Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2006.05.04
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.
For current iPod prices from a variety of sources, see our
Best iPod Deals.
News and Comment
Tips
Products & Services
Software
News and Comment
Apple to Crack Down on Unlicensed iPod
Accessories
Smarthouse's David Richards reports:
"Apple is set to come down hard on vendors selling unauthorised
iPod accessories that connect to an Apple iPod.
"Officially authorised manufacturers of iPod accessories such as
Belkin and Griffin have been told that Apple is set to take action
against several vendors who are not part of an authorised 'Made for
Apple' program but are selling products into retailers at
considerable lower prices than authorised partners.
"Currently Apple gets a 17 pin licence fee from vendors
participating in authorised programs and with some vendors such as
Hi Fi manufacturers who are manufacturing attached sound systems
the licence fee is as much as 10% of the retail sell in price."
Link:
Apple Set to Get Tough on iPod Illegals
iPod Use Nearly Illegal in UK
The Observer's Guy Clapperton says:
"Some people were just born cool, and seem to know instinctively
how to use an iPod; the rest of us spend months figuring out how to
work them. But these days we're all downloading music and
transferring our CDs on to our iPods, or our computers, or our
phones. But is all this copying legal?
"Alexander Ross, music partner at media law firm Wiggin, says:
'The law in this country is very clear: you cannot copy a piece of
music in any format unless you've got a licence to do that.
Therefore, legally speaking, the only way you can fill a music
player is to download music from a legal source.'
"Unlike American law, there is no provision in the UK to make
copies for private use, and Ross says the fact that there have been
no prosecutions to date will not be a defence. 'It's confusing
because in most other jurisdictions in the world there is provision
to make a certain number of copies for certain purposes. We don't
have that.'"
Link: Is
Your iPod Breaking the Law? - In the UK Probably Yes
The Return of iPod Booting
PlayList's Christopher Breen says:
"Though it's a feature many never took advantage of, the first
several generations of full-sized iPod - specifically those that
supported FireWire syncing - were capable of booting a Macintosh.
Just plug the iPod into your Mac's FireWire port, run the OS X
installer, select the iPod as the destination disk, and, if the
iPod has enough space to allow, you can install a bootable system
on the iPod.
"When Apple abandoned FireWire syncing, the bootable iPod also
disappeared.
"Until now.
"Apple's Intel-based Macs can boot from compatible USB 2.0 hard
drives. The 5G iPod happens to be just such a compatible USB 2.0
hard drive....
"The iPod isn't vented and its hard drive wasn't meant to spin
constantly, as it would if you used it to routinely boot your Mac.
Although I've run a Mac from an iPod for up to an hour, it's not
something I'd do on a regular basis as both heat and wear and tear
on the hard drive are unlikely to do the iPod any good. "
Editor's note: The hard drive of my daughter's 1st generation
iPod failed, she thinks because she used it too often as a boot
drive. cm
Link:
The Return of iPod Booting
Apple Planning iPod Redesign?
Times Online's Rhys Blakely reports:
"Apple is planning a 'significant redesign' of the iPod to
counter slowing sales of the digital music player, according to
reports.
"Industry weblogs, which in the past have tended to accurately
predict Apple's development plans, say a new player will be
released this autumn and could replace the current iPod nano. There
is also speculation that Apple will release a new video iPod that
will use wireless technology to allow users to download music and
podcasts while on the move.
"Patents filed by Apple have recently emerged which also suggest
the company could be exploring linking up iPods with television
sets through a gadget that would allow images to be transferred
between the two devices."
Link:
Apple Plans iPod Redesign
Quanta Order for Next Gen Video iPod
Withdrawn?
DigiTimes.com's Jessie Shen reports:
"Following a March 22 Newswatch, which cited the
Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) as indicating that
Quanta Computer was added as one of Apple's video iPod contract
manufacturers, the Chinese-language Commercial Times reported today
that the order has been shifted to an unspecified EMS
provider."
Link: Quanta Video
iPod Order Withdrawn, Say Sources
Samsung Wins Over PortalPlayer for iPod MP3
Chip
EE Times' Mark LaPedus reports:
"Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. on Wednesday (April 26) claimed
that the company grabbed a major MP3 chip design win at Apple
Computer Inc., at the expense of PortalPlayer Inc.
"An executive from Samsung said the company won the MP3 media
processor business for Apple's next-generation iPods. Samsung,
along with other vendors, also supplies NAND flash memory chips for
the iPod.
"It's a huge win for Samsung - a blow for PortalPlayer. Last
week, PortalPlayer announced that it had not won the media
processor design slot for Apple's next iPod. Before the
announcement, PortalPlayer had broadly been considered a lock."
Link:
Samsung Grabs iPod Design Win
Samsung Wins Contract for iPod Media Chip
ExtremeTech: reports
"Samsung Electronics has apparently won the contract to supply
the media processor in next-generation Apple iPods, according to a
report published Wednesday. Samsung officials declined to comment
when asked to confirm the story on Thursday."
Link: Report:
Samsung Wins iPod Media Chip Contract
Sony to Take Another Swing at the iPod
IDG News Service's Martyn Williams reports:
"Sony is preparing to take another swing at Apple's iPod digital
music player, a top Sony executive said Friday.
"The company is developing a new music player that will go on
sale in the U.S. and other markets over the next year, alongside a
companion download service and software, said Takao Yuhara, senior
vice president of Sony, at a briefing with reporters in Tokyo."
Link: Sony to
Take Another Swing at the iPod
Free Electricity from Nano Generators
technologyreview.com's Kevin Bullis reports:
"Throw away your batteries. Tiny nanowires could power medical
implants, even your iPod.
"Today's portable electronics (except for self-winding watches
and crank radios) depend on batteries for power. Now researchers
have demonstrated that easy-to-make, inexpensive nanowires can
harvest mechanical energy, possibly leading to such advances as
medical implants that run on electricity generated from pulsing
blood vessels and cell phones powered by nanowires in the soles of
shoes.
"'When you walk, you generate 67 watts. Your finger movement is
0.1 watt. Your breathing is one watt. If you can convert a fraction
of that, you can power a device. From the concept we've
demonstrated, we can convert 17-30 percent of that,' says Zhong Lin
Wang, professor of materials science at Georgia Tech and one of the
researchers of the work, published in the journal Science. "
Link:
Free Electricity from Nano Generators
$50,000 Worth of iPods Featured in Innovative
New Ad
PR: When you run the largest single location independent
Mac shop in the country, you are bound to have a lot of spare
equipment floating around. So, with a couple hundred iPods and a
little time to spare, the folks at Tekserve set the digital devices
up in a domino line and filmed their first commercial. The
fifteen-second spot will begin running every 20 minutes on the
large LED display outside of Madison Square Garden on 33rd Street
and 7th Avenue from May 1 through June 30.
"Despite our rather rough treatment of the iPods, I want to
assure Apple lovers everywhere that no iPods were hurt during the
filming of this commercial," said Dick Demenus, one of Tekserve's
principals.
The advertisement was conceived by Dick Demenus, filmed in-house
by Tekserve's Hank Gonzalez and filmed/edited by former Tekserve
employee Jared Dubrino. Close to two hundred iPods were used in the
filming, which have an estimated original value of $50,000. The
spot was edited using Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects on a
Power Mac Dual Core G5.
Tekserve is a one-of-a-kind computer store that tests and
reviews Apple and 3rd party gadgets before putting them on their
shelves and has been featured on many popular television series
including Sex In The City and Law & Order.
Located on West 23rd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New
York City, Tekserve, the largest single independent Mac shop in the
country, is one of those rare only-found-in-New York retail stores
that should be a stop for all NYC tour groups. Tekserve is also one
of the few places on the planet where Mac-users can get spot-on
advice and find answers to all their Mac-related technological
queries.
Link: $50,000
Worth of iPods Featured in Innovative New Ad
Tips
iPod Fast Start: The New User's Guide to
iPod
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says:
"Got a new iPod? This handy Fast Start guide will help you
install, set up, and fill your iPod with tunes to get you on your
way to full musical bliss in no time.
"Topics include:
- Install the iPod Software First
- Connect and Set Up Your iPod
- Fill Your iPod (and iTunes) with Music
- Disconnect and Enjoy
"Need Help?
"Fast Facts
- You need a Mac or Windows computer to add music and other files
to an iPod. To learn how to use your iPod as a disk drive, see this
article.
- You can charge your iPod battery through a computer or optional
power adapter. Learn how here.
- Synching music to iPod is a one way street. You cannot copy
music from an iPod to a computer unless you enable your iPod as a
hard disk first and then copy music files to its disk volume.
- If you've got a Fifth Generation iPod, you can sync videos with
it. Learn how to sync and view videos on your iPod here.
- If you need help from someone - anyone - consult with hundreds
of other iPod users and experts in our iPod Discussions forums. You
can ask a question, answer a question, or simply read what others
have to say."
Link: iPod Fast
Start: The New User's Guide to iPod
Learn the iPod in 15 Minutes at 3rd
Annual MacGathering in LA
PR: Want to learn how to use an iPod or download music
through iTunes? Want to find out which iPod model is for you? Then
come see the iProng folks at the MacGathering on May 19th and 20th
in North Hollywood, CA. Members of the iProng staff will be
providing free hands-on iPod and iTunes tutoring sessions at the
iProng booth, as well as free seminars on the merits of the iPod
nano, iPod shuffle, and the much-discussed video iPod.
"I've always said that anyone can be taught how to use the iPod
in fifteen minutes and at The MacGathering we're going to prove
it," said iProng Publisher and Founder Bill Palmer. "If you've
never used an iPod before, these sessions are for you. And if
you're one of those folks who has gone into a store and couldn't
figure out which iPod model was which or which one did what, then
our 'Which iPod Is Right For You?' seminar will help you sort it
all out in a nontechnical way. Our offerings will be of value to
you whether you're a Mac user or not, and best of all, they're free
to all MacGathering attendees."
iProng editorial staff members Matt Saye and Eric Nguyen will
join Palmer at the iProng booth to provide these services. The
MacGathering will mark the first time iProng staff members have
gone "on location" to provide free services to iPod users. Formerly
known as iPod Garage, iProng is one of the world's leading websites
for iPod and iTunes users, offering daily iPod accessory reviews
and music reviews, as well as up to the minute industry news and
commentary.
Also on tap at this year's MacGathering will be a Keynote
Address from comedian Sinbad, an interactive game of Mac Jeopardy
from actor René Auberjonois, the inaugural MacMixer™
Party, an iPod DJ Party hosted by iProng staff, an exhibit hall
with dozens of booths, and seminars on a wide variety of topics
offered by industry experts. Registration for The MacGathering is
now open and iProng readers can use a coupon on the Website to
register for two days of seminars for as little as $89, or for the
Exhibit Hall for just $7.
Link: 3rd Annual
MacGathering in LA, May 19-20
Products & Services
MediaBay Launches Audio Newspaper
Service
MediaBay has announced the launch of SoundsGood Newscast. This
new subscription service is being launched with digital audio
programming from two English-language news services: The Hindustan
Times' Audio Digest and a news service powered by Taldia.
MediaBay's customers can personalize the newscasts by choosing
subjects that interest them and can schedule daily feeds for
automatic delivery to their computers, iPods, or transfer to any
Windows Media PlaysForSure MP3 device.
Promoted through an exclusive partnership with HT Media Ltd.,
the Hindustan Times Audio Digest on SoundsGood Newscast is being
marketed to HT Media's global audience including those of
Hindustantimes.com, which serves more than 4 million unique monthly
readers worldwide. The newscast features top stories selected daily
by Hindustan Times editors from editions published throughout South
Asia. Customers may select from news categories including top
stories, entertainment (including Bollywood news), business,
sports, stars (astrology) and special reports.
Soundsgood Newscast, powered by Taldia, also features content
from AP Digital, a commercial division of The Associated Press,
including coverage of US and international news, sports,
entertainment, technology, and more.
SoundsGood Newscast subscribers will receive a 14-day free
trial. Thereafter, subscribers to Hindustan Times Audio Digest may
download the newscast six days a week at $9.95 per month, and
Taldia's service five days a week at $4.95 per month.
MediaBay's SoundsGood Newscast expects to capitalize on the
growing trend of online news consumption: according to recent
research by Pew Research Center, a third of Americans below age 40
cite the Internet as their main source of news. Among those who
read newspapers online, 73 percent cite convenience as the reason
they do so. Automatic downloads of digital news audio provide even
more convenience to commuters, office workers and students, who can
listen to news whenever they want, wherever they are.
"MediaBay is proud to provide news audio from two trusted,
world-renowned news providers for consumers across the globe," said
Jeffrey Dittus, Chief Executive Officer of MediaBay. "With
SoundsGood Newscast, our customers who are constantly on the go can
easily stay in touch with the news they are interested in - without
getting an information overload."
"Through SoundsGood Newscast, customers around the world may now
enjoy what millions of Hindustan Times readers in India are already
enjoying," said S.N. Bhaduri, Vice President - eBusiness at HT
Media Ltd. "The global Indian now has access to news from an Indian
perspective, anywhere, anytime," he added.
"As the technology provider for the SoundsGood Newscast, we are
also excited to provide audio content from AP to a very targeted
customer - people who are on the go," said Rys Fairbrother,
President of Taldia.
Link: SoundsGood
Newscast
GioPod Launches iPod Trade-up
Service
PR: GioPod.com is now the world's pioneer in iPod
upgrading. With the launch of their new website, the company now
allows users to trade in their old iPods in return for credit
towards a new iPod video or nano. The website also allows users to
cash-in iPods they no longer use, or have no need for.
GioPod provides customers with shipping material and postage
free of charge, making the service irresistible.
GioPod is the Internet's original iPod trading website. The
service allows users to easily trade-in their old iPods towards
credit for newer iPods. Users may also cash in iPods they no longer
use.
GioPod is a member of the Better Business Bureau.
GioPod will gladly copy your music library from your old iPod
onto your new iPod.
Typical delivery time is 6-9 days from when you place your
order. You can cut the transaction time by up to 4 days when you
ship your iPod on your own.
All shipping and handling is free of charge. That includes
postage for shipping in your old iPod, as well as shipping costs
for delivering your new iPod. All users are eligible for a $10
shipping reimbursement if they choose to ship in their iPod on
their own. Otherwise, GioPod will send you a box, packaging
material, and prepaid postage free of charge.
GioPod will find the next happy owner for your old iPod.
GioPod accepts iPods that are scratched and iPods with dead
batteries, but currently do not accept iPods with fried hard drives
or other hardware issues.
On opening day, GioPod announced that the first 1,000 customers
will receive an additional $5 credit through the use of promotional
code "giopodme."
GioPod
PO Box 6505
Irvine, CA 92616
Color Change Silicone Case for iPod
nano
PR: Can't decide what color case to choose for you
iPod nano? Why not go for one of Proporta's Colour Change Silicone
Cases. Precision moulded from impact absorbent silicone to provide
a thin yet durable protective skin to your MP3 player.
Give your Apple iPod nano a tough, protective skin and prevent
scratching and impact damage with the Proporta Apple iPod nano
Colour Change Silicone Case. Choose from Pink, Blue or Charcoal
which then gradually change to White according to their
temperature.
Cutaways give access to device ports and controls so that you
can use your device in the case.
Features:
- Perfectly fits your Apple iPod nano, adding little more than a
millimetre (0.04") to its size
- Removable leash (lanyard) for easy carrying
- Fits inside your pocket
- Protection from impacts, scratches, dust and dirt
- Access all ports and controls inside the case
- View your device screen inside the case
- Available in Pink, Blue & Charcoal
$ 19.95
Lifetime Warranty
Link:
Colour Change Silicone Case (iPod nano)
Popular iPod Battery and Dock Available
in Limited Edition Black
PR: Tekkeon has announced a limited edition black version
of its popular myPower for iPod rechargeable battery and portable
dock.
Ideal
for iPod video, this all-in one accessory provides more than nine
hours of extra video playback and up to 42 hours of extended music
playback.
myPower for iPod, a rechargeable lithium polymer battery built
into a portable dock case, uniquely complements the style of the
iPod. In addition to extra battery power, myPower for iPod includes
high-speed FireWire and USB 2.0 ports to sync iPod using included
FireWire or USB cables, a line out for connection to a stereo or
external speakers, and a bonus 5V charging output to simultaneously
charge a mobile phone or any device that requires up to 5V, while
powering iPod.
"Our new limited edition version of myPower for iPod is a unique
alternative for users who prefer the black iPod," says Jerry Yang,
president of Tekkeon. "Users now can listen and view longer, and
maintain the sleek style of the iPod."
Tekkeon now offers three versions of myPower for iPod, which is
made for iPod (3rd, 4th, 5th generation), iPod mini, and iPod
photo:
- MP1100: White, includes a FireWire cable for charging
- MP1140: White, includes a FireWire power adapter/cable for
charging
- MP1140B: Black, includes a FireWire power adapter/cable for
charging
All models come with a USB 2.0 cable for downloading music, five
sets of sizing pads for different iPod models, a clip for the iPod
mini, and a user guide. The MSRP for model MP1140B is $69.95.
Tekkeon iPod accessories are available through retail and major
on-line stores including Apple, and from the Tekkeon store.
Link: Tekkeon
Software
Kandalu X Lite iPod Utility
PR: Kandalu x Lite supports recovering your songs and
playlists, playback of audio files, and much more.
System requirements: Kandalu X Lite currently only works with
Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar", 10.3 "Panther" and 10.4 "Tiger". Kandalu X
Lite works with any iPod, whether it be a Mac OS X formatted.
System support: PPC
Free
Link: Kandalu X
Lite 1.0c iPod Utility
Portable AbiWord Lightweight Word
Processor
PR: Portable AbiWord OS X is the award winning AbiWord
small, fast, featureful and cross-platform word processor packaged
as portable application so you can take your profile, dictionary,
math, Plugins and templates with you.
Portable AbiWord OS X is the lightweight AbiWord word processor,
packaged as portable application so you can carry around with you
on any portable device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive,
memory card, other portable device (also on your internal hard
disk) as long as it has 35 MB of free space and use on any Mac OS X
computer, taking your profile, dictionary, math, Plugins and
templates with you.
AbiWord is able to read and write all industry standard document
types, such as OpenOffice.org, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Rich
Text Format, HTML web pages and many more.
- Drag the "Portable AbiWord OS X" folder to your portable
device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive, memory card,
other portable device (also to your internal hard disk) as long as
it has 35 MB of free space.
- Clicking "OPEN Portable AbiWord" will launch in background an
AppleScript that will open AbiWord from your portable device, wait
a while before AbiWord start.
If you wish to use your contact list, dock icons, emoticons,
message stiles, plugins, scripts, sound and users you already have
on you computer, copy the content of the folder
"/Users//Library/Application Support/AbiSuite/" to "/Portable
AbiWord OS X/app/Library/Application Support/AbiSuite/" folder
New in version 2.4.4r2.9:
New in version 2.4.4 release notes changelog (extensive)
here:
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3 or later.
System requirements: PPC
Free
Open Source
Link: Portable
AbiWord
Portable Thunderbird
PR: Portable Thunderbird OS X is the popular Mozilla
Thunderbird email client packaged as portable application so you
can take your email, address book and account settings with
you.
From the experience of Portable Firefox OS X, here is the
popular Mozilla Thunderbird email client packaged so you can carry
around with you on any portable device, USB thumb drive, iPod,
portable hard drive, memory card, other portable device (also on
your internal hard disk) as long as it has 33 MB of free space and
use on any Mac OS X computer, taking your email, address book and
account settings with you.
- Drag the "Portable Thunderbird OS X" folder to your portable
device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive, memory card,
other portable device (also to your internal hard disk) as long as
it has 33 MB of free space.
- Clicking "OPEN Portable Thunderbird OS X" will launch in
background an AppleScript that will open Thunderbird from your
portable device, wait a while before Thunderbird start.
If you wish to use your email, address book and account settings
you already have on your computer, copy the content of the folder
"/Users/<username>/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/********.default/"
to "<your_volume>/Portable Thunderbird OS X/app/profile/"
folder.
New in version 1.5.0.2r2.1:
- Thunderbird updated to 1.5.0.2
- New "OPEN Portable Thunderbird OSX.app" icon.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3 or later
System support: PPC
Free
Link: Portable
Thunderbird
Yellow Dog Linux Installs Neatly on an
iPod
Linux Journal's Dave Taylor reports:
"Forget bootable USB pendrives and use an iPod to boot Linux on
a Mac.
"The concept's great: what would it be like to have a
pocket-size device that I could plug in to just about any Macintosh
and by simply rebooting the computer be running a full-blown Linux
installation? There are oodles of Linux OSes for Intel
architectures, of course, but the Mac, until very recently, has
been built around the Motorola architecture, so the number of
choices are rather fewer.
"One of the few Linux OSes for the PowerPC is called Yellow Dog,
from Terra Soft Corp., www.yellowdoglinux.com.
It costs about $60 US for the install CDs and documentation or $30
US for the "geek edition" (that's just the install CDs), or you can
download it for free from the Web site. And, let me answer the
obvious question: because Mac OS X already is a Unix
(basically FreeBSD with lots of added stuff, much of which you can
find in Darwin, www.apple.com/darwin),
why bother with a Mac Linux? The answer is that although Mac
OS X is a splendid mating of a Unix operating system with all
the graphical goodness of Apple's user interface design, it's still
not Linux. If you're in a Linux environment and want to run KDE or
GNOME, you don't have to graft it onto Mac OS X if you can run
a Linux designed for the Mac platform instead. Besides, isn't it
kinda cool anyway?
"Anyway, I had a spare Apple iPod, a first-generation 5 GB
device that worked via the FireWire interface rather than the more
modern USB connection, and I was assured by the folks at Yellow Dog
that I could squeeze YDL into as small as 1 GB. I have plenty
of space on a 5 GB device. Of course, I already had a gig of
music and audio books I wanted to preserve, so the first test was
to see if I could repartition the device to grab 3 GB for
Linux and keep 2 GB for audio and iPod content. The perfect
stealth Linux device, right?
"So, one afternoon I decided to take the plunge and hooked up my
iPod to my PowerBook computer and inserted the first of the YDL 4.1
install disks and restarted the Mac, holding down the C key to
force the device to boot off the CD-ROM, not the internal hard
disk. When prompted, I typed in install FireWire and away we
went."
Link: Yellow
Dog Linux Installs Neatly on an iPod
