The World Wide Web. Where else can you catch up on the news, research an article, download great software, and chat with your buddies--all at the same time? Well, now thereís more. The great minds of Progressive Networks^® have added more fuel to the fire, giving us RealAudio--a long awaited burst of real-time audio online.

So what is RealAudio? Itís an audio player, similar to those most of you have pre-installed in your computers to listen to audio CDís and sound clips. However, thereís one big difference. RealAudio allows you to listen to audio on the Net while itís being downloaded. No more waiting for large files to make the long journey to your hard drive before playing them; instead, the RealAudio player pops up almost immediately after you begin the download, giving you nearly instantaneous playback!

Hard to believe? Nope, itís here, and the sound is crystal clear mono FM with a 28.8 Kbps or better connection. And thereís more. Live broadcasts are part of the package, so now you can get the news while itís actually happening and prevent eyestrain at the same time. (Iím sure you can see the potential here--SuperBowl, World Series, online music concerts--too cool!)

The Hows and Whys of the RealAudio player are a bit over my head, but who am I to question a cutting edge technological breakthrough? It works, and better yet, Gateway 2000 computers were involved in the process -- thatís all I need to know. But you need to know more, so keep reading.

The best part about the RealAudio player (besides the obvious, of course, and if itís not obvious, please re-read the above paragraphs) is its easy installation and use. RealAudio is designed to work with any standard sound card. Once itís installed, it will automatically play any file with a ".ra" or ".ram" extension. You donít have to do a thing. And itís compatible with all the coolest browsers, including Netscape^®, Mosaic^®, and Microsoft Explorer^®. So all you need to do is download the RealAudio player, install the file, (in most cases, the installation process will automatically insert the player into your browserís application preferences section) and start surfing for audio. Itís too easy!

So what are you waiting for? Become one of the over 1 million users who have discovered the wave of the future. Download the coolest audio application to hit the Net and look for the RealAudio logo seen above to start listening to the Real-est Audio around!

P.S. - Keep an eye out for Gateway's
RealAudio tour guide in various locations around the site.

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