Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2006.01.19
This Week's iPod News
PowerBook,
iBook, iPod, and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review. General Apple and Mac
desktop news is covered in The Mac
News Review. News about Apple's transition to Intel CPUs and
other Intel developments is covered in The Macintel Report.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News and Comment
Products
Content
Software
News and Comment
iPod Owners Are Not Thieves
The Register's John Oates reports:
"iPod owners might be daft fashion victims who are easily parted
from their money, but they are not thieves, despite what Steve
Ballmer may, or may not, have said.
"A survey of US and UK music buyers reveals that although 25 per
cent of people admit to downloading music from file-sharing
services, only seven per cent of iPod owners do so. Proving that
iPod users are either scrupulously honest or more paranoid they'll
get sued by RIAA than owners of lesser music players."
Link: Official: iPod
Owners Are Not Thieves
'If You Can Find a Better iPod, Buy It,' Says
Jobs
The Register's Gavin Clarke says:
"A week after Microsoft and MTV pitched the Urge.com rival to
iTunes, Apple Computer upped the ante in online entertainment and
services.
"Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs opened San Francisco's
Macworld announcing an iPod deal destined to put iTunes in 40 per
cent of US cars, additional content for the latest iPod, and
escalating market uptake and sales.
"Jobs additionally unveiled software tools that simplify
development and hosting of web sites incorporating podcasts, blogs
and RSS on Apple's .mac internet service.
"US car giant Chrysler will integrate Apple's iPod with three
million cars and Jeeps in the US, taking iPod out of its current
luxury and European car niche. More than 40 per cent of US cars
sold in 2006 would feature integration with iPod, Jobs
claimed."
Link:
'If You Can Find A Better iPod, Buy It,' Says Apple's Jobs
Fujitsu Preps 15 GB iPod-Type Hard Drives
vnunet.com's Tom Sanders reports:
"Fujitsu will start producing 1.8in hard disks through a
partnership with Cornice, a US manufacturer of small format hard
drives for consumer electronics devices.
"The company will start by developing a 120 Gb [editor's note:
we assume the author means GB] model scheduled for release by 2007. Fujitsu is
entering a market currently dominated by Toshiba.
"Small hard drives are widely deployed in portable media players
such as Apple's iPod. Other applications include digital video
cameras and ultra-portable notebooks."
Link:
Fujitsu Prepares iPod-Type Hard Drives
Levi Strauss Sewing Up the iPod Market?
BusinessWeek's Louise Lee reports:
"There was a time when 'high-tech apparel' meant clothes that
were coated with some slick substance to ward off wrinkles and
deter ketchup stains. Now, with the skyrocketing popularity of
Apple Computer's iPod digital music player, some clothing companies
are upgrading the tech factor in their threads.
"San Francisco-based Levi Strauss, for one, expects to launch
its Levi's RedWire DLX jeans this fall. Designed to work with the
iPod, the $200 jeans have a 'docking station' in a pocket where the
wearer plugs in the device. A control panel sewn directly into the
area where most jeans have a coin pocket (at the right hip), means
wearers don't have to continually take the iPod out of a pocket to
adjust the volume or locate a song...."
Link:
Sewing Up the iPod Market
Downloads, iPods Make Music More
'Disposable'
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"A University of Leicester psychologist has concluded that
modern listeners don't value music as much as their 19th-century
counterparts did - and he blames the iPod and music
downloading.
"A team of researchers from Leicester, Surrey and York
universities, led by Leicester School of Psychology's Dr Adrian
North, questioned 346 mobile-phone users by text message. Over a
14-day period, they were daily asked to report back on music they
had heard in the previous 24 hours...
"The results: participants are highly exposed to music; they
listen to more pop than classical, jazz or other forms; they tend
to listen when they're on their own; they tend to hear more music
at home than in public; music was usually experienced during the
course of some activity other than deliberate music listening, and
- guess what - 'liking for the music varied depending on who the
participant was with, where they were, and whether they had chosen
to be able to hear music'."
Link: Downloads,
iPods Make Music More 'Disposable'
High-End British Retailer Sellling Pricey iPod
Lessons
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Posh London department store Selfridges is to begin charging
punters £65 for a 40-minute one-on-one iPod tutorial later
this month - almost as much as it costs to buy the cheapest
iPod....
"However, equally baffled but more cost-conscious consumers are
already availing themselves of the free iPod courses Apple itself
runs in its Regent Street store, about 15 minutes' walk from
Selfridges' Oxford Street site."
Link:
Selfridges to Sell Pricey iPod Lessons
Houston Pastor Preaches iPod Theology
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Free Downloadable iPod User's Guide to Macworld
Expo 2006
PR: Missed out on Macworld Expo this year? Let iPod
Garage bring you the Expo through our EXPOBOOK, the free
downloadable 49-page book containing everything we learned about
the iPod universe at Macworld Expo. Includes up close and personal
hands-on looks at newly announced iPod-related products from Apple
and third parties, detailed coverage of the iPod-related workshops
and seminars, and hundreds of photographs of all of the above.
Download the free 2006 EXPOBOOK now for a detailed look at what all
you missed out on this year, as well a look at the kind of
experience you can expect as an iPod user if you attend Macworld
Expo in future years.
Link: EXPOBOOK: Free
Downloadable iPod User's Guide to Macworld Expo 2006
Products
TuneBuckle for iPod nano
PR: TuneBuckle is a unique and innovative way to protect
and transport your iPod nano.
Made from high grade metals and leather, you will never be
without style or rhythm.
Now accepting pre-orders - $99
Link: TuneBuckle
TuneCenter Home Media Center for iPod
PR: Attach TuneCenter to your television and stereo for
viewing photos, watching video, listening to your iPod music
library or internet radio. With the included 14 button remote,
TuneCenter turns your iPod into a complete Home Media Center. Just
dock the iPod into TuneCenter, and let the entertainment begin.
Music Time
Among TuneCenter's innovations is the ability to display iPod
playlists and song information on your TV screen. TuneCenter takes
music sharing to a whole new level: now the whole room can see at a
glance the song title, artist, album and progress of the current
song.
TuneCenter's remote allows navigation of the entire iPod
library, as well as preferences such as shuffle and repeat modes,
and EQ. Use TuneCenter's remote to fast forward, rewind, choose
next/previous song, browse playlists etc., all without getting up
off the couch. This breakthrough is the ultimate solution for
taking full (remote!) control of your iPod.
Need more music? No problem. TuneCenter also plays internet
radio stations. Choose from thousands of free channels ranging from
quiet atmospheres to things that don't technically qualify as music
- your call. Just plug TuneCenter into your network. If you have a
wireless access point, you can stream audio wirelessly from the
internet. And you can do it all with on-screen navigation. Very
cool.
Photo Time
TuneCenter makes even better use of your TV screen than just the
ability to display song lists. Use TuneCenter to display your
iPod's photos on the large screen. This is television REALLY worth
watching: your own works of art. Display slideshows of your latest
vacation, special events etc. Take TuneCenter with you for the most
compact business presentation system ever. Simply choose a
slideshow and soundtrack and let 'er rip. TuneCenter's remote keeps
you in control.
Movie Time
When it comes to watching movies, the bigger the better. Your
iPod with video is the best way to carry your movies around; but
the best place for watching movies and video is on your home
entertainment system. Tap the full potential of your video
collection with TuneCenter, all at the touch of a button. Fast
forward, rewind and pause from the recliner.
Bring iPod home with TuneCenter.
Works with:
- 3rd Generation iPod with touch wheel and buttons
- iPod mini
- 4th Generation iPod with Click Wheel
- iPod photo
- iPod U2 Special Edition
- 4th Generation iPod with Color Screen
- iPod nano
- 5th Generation iPod with Video
Link: TuneCenter
Home Media Center for iPod
GizMac Announces Titan Case for Video
iPod
PR: GizMac, known for their XRackPro Noise Reduction
Enclosure for Apple Xserve and Xserve RAID systems, debuts the new
Titan iPod Video case at the MacWorld Exposition in San Francisco.
The new Video iPod case is part of an emerging line of accessories
for the Apple platform and the Titan is on display in booth #2211
at MacWorld.
'What separates the Titan line of iPod cases from the
competition is the many number of ways the Titan can be worn,' says
Tim Cave, founder of GizMac, 'The other great feature of our Titan
cases is the incredible anodized aircraft aluminum finish,
anodizing produces amazing colors not found in plastic, rubber or
leather...purple, gold, pink, aluminum and black will be our
initial colors, we have a few of the future colors on display in
our MacWorld booth as well.'
'Cause' Everyone Wears Their iPod Differently' is the motto of
the Titan case for a good reason, the included carabiner clip, arm
band, belt clip with 360 degree rotation for vertical, horizontal
or any position in between and lanyard accessories provide a wide
range of ways to wear the iPod Video. The Titan goes even one step
further with the ability to easily change whether the top or the
bottom of the iPod Video faces upward or downward, providing
unmatched flexibility.
Link: GizMac
Tough New Aluminum Cases for Video
iPod and nano
PR: Long Island-based Think Different Store has added to
its aluminum line of iPod protection with the introduction of its
Aluminum Case for 5G iPod. The case is available in two colors:
Silver and Black; two sizes: 30 GB and 60 GB; and also comes with
an optional belt clip. The case which sells for $24.95 is strong,
sleek and provides a perfect fit for the iPod video. Cutouts offer
access to iPod's dock connector port, clickwheel, earphone jack,
and hold switch.
And here's more "heavy metal" from TDS: Aluminum iPod nano
Case available in four colors: black, silver, red and blue. Comes
with an optional belt clip and lanyard. Price $24.95.
- Think Different Store
- 280-R Middle Country Road
- Selden, NY 11784
Content
Rambler Audio Foreign Language Phrase
Books for the iPod Traveler
PR: CyraKnow has announced the March launch timeframe of
its newest Rambler audio phrase books created specifically for
iPod-savvy travelers. The company designed the four new Rambler
audio phrase books in Arabic, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin
specifically for iPod use with the intent of helping new and
seasoned travelers learn the nuances of pronunciation and basic
phrases for each language in a short period of time. The company
currently offers Rambler audio phrase books in French, German,
Italian and Spanish.
The Rambler audio phrase books are priced at $19.95 separately,
and $49.95 for four languages. Each phrase book will include over
900 words and phrases recorded by a native speaker, as well as a
printable PDF of popular sites and attractions for major cities in
each country. Each language is interactive and organized into
categories such as travel, food, and lodging to make the search
process easier, and is designed to help travelers find the word or
phrase they need through two clicks on their iPods. Each phrase
book varies in size, and the largest is 80MB. Rambler is compatible
with Mac OS X 10.2, Windows 2000 or XP, iPod (dock connector and
click wheel models), iPod mini or iPod nano.
'We've had a lot of interest expressed from corporate, education
and government organizations,' CyraKnow Co-founder Jeffrey
Gonsalves said. 'CyraKnow needed to expand Rambler beyond French,
German, Italian and Spanish to help folks from those groups to
pick-up basic words and phrases quickly in Arabic, Japanese, Korean
and Mandarin; whether they were studying a language or currently on
business in a foreign country.'
CyraKnow was founded by Jeff Carns and Jeffrey Gonsalves in
January 2005. These are the second Rambler foreign language tools
designed by the company.
Link: Rambler Audio
Foreign Language Phrase Books for the iPod Traveler
Software
iFeedPod Synchronises RSS Feeds/Blogs
onto Your iPod
PR: Download your favourite RSS and Atom news and blog
feeds to your iPod. Read them anywhere.
A small and simple utility for downloading RSS feeds to your
iPod. Requires an Apple Macintosh running OSX 10.4 Tiger or OSX
10.3.9 Panther. Requires an iPod,iPod mini or iPod nano with Notes
facility.
RSS is a way of presenting the contents of news or news-like
sites such as Wired, the BBC, Slashdot or personal blogs. Look out
for the orange XML or RSS buttons on sites that are RSS compatible.
RSS-aware programs called news aggregators check your list of RSS
feeds and display new items from each. News aggregators usually run
and display on your computer, but iFeedPod collects all the news
from your feeds, and copies them to your iPod for you to read
wherever you have the time.
New in Version 1.11:
- Universal Binary runs on Intel Macs running 10.4.4, as well as
PowerPC Macs
- Improved international character set support for downloaded
articles - all unicode text should show properly on the iPod
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.
Free
Link: iFeedPod
MoviePod Converts Movies for Play on
Your iPod
PR: So you got the new video-enabled iPod. You've got
your own movies. Why can't you watch them on your new iPod?
MoviePod saves you the trouble of having to manually convert
your movies in order to play them on your iPod. With MoviePod,
converting a movie takes a single Drag & Drop!
MoviePod can automatically add converted movies to a playlist of
your choice and update your iPod.
You can queue up as many movies for conversion as you like and
when you return, MoviePod will have them all ready to go on your
iPod.
MoviePod supports every common movie format* (MOV, MPG, AVI,
ASF, WMV, VOB, DV and QuickTime plugins) so you can easily get your
movie collection onto your iPod!
New in version 1.1:
- Fixes bug with custom MoviePod folder location causing movies
to disappear after conversion
- Added still frame icons to movie list
- Adds higher quality audio sampling
System requirements
- Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later
- A 5th generation video iPod
- iTunes 6 or later
$10 Shareware
Link: MoviePod
Backstage for Mac/Windows Makes
Restoring Music from iPod Quick and Easy
PR: Backstage makes restoring your music from your iPod
to any computer quick and easy
How Much Is Your Music Worth?
If you're like most iPod users, you have spent a good deal of
time and expense building your digital music collection. Ripping
CDs into mp3 files is something most people only have the patience
to do once. And what about the songs you have downloaded? Songs
purchased from the iTunes Music Store® can only be
downloaded one time and must be re-purchased if lost. If your
computer is stolen, broken, or infected with a virus, is your music
safe?
Your iPod Is Your Backup You already have a backup copy of your
music - on your iPod. But iTunes® only allows you to
copy your music in one direction - from your computer onto your
iPod. It won't let you make a backup copy of your music from your
iPod onto another computer. That is exactly why you need Backstage.
Backstage lets you quickly and easily copy your music from your
iPod onto any Mac or Windows PC.* In addition to being the perfect
insurance policy for your digital music collection, Backstage also
lets you manage your music library easily and conveniently.
Your Music, Your Way Backstage gives you the freedom to listen
to your music without limitation. Want to burn a CD from that new
album you bought online, but you don't happen to be at home? No
problem. With Backstage, your iPod, and any compatible computer,
you can quickly burn that CD and get on with your life. With
Backstage it is easy- the music on your iPod is 'unlocked' and can
be freely copied to the various computers you use now or might wish
to use in the future.**
Both Versions, One Price
Like your iPod, Backstage works equally well with both Macs and
Windows PCs. When you purchase a license for Backstage, you can use
your serial number to install Backstage on up to five (5)
compatible computers. Your 5 licensed installations can include any
combination of Mac or Windows PCs. You get both versions for the
Special Introductory Price of $9.99.
* Requires a Mac running OS X 10.3 or 10.4 , or a PC running
Windows XP and free Java software from www.java.com
** Backstage does not remove or otherwise alter the
Fairplay® Digital Rights Management controls embedded in
content purchased from the iTunes Music Store. Fairplay currently
allows purchased content to be installed and played on up to five
(5) computers at one time. Unprotected mp3 and video files can be
freely copied for personal use without restriction.
Download a Free Trial for Mac or Windows
Purchase Backstage to unlock full-speed backups - $9.99
Link: Backstage
iPod Deals
For current iPod prices from a variety of sources, see our
Best iPod Deals.
