Easyishop will soon be stocking the new Core cases for the 2nd Gen Nano. The cases were extremely popular for both the video and the original Nano.
“Seeing is believing, aesthetically designed full Enclosure Slider Aluminium Core Case. Core Cases allows full use and access to all functions of your nano whilst on the go. Uniquely designed whilst adding less than 2mm thickness to your iPod nano, whilst protecting it from all the elements. Available in six colours to match the personality of you or your iPod. Snow, Sea or Sand be protected…. Core Cases”
Easyishop will have them up for pre-order soon, available in Onyx Black, Sterling Silver, Posh Pink, Aqua Blue, Envy Green and Firehouse Red.
Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer says he can break the dominance of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod in the digital music market with the Zune player that hits stores across the U.S. today.
“We can beat them, but it’s not going to be easy,'’ Ballmer said in an interview yesterday from Redmond, Washington.
The Zune is microsofts attempt to enter the digital music market and take on the Apple iPod. The Zune will retail in the US for $249.99, the same as the iPod Video. The Zune features an added Fm tuner, and can beam songs wirelessly to other Zune players.
Apple today announced it is teaming up with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to deliver the first seamless integration between iPod and in-flight entertainment systems. These six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on their seat back displays.
“There is no better travelling companion than an iPod, and now travellers can power their iPods during flight and even watch their iPod movies and TV shows on their seat back displays”, said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. “We’re excited to work with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to offer iPod users an even better in-flight experience”.
In-flight iPod connectivity will be available to Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United passengers beginning in mid 2007. Additionally, Apple is working with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring even more leading airlines in-flight iPod connectivity in the future.
News Corp., which owns Fox movie studio today announced that it is in talks with Apple to add its full-length films to the iTunes Music Store. News Corp.’s president and COO Peter Chernin disclosed the details during a conference call with analysts and reporters, according to a report from CNNMoney.com.
This would allow Fox to follow in the steps of Disney by allowing it to download movies onto customers iPods. Fox currently has several TV shows available on iTunes so the move to movies seemed iniment.
Griffin Technology today previewed its first iPod speaker systems, designed alternately for desktop and portable listening. The AmpliFi (pictured, $150) is a tabletop iPod speaker dock with a wooden enclosure to improve sound quality. Unlike most such systems, the AmpliFi will incorporate a 5-inch subwoofer to add bass response in addition to the mid-range and treble of the 2.75-inch satellites, according to iLounge. The system will include an infrared remote in addition to a built-in minijack input for the iPod shuffle and other audio sources.
The BBC is reporting that people who have bought music from Microsoft’s MSN Music store could face problems if they decide to buy the firm’s new Zune portable player.
Microsoft has said it will stop selling music from MSN music from 14 November, when Zune goes on sale in the US. But in a move that could alienate some customers, MSN-bought tracks will not be compatible with the new gadget. The move could also spell problems for the makers of MP3 players which are built to work with the MSN store.
The problem has arisen because tracks from the MSN Music site are compatible with the specifications of the Plays For Sure initiative.
This was intended to re-assure consumers as it guaranteed that music bought from services backing it would work with players that supported it. MSN Music, Napster, AOL Music Now and Urge all backed Plays For Sure as did many players from hardware makers such as Archos, Creative, Dell and Iriver.
In a statement a Microsoft spokesperson said: “Since Zune is a separate offering that is not part of the Plays For Sure ecosystem, Zune content is not supported on Plays For Sure devices.”
The changes to MSN Music do not mean that users will no longer be able to listen to the music they have bought via the store. Users will be able to burn files to a CD for their own use or put them on “compatible players”.
iDisguise has released a set of iPod cases which deter theft by disguising your iPod as a sweet case.
“With theft of personal audio players and digital cameras on the rise, iDisguise set out to develop a simple yet effective anti-theft solution: Disguise it as something else that is not worth stealing…”
“…iDisguise will offer each model on a limited basis and regularly introduce new disguises to prevent thieves from recognizing any single disguise.”
Graphics chipmaker Nvidia said on Monday that it agreed to buy PortalPlayer, a maker of computer chips used in portable digital media players, for about $357 million in cash.
Nvidia plans to pay $13.50 for each share of PortalPlayer, a 1 percent premium to the company’s closing price of $13.36 on Friday. The deal has a value of about $161 million net of cash on the balance sheet for PortalPlayer, which makes the chip inside many of Apple Computer’s iPod media players.
The acquisition will help Nvidia expand its line of computer chips used in handheld devices such as portable digital media players and phones capable of playing music and videos.
XtremeMac have announced AirPlay Boost, a set of FM transmitters for the fifth-generation iPod and second-generation iPod nano, each available in two colors - silver or black for the iPod nano, or white or black for the full-sized iPod.
Airplay Boost streams your music over any FM frequency. By tuning AirPlay Boost and an FM stereo to the same open frequency, you get an instant, wireless connection.
Making that signal as strong as possible is AirPlay Boost’s external antenna. This design element significantly increases how clear the transmission is.
In response to outstanding customer demand, Apple today announced a new 8GB model of the iPod nano RED Special Edition. The new model holds up to 2,000 songs and is available for $249, joining the 4GB model priced at $199. Apple will contribute $10 from the sale of each iPod nano RED to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.