The tolerable-quality files (128 kilobits per second) that seemed like a good compromise when MP3s arrived via dial-up, and storage was measured in mere megabytes, still fill portable players, stripping away the depth and nuance that were in the original recordings.
Using what was then state-of-art equipment - portable at a mere 200-300lb - they recorded the sounds of native Mexican peoples, such as the Cora, Huichol, Seri, Tzotozil and Yaqui, who had always lived cut off from mainstream society.
At a mere 3.4 pounds, these sleek, portable laptops are very lightweight.
Pick one up for your 80 to 200GB portable drives for a mere $117.99 or you can get the USB-only version for $99.97.
The makers of the charger, eZelleron, raised more than $1.5m£1m1m) on Kickstarter to develop the portable power plant, which it says takes mere seconds to recharge and can provide weeks of power for mobile devices.
New rule: no using the term "ultra portable" to describe a notebook that weighs "a mere 1.89kg" — roughly 4.2 pounds — and has a battery that tops out at just barely over three hours.
This April a similar, but slightly larger docking station will arrive in the form of Polk Audio Designs MiDock Studio, a portable system that runs via an AC adaptor or a mere eight C cell batteries.
At just 599g in weight and mere 10.9mm- slimness, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is lighter, slimmer and more portable, meaning users are free to enjoy its many features while on the move.
But the various types of energy harvesters developed so far generate mere microwatts to hundreds of milliwatts of power, well below the amount needed to recharge a typical portable electronics battery.
You can rent a portable napping pod (known as a "Car2Go") in many cities across the country for a mere $15 per hour.
