News

Resentment and frustration with copy-protected schemes is growing, and more artists are actively working against their own labels’ copy-protection efforts, according to a Billboard report. Acts like the Dave Matthews — whom we reported in August had posted instructions at the band’s site for circumventing their own copy protection — have been joined by Foo…

Show notes for TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab For October 3rd, 2005 Direct Links: Enhanced/AAC Podcast or MP3 Version The mailbag is the seed of conversation this week as John and Dave dig in and spend the whole show answering your questions! Topics range from cleaning up your drive, resetting your Mac’s firmware, iChat…

The iPod nano is pushing prices down for competing digital media devices in Taiwan, just as mania for the nano appears to be building on the island. Taiwanese newspaper DigiTimes reported Friday that iRiver, BenQ, and Mirco-Star International have all reduced prices on flash memory devices in order to more closely compete with the iPod…

BusinessWeek’s Arik Hesseldahl writes in his latest “Byte of the Apple” column: “Record execs are clamoring for price flexibility in music downloads, but Steve Jobs is adamant that 99 cents per song is perfect. The war of words that erupted last week … served to drive home how much the music industry has changed, and…

Altec Lansing on Wednesday introduced the inMotion iM5, a mobile audio dock for the iPod that’s the size of a pencil box, according to the company. The US$149.95 device runs off AC power or batteries and works with any iPod with a dock connector. Its speakers feature four full-range micro drivers as well as MaxxBass…

Korean MP3 player manufacturers are crying foul over Samsung’s agreement with Apple to supply the iPod maker with NAND flash memory at 30-40 percent below market pricing. The companies accuse Samsung of putting other Korean manufacturers at a disadvantage, according to a report from Korean publication Biz/Tech, a charge Samsung officials denied. �There was nothing…

Apple Computer said Tuesday that problems with iPod nano screens breaking, as documented at FlawedMusicPlayer.com are not a design issue, but rather an issue of vendor quality that affected a small number of units. Furthermore, the company is now replacing those units that do have problems through AppleCare. "This is a real but minor issue…

Apple and the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) system on Tuesday announced the creation of a high school that will immerse students in digital technology, including the use of iBooks and iPods. DPS said it will enroll approximately 250 ninth graders this year and expand to a 9-12 high school during the next three years. The…

Apple reportedly purchased as much as 40% of Samsung’s NAND flash memory output for use in the new iPod nano, which research firm iSuppli expects to lead to a situation in which the NAND flash market “will explode during the coming years.” With Samsung recently introducing a 16Gbit, multilevel cell, “NAND flash density now is…

Reports of cracked screens on iPod nanos are appearing on the Internet, with one Mac and iPod nano owner posting a Web site that is asking other users for their own stories and information. While we have not verified the information posted on the site, several stories and images of other iPod nanos with cracked…

Forbes magazine’s annual rankings of the 400 richest people in America have been released, and Apple and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs is number 67 with a net worth of US$3.3 billion. Microsoft co-founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates is number one with a net worth of $51 billion. 50-year-old Mr.…

iPort on Wednesday rolled out five new free-standing iPort devices that enable iPod owners stream audio and photos to their home entertainment systems as well as sync with iTunes. The iPorts switch between the two functions at the touch of a button. All of the models charge the MP3 player while it’s docked and come…

Light Crafts Inc. on Tuesday introduced LightZone, an application that enables photographers to edit their pictures in terms of light and objects, rather than pixels. The developer said that such a process “significantly reduces the time necessary to produce better photographs and optimizes the images for print or other media output.” LightZone’s features include: StudioFinder,…

Realmac Software on Monday introduced a revision to its Web design application RapidWeaver and debuted the audio recording software AudioExpress. The company made the announcements during this week’s Apple Expo in Paris, which became a more low-key affair after Apple CEO Steve Jobs cancelled his keynote address at the show, preferring instead to hold a…

Greg Joswiak — Vice President, iPod Products, Worldwide Product Marketing for Apple Computer — will be participating in a "What’s Hot for the Holidays" panel at the DigitalLife consumer electronics and entertainment event on October 14th, 2005. Mr. Joswiak will be joined by execs from HP, Motorola, Adobe, and Netgear, all of whom are going…

Big Nerd Ranch has announced that it will hold a Mixed Networks Boot Camp Dec. 12 to 16 in Atlanta. In a statement, the company said that the course “provides network administrators with the skills necessary to master networked environments that incorporate systems across a number of platforms.” Subject areas to be covered during the…

Show notes for TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab For September 19th, 2005 Podcast Link: TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab, September 19th, 2005 Dave and John cover a variety of topics this week including reviewing the iPod nano, discussing their current podcasting setup, catching up with some listener feedback, and a few other surprises…