Apple Computer has applied for a patent on technology that would allow a portable media player (i.e., your $500 iPod) to detect when it is falling and then stop reading or writing to the hard drive. The technology detects the acceleration that accompanies a drop. Apple said in the patent application, "Through such protection, the likelihood of damage to the disk drive or loss of data stored on the disk drive is able to be substantially reduced," -- so while your baby might be scratched, cracked, etc., all your Britney tracks could be intact for your listening pleasure. This patent application will probably be contested as the technology is already used in some hard drives.

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