Apple’s iPod is king of the hill, and Microsoft’s Zune landed with a lot of splash and fanfare. But the folks at SanDisk — you might remember them as SansaDisk, the people who made your first CompactFlash card or USB thumb drive — have quietly slipped into the mix of media player elite.

The seizure of SanDisk’s MP3 players at IFA 2006 was ruled legitimate by the Criminal Chamber of the Landgericht (regional court) Berlin in Germany.

Italian firm says a judge has ruled that the seizure of SanDisk MP3 players at a trade show was legal.

ANN ARBOR - Here’s a story you don’t read everyday. An up-and-coming technology company has moved from Florida to Michigan. 9thXchange, an eBay-like company that sells digital files that could include music, audio and video, will relocate from Melbourne, Florida, to Ann Arbor.

Memory card and MP3 music player producer SanDisk said on Thursday a legal battle with MP3 patent holders is ongoing and shrugged off a statement from a patent pool firm claiming a judicial victory.

A DUTCH FIRM said it seized a batch of Sandisk MP3 players from a booth at an exhibition, armed with a warrant. Sisvel claims that Sandisk infringes its patents and was supported by a search warrant issued by a Berlin district court.

A DUTCH FIRM said it seized a batch of Sandisk MP3 players from a booth at an exhibition, armed with a warrant.

The Criminal Chamber of the Landgericht Berlin in Germany has recently ruled that the seizure ordered by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Berlin of all of the MP3 players marketed as part of SanDisk’s “Sansa” product lines and the related advertising material exhibited at the SanDisk booth at IFA 2006 was legal.

A group of arts and entertainment innovators said Wednesday that cutting-edge technology should be integrated into art, music, film, festivals and even dining at the Seattle Center, but the group produced no specific ideas.

In the world of MP3 players, the TrekStor Vibez is a player that stands out among the dozens of ?everything elses? on the market.