Apple iBlog

Bush bares soul with 'iPod One' - Apr 12, 2005

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 08:23:00 -0400

CNN.com - Bush bares soul with 'iPod One' - Apr 12, 2005

"The portable digital device, given to Bush by his daughters Jenna and Barbara last July, contains much country music, but also songs by Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and the Knack."

iPod Prices Prices Over Seas

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 18:32:00 -0400

I know that electronic products are generally cheaper in the US than in other places (maybe some Asia-pac places like Singapore or Japan are cheaper). But it really sucks that folks in the UK are getting ripped on Apple products like the iPod mini. I did a quick conversion on Oanda.com:

199 US Dollar = 105.537 British Pound

The Apple UK site has the iPod Mini @ 139 pounds which at current rates is $262! Wow. That includes the VAT (17.5%), but that's still $30 more than it should be. I guess the prices were set earlier when the dollar was stronger.

Xsan Drives 24-Hour News Station in Poland

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 18:19:00 -0400

I remember hearing a Polish person talking about how having John Paul as the Pope eliminated a lot of the 'polish stigma' (e.g. Polak Jokes) If that didn't do it for you maybe this will. Poland’s first and only 24-hour news channel TVN-24 is powered by Apple products. Xsan Drives 24-Hour News Station - TVN 24. "With 55 Xsans, 30 Xserve G5s, 22 Xserve RAIDs, 50 Final Cut Pro licences, 50 Power Mac G5s, 10 PowerBook G4s and two licences for Apple’s Shake digital effects package, TVN 24 is home to Europe’s largest Mac-based broadcast installation." I wonder if seeing Macs on TV all the time will significantly change the market share of Macs in Poland over the next couple years.

Presidential Weekly Radio Address Podcast on Podcast Shuffle

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sat, 9 Apr 2005 17:57:00 -0400

I like to listen to the Presidential Weekly Radio Address no matter who's in office. I always miss it on the radio and have to get it off the White House web site. It seemed like a good idea to make it into a podcast so I could take it with me and share it with others.

Click to Subscribe: Presidential Weekly Radio Address

Check Out: Podcast Shuffle

Apple iBlog Mentioned on Daily Source Code!

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Thu, 7 Apr 2005 09:45:00 -0400

A couple weeks ago I sent Adam my virtual sound seeing tour of Wipeout Pure. He played a snippet of it on the Daily Source Code for April 6th: CURRY.COM: Adam Curry's Weblog - April 6th.

iPods Enter Duke Classes

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Thu, 7 Apr 2005 07:05:00 -0400

The entire Duke University class of 2008 received Apple iPod digital devices as part of a university initiative to encourage creative uses of technology in education and campus life. This mix of pop culture, information technology and pedagogy has generated enormous interest from other educators as well as news media. See examples of how some Duke courses are using the devices.

Check Out: iPods Enter Duke Classes

Podcast Shuffle - www.podcastshuffle.com

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sat, 2 Apr 2005 19:29:00 -0500

I created a new web site for a podcast directory. There's already a few podcast directory's out there but I intend to do something different (hopefully!).

Check out: Podcast Shuffle

Podcasting News - 03/30/2005

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:22:00 -0500

CNN.com - Tuning in to new radio trend - Mar 30, 2005 - "Apple's iPods and other portable MP3 players may not be radios, but that does not mean you cannot listen to radio broadcasts on them."
VoIP calls get podcast treatment \| CNET News.com - "A growing number of people are sharing the digital music on MP3 players and other music devices using freely available software and Skype, a free Internet phone service." Firm Launches Podcasting Platform For Stations - "Loyal Ears, a Michigan-based radio vendor that specializes in listener rewards programs, has announced a new service that will enable stations to offer free or revenue-generating podcasts for their audiences."

Hilton Family Alarm Clocks - iPod Ready!

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 20:51:00 -0500

Check Out: Hilton Alarm Clock

"introducing our new Hilton Family Alarm Clocks at our hotels nationwide this spring. The new Hilton Family clock features an easy-to-set alarm and four pre-set music selection buttons. And in Hilton®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club® and Homewood Suites by Hilton® hotels, your new friend also comes with an MP3 jack so you can plug in your music device and listen to your own favorite selections. Hampton Inn® clocks feature the same great easy-to-set alarm and pre-set music buttons but will not have the MP3 jack."

Podcasting News - 03/28/2005

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 17:56:00 -0500

Clear Channel Gets Hip [Fool.com: Motley Fool Take] March 28, 2005

Blog Meets Pod: "Podcasting is the newest disruptive technology threatening traditional radio -- and making the satellite guys nervous, too. "

Podcasting: Art Versus Business The founding fathers of podcasting have different views

How to Podcast (part 7) - Wipeout Pure Sound-Seeing Tour!

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 21:03:00 -0500

WipeOut Pure		I bought a $5 audio cord at Best Buy so I could 'line in' my Sony Playstation Portable to my Powerbook. I used Audio Hijack Pro to capture the sounds and create a Sound-Seeing Tour of Wipeout Pure and other PSP games. It sounds a little low in iTunes, so you might want to crank up the volume if you're using that. Playing it in QuickTime it was louder. Hmm. Dunno why.
This sound-seeing is the first track in Wipeout Pure, Vineta-K, using the Piranha hover racer. I received a bronze medal. I've done better on this track with other cars, but the Piranha is my favorite. I also posted this on Rizzn's Podcaster: [test mp3]. Here's a couple things on their site. First it's free. Can't beat free! However I have two complaints. One, you can't control the file name and extra attributes. I named my file and added comments and a photo to the MP3 file. Their system, downgraded the audio to 64kps (from 192) and stripped all my comments and changed my file name. So again, can't complain cause its free, but... ;)

The PSP Has Landed! (Lookout iPod!)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 07:18:00 -0500

The wait for the Sony Playstation Portable is over. I received mine today along with WipeOut Pure, Untold Legends and Spider-Man 2. The PSP looks fantastic. Photos don't do it justice. The screen is ultra clear, the controls are very well laid out (analog stick is great in Wipeout) and it sounds awesome.

I don't think it will repalce the iPod as my favorite music device because there's no hard drive and I don't think I could live with a memory stick full of music and no way to listen to the music in my car.... but for movies and games this is perfect.

One note - in order to turn on the network function you have to slide a button on the left side to the on position. Geez! I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out why the PSP was telling me my WLAN setting was off, until I found out about that switch in the manual.

How to Podcast (part 6)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:20:00 -0500

Check Out: Griffin iTalk

Check out my first podcast from my car using the Griffin iTalk. I think it would work best for meetings or casual recordings. The conversion from WAV to MP3 sort of messed up the audio as well. It sounded much better as a WAV file. I'll have to figure a better way to compress than iTunes.

How to Podcast (part 5)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 22:18:00 -0500

Check Out: iFP-795T		The Griffin iTalk was a little bit of the let down, but I think most of the problem is with the iPod's frequency limitations (8 kHz) and less the mic. It had a lot of popping with higher volumes of my voice and in the car (the bass from the stereo created major pops).
So I ordered an iFP-795T from Amazon. Its basically the same device that Adam Curry and others have mentioned on the Daily Source Code but it is the 512MB version rather than the 1GB version. I don't think that I needed the extra 512MB since I'm only planning on using it for recording and not for playing music (leave that to my 20GB iPod). I'll be trying it out with the Griffin Lapel Mic and will probably get another mic from the local music store. Once Adelphia fixes my broadband connection I'll be able to upload a few samples.

How to Podcast (part 4)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:47:00 -0500

I received my iTalk and Lapel Mic from Griffin technology and its pretty amazing how versatile the iPod is. Upon plugging in the iTalk my iPod went directly to a voice memo menu and when I synched I had a new Voice Memo playlist. Pretty cool. Well, I need a place to put my first test podcasts.

I did a search on "podcast hosting" on Google to find somewhere to post them. Here are the ones that I found in Google on other web sites that offer "unlimited bandwidth":

The first three sites don't look like most of the slick professional web hosting sites I've seen. However that doesn't necessarily mean they are bad. The Startlogic site, which seems to be just a traditional hosting company that bought a Google Adwords term for "Podcast Hosting" has a more traditional hosting site look to it. All except Startlogic offer rates based on storage and not bandwidth that seems odd to me as storage is cheap and bandwidth is cheap too but more expensive than bandwidth.

At Startlogic you have to pay for bandwidth and storage. My guess is that there is some hidden limit in the terms of service for the unlimited bandwidth sites that I couldn't find on each site that would not mean much to most podcasters but the few that have lots of subscribers and thus really need a lot of bandwidth. Libsyn.com did have a pretty clear terms of agreement posted and it did not specify any limits on bandwidth. I'm still a little sceptical, but for my purposes I doubt any issues would arise since I don't have 50,000 subscribers like Adam Curry's Daily Source Code.

How to Podcast (part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 22:27:00 -0500

How to podcast and make money.... I've read a few things on the net pro and against what Adam Curry is doing with PodShow.com. Mostly I think people were possibly taken by surprise that all the sudden ipodder.org had a big promo on it for PodShow.

When I saw it. I thought, 'Hey cool!' and signed up to get a podshow myself. I haven't started podcasting, but want to so I figure I can wait for this site to start up. I'm guessing I might be able to get a area on it for free and I can just try things out with no costs.

I think with a lot of new things on the net from the disgruntled masses that bloggers and podcasters thought they were part of some cutting edge elite doing something ultra cool that was beyond comericalism. I don't think they were, as blogging has been around since the early days of the internet. It just wasn't called blogging. It was called 'build a home page.' The new blogging tools that have been out in the last few years have just made it more easy to post stuff about your life, your hobbies or ideas. RSS? Nothing new conceptually. We had that all the way back with email lists and Pointcast. All the new syndication schemes are way better, but not conceptually new.

Audio blogging had been around for years too. It's just coming into the main stream. The only real new thing with "podcasting" is the software that allows you to more easily add things to your iPod (i.e. the directory of shows and the scripts that copy the shows over).

Now that Curry is in the business venture everything will be much more controlled as far as the details of what's going on and what will happen. That's just how corporations work. They're inherently secret. The lawyers waltz in and ruin all the fun. If you work for a corporation, you know this. If you don't you might not.

So one of the things I am wondering (wow long intro into what I wanted to blog about), is how exactly do you create a compelling advertising product that satisfies advertisers and don't turn off listeners?

First, I think all the current internet style ads that work OK for web activity have to be basically thrown out. Banner Ads (CPM), Text Ads (CPC) and Popups (arrgh!) can't be conveyed into a podcast. Back when a friend of mine and I will writing up a business plan for a Shoutcast show, we thought about just having advertisments built into the playlist. That works for Showcast streams as the content is live and can't be fast forwarded.

So you have to think about the TIVO world and television advertising. Not even the most compelling multimillion dollar ads during the Superbowl caused me to not skip adds during the game. Nope. Not one. I zipped through them all. Podcasting will be the same way. There might be a short amount of time that you can pull that off since users listening to podcasts in their cars might not risk taking their hands off the steering wheel to pass over a podcast ad. However once more cars have integrated the iPod into the car audio system, I can totally see fast forward buttons on the steering wheel and when that happens your radio style podcast ads will be vapor.

Advertising will have to be integrated into the show like it was in the early days of radio and tv. Think more along the lines of product placement in the movies than comericals. Think more in the lines of integrating products into the script of the show. That is... the compelling part of the comerical will be the show that is the delivery vehicle for the products.

Adam Curry to invest in Podcasters

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 19:41:00 -0500

By Frank Barnako, MarketWatch
Last Update: 2:14 PM ET March 15, 2005

Adam Curry announced the launch of BoKu Communications and its first Web site, Podshow.com, "to bring together the elements necessary to create a marketplace."

Check Out: BoKuCom

The former MTV VJ is the most prominent creator of Podcasts, which are audio programs distributed over the Internet for listening on PCs, iPods or MP3 players.

He said the effort is necessary, because "even the top Podcasts really don't have enough critical mass to sustain an advertising model."

Curry added that BoKu plans to help "bootstrap" some program creators. "We've figured out how to get a number of people ... who will be able to create [programming], and in turn will be able to create new shows." He expects to announce some of the talent this week.

"We will be making investments in a number of shows and Podcasters so people won't be stuck in irons, not making enough to quit even half the day job," Curry said on his own show at DailySourceCode.com.

PodShow.com is similar to Weblogs Inc., a network of some 75 niche-interest blogs operated by Jason Calacanis. He supplies software for production, promotion and marketing, and shares advertising revenues with writers.

"We did a lot of work talking to people on Madison Avenue and big brands, companies which are interested in basically finding their audience," Curry said. "They are finding that the [traditional media] shotgun approach" leaves something to be desired when an advertiser is looking for a specific audience. His site tells marketers it can help them "reach the most elusive target audiences on the planet."

PodShow.com offers a directory of more than 4,000 podcasts already in production, and advice and tools for producing programs.

Check Out: PodShow.com & CBS Marketwatch

How To Podcast (part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 23:27:00 -0500

		Here's another interesting site that has information on How to Podcast: Blogging 101 - Podcasting from Quixtar Blog. I liked how the author laid out the RSS format and specified what software was used (Audacity, Garage Band or Sound Forge).
I ordered Griffin's iTalk and Lapel Mic to start off with. I'll try them out and post some audio from them to see how they show up. I'd like to do many of my future from the car or outside so I am thinking about ordering the iRiver iFP 799. Adam Curry has done a few shows on his Audi and on walking tours (maybe more I am only up to late October in his show). However I'll wait on that and a more expensive mic for now. Check Out: Podcast.net & Radio Weblogs

How To Podcast (part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 13:12:00 -0500

Check Out: iPodderX & iPodder.org

As mentioned in my last post I started listening to Adam Curry's Daily Source Code. A lot has been done in the last few months that he's been podcasting. I'm only up the October 04, 2004 at this time, so I don't know what's new yet. ;)

In many of the early posts he makes mentions of software and tools that he uses. I haven't found that many great sites that have easy to understand "how to" descriptions on how to podcast.

There are two to mention:
Hugo Schotman: Podcasting
How-To: Podcasting (aka How to get Podcasts and also make your own)

There's some good technical information, but - at least for me - its a little hard to follow. So the next few blog posts I will make will be on my efforts on how to podcast. Maybe "Podcasting For Users" is what I'll call it. A simple description of how I get things up and ideas for making it easier on the Apple platform.

First. I'm going to buy Audio Hijack Pro from Rogue Amoeba. I downloaded it after hearing Curry talk about it and tried it out. The demo version works fine, but the developer has added in a nice security feature. After 10 minutes there's a big blare of static. Its not that expensive and after messing around with it for a couple hours I think I'm ready to buy.

Second. I need a microphone. The mic on my Powerbook is OK, but I think I want something with a little more ummph! I don't want to spend a lot so I am going to check out Griffin's iTalk and Lapel Mic as a start and consider a more expensive mic later on.

iPodder & The Daily Source Code

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 13:11:00 -0500

I started listening to Adam Curry's Daily Source Code last week. It is a great show for your iPod. The easiest way to subscribe to the show is to download iPodder. However you'll need to go to the DSC web site to get back issues. The site is a bit slow, so be prepared to wait. Although only the web pages loaded slowly. I was able to download all 120+ shows at a high speed.

QuickTime: Star Wars Episode III

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 12:40:00 -0500

		I watched the Star Wars Episode III trailer after The OC the other day. It was pretty good. I watched it a couple times on TIVO. Unfortunately as it spanned
between The OC and Point Pleasant Tivo chopped it in half. Luckily my wife subscribes to both shows so I didn't miss anything. However what I was really looking for was a good quality QuickTime of the trailer. Not on the Apple site. Bummer. You have to be a member to see it on Starwars.com. F-That. :0 I tuned onto a P2P app and BAM! there it was and downloaded instantly. Come on! Did Lucas really think he could keep the video to himself and his $40/year subscription fee. At least from the trailer, this movie doesn't look like it will suck as much as Episode I and II.

The Taxman Always Downloads Twice

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 20:20:00 -0500

A couple months after Canada courts ruled that MP3 players weren't the same as blank media (The Register) and thus couldn't be taxed under that program, it seems that Wisconsin legislature

is trying to do the same thing for downloaded media. Under the guise that they're protecting the record labels. CNET reports: "It's an issue of tax equity," said Jessica Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. "If you go into a Main Street business and purchase a CD, you are paying tax." I know it doesn't seem fair to tax local businesses and not online businesses, but with online businesses you have an extra 'tax' passed onto the consumer in the form of shipping costs. Sure retail businesses pay shipping costs for their stock too, but we don't need more taxes. Even if you do make a sales tax for online purchases, who gets the money? States now can only force reatailers to pay taxes if they have a presence in the state (e.g. the Apple Store in your state, ensures that the online Apple Store will charge you tax). Other states also have a somewhat voluntary system for the consumer. I guess you are supposed to save your online invoices and declare them annually.

So what if the store has no physical presence in your state. Would the store where the store has their offices and warehouse get all the revenue? Sure. Why not. That would only ensure that all online stores move to Delaware or another state that offers tax breaks.

I'd recommend just getting rid of the taxes. This issue seems to be focused on music and movies. We'll get rid of the taxes in retail stores. Its not that hard to do. Grocery stores know what items are taxable and what ones are not. So it shouldn't be terribly hard for stores to exempt media purchases. The worst case scenario would be for those businesses to go offshore to avoid the taxes the same way companies go offshore to Bermuda. Then, you would have some other countries setting up tax shelters for online businesses and the US would start exporting yet more jobs!

Sony Playstation Portable (aka PSP)

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Tue, 8 Mar 2005 23:19:00 -0500

Just a couple more weeks until the Sony Playstation Portable comes out. I pre-ordered it from EBGames which kind of sucks because you HAVE to order 4 items with your PSP. Its better than Amazon, because you have to order a 5 game bundle from Toys-R-US/Amazon. I guess this is the retailers way of not gouging the price, but limiting demand. My startegy is to return one of the games later for Gran Turismo 4 Mobile. Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how it compares to the iPod for audio.

iBoom. uBoom. weBoom

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Tue, 8 Mar 2005 22:39:00 -0500

		So as you know from previous posts (kaBoom. kaBoom. iBoom.) I sent back the Sirrius satellite radio I bought (it sucked) and bought an iBoom from DLO (i.e. Digital Lifestyle Outfitters). A pretty decent store. They were back ordered, but I did get the iBoom about when they said I would get it.
My first impressions: Wow this thing is not as big as I thought. I guess I was thinking old school boom box like I had when I was in high school. OK - small size, big sound. Sounds better than I expected from such a small box Hmm... I paid how much for this. Then I did a quick search on the Apple Store and saw that a lot of the speaker systems for iPod are even more expensive. So I feel a little less ripped off. The bag... no instructions and lots of parts. It has yet to be on the iBoom, but I think it will be easy to zip on. Volume control is not that great. Its hard to get it to a low volume. It kind of cranks from 0 to 5 real fast, then you've have 5-11... (using imaginary settings, there's no numeric dial on the iBoom's volume switch - how ever I am sure it goes to 11!!!) Charge-N-Play! Cool. In AC mode (i.e. no batteries that is) it charges while it plays. My iPod has never said 'charged' more this week Radio is weak - quite a bit of static. However I didn't realize it even had a radio when I bought it so the radio was an extra feature. My recommendation: Buy It! if you are in the market for portable ampliflication for your iPod. I'll be enjoying mine out on the deck when it warms up!

Portable iPod Radio Station

noreply@blogger.com (ok) — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 23:14:00 -0500

If you want to take your iPod on the road and don't have a cassette player or an audio input plug, this is probably the best FM Transmitter to get. Its at least the best looking. You can set the iTrip on any station that is open which is a lot better than some that only give you a few preset frequencies to use. My car has an antenna built into the back window and I still get good reception.