December 10, 2005

iFace, interchangeable iPod case

WINZZ recently announced a new line cases called iFace, for 1 ~ 5G iPod, and iPod nano, with two covers series, five elements series & hot wave series.

iFace is the world first interchangeable iPod case, designed to allow user to change the cover freely to fit their moods or outfits.

iFace V1.0, iFace V1.1 & iFace nano V1.0 – US$24.95

December 8, 2005

iPhone Mockup

Isamu Sanada, a Japanese graphic designer and Mac fan created this mockup of an the Apple iPhone.

via applele . Seen at Gizmodo

podcast' declared Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

The term 'podcast' has been declared Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

The official term, to be added to the online version of the dictionary during the next update early next year, is defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player".

The word is derived from a combination of "broadcasting" and "iPod".

According to a recent Pew Internet and American Life Project survey "Podcasts" are catching on with people who own iPods or other digital-music players. Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults who own MP3 players like Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod say they have downloaded podcast programs from the Internet. In Pew's poll, 11 percent of respondents said they owned an MP3 player, putting the total U.S. ownership at 22 million. Of those with MP3 players, 29 percent reported listening to a podcast. Pew said the survey has a 7.5 percent margin of error.

A Podcast consists of high resolution MP3 or other audio files wrapped in a RSS feed, RSS or really simple scripting is widely used on the web as a means to create news feeds or product updates that can be read bybrowsers and other websites. Podcasts have grown in prominence along with Weblogs, the online diaries that serve as alternative news sources reports LordPercy.

The term was coined by journalist Ben Hammersley and although originally derived from combining "broadcasting" and "iPod", this definition has become something of a misnomer as podcasts can be listened to on any digital music player reports BBC.

Some have criticised the term for giving too much credit to Apple, which had little to do with the development of the technology and some have tried to suggest alternative terms such as blogcasting or audioblogging.

Apple adding NBC shows

Apple adding NBC shows

NBC Universal and Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday said they would make several NBC-owned television shows available on the iTunes music store.

The shows, taken from NBC, the USA Network and the SciFi Channel, include current and older programming, the companies said. NBC Universal is the second big broadcaster to agree to sell shows to users of Apple's new video iPod reports USATODAY

ABC in October announced a deal with Apple to sell reruns of hits such as Desperate Housewives and Lost. NBC Universal is offering 300 episodes from new shows such as Law & Order and The Office, classics Dragnet and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and segments from Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien's late-night shows.

"Eventually, a goal is to get all of our shows up there," said Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. "This benefits the consumers. Now they can watch great programming wherever they are and whenever they want."

Most of the programs cost $1.99, the same as hit programs "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," which Walt Disney Co.'s ABC several weeks ago said it would offer at the iTunes music store.

The iTunes music store has sold more than 3 million videos since the iTunes catalog launched two months ago.

Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, estimates Apple has sold 1 million video iPods to date and is on track to sell an additional 1.5 million this month.

"This NBC deal is about more than the iPod," he says. "It's about Apple being the entity to become the personal media center for consumers. People will start using their computers to play back movies and TV shows."

Seperately, News Corp. announced it would begin distributing made-for-Internet episodes of "The Family Guy," its popular animated show, beginning next year reports Forbes

December 5, 2005

Apple to unveil a robust new content distribution system

According to sources spilling to ThinkSecret, Apple is planning to unveil a new content distribution system in January at Macworld Expo to accompany its revamped media-savvy Mac mini. The new content system and related media deals, which will include feature-length content, expanded television offerings, and more, will further cement Apple's increasing lead in digital media delivery.

Apple's new technology will deliver content such that it never actually resides on the user's hard drive. Content purchased will be automatically made available on a user's iDisk, which Front Row 2.0 will tap into. When the user wishes to play the content, robust caching technology -- for which Apple previously received a patent -- will serve it to the user's computer as fast as their Internet connection can handle. The system will also likely support downloading the video content to supported iPods but at no time will it ever actually be stored on a computer's hard drive

Nike Sport Armband

Nike has launched a Sport Armband for the ipod Nanon. The Nike Sport Armband stretches to fit your iPod nano or shuffle securely, and protects it from sweat while you're training.

Nike Sport Armband - Gray/Orange, Small/Medium - 39.95