Category > Not directly iPod related…
March 10, 2005
Motorola iTunes phone postponed yet again
The good news: It looks like the rumors that said the Motorola iTunes phone was going to be officially unveiled today are true.
The bad news: It's not going to be unveiled today.
Seems that Motorola pulled the launch of the ROKR iTunes phone at the last minute due to an issue with a wireless carrier. MacDailyNews wonders if the wireless carriers are fighting over who gets to distribute the little rockin' ROKR. Whatever, these false alarms are getting tiresome.
Via Gizmodo, MacDailyNews
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March 09, 2005
Free stuff
That's right, stuff for free:
- iPod icons: I love the Iconfactory web site. I know, you're probably rolling your eyes right now and saying something deprecating about '...typical mac user..." but it's a cool web site and they do excellent work. Right now, they've got a set of very nice iPod icons available for both Mac and Windows that you can download.
- The Joy of Tech's "Luck o' the iPod" Giveaway: By simply replying to a thread they've set up you can win one of three copies of the book iPod & iTunes Garage, by Kirk McElhearn, they've also got some hats, t-shirts, and PodderPouches that they have foolishly decided not to keep for themselves and are giving away. Go here.
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March 07, 2005
They know what we are listening to
Have you ever seen iTunes display the message "Getting Track Names" after you load a CD into your computer? iTunes accesses a large online database that contains the artist, album title, and song names and automatically displays this information for you. If you rip the songs onto your hard drive or iPod, this information automatically gets encoded into the ID3 tags of the song file so that the track and artist information will display whenever you play the song. Handy, to say the least.
Gracenote is the most popular online CD database and it's the one that iTunes uses. MSNBC has an article entitled, "They know what we are listening to" that profiles Gracenote. If you ignore the obligatory Big Brother sensationalism that they pepper into the article, it is an interesting glimpse into this company.
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February 11, 2005
Norway Proposes New Copyright Law That Segregates Media Mediums
The Norwegian government today proposed new legislation that would ban people from copying their CDs into other digital mediums. Under the proposed law, only backups of legally purchased CDs and DVDs to the same digital medium would be allowed.
I don't understand why they would concentrate on the medium instead of the file. It today's world the medium that a digital file may be stored on is irrelevant. Right now, sitting at my desk, I have access to the same legally purchased song file that is stored on a hard drive in my local computer, a copy on a network drive, a copy on my iPod, and a copy on my iPod shuffle (I'd be in trouble if I were in Norway). That song originated as a song on a CD that I bought. Of course, I only listen to one copy at a time and I don't allow other people to download or make copies of that file, which should be the only point that matters to the artist that recorded the song, the company that created the file, and perhaps my government that is tasked with enforcing the laws surrounding the digital media file. It makes much more sense to me to purchase and protect the file, be it a song file (mp3, AAC, etc) or a movie file (avi, mpeg). That is the true content and it's the piece that the artist should control and should get paid for. Trying to control the format that the file is stored on seems silly.
FMI:
Yahoo News
Via Engadget
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February 04, 2005
MacGyver-icious Speakers
You know, this really brings up a sore spot with me, how the name "MacGyver" has become an adjective. By using this good man's name as an adjective belittles and dilutes his proud heritage. Show some respect people! He's not on the air anymore to defend himself. But, if anything deserved it, this contraption over at the ReadyMade web site does. Apparently they run an ongoing contest called the MacGyver Challenge (there it is again, don't get me STARTED!) and Ken Kirkpatrick's Altoids Mini Speakers won.
Now, we've seen so many uses for the ubiquitous Altoids tin (they're not vegetarian, BTW) but the beauty of his MacGyverism (now I'm doing it) is that you can use any old speakers out of crappy headphones. So if you're on a really tight budget, like the change that's sliding around the floor of your car, this might be right for you. If you wanted to be really hip, you could choose cool playing cards and turn them face side out, "I've got an ace of spades Altoids tin mini speaker. I'm dangerous, baby."
Thanks to Fred
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January 25, 2005
World Music, No, Not That Kind
So, the Wall Street Journal has caught on to what a great deal Russian music sites are and if they're not quiet about this they're going to ruin it for the rest of us. This article talks primarily about the dubious legalities of the whole thing, although it seems pretty slanted to me, like the author fought hard to maintain their angle on the issue. To their credit, allofmp3.com agreed to be interviewed for the article and gave their version of how and why they're not breaking any laws. Allofmp3.com also posts an FAQ on their site that addresses these issues as well.
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January 19, 2005
This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land…
Doesn't that picture just make you cringe? The Computer Take Back Campaign is an organization that aims to lessen the negative health and environmental impact that consumer electronics has on people and the environment. They point to three ways to accomplish this goal;
- Manufacturer recovery programs where the manufacturer of the product will accept the device at the end of it's life cycle. They take responsibility of the recycling and/or proper disposal of the product.
- Use less toxins in the manufacturing process. Lead and mercury are the really bad ones that are commonly used in the manufacture of circuit boards and monitors.
- Recycle the products at the end of the life cycle. A large portion of a typical electronic device is recyclable. Who better to recycle the device than the company that made it?
The Computer Take Back Campaign is putting the hurt on Apple these days. They organized a protest at the Macworld Expo and have targeted them on their web site. It's a shame too, since I think Apple should be at the forefront of an environmentally sensitive initiative instead of being the target of one. The site's comments about the iPod's batteries are subject to some debate, however, and I don't completely agree with them there.
eBay is sponsoring the Rethink Initiative which, "brings together industry, government, environmental and charitable groups to offer a fresh perspective and new answers to the challenge of e-waste." Apple is listed as a partner in this organization along with a number of other electronics/computer companies.
If you want my opinion, and since you're reading this blog you're going to get it, this movement and these ideals are an imperative. This is not an Apple problem, it is an industry-wide problem that needs to be dealt with. The sooner the better, if it's not already too late that is. If the onus is put back onto the manufacturer, that will surely drive up the price of consumer electronics, I realize that. But that is a better and more efficient method than to push the problem down the chain into the local government's jurisdiction when it comes time to deal with the pollution of the local landfill or make the sometimes community-funded recycling center try to deal with it.
For more information see:
Rethink Initiative
Computer Take Back Campaign
Demonstrating concern Environmentalists picket at Macworld over Apple policies
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January 07, 2005
Forbes Focuses on the Fervor
Forbes is hosting a poll that asks the question, "What Will Be Apple's Most Important Announcement At Macworld?" It's certainly not scientific (hell, I answered it twice just to mess with the results), but it's fun. One response possesses an overwhelming lead, but I won't tell you which one, you just have to take the poll yourself.
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Motorola/Apple “iPhone” Image
Here is the first image that's been posted of the new Motorola/Apple phone. Looks pretty cool, although I was thinking it would be all white. Look closely at the detail shot to the left (that phone has a black face), it seems to be the screen for playing a song and it looks like it's displaying the album artwork. That's cool.
Via Engadget
Via macnews.net.tc
Update: Gizmodo has more info. Seems they spoke with a Motorola exec Ron Garriques who relunctantly gave them some more info. The iTunes/iPod functionality is actually just a java program that runs on the phone. This would make it easier to port to other Motorola phones and devices.
Update: AppleInsider reports that the phone in the image is not the real Motorola/Apple phone but just a phone used for demonstation.
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Motorola/Apple “iPhone” Previewed at CES
eWeek via PCMagazine reports that Motorola executive vice president Ron Garriques previewed the new Motorola/Apple iTunes phone during his keynote speech on Thursday at the CES. Among the juicy tidbits that he announced were:
- The phone is the first of many Motorola devices that will support iTunes this year.
- It syncs with a computer and with the iTMS just like an iPod does.
- It mimics the iPod interface for navigation and song playback.
Sounds like Apple had more to do with designing the phone than I originally thought. And the syncing protocol sound great - convenient and something that we're familiar with already. No release date was made public, but I'm eager to see what this thing looks like.
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