Electronics - Where Smaller Is Better
First there was the iPod. Next it was the iPod Mini, and now the iPod Nano. Nano is pretty small, hence the iPod Nano is, well, small. So what is smaller than a Nano? How about a
cube?
What's a cube? How about the smallest MP3 player in the world? With dimensions measuring less than a single cubic inch it is, without a doubt, an electronic wonder. We'll wait for those who are still collecting their thoughts and jaw. In the meantime, think of an inch, oh, like -------- this big. Can it fit in your pocket? Heck yeah. Can it fit in your purse? Without a doubt. Can it fit in your mouth? Well, probably. Maybe this presents the most significant drawback of this iPod challenger. Nothing like dropping your brand new MP3 player down the drain.
Our Take:Will it contend with the iPod? Probably not. Either way, how cool is it? Check this little sucker out at
http://www.mobibluamerica.com/dah1500.html--------------------------------
Brent Paine
PingTheEmpire
Apple Releases Latest iPod Shuffle Firmware
Apple release their latest firmware update for the iPod shuffle. Apple indicates that the firmware update does include bug fixes, but does not go into any detail on what those bug fixes are.
Our Take:If you read the article it seems like there are a lot of "conditions", like it will require iTunes 4.7.1 or later, MAC OS X 10.3 through 10.3.3 are not supported, and 10.3.6 or later is recommended for connecting to low-power USB ports, such as on certain keyboards.
Maybe the best thing to do is wait until someone else tests the water. For those of you brave enough to weather the storm, though, you can download the newest iPod shuffle firmware update at
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ipodupdater20051117.html
Veoh Appeals to Video iPod Users
Veoh Networks announced that Wednesday that they would offer more than 3,000 free, downloadable videos for the iPod.
Veoh offers an RSS feed to let users view samples of what they have on their site. The videos themselves are downloaded through Veoh’s client software, which is available for Mac and Windows operating systems. The software allows individuals to distribute video to computers equipped with broadband connections and are currently available for free, also.
In September, Veoh announced the first public beta release of its software. In October, Veoh indicated it would add support for the video iPod. Veoh said it plans to add support for other portable video-capable devices soon.
The Perils of Free Blogging Services
As reported on
OutsideTheBeltway.com, Blogspot and other sites that allow you to host your blog on their site as a subdomain can delete your blog without any notice or apologies.
This sounds like an absolute horror story. It is said that all blogs within his dashboard were deleted and Blogger was unable to recover them for him as they were taken over by squatters.
How scary is that? Sure, the lesson here is to simply host your own domain and post your blog to it, but how often does this happen? Has anyone else ever seen a case like this? I suppose it happens behind the scenes enough to warrant a blog on it, but any other horror stories?
Big Releases Rumored at Macworld Expo
Apple Insider is reporting, today, that Apple has plans to introduce a dock which will connect to a Mac Mini. The report also indicates that they will look to compete with Microsoft, introducing their own media centre software.
Claims were made in March that the Mac Mini contained unused bus connections which connects the optical drive to the motherboard. It was also noted that this connection served no other purpose.
Speculation has now began to surface that Apple will plan to debut a new, Intel-based, Mac Mini at the Macworld Expo next month. The Expo is also where they reckon that Apple's Media Center Edition will be showcased.
The introduction of such a technology will mean a whole new world for iPod users, and especially those with a video iPod. It is still unclear to what extent the two might interface, but we're sure that Apple has left the door wide open for future possibilities.
Maybe Apple Doesn't Put the "I" in Holiday
Well as we had feared in our last post, it would seem that recent reports from investment research firm PiperJaffray today indicate that Apple may have difficulties meeting the demand over the holiday season. Sorry kids.
The report indicated that because of the limited availability of the iPod outside of Apple Store locations and apple.com may indicate that some estimates for iPod shipments for the December quarter are too high.
Research found that, although all but 2 of 10 Apple Stores surveyed had full availability of all iPod models, all 11 third-party retail outlets surveyed did not have multiple versions of the iPod in stock, and that the greatest shortage seemed to be noted on the iPod Nano models specifically.
Analysts went on to say not to give up on Apple and that they will see a "robust" year in 2006. However, don't bank on having that coveted iPod Nano under the tree. Maybe Santa can do a crash course in advanced circuitry before Christmas and help Apple out.
Apple Puts the "I" in Holiday
Fueled by holiday sales of their iPod Nano, Apple's stock would close up 3.3% on Friday, making it the fifth best performer on the Standard & Pool's 500. The stock would close at $69.34, which was a 4-1/2 year high for Apple.
Apple's black iPod Nano was listed as the 6th best seller on Amazon.com's electronics section over the weekend, while the white iPod Nano also cracked the top 10. Additionally, the website for Best Buy was also sold out of both the White and Black iPod Nano units.
Apple currently holds about 75% of the digital music player market and you can only expect this number to rise, that is if they can keep up with demand. So watch for one of these under your Christmas tree this season, it's sure to be the "Tickle Me Elmo" of the teenage demographic.
Free RSS Aggregator for Your MAC
iFeedPod from Carnglas Software is a free, handy and straight-forward utility for downloading RSS feeds to your iPod. Setup is pretty easy, but any old MAC users out there are going to be out-of-luck because iFeedPod will only run on OS X 10.3.9 Panther or above.
With the amazing popularity of the iPod it is a little surprising that Apple hasn't built this into Safari, or at least made it easier to integrate with existing products, hint hint. Check this out and you won't be sorry!
