iPod and Apple kings of podcast

The Apple in the News blog explains how Apple is becomming well positioned in the podcast wave.

Appart from having the iPod, the best player for podcasts, they also have a great content distribution deal with several key media companies. Good news for iPod fans.

Technorati tags: Apple, iPod, podcast

In the news year, take care of your iPod

Not only music fans are interested in the iPod, bad guys are also very interested in these very commercial gizmos. If you have an iPod and needs to use it around busy or dangerous places, take a look at the following advice from the Sunday Times.

These are interesting tips, especially during the news year celebrations.

Technorati tags: ipod, grabbers

The new iPod and hollywood: friends or enemies?

The future of iPod looks bright, but the future of movie theaters doesn't look so...

The appearence of the iPod is changing the music experience of a whole generation in just a few years: nowadays we are much less willing to buy a record CD as before, since the iPod and iTunes allow the rapid consumption of isolated tracks of music.

A similar trend may be going on with the movie industrie. Now that the iPod has video capabilities, it seems that movies will also be transformed in some way by the use of this new medium. For example, this article discusses how the use of the iPod may discourage people even more of going to movie theaters. Since the experience of watching video is every day easier with the new iPod technologies, there may be a time where no one will want to pay an expensive ticket and spend time to go the a movie theater.

Technorati tags: ipod, movies, ipod video

Apple to launch a 1GB iPod nano?

As the year comes to its end, the season of Apple and iPod rumors is starting. It couldn't be different, since the macworld conference is so close.

The greatest rummor this time is that Apple is going to release an even cheaper iPod nano. They would, some say, launch a 1 GB iPod nano, due to its huge popularity. It would in some way take more space from the iPod Shuffle, which would continue to be the low end of the iPod family.

True or not, I don't think there will be many surprises in January. Probably the biggest announcements will be in the area of desktop computers. But lets stay tunned.

Technorati tags: ipod, ipod nano, ipod shuffle

Exchanging your CDs for iPods

After such a long time using the iPod, it is probable that we don't have so much use for the old CDs in our collection. In fact, it has been years since I don't by a new CD. Well, if this is your case too, you can get a new iPod in exchange for your CDs.

Don't think this is possible? So check Millenniummusic.com. There you can exchange your CDs. The conversion table is something like this:
500MB Shuffle for 45 CDs
2 GB nano for 85 CDs
60BG Photo for 175 CDs.



Well, you need a lot of CDs to get an iPod... Moreover, they need to be in good condition to be exchanged. However, if you relly want an iPod and if you have more CDs than you need, you should try this.

Technorati tags: ipod, CDs, music, ipod nano

Fake iPod bought from Wal-Mart

ABC News reported that a strange fact occurred in Hawaii during this end-of-year season. An iPod bought in a Walmart store in Honolulu was opened, but to the surprise of the owner, there was no iPod inside the box: only a strange type of meet.

iPod Replaced With Meat -- The owner of the iPod imediatly contacted the Walmart store, which promissed to give a real iPod as soon as possible. According to the store, the box was sealed, so they had nothing to do with the incident.

This is a really annoying occurrence. Is it possible that Apple is trying another technology involving meet, or is this just a huge mistake?

Tags: ipod, ipod video, fun

My new black iPod nano

It was not only the millions of people of people who got new iPods in the last Christmas. I, too, got a brand new black iPod nano, which I am enjoying right now.

Although I have other iPods, the black iPod nano always enticed me with its cool color. There is denying that the white iPods are great, but the black one is much more interesting.

The arrival of my iPod was delayed a little until yesterday due to the hectic shopping spree in the last week. But it is still a great Christmas gift, you can be sure!

Technorati tags: ipod, ipod nano, apple

Paper iPod

Speaking of crazy about iPods... If you don't have a real iPod, you can have at least a paper one. Check on Apple Collection how you can make your own paper iPod...

Go to your church with the iPod

With the new iPod revolution, even religion has taken a new approach to keep its followers. The most recent trend, as noticed by icnetwork, is having church services available as podcasts.

For example, in Liverpool the churches are making sermons available on the Internet to be download from iTunes as podcasts. This is an interesting trend, since it once more shows that podcasts and the iPod are becoming part of the popular culture. Even more when churchs, which are conservative by nature, start to use such technologies.

Chinese company to launch an iPod nano look-alike

The realm of copycats for the iPod nano is growing, this time with a company from China. The company, called MoonBow, plans to release a player very similar to the iPod nano in the comming months, according to I4U.

The design has the same dimensions of the iPod nano, and a 1.5" screen. It comes with an integrated FM receiver. The player will apparently be released with different versions of up to 1GB of memory.

Although it seems an interesting offer for the chinese market, the player will have much difficulty to compete with the original iPod, since the prices set by Apple are very low for the huge amount of flash memory in these devices. Moreover, the quality and integration of such a product is still unknown.

Christmas with an iPod

As Christmas day is comming to an end and everybody is playing with their new gifts, the only news is that everybody got an iPod from Santa... A quick look at new blog entries show that most people got an iPod as a gift, although a few didn't.

It is all fine, it is just one more year with iPods...

Use the iPod in the subway - not only to listen music

The iPod has been a great companion for subway commuters. They were one of the first groups to adopt the little player. However, now the iPod has a new use for subway customers: you can see subway maps in your iPod!

In the isubwaymaps website you can check the maps of subway stations on several cities, and find your way to your destination.

Currently, the site has maps for several cities, such as Tokio, Chicago, and New York. Other cities are also being added.

iSubwayMaps is a nice application for the iPod, and interestingly it is free. So, if you need some orientation, why not to use your friendly iPod to get information?

Give a new skin to the iPod

The iPod colors are great, but with time you may become a little bothered with white and black. Why not change to another color, or even another completely new skin? This is what iJacket is providing to iPod owners.

The iJacket comes in several themes, like leopard, hearts, nature, hightech, etc. This way you can have your iPod with a completely new look, or change it whenever you want.

Additional link: Pocket-lint.co.uk iJacket promises to spruce up your iPod nano news story

iPod My Baby

If you are an iPod fan, you will do anything to stay closer to your iPod. That is normal, but look at what people are doing now... You can iPodify your own baby! That's it, you can make your baby to look like a little, cute iPod :-))


In the iPod My Baby web site you can buy all the cloths and accessories required to make your baby to look like a little iPod. I don't know if this is cute or crazy!!!

Imagine what is gonna be next thing? iPod tatoos? (Maybe this is not so far away, look at this.)

iPod and power: what is the connection?

The iPod has no longer been only a tool for music appreciation and entertaining. It has also become symbol of cultural status for many people. This happened since the first launch of iPod, when local commuters in subways started to notice the new device in the hands of more and more people.

What happens when head of state start displaying their preference for iPod? Recently we saw the news that Bush is proudly using an iPod, having even said what kind of music is inside it ("Beach boys, Beatles").

Now, it is the time of the
vice-president to show his appreciation for the iPod player.

If this wave continues, the next world summit is gonna become just another marketing campaign for the iPod... Congratulations again Apple!

iPod vs. The Cassette

A very funny website makes a comparison between the iPod and a venerable music device: The Cassette.

The main advantage of the iPod:

* 960 hours of music against 120 minutes for the cassete

They are equally made of plastic, and have the same size and durability of their covers :-))

But the cassete is the winner in:

* Life span: certainly more than 3 years;
* Resistance: can be dropped without major problems
* Price: "3 for $.99 against $399"

Very good...

iPod on more than 70 million cars

The iPod is such a huge success in the music industry that it is become the de facto standard for music devices. For the Apple competition, this means not only fighting, but also adopting many of the technologies introduced by the famous device.

The latest roud of this story comes from the auto industry. Unable to ignore the success of the iPod, most companies are introducing sound systems that are compatible with the iPod in some way. A report from the Telematic research group, as shown in the Autoblog, estimates that around 73 million cars will have iPod compatible systems installed by the end of 2011.

In the same report, it is estimated that 90 thousand cars already have sound systems compatible with the iPod. This shows the reach of the iPod mania -- your car will certainly be compatible very soon.

HBO eager to provide content for the iPod

The success of iPod has prompted many people in the industry to work with Apple. Routers reported that the CEO of HBO is eager to promote an arrangement between the channel and Apple.

HBO, which is owned by Time Warner, is the TV that makes some of the best series. Such an agreement would be extraordinary news for the already successful video iPod. When this happens, it is easy to see that any other TV channel will either go for iTunes of risk loosing a huge market for television content.

New uses for the iPod: storing DVD content

Everyone is excited with the new potential of iPods to play the video of your choice. However, despite the great content that is now available through the iTunes store, you may just want to see some of your videos in the DVD format.

Now, you can see all your collection of DVDs using your iPod. A recently launched product allows to copy DVDs directly to an iPod video. The application, called Xcopy has several options of video quality, so you can quickly select the total size used by the DVD on your player's hard drive. And the software looks pretty inexpensive, selling for just aroud 20 bucks.

I think this is a great addition to the list of tools for iPod users. We may enjoy the content available on iTunes, but there is nothing like being able to see the old (and new) movies that we *already bought*.

Moreover, think of the use of such an application as a timer saver when renting a video on a local store. Now, you have the possibility of just loading a DVD to the iPod, returning it to the rental store, a see it when we have more time available.

The iPod "coolness" factor

Forbes reported that, despite the offer of competitive products in the area of mp3 and video players, what has been strongly driving the market for the Apple iPod is the "coolness" factor.

Other video players (such as the sony psp) and mp3 players may have comparable performance. However, they usually lack in design, what make the Apple products more appealing to young and more sophisticated users.

Apple: we like the iPod mini!

The recent success of iPods brings a new fascinating story: a product that has been discontinued while on the top of its popularity. When introducing the iPod nano a few months ago, Apple stopped producing iPod minis. What they didn't expect is that although technologically "behind", the iPod minis still have a strong following.

In fact, as reported by cnet, the price of iPod minis is increasing on stores such as Compu-america and even on eBay. Amazon is also selling a lot of iPod minis latelly. All this has made the price of the iPod mini to increase considerably. Some of the recent eBay auctions have sold minis for "$76 over the original $199 price tag." (cnet)

Some of the reasons for this are easy to list

• First the shortage of iPod; this certainly makes the price of all models to increase.
  
• Second, the fact that there is now a limited number of iPod minis on sale, since production has stopped.
  
• Third, the iPod mini is the only model that is colored, which appeals to a large number of customers (mainly women :-))
  

All this signals that the iPod mini could have a comeback. Maybe Apple will listen to its customers and realize that there is still space for a player that has features similar to the iPod mini.

iTunes adding NBC content

The news of the day is that apple announced a deal with NBC to provide a huge amount of programming for iTunes. Among the TV programs in the package are Law and Order and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Some older programs will be also available. including the classic "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". No doubt this is a great news for iPod users, which will have a much larger pool of video content to watch.

Using the iPod for classwork

The iPod is known around the world as a platform for music and general entertainment. However, it has now become one of the best educational tools available. Carleton university is is making available a series of lectures in chemistry as a podcast that can be downloaded from iTunes.

While it is probably not the first time a podcast is used to record a lecture, it seems to be the first time a university officially provides the full content of a course is iTunes. And, what is best, it can be downloaded free.

Maybe the example of Carleton University will be followed by many other educational institutions, to make education more accessible to everybody (with an iPod, or course...).

iPod is the number one

The iPod is elected the number product in the Christmas wish list. A poll reported by cnet shows that the iPod is in the top of a list of ten gadgets that are more requested by consumers during this season.

According to the article, "the video-playback features of the newest hard-disk-based iPod add to the allure, said Brian Lucas, a manager for Best Buy's holiday campaign. `The iPod delivers in style and substance,' he said."

In second place appears the Microsoft's Xbox. However, this looks more like a dream than a shopping item, given that the Xbox is not widely available in the market.

iPod: the complete DJ Toolbox

The Associated Press reported that the iPod is now becomming an essential part of any DJ Toolbox.
"Some professional DJs say they're waiting for technology that would enable them to perform on a single portable player all the creative mixing and "scratching" they do with vinyl albums. (...) a basic iPod or other small portable player and a simple hookup into a bar's sound system suffices."

It seems that the iPod is revolutionizing not only the personal music industry but also the night-club music scene.

More video content for your iPod

The video iPod is certainly a sucess, with Apple reporting that more than 1 million videos from iTunes have been sold since its release. Despite the sucess, there are still not many video offerings other than then usual iTunes.

A company from San Diego wants to change this, however. The company, called Veoh is making available thousands of videos, ranging from cartoons to tv programs, for download for iTunes. The videos are mostly from public-domain material, but there is also some interesting things that may maintain you entertained during a boring trip. Moreover, it is always nice to have new content to play in such a great device.


Music Videos at the iTunes Music Store. Download them now for only $1.99 each.