More Legal Trouble For iPod?
Show maker Lugz has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Apple regarding their current Apple iPod ads.
Reported on MTV.com on Wednesday, Lugz claims that the iPod advertisements, featuring eminem, resemble the advertisements they released in 2002 featuring Funkmaster Flex.
Apple has not commented on the iPod ads, but we will. This is a ridiculous lawsuit. Let us first remind that
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Who cares if they make a commercial that looks like yours. THE AD IS FROM 2002. If anything you should bow down to the iPod. If the ad was run last year or this year I might think differently, but it was 3 (almost 4) years ago. Don't be so quick to sue, take advantage of the ads to put your own product back in the mind of the consumer.
Now what? Maybe you lose customers from your core market because you wanted to sue their new favorite product, the iPod. It's just not smart. Not at all.
Brent Paine
http://www.podcastempire.com
New Contenders to Battle iPod
MSI has launched two new products to battle the highly popular iPod.
The Mega Player 540 has a built-in 4GB hard drive and comes built with SRS WOW technology which providers virtual surround sound. It also includes 15 station presets, USB 2 connection, and a built-in lithium-ion battery that will give you 18 hours of playback.
The Mega Player 536 offers the same SRS WOW technology, lithium-ion battery, and USB connectivity as the 540, as well as a 1-inch hard drive and a SD/MMC card slot which allows you to read directly from a memory card. Additionally, it offers the ability to encode MP3 files on the fly to save music into the popular format.
While it is not likely to topple the juggernaut iPod, it is certainly a seemingly powerful alternative to the iPod champ.
iPod Nano Shows It's Age
After only a short time on the market, the iPod Nano is showing it's age (figuratively). Whether it be the terrible two's (only a couple months old), or the teenage-years, one thing is for certain, it has caused Mom and Dad (Apple) a whole lot of trouble.
Mexico has, now, joined a lawsuit which already represents UK iPod Nano users which claims that Apple shipped out the new iPod Nano in a rush to meet their release deadline, knowing that there were possible defects in the screen where they could break or scratch easily.
Due to the volume of complaints surrounding the screen, Apple was forced to offer to replaced the defective screens just weeks after it's release in September. However, an official of Apple indicated that the problem has actually affected less than a tenth of a percent of the iPod Nanos shipped.
Our Take:In all likelihood the problem affected more like 10% of the shipped units, otherwise I doubt there would be such an uproar. Although, I guess if we're talking about millions of units it may be possible.
I'm resigned to the fact that there is a problem. It happens. My biggest problem is that it would have shipped when there was prior knowledge of a defect. They really need to take from the video game industry here and wait until it's "golden". We've all seen pushed-back release dates in the gaming industry, but think nothing of it. Haste to make a release date won't help your market share, and if you're the market leader (Duh!) people will wait anyway.
Win an iPod Nano!
Alright, we won't keep you in suspense, we just came across this contest and thought, "Hey! What could be better than a free iPod Nano?" How about an iPod Nano AND the Back to the Future Trilogy? It's like a Valhalla of geekdom, and we must have it!
Check out the contest for the free iPod Nano
here. The content closes November 27th, so you've got lots of time still, but why hesitate? Sign up with your address and your parents' address, unless you still live with your parents, then just improvise. Anyway, you get the point, free iPod Nano, yada yada, iPod Nano, yada yada, Back to the Future. Just go get your
free iPod Nano people.
Armed Forces Salute To Podcasting
The Pentagon has now added podcasting as a means of keeping their armed forces men and women informed and up-to-date on current events within the military.
Pentagon officials indicated that podcasting would provide them with a means of delivering timely, relevant information to members of the armed forces, nationwide. With broadcasts running 24-hours a day, seven days a week, they hope to put their forces on the cutting edge of communication technology.
For those of you who absolutely MUST keep current on the happenings within the military, you can hit the feed at
http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/podcast/xml/pentagonchannel.xml.
Microsoft and Apple To Feud Over Xbox 360-iPod Compatibility
When it launches on November 22nd, 2005, the new Xbox 360 will come ready to interface with your iPod, and Microsoft has not shied away from talking up the connectivity. However, will this land them in hot water with iPod manufacturer, Apple?
Microsoft built in the iPod compatibility to their new XBox 360 game console without any previous communication with Apple. This compatibility will allow iPod users to plug their iPod directly into their XBox 360 and access their music or upload music files to their XBox 360 for use in games for the console. However, the XBox 360 will not be able to stream songs purchased from Apple's iTunes Store because it did not enroll in Apple's "Made for iPod" program, which does not grant them access to the licenses used to stream the audio.
Microsoft admits that they do not have an "official" relationship with Apple, but did state they had attempted to reach an agreement for complete interoperability. The likely stumbling block was the Made for iPod program which attempts to collect royalties from manufacturers of accessories designed to work with the iPod.
So at this point it appears that Microsoft is only playing off the overwhelming success of the iPod brand, continuing to promote their compatibility with the iPod, when in reality it will interface with most MP3 players through the USB ports offered in the XBox 360. What could this mean in the end? Well you can bank that Microsoft has covered their butts from a legal standpoint, so the only question that remains is whether or not Microsoft and Apple can arrive at a deal that would see, maybe, a software update to complete the integration. If not then keep your eyes on the horizon and see if Sony is able to leverage a less-tarnished relationship to come to a deal with Apple for integration with their PlayStation 3 which will be due to release in the first or second quarter of 2006.
Podcasters Beware: Your Blog May Be Under Attack
Hackers are beginning to target security flaws in the XML-RPC libraries (PHPXMLRPC and Pear XML-RPC) used by the popular content management software WordPress and Drupal as well as PostNuke, Serendipity, phpAdsNew and phpWiki.
Publishers of this software released fixes over 6 months ago, but many are still unaware of the security flaw itself. So beware, if you use any of these applications on your web server please check back at the publisher homepage for fixes. Authors of the XML-RPC libraries have also issued fixes.
It has been said that the attacks will install a trojan on the web server which may allow remote access to the web server. This may lead to data theft, phishing, or simply corruption of data.
If you are not aware of the XML-RPC libraries used in your blogging application please check the vendor page or contact the publisher to inquire about the libraries in use with their application.
iPod Porn Becoming A Worry For Parents
With such a variety of functions available for the iPod it was only a matter of time before the adult industry recognized the potential of the iPod market. With adult content for the iPod becoming more available parents are now worried about the potential access to the material.
Officials with the Attorney General admit there is little than can be done with regards to the content. There are laws governing content uploaded to the Internet within the United States, but many countries do not. If the content is uploaded from another country there is nothing that can be done.
One major online adult content provider indicated that they have seen over 500,000 downloads of small three to five minute video clips from iPod users. Further to that, they have indicated that they will begin to shoot films specifically geared to the iPod community, adding that it could be a huge percentage of their business.
The obvious concerns of agencies against the download or viewing of pornography on the iPod is apparent. Not only will this have the potential for underage youth to download the films but, because of the portability of the iPod, there is also the potential exposure from any number of sources within public places, such as parks, malls, even schools. Some advocates have also expressed concerns that this could present a new medium for pedophiles to transfer media.
Our Take:Anyone who has surfed the Internet has, without a doubt, come across an adult site, for some of us, even by accident. The iPod does present much the same threat as the Internet did in it's own infancy. If the adult industry has identified this as a large market then you can bank that both Apple and a hundred other software companies have also. Watch for software companies, much like NetNanny, to be first to market with some sort of application to prevent the download of questionable material.
What of the portability? Well there have already been instances of exposure to pornography while driving with DVD players installed in cars. Add to that laptops and wireless Internet access and it all adds up, watch for some more serious penalties for the display of pornographic material in public.
iPod Gets Solar Power!
Have you ever been subject to iPod withdrawl after your battery runs out on your way back from work, school, the corner store? Of course you have, we all have. Now you don't have to worry.
That's right, you never have to be without your beloved iPod ever again. Thanks to the folks at Soldius, you can now charge your iPod with solar power.
Just like your iPod, the Soldius1 is extremely portable, weighing only about 4 ounces. Additionally, the Soldius1 comes with all the necessary cables and adaptors to fit all iPod models. Also, the Soldius1 is designed to fit most popular cell phone models, so it is well worth the $90-$110 investment.
Performance is much greater than most comprable products that we have seen. The Soldius1 charges the iPod, generally, in 3-4 hours. Similar products tend to take substantially longer, even 2 to 3 times longer. As an added bonus, the people over at Soldius have added a great feature that allows you to continue to use your iPod while charging. What does this mean? Like we said, you never have to be without your iPod again! Check out the website at
mysoldius.com for more information or to purchase one for yourself or someone you love.
