Not sure how new this is, but I’ve not come across it before, hit band The Chemical Brothers are offering a mixed media iTunes Pass deal to fans in the US and Canada.

In conjunction with EMI Music’s Astralwerks Records the ground-breaking electronica makers, The Chemical Brothers are offering this iTunes Pass: What this means is fans of the band will get new and exclusive singles, video and other content.

This is available today in conjunction with The Chemical Brothers’ forthcoming seventh studio album, Further, to be released on June 22nd in the US. The album is the band’s first to include the distinctive visuals fans usually only experience at a live show. Buy the iTunes Pass and you’ll receive an instant download featuring an uninterrupted 51-minute audio/visual experience of the full album, Further.

On June 15, fans will automatically receive a 20 minute “Making Of” feature that goes behind the scenes revealing how the groundbreaking visuals for this album were made.

On the album’s official street date of June 22 fans will receive the iTunes LP featuring the entire 8-track album in audio form including an additional exclusive audio track “Don’t Think” as well as the album’s 8 videos that can be viewed individually. This special iTunes LP format also includes an art image gallery as well as an extensive photo gallery of how the visuals were shot and created.

Finally, on June 29, fans will receive yet another bonus – the exclusive track “Pourquoi.”

“We are delighted to work with iTunes and EMI Astralwerks in this special edition iTunes pass” said the band’s manager, Robert Linney.

“With this iTunes Pass, fans of The Chemical Brothers can now get a slice of what it’s like to experience a live show, Glenn Mendlinger, Senior Vice President/GM for EMI’s Astralwerks label.  “It’s the first time fans have had access to their extraordinary visuals that have previously only been part of the band’s amazing live gigs.  The combination of high quality audio and video in the iTunes Pass format has helped Tom and Ed realize their creative vision for Further:  to give fans a way to experience the music and visuals together.”

“We wanted to offer the Chemical Brothers’ huge die-hard fan base a special package that would give them first access to special content before, on and after street date, said Dominic Pandiscia, Executive Vice President, EMI Music Services in North America.  “From previous experience, we know that super-fans really like and respond to this kind of iTunes offering.”

As well as an eight-track album, Further is the band’s first proper partnership with long-time visuals collaborators Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall. Now a respected TV and film director, Adam – aka Flat Nose George – has been responsible for creating the visual backdrop for every Chemical Brothers gig since their live debut in 1994. Visuals for Further have been created to correspond with each track on the album and have been planned during the recording of the record.

In addition to the digital album and iTunes pass, Further will also be available as a deluxe edition CD/DVD (including the 8 films plus a ‘making of’ video), a standard audio CD and as a double vinyl LP.

No comment, funny and sick and both at once

AT&T has introduced new deals for future iPhone users, even as Apple CEO, Steve Jobs offered some respect to the carrier for its work so far…while declining comment on claims the partners may abandon their special relationship.

These new iPhone data deals are set to come into effect on June 7, the same day as Apple’s expected introduction of a new model iPhone at WWDC next week. Read more.

Apple today announced its achievement of over two million iPad sales in just 60-days, as pioneering work from one ad agency and developer, Chris Smoak means you can look forward to Flash on your iPad. Read more.

This clip shows you how to get Android running on your iPhone. In this case a first generation Apple iPhone running the Linux kernel and Google’s Android mobile operating system. Details and source code available at http://linuxoniphone.blogspot.com

There’s a few days to go until Apple’s annual WWDC event in San Francisco, and it looks more likely than ever the company will use the event to introduce the iPhone 4HD and to reveal more of its wider product strategy — as this morning we learn that Spanish mobile network, Telefonica, has removed both the iPhone 3G and 3GS from its catalog of available models. Read on.

Please read my Computerworld blog

In a set of claims so outlandish they could be true, Global Equities Research analyst, Trip Chowdhry, claims 7 minutes of the June 7 keynote by Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been blocked off for a presentation by Microsoft (MSFT) to talk about Visual Studio 2010. We’ve already reported how unlikely these claims are — but what would the impact be if these claims turned out to be true? Read on.

Yet more evidence that iPad is taking huge big Pacman-sized bites out of the netbook market comes in a recent survey suggesting the Apple product has already had a huge impact on consumers purchasing plans — with millions of iPads flying out of Apple’s hands.

Now it looks like consumers who are struggling with the decision to buy an iPad or a Netbook are overwhelmingly leaning toward an iPad with 78% in that group going for the iPad … Read more

The BBC has added Facebook, Live Messenger and Twitter integration to its iPlayer service, a beta version of which opened to the public today.

Twitter, Facebook and Windows Live Messenger will be linked to a user’s “BBC ID” which they get when they register on BBC.co.uk.

Previous version BBC iPlayer V2 has delivered content to 1.5 million users, 15 million page views delivering over 1.1 billion(!) minutes of video each month across more than 40 different devices and platforms.

A killer feature for the new site: the ability to watch programmes with friends. If you already have a Windows Live Messenger account you can see which of your Windows Live Messenger friends (and other instant messenger services to be added in due course) are in iPlayer right now and what they’re watching, and even how far into the programme they are. You can then sync your iPlayer with theirs and chat with them in real time, all within the iPlayer site.

Why on earth the BBC opted for Microsoft’s cronky old IM service is beyond me, but it is so worth noting that tech supremo Eric Huggers is an ex-Microsoft executive.

iPlayer will also now have customisable modules which can be moved around by the user, similar to Google’s iGoogle page.

A new recommendation system will suggesting programs based on viewing habits/

The new site is in public beta right now – you can try it out at http://beta.bbc.co.uk/iplayer – where it will dual-run alongside the existing iPlayer site while we get your feedback, fix bugs, and add the remaining features that didn’t quite make it into the first beta release.

Apple’s lack of support for Adobe Flash has generated thousands of column inches online and in print.
There’s been harsh words between Adobe’s founders and Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.

We’ve seen huge ads appear in key publications as Adobe spends cold hard cash to counter Apple’s criticism of its fading multimedia star, Flash. Apple, says Adobe, is “anti-freedom”.

Now new evidence suggests Steve Jobs is right about Flash on the iPhone.

Apple have done great things, says Microsoft boss, before disappearing into a sea of buzzword-laden waffle.

So Google spent some money, bought On2, and is now trying to make VP8 video technology available on a royalty-free basis. This is being reported in all kinds of ways, but wait just a moment before getting too gleamy at the shiny and the new. Here’s your VP8 essential reading list. Please comment your thoughts below.

a. Primer
How video compression works
“In this article, we explain the operation and characteristics of video codecs and the demands codecs make on processors. We also explain how codecs differ from one another and the significance of these differences.”

1. Essential: Diary Of An x264 Developer
This is the most in-depth detailed investigation of the VP8 spec. It says lots, it suggests there may be some patent suits pending before Google’s royalty-free claim comes true.

2. General description of VP8
“On2 VP8 offers significant gains in compression performance in a bitstream that is less compute intensive to decode than either its predecessor (VP7) or other competing technologies such as H.264.”
((On reading 1/ not so sure of that last claim)).

3. Apple’s video codec patent battle warning
“All video codecs are covered by patents. A patent pool is being assembled to go after Theora and other ‘open source’ codecs…”
Game not over?

4. Good Computerworld blog pre-Google announcement
Good quote: “Given the way the patent system works, it is foolish to think that any new video codec will not be patent-encumbered. The only real question is, do you have an idea of what the encumbrances are, or not? With H.264, you have a good idea of this, with Ogg Theora or VP8, you do not. Remember, “green-field” programming without knowledge of a patent does not save you from being patent encumbered, if you should reinvent a patented wheel. Also remember that we do not know how green-field On2 Technologies was in their programming practice. It is quite possible that even Google doesn’t know how encumbered VP8 may be – like the rest of us, they will simply have to wait and find out.”

5. And back in the olden days…
Then QuickTime head honcho, Frank Casanova talks up QuickTime. Thinking back, he knew so much more about ‘the project’ than he was able to say. I could hear it in his voice. Insight is always more powerful in the past tense.

Regular readers know I hate censorship. Here’s a recent blog item for Computerworld I wrote.

Apple’s crusade against adult content may be based on good intentions but will ultimately fail, as pornographers turn to the browser and HTML5 to get mobile.

…Read more

Hats-off to Adobe UI gripes who spotted the creative software company’s advice to After Effects-using CS5 customers using a Magic Mouse:

“Just buy yourself a different mouse. Macs can even handle any USB mice and you can get good ones for 20 bucks.”

Or, as Steve puts it:

“How hard is it to put in a fucking if statement Adobe? You don’t even have to clog up your preference window if you don’t want to. Take a leaf out of Apple’s book where they have hidden preferences for the 10% of users who want to tweak things like this, you have some XML preference files just stick a key in there and have a tech note about it.”

From the “recycle me and use me up” department, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has once again railed against EMI for the failure so far to offer music by the legendary band for sale and download via iTunes and other digital music services.

“To tell you the truth I don’t actually understand how it’s got so crazy,” Sir Paul told Newsbeat. “I know iTunes would like to do it, so one day it’s going to happen.”

Sir Paul blames EMI.

“It’s been business hassles”, he said. “Not with us, or iTunes. It’s the people in the middle, the record label. There have been all sorts of reasons why they don’t want to do it.”

EMI countered: “Discussions are ongoing. We would love to see The Beatles’ music available for sale digitally.”

The fans say: will one of you get it together. EMI, last time we looked you were seeking new funding while dealing with a quarter billion pound pensions deficit – surely a few digital sales would do your balance sheet some good?

Via: Newsbeat

Want to run Flash on your iPhone?
There’s an app for that… It isn’t Flash

From a Computerworld report:

“With Apple and Adobe spending money and reputation on a fight neither party looks truly pretty playing in, a third party developer has cleverly found a compromise that lets iPhone users watch its proprietary content on their Apple smartphone.”

Read It Here

This video clip is a promo for Israeli outfit, Izabo. They choose to use a bunch of iPhones to illustrate their lyrics in this clip. Thought some may like.

Via: Giz

[Source: Online MBA for Mashable.com]

Welcome to the iPad underwater tests. More video below.

Propellerhead Software’s legendary techno composer, Reason, has been resurrected and released for the iPhone. We think this is thrilling.

ReBirth delivers three instruments: The Roland TB-303 Bass synth and the Roland TR-808 and 909 drum machines. Combined with built-in FX units, fully featured pattern sequencers and a quick-acting, scalable iPhone interface and you’ll soon be making techno on the train, trance on the tram or beats on the bus.

Amazing – all that power in a handheld – I remember when my computers used to creak when attempting to run this. Cool. (£3.99 well spent).