iPod Skins

iPO at MWSF - Gridlock Moves YouTube Video to iPods with

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:46:22 -0800

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gridlock LLC announced the immediate availability of Tooble on during Macworld Expo 2008 on Friday. Tooble is an application for Mac OS X that downloads and converts YouTube videos for playback on Apple's video capable iPods and the iPhone.

From iPO at MWSF - Gridlock Moves YouTube Video to iPods with

Confirmed: Caption Crunch Works with

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:47:38 -0800

Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone Ecamm's Mac-side hacking Caption Crunch tools work fine with the iPhone and iPod touch running 1.1.3. You can use these tools to set and reset custom time and carrier strings on your devices. I gave Caption Crunch a try and my iPod touch now shows a "hi" message instead of the time. Ecamm wrote about these tools on their weblog a few weeks back. It's nice to know that even with the 1.1.3 jailbreak lock-out that some user customization hacks still work. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

From Confirmed: Caption Crunch Works with

iPO at MWSF - Apple and Fox Announce Digital Copy for

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:00:49 -0800

SAN FRANCISCO - During the Macworld keynote address, Twentieth Century Fox and Apple announced the Digital Copy for iTunes. Customers who purchase selected DVDs will be able to effortlessly copy the movie to iTunes and the view it on a PC, Mac, current generation iPods, iPhone or on Apple TV.

From iPO at MWSF - Apple and Fox Announce Digital Copy for

Mac's market share growth is 'nothing short of

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:30:19 -0800

Apple has been on a tear of late, but it's not just a story of iPods. Web analyst Net Applications now puts the Mac's market share at 8 percent, up from 5.3 percent in early 2007. That is stunning growth by any measure, especially when you consider that this is 18 percent growth in its market share...just since November 2007. Clearly, there was much Christmas joy for the Mac maker this holiday season. Vista? It's still languishing, though Windows XP is king of operating systems, with 76 percent of the market. Not too shabby, but not what Microsoft would wish for, either. In fact, Microsoft got coal all year, as its crushing market share continued to crush...but a little less forcibly every day, as the data shows: ...

From Mac's market share growth is 'nothing short of

Wireless HDTVs Get Off The Drawing

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:56:03 -0800

While thin, fashionable HDTVs look great hanging on the wall, the cords do not. After years of technical problems, the TV industry appears ready to introduce the ability to beam an HDTV signal to a wall-mounted HDTV, and do it with the blessing of content providers, according to the New York Times on Thursday.

From Wireless HDTVs Get Off The Drawing

JVC's NX-PN7 Dual iPod Dock [IPod

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:45:44 -0800

Weird Science: We already saw a hint of the NX-PN7 in a previous newswire leak, and here it is: an iPod dock that has room for two of the players. I guess you'd be able to charge two at once. Maybe you have an iPhone and a classic, the classic holding the bulk of your collection. April arrival at $150. The Catch: There is no rhyme or reason for such a setup, other than to show off how big a fanboy you are. Consider me weirded out. DUAL iPod MODEL AMONG NEW DOCKING STATIONS FROM JVC New NX-PN7 plays and charges two iPod players; new iPod-docking clock radio also debuts. LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2008 - iPod users can double their listening pleasure with the new JVC NX-PN7, an iPod dock that holds two of the ubiquitous music players. The new dual dock is joined by another new JVC iPod dock, the RA-P31, a clock radio-style model. The new dual dock NX-PN7 accommodates two iPod players side-by side, charging them simultaneously and offering playback from each through the dock's speaker system. Supplementing iPod playback is an AM/FM tuner, and adding to the unit's versatility is a clock and timer. In addition, there's an analog audio input for connecting other devices for playback. Though the NX-PN7 handles two iPod players, it measures a mere 13 inches wide. It features sleek and sophisticated styling, with a black cabinet and speaker grille, and controls arrayed clearly and logically in a band along the bottom. Adding a bit of flair are two illuminated strips, one under each docked iPod. These can display one of nine colors - including white, blue, red and others. The included remote features dedicated iPod control keys that simulate the iPod control wheel layout and users are able to easily shuffle, repeat, scroll and select songs from the iPod menu. For those searching for a portable iPod-playing replacement for the standard clock radio, JVC offers RA-P31. This low-profile unit features an iPod dock on top, FM tuner, calendar, dual alarm, white backlit display, two-inch built-in stereo speakers and a surround mode to produce a wider sound field. There's also an auxiliary input for connecting another playback device, and an included remote control. What's more, the RA-P31 can be AC- or battery-powered (six AA batteries). The RA-P31, measures just over one-foot long, stands less than three inches tall and weighs 1.6 lbs. (without batteries). Model Availability National Ad Value NX-PN7 April 2008 $149.95 RA-P31 April 2008 $99.95

From JVC's NX-PN7 Dual iPod Dock [IPod

Apple hit with antitrust

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:17:35 -0800

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, iPod Family, iTunes Information Week is reporting that Apple has been accused of monopolizing the online music industry in an antitrust lawsuit. Specifically, the suit states that Apple has placed "...unneeded and unjustifiable technological restrictions on its most popular products in an effort to restrict consumer choice, and to restrain what little remains of its competition in the digital music markets." Here we go again with "restricting consumer choice." First of all, no one is being forced to use iTunes or an iPod. But, what if you want to use iTunes with a player other than an iPod? Or, what if you want to use an iPod but not the iTunes Store? Mac users can choose from a number of players that work with iTunes, including the Nomad Jukebox, SonicBLUE Rio and Nakamichi SoundSpace 2. It's true that music purchased from iTunes will not play on these devices (unless it's from the growing library of DRM-free songs), but Mp3 files and unprotected AAC files will. For iPod users looking beyond the iTunes Store, there's the Amazon Mp3 Store. In some ways, in fact, the Amazon Store is more appealing than iTunes: all of their tracks are DRM-free and many are cheaper. Of course these aren't perfect solutions. To get the most out of iTunes and an iPod, one must use them in conjunction. However, this suit feels like sour grapes: punishing Apple for their success. There's a difference between dominating a market and preventing others from succeeding. So far, no one has created a more successful alternative and that's not Apple's fault. Thanks, Dave. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

From Apple hit with antitrust

Hitachi Maxell Adds SRS WOW HD Bluetooth to iPods

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:08:58 -0800

Hitachi Maxell has announced two new products today that combine Bluetooth transmission with higher-end stereo technology and shove it in all in an iPod. The Hitachi Maxell Audio Transmitter/Dongle fits in Apple's proprietary DIN port and transmits beefed-up SRS WOW HD encoded music to any Bluetooth device. The other new announcement, a Bluetooth v2.0 stereo headset works in conjunction with the transmitter, or with any other Bluetooth audio signal. Both items are priceless for the moment, but we'll probably hear more on them both (possibly literally) at CES. [Press Release]

From Hitachi Maxell Adds SRS WOW HD Bluetooth to iPods

Findley Designs Adds iPhone & Leopard Support to iPod Access

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:31:14 -0800

Findley Designs, Inc. announced this week an update for iPod Access Photo v1.3, an update that adds support for Mac OS X 10.5.x and the iPhone. iPod Access Photo allows Mac OS X and Windows users to view and retrieve photos stored on an iPod or iPhone on their computers. The company also added support for the iPod Classic, and the newest version of the iPod Nano.

From Findley Designs Adds iPhone & Leopard Support to iPod Access

Review - Olive OPUS

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:20:24 -0800

I wasn't totally clear on what the OPUS No3 pure audio system by Olive was but when they asked me if I'd like to borrow one to evaluate for possible review I said, "sure." I mean it's not every day I get offered a $1,000+ audio system to play with. . .

From Review - Olive OPUS

Free on iTunes - New Voyages, The Guild, IT Room, and

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:45:57 -0800

This week, Vern travels from deep space to cyberspace, stolls through an IT center, and finds some holiday tunes. All free, and just in time for your holiday festivities.

From Free on iTunes - New Voyages, The Guild, IT Room, and

First Looks: CoverCase iPhone Slip Hard Leather

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:33:27 -0800

Made from Napa leather, the Slip Hard Leather Case ($20) uses a design we've previously noted we didn't like much when it was being sold by other companies: it's basically just a piece of leather wrapped around a cup that happens to fit the iPhone. On a positive note, it looks pretty nice and covers the iPhone in a way that Apple or other companies might sell for up to $100; the flip side is that it precludes any iPhone access unless you fully remove

From First Looks: CoverCase iPhone Slip Hard Leather

Free on iTunes - Paranormal, Quasi-normal, Abbey-normal, and

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:40:17 -0800

Vern used his own clairvoyant powers to deduce that you want to find free downloads at the iTunes Store. This week, he divined shows for paranormal researchers, night time drama lovers, and the hidden scientist inside all of us.

From Free on iTunes - Paranormal, Quasi-normal, Abbey-normal, and

Found Footage: Stream music from your computer to your

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:39:43 -0800

Filed under: Audio, iPod Family, Cool tools, iPhone Simplify Media allows you to stream music from your home computer to your iPhone or iPod touch. Admittedly this video is pure marketing but the concept is cool. I installed a copy of the 1.0 alpha build from Installer.app, and gave it a spin--or at least I tried. The program requires that you have a Simplify Media account so I had to step back and grab a desktop client first. Then after painfully installing the software, signing agreements and clicking "I don't have an account yet", I finally got signed up and added my music folders. The whole process took about 20 frustrating minutes but persistence paid off. I then returned to my iPhone, signed in with my new account, and although I was able to get correct listings of my music library, none of the songs actually played back--causing "Server is not responding" errors instead. This is one of the caveat lector instances: Boy does this tool sound like it's going to be great but at the same time it doesn't really work as well as you might hope, at least right now. Simplify Media for iPhone is still in its alpha release. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

From Found Footage: Stream music from your computer to your

A Sanity Check on Improving Apple

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:57:46 -0800

Several observers of Apple have suggested that the Apple TV is a failure and needs to have its business model and/or hardware tinkered with. Daniel Eran Dilger at Roughly Drafted took a look at Apple's options and put the subject in clearer perspective on Wednesday.

From A Sanity Check on Improving Apple