January 4th, 2006
The iSee 360 from ATO is a device designed to make your iPod (any model except shuffle) a video recorder. Simply by sliding your iPod into the iSee 360 docking bay you can play video with sound using iPod headphones of external speakers, record TV shows directly from your TV for playback, record compressed video to your iPod for playback and playback movies on your TV. The iSee 360 also lets you download and play back movies from the internet and play slideshows of your photos.
It comes with a built-in 3.6″ LCD colour screen and a lightweight design incorporating an iPod dock. The iSee 360 uses a rechargeable battery with 4 hours of battery life that does not drain power from your iPod and can be plugged into a mains socket to charge. Integrated video in/video out allows you to record video from your TV, VCR or even TiVo for playback on your TV later on. Audio-in/audio-out also lets you record sound from your stereo for playback later.
It supports multiple file formats including MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and Windows Media 9/10. An all-round pretty cool iPod accessory.
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January 4th, 2006
New content from ESPN, ABC Sports, ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television, ABC News, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Buena Vista, SOAPnet and Walt Disney Feature Animation will be made available on iTunes.
The announcement means that a slew of American football games, Xgames and more sporting content will be available to download. Family shows like “Wildfire”, “Kim Possible”, “The Proud Family”, “School House Rock” and others will also be on iTunes soon.
Classics from Walt Disney feature Animation such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Tortoise and the Hare” will be offered for download through iTunes also. A selection of free video podcasts including parts of “Good Morning America”, “World News Tonight”, ” Money Minute” and “Medical Minute” among others will also be made available.
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January 3rd, 2006
Motorola will not include support for Apple’s iTunes Music Store in the upcoming release of the Motorola ROKR E2. Instead, the ROKR E2 will feature a new subscription-based music service from Motorola called iRadio. It is reported that iRadio will also include 435 commercial-free radio channels.
The first release of Motorola’s ROKR was a failure because it failed to live up to expectations set by iPod’s ease of use and storage capacity. The first ROKR was released at the same event where Apple unveiled the critically acclaimed iPod nano, leading to reports of a rift between Apple and Motorola. Even though Motorola will not support iTunes in the ROKR E2, the recently announced RAZR V3i will support iTunes.
It looks like Motorola continue to struggle to gain a share of the online music market, but confusing customers with regards what music they can listen to on their phone and what they can’t is not a good way to build trust.
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January 3rd, 2006
The Pyp Bomb Guitar & iPod amplifier is a new slant on iPod speaker accessories. Constructed from PVC piping and plastic, the Pyp Bomb amplifier packs a punch with 18 watts of head-banging power.
Playing music from your iPod through the Pyp Bomb is easy, just plug the amplifier into the 3.5mm jack and turn it on. The Pyp Bomb amplifies sound while optimizing it to sound clear and crisp. However, the Pyp Bomb also works with electric guitars, which can be simply plugged into the 1/4″ jack and played back in either electric or acoustic mode
With it’s built-in liquid acid battery, the Pyp Bomb amplifier can manage a couple of days usage before requiring a recharge. You can purchase the Pyp Bomb amplifier for $150.
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January 3rd, 2006
With iLoad you can now load music and video onto your iPod without the use of a computer. The recently released iLoad looks like a large-sized portable CD player, which just so happens to be able to transfer music and video onto your iPod. The manufacturers claim that iLoad can transfer an entire CD in about 8 minutes. iLoad takes care of album and track information by utilizing a database of 1.8 million songs, which can be updated via the internet. The iLoad will retail at $249.
Another cheaper version, dubbed the iLoad-v, will be capable of transferring video onto your iPod and will retail at $149. The iLoad-v will connect to your satellite or cable box, allowing content to be pushed onto the iPod.
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January 3rd, 2006
eMagine Corp. have developed a wearable headset with a built-in screen that can plug into a 5G iPod video. The headset, called the EyeBud 800, then projects the video feed in front of one of the wearer’s eyes. The EyeBud 800 uses a technology to process the video feed to appear at a higher resolution than the actual source.
It is reported that the feed, when viewed through the EyeBud headset, provides the same experience as watching video on a 105-inch display from about 12 ft away. The EyeBud 800 will sell for $599 and will come with a control module (about the same size as an iPod) which includes a rechargeable battery.
The EyeBud 800 is a great idea, but if you really want to watch the video from your iPod why not just plug it into a nearby TV or computer. The headset might look a little weird while sitting and watching last night episode of Lost down your local coffee shop. In fact it looks a little ‘Borgish’ in appearance. However, we applaud eMagine for the idea. The EyeBud is certainly a ‘different’ iPod accessory, I just don’t know if I’d want to be seen wearing it in public!
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December 31st, 2005
Jonathon Ive has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list (PDF). Apple, in a statement said: “We are as proud as could be that Jony is receiving such a prestigious commendation.”
Jonathon Ive is one of the most influential people at Apple having designed the iMac and iPod, both of which have been central to Apple’s recent resurgence. He has also been heavily involved with the design of other Apple products including the iBook, PowerBook, PowerMac and Mac mini. Having worked at Apple since 1992, Mr. Ive has been touted by many as the ‘natural’ successor to current CEO Steve Jobs.
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December 22nd, 2005
According to a Nielsen / NetRatings study, Apple.com came top of the fastest growing websites of major brands on the internet.
Apple.com jumped 57% from 19.6 million a year ago to approximately 30.8 million unique visitors in November. In comparison, traffic to Google.com grew 29% while Amazon.com increased 16%.
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December 21st, 2005
Every year Google releases a Zeitgeist, a list of the most popular searches in the year through Google.com. This year, iPod related searches were all over the lists.
‘iTunes’ ranked 6th in the top 10 top gainers of 2005. But in the list of top searches through Froogle (Google’s shopping comparison engine), iPod was clearly the most popular item taking 4 of the top 10 spots:
- ipod
- digital camera
- mp3 player
- ipod mini
- psp
- laptop
- xbox
- ipod shuffle
- computer desk
- ipod nano
Google also released a graph showing how iPod searches jumped overnight after Apple released iPod nano. Podcasting searches also made good growth through the year.
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December 20th, 2005
XtremeMac have introduced a new line of leather cases for Apple’s 5th generation iPod videos. The new cases, dubbed the Microflip and MicroFolio, are priced at $39.95 each and are available for pre-order now.
The MicroFlip is a flip-style case available in 4 colours – brown, black, dark brown and saddle. the MicroFlip is designed for use with the 30GB and 60GB models of the iPod video, and comes with leather-clad belt clip.
The MicroFolio is designed to carry the iPod and your ID, credit cards and cash. It is available in brown, dark brown, black and saddle. MicroFolio fits both the 30GB and 60GB iPod video and comes with a leather-clad belt clip.
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