France vs Apple
There has been a great deal of commotion recently about France having voted to approve the 'music interoperability bill'. The bill intends to force companies, specifically Apple, to open their DRM so others can use it.
If passed, the bill would allow consumers to purchase songs from the iTunes store and play it on any device that implements the Apple DRM.
Note that they're not against DRM
per se, they're trying to break the monopoly that Apple has by untying their iTune music store to the iPod.
It's clearly a progressive decision in favour of all consumers.
Unfortunately, Apple will not - can not - play in this game. Their only course of action will be to exit from the French market. Why? It's widely believed that Apple makes very little money from sales from their store; it seems that their business model is built around using cheap sales from the music store to entice people to
buy iPods. If you break the tie between the store and iPods their business model fails.
Anyways, here are a few articles explaining the situation:
French lawmakers approve bill to open iPod, iTunes Apple: French law will result in 'state-sponsored piracy' French law would have 'minimal' impact on Apple DRM, for better or worseIt was also discussed on JJJ's hack, available as a podcast from here:
France and iPods[Thanks to Jeremy for prompting me to blog about this!]
Update: The French bill has been watered down
Eight iPod hacks, mods and tricks
We've talked about most of these hacks before but it's nice to have them
in one place.
Giant iPod in Australia
Looks like Apple are planning something big for their 30th anniversary. The 893,240 metre square iPod, located near an abandoned mineral mine in Western Australia, can be seen using Google Earth - it's that big.
It's worth reading the back story...who said gambling doesn't pay? :)
BoakesGoogle Earth BlogGizmodoSplattCameron Reilly
Woody iPod Blaster
For the ultimate in tacky, check out the
Woody iPod Blaster bag, crafted out of quality vinyl with a wood print.
Belkin announces TunePower
If you're looking to squeeze out an extra few hours of play time outta your 5G iPod then Belkin's
TunePower may be the battery for you. US$80, adds a few (they claim six) hours of life to your iPod.
iNES
iNES is a project to port a Nintendo Entertainment System emulator to the iPod. Brought you via the fine folks at iPod Linux.
iPod Linux on 60Gb 5G iPods
It's now
official - iPod Linux now works fine on 60Gb 5G iPods.
Automatically get TV shows on your iPod
Anything that uses Bittorrent, RSS and an iPod is OK with me.
Transpodder uses a combination of simple, freely available tools to automatically suck your favourite TV shows from the Internet into your teeny little iPod. Now all we need are some good shows to watch since Battlestar Galactica finished...
Clip M
Another one of those
Bluetooth headsets that can switch between your iPod and your mobile phone. Looks good and priced reasonably at US$52.
New iPod commercial
Apple have a new
iPod commercial that I've seen here on cable TV. Very slick, as you'd expect from Apple.
Upload CD's directly to your iPod with the iUpload
The
iUpload is a fancy device that allows you to rip your CD's without the need of a PC. It even can make use of an internet connection to download and tag the ripped mp3's. Ugly but effective.
How iPods Work
If you're new to the wonderful world of iPods you may just be wondering how they work.
Howstuffworks recently wrote an article -
How iPods Work - that will satisy your curiosity.
Hardwood case for your iPod
Pac Man on your iPod
MAME, the awesome arcade machine emulation software, is beginning to be
ported to the iPod via the
iPodLinux project. You can - right now - play Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man on the Nano and 5G iPod's.
KeySpan TuneView
A remote control with a difference; the
TuneView displays the iPod or iTunes library on it's onboard display. You can then choose the songs to play out of your stereo from the comfort of your lounge suite.
Make your own privacy filters for your iPod
If you watch pr0n on your little iPod video on the train in the morning you may want to check out how to make
these filters that reduce the viewing angle of your iPod screen so only
you can see it.
iTunes Agent
If you're one of those weird folks that
likes iTunes, well, I can't really help you on an emotional level. And if you've bought a non-iPod mp3 player then I don't
want to help you. But I'm such a nice guy that I
will.
iTunes Agent is an nice piece of software that will sit between iTunes and your favourite non-iPod mp3 player allowing you to use the damned music management software with your equally-damned music playing device. Hope you're happy. ;)
Via
MAKE: Blog.
iFloat, Waterproof iPod Case
The
iFloat is a waterproof case for your iPod. It even has a small audio speaker so you can use it as a boom box (minus the boom - the speaker is small!). I'm just not sure I'd be able to relax in the spa knowing that my precious iPod was toe-ing the line of electronic death protected only by a thin plastic box... US$40 available in Brookstone stores (but not yet online - let me know if anyone wants me to bring one back).
iPod Shuffle Beanie
Wear beanines? Check. Have iPod? Check. You're a beanie wearing, iPod toting
badass and you need to get your head into the
iPod Shuffle Beanie. You know you want it. US$22.
iBoxers for Women
Want to buy your Significant Other an iPod? She's not keen on the idea, right? Maybe you should buy her these
iBoxers for Women as 'wrapping paper'. :)
Kensington Entertainment Dock 500
If you're looking to easily and stylishly connect your iPod to your TV and home stereo, the
Kensington Entertainment Dock may be a good option. It will charge your 'pod and has a remote control. US$105.
TEN NaviPlay Bluetooth Stereo Headset
Bluetooth is flavour of the month it seems. TEN Technologies
just released a set of Bluetooth-equipped headphones specifically designed to be used with your iPod. They also sync up with Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones so when a call comes through it can be switched over. US$200.
DLO Ships TransDock Micro iPod Charger/Car Adapter
Digital Lifestyle Outfitters has begun shipping their
Transdock Micro. It is a car charger and FM transmitter that has the differentiating feature that it can also charge other USB devices. It also has an auxiliary input to allow you to play a seperate sound source through the FM transmitter. US$70.
Scoshe BlueLife connects iPod via Bluetooth
If you aren't happy with the audio quality of your iTrip (or favourite FM transmitter) maye the
Scoshe's BlueLife is for you. It is a Bluetooth-based transmitter/receiver combo that can wirelessly transmit your tunes. Not cheap at US$200 but coolness rarely is.
