the laptops aren't actually supposed to be used on your lap. The computer's manual warns that "prolonged contact with your body could cause discomfort and potentially a burn", saying the machines should instead be used on a desk or flat surface. A computer to be used on a desk — wouldn't that make it, um, a desktop?

We bring you the “Top 20 Strangest Gadgets and Accessories” that our editors have come across in recent time. If we happened to miss any, please leave us a comment.