I was thinking about the 30% cut Apple gets from applications. It seems like a lot but is probably less or the same than what PalmGear charges for Palm apps. Besides the fact that there are no hosting or credit card charges, how will it help to keep piracy down?

If you buy the application from the itunes store and there's no registrations to share, it should make it harder to pirate. What would stop some one from copying an application from one iPhone to another? Does the application become hard coded to the phone?

Back in 2005 I bought a iHome (now called a iH8 model). It was the first real ipod compatible alarm clock radio. After a little over 2 years of usage, I think I can give a verdict: Don't buy one.

First problem is the often complained about back light. It's bright even at the lowest settings. The entire screen is backlight instead of just the numbers. Second problem is the somewhat confusing button layout. Including the buttons on the very back related to setting the time. Finally the fact the the thing breaks over time is the main reason I cannot recommend it.

My iHome's back light stopped working over 6 months ago. I could live with that. About a month ago all the buttons stopped working. I cannot control a ipod, though at least it still charges one. My one data point doesn't do it alone. A little over a year ago a friend bought one. It too has also no longer is able to control a iPod, although it is still able to charge it.

That's two data points, enough for me to say the makers of the iHome have a quality control issue. I'm looking forward to purchasing the Sony XDR-S10HDiP HD Radio with iPod dock this summer.

My Palm TX and my iPod Photo are dead to me. literally. I think the batteries in both of them no longer hold a charge.

It started with my Palm TX about a month ago. One minute it would work and the next it wouldn't despite the battery showing a full charge before. Charging via USB wasn't helping it, I hooked it up to the wall wart charger which allowed it to operate for a few minutes.

My iPod Photo only lasts about 30 minutes on a charge. The battery indicator will indicate that it's mostly fully before it dies. Last year it would go a whole 8 hours.

I'm a person who lives off his PDA. Being without it for the last month has left me lost and naked. I'm not adjusting to life without it very well. I never listened to the radio with thanks to my iPod. Now I'm having to adjust to life without either. 16GB iPhone: where are you?

iTunes 7.3.1 is suppose to fix this issue.

Apple's message board indicates that many people on Mac OS X and Windows are having the problem. I see a few people who have a large library and have the library on a external hard drive as I do, but it's not clear that this is the cause. What seems to be the cause is some sort of permissions issue. Possibly. Hopefully Apple gets this one fixed soon.

Update 07/01/07 10:54 AM: There's suggestions to use this Apple tech note to recreate your library. The only problem with this tech note is it will delete any customizations in the library, like ratings and playcounts. I'm going to revert my install to iTunes 7.2 until Apple comes out a fix.

Update 07/02/07 12:29 PM: MaxFixIt is covering the iTunes error now. They have several suggestions including checking for iTunes add ons, Disabling APE for iTunes and restarting in safe mode. I tired all the suggestions and none of them worked. I'm going to play with Tiger Cache Cleaner and see if it will clean up anything.

Update 08/02/07 5:55 PM: Fixed! I removed most of my podcasts, most of them were video podcasts. Once of them must have been screwed up in the iTunes database.

Update 07/06/07 3:49 PM: I re subscribed to some of the podcasts, video and audio, since deleting them all. So far there's been no problem with any of them. They are syncing with my AppleTV and my iPod. I didn't add them all though. There maybe some that I didn't add that maybe causing the problem.

If you don't like the idea of deleting all of your podcasts, try deleting a few at a time. Starting with the video podcasts. Be sure you delete the whole podcast, not just the individual episodes.

The solution is to download the Windows Install Cleanup program from Microsoft. I had to remove Apple Software Update, Itunes and Quicktime. Since I don't use iTunes on my Windows machine, I didn't worry about backing it up. But if i did use it, would have backed it up.

I went back and reinstalled all the Apple programs without any problems

Apparently, Maroon 5 is doing well. And so is iTunes

NEW YORK, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A&M/Octone recording act Maroon 5's sophomore album, "IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG," has broken an iTunes Store sales record amidst predictions of a chart-topping debut week (http://www.itunes.com). The Grammy-winning band sold over 101,000 albums via iTunes in one week including more than 50,000 digital pre-orders that provided fans with two exclusive tracks and a Ticketmaster pre-sale offer.

"Maroon 5 fans broke an iTunes record, making 'IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG' the #1 most popular album upon week of release," says James Diener, President of A&M/Octone Records. "The band's extensive fanbase has spoken: they clearly love the new album and special content exclusives available on iTunes."

Oh my little iPhone, in some Chinese factory out there. Your probably nothing more than little bits of plastic and toxic chemicals right now. Come June, you will be in my hand and I will make sweet, sweet love to you.... What? Why are you looking at me like that?

Your thinking the same thing, I know it.

I'm going to be throwing away my Palm TX. Palm had their chance, but they blew it. I'm glad I never bought their stocks.

My Motorola RAZR, It too is going in the garbage. It's so sexy on the out side, but much like many a sexy model, it's a asshole inside. I hate it more and more every day.

I'm going to have to switch from T-Mobil to Cingular. All I can think is, why can't AT&T just die already. They wont and I get almost no signal from T-Mobil, so I guess it's time to switch.

Going from a 60GB iPod to a 8GB iPhone, that could be an issue.

• Going to be coming out in January
• All phone providers
• "It's small as sh*t"
• Don't know anything about the Operating System
• The OS is supposed to be "cool"
• Doing some unique things
• Two batteries, one charger. One for MP3 portion and one for Phone.
• 4GB ($249) and 8GB ($449)
• Flash memory, Slide out keyboard
• Maybe touch screen?

I think it will be called the iPod Phone (like iPod Nano, etc) and I will buy one.

I primarily listen to my music collection through my iPod. I don't care what Apple says, the shuffle feature of the iPod (and to a lesser degree iTunes) does a poor job of preventing the same Artist from playing randomly. Even with the the scheme I came up wit here, my iPod still played 3 songs from Metallica in a row the other day. These methods do a good job of addressing the issues.

I start off with master playlist called "Filtered", it's filtered for genres. Second playlist is "Filtered - 4 Stars + Played". This ensures that songs which are rated have actually been played. I ofter will rate new songs high but not really listed to them (I have another playlist for new songs). The next playlist is "Filtered - 4 Stars + Played last 14 days." Finally I'm to my primary playlist, "Filtered - 4 Stars + w/o last 14 days."

Unfortunately the iPod does not automatically update these playlists, they only get updated when I sync my iPod with iTunes. At one time "The Stroke" had 2x as many plays as any other song, I like that song but not that much, this does a reasonably good job of reducing this effect. I'd prefer to have a playlist that removes, say the top 10% of played songs, but iTunes doesn't have this option in the filter lists. This also doesn't prevent the same artist being played in a row.

Think Secret says:

Apple and Cingular have signed an agreement that will make the US' largest cell phone provider the exclusive carrier of Apple's forthcoming phone, sources report. Apple's iPhone remains on track for an early 2007 release.

Apple's exclusive contract with Cingular is said to be good for the first six months, sources report, meaning other providers will be able to sell the phone in the second-half of 2007. Cingular had an exclusive on the Motorola ROKR—the first phone to feature iTunes—when it launched last year.

If this is true I might be willing to switch, but I'm not going to buy a crippled phone like what Cingular does to the Motorola phones. If Apple designs the phone like Motorola, then hopefully it has a sim card and I can use it with T-Mobile. In which case I will wait patiently and buy a unlocked version off ebay.

In either case I really hate this Motorola SLVR that I bought. I should have stuck with Sony Ericsson.

Several iLoungers note that Dell%u2019s last remaining digital music player, the DJ Ditty, has quietly disappeared from the company%u2019s online store. The DJ Ditty, a flash memory-based player that competed with the iPod shuffle, was the last player offered by Dell after the company discontinued its hard drive-based line of DJ players in February. Dell%u2019s DJ Life website currently links to error pages for ordering, and the company%u2019s online store now only sells media players from Sandisk, Samsung, Creative, Archos, and iRiver. Members of Dell%u2019s message boards also note that the Ditty is no longer to be found in the company%u2019s monthly catalog and that the player was briefly available at a discounted price earlier this month.

Link

An Apple exec talks about iPod integration in cars, and why Apple wants integration instead of add on stuff.

Borchers explained how Apple wants to steer consumers away from the inelegant mess of cassette adaptors and wires, which is currently the most popular way to rig an iPod into your car stereo. Apple itself has no interest in producing a car stereo, says Borchers, but is working with third parties to improve iPod integration in new cars.

I have such an inelegant mess, a Griffin iPod Cassette Adapter (with an dock connector instead of a mini plug). I looked at new stereos with iPod integration, I wasn't that impressed.

Not only could I not find one with a bluetooth interface (that was only a few hundred dollars) but the interfaces suck too. I think I will hold off for a while until something really good comes out.

Former TechTV nerd says he knows exactly what Apple will announce on Wednesday.

New Products:- Cingular will announce an iTunes compatible phone - the "Rocker"- New 2GB ipod called the "Nano" - it will sport a color screen and will be much smaller and thinner than a mini. Price = $199

No video ipod.. You heard it here first.

I suppose for some people it a good value to have someone rip your CD's for you.

So is all that a good deal? For most people, I don't think it is. Riptopia, for example, charges $200 to rip a collection of 200 CDs. A collection of 400 discs will run you about $400. Most of the other services I've seen charge similar rates. Whether that's a good value depends on the size of your music collection and how long it takes to rip a CD.

I looked into doing this. I checked with the owner of the service (don't recall which one) and he basically licensee the name and gets a cut of the profits. I would select the area code that I want to service and he sends all business of that area code my way.

I wanted to know a basic idea how much business I could expect, before I sign up. I don't think a prospectus is too much to ask. He couldn't bother to send me that information, I suspect he had no idea. So I never signed up, I didn't want to get in over my head with too much business and I didn't have a good idea of how much profit I would make.

How many times have I wanted to delete a song in playlist and got annoyed about having to go to the library to find it? Lots! Now I've learned that I don't have too.

iTunes has a keyboard shortcut that lets you delete any song from your library, even if you're inside another playlist. Just hold down the Option key while you hit the Delete key (Option-Delete) for any song in any playlist. When you do so, iTunes will delete the song from your entire library.

HP willstop selling iPods. Really, it was a strange relationship to begin with.

In a statement provided to Playlist, Apple said that %u201CHP has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company%u2019s current digital entertainment strategy,%u201D and that September will mark the official end of the Apple iPod from HP.

Enough talking about it people! I went out and bought me a iH5 from Target today. They have it on sale for $109.00, which is more than the $99 list price online. But I probably would have paid the difference in shipping and I get instant gratification!

I guess the most important thing is how good of a alarm clock is it? It has everything I want in a alarm clock, it goes off at a specific time that I program it too. It also has the "gentle wake" system where it slowly ramps up the volume. The thing I might miss is the multiple alarms, but it's easy enough to set that I can live without it.

This is replacing my Zenith alarm clock. I realize that this is the oldest piece of technology I have, I think I got it when I was a teenager. It still works perfectly after all these years. But it has no iPod dock, so out the door it goes.

iLounge has a review of the iHome (warning: flash) iH5 clock radio with iPod support that I was pretty excited about. They were pretty impressed with it.

if you%u2019re planning looking for a better iPod-specific clock radio alternative today, you won%u2019t find it. iH5 is the first of its breed, and quite close to the best implementation we could imagine for the price. There%u2019s room for improvement, but not much - the mark of our highly recommended, A- rating.

The sound quality is good, it's no Bose but it's only $99. It's also missing the remote with which was originally announced, looks like you have to buy it separately. This is on my shopping list for sure.

Everyone expected the iTunes phone to be released today, but it looks like Apple isn't going to play.

In the first five minutes of the event, Motorola%u2019s Ed Zander read a statement from Apple stating that the iTunes phones will not be unveiled today, but instead will be unveiled at a separate music event within the next 66 days, and shipped this quarter. %u201CWe%u2019re not going to launch the iTunes photo today,%u201D the statement read. %u201CSteve is not going to jump out of a cake.%u201D

66 days? What the heck does that mean? But I would like to see Steve Jobs jump out of a cake! Hey, at least Engadget has this picture.

Alarm clocks are a very personal thing. Once you get one that does what you expect, you don't want to just swap it out without something that will work as you expect. I've been searching for years for a new clock and not finding anything worthy.

iPodLounge shows off iH5 alarm clock radio with a iPod dock and integration.

The iH5 also features %u201CGentle Wake and Gentle Sleep,%u201D which %u201Cgradually increases and decreases Alarm/Sleep volume for a more relaxing beginning and end to each day,%u201D and utilizes Reason8 speaker technology to create "sound quality that has outstanding depth, clarity and power." The iH5 works with the 3G/4G iPod, iPod mini and iPod photo. iPodlounge was told the iH5 will be available in August for $99.99, and that a website for the product will go live later this week.

It's has the functions of my exsiting alarm clock plus more! Won't be out till August, I hate when I have to wait.

PodCasting could be a feature of the next version of iTunes.

At the Wall Street Journal's D Conference, Steve Jobs tonight showed ipodder-like features in the next release of iTunes, supposedly available within about 60 days.

This is great news. I kind of gave up on podcasting bucause I found the software too much of a pain to use. Having it built right into iTunes would make it a lot easier.

AppleInsider has a sneak peak of what appears to be the camera connector. Not much to it, really.

Apple released new iPods today. There weren't any color iPod minis this time around as predicted. They did however alter the coloring of the mini's, they are a little more brighter than before and they eliminated the gold min. Guess it wasn't that well of a seller. The 4GB mini is now at that magic price of $199, and they introduced a 6GB version for $249. They also say the battery life hits 18 hours.

The iPod photo 60 that I bought for $599 is now $449. Yikes! You would think they could at least wait 6 months (welcome to the world of a New Early Adopter). They took out the firewire cable and black belt clip, still not $150 worth of stuff though.

More significantly they finally announced a "iPod Camera Connector" accessory. It will hook up directly to your digital camera. It's about time, I specifically bought this iPod photo for this reason. Now that iPhoto 5 supports RAW format images my 1GB CF card doesn't hold nearly enough photos.

Apple has another free music sampler album for download. This is the second one, the first one is here.

Free Music

"it's stupid to buy an iPod" is what Napster CEO Chris Gorog is hoping to convince people in this Forbes article. His logic about the current Napster being like a P2P system is kind of bizarre becasue it itn't anything like that, but whatever. He also seems to think that they can convince people in droves that the subscription model is better. Notice however, that no where do you hear that if you cancel your subscription, your music fails to play anymore. You are forever stuck to whatever service you bought the music with, I like iTunes better. If iTunes goes under, I can still play the music.

Plus, has the new Napster ever made any money from selling music

Check out this iPod shuffle case that was posted on the iPodLounge fourms. It's CNC machined aluminum and fits perfectly.

Now if he would only make a similar case for my iPod Photo.

You know that the influence of something is big when it starts to be expressed in lego form.

What is PodBrix?

Tomi Responds:

PodBrix sells modified minifigs inspired by the popular ad campaign for portable music players. In the future we may branch out to other related minifigs.

How are the PodBrix minifigs created?

Tomi Responds:

I start with a Lego brand minifig and modify it by hand to create the desired appearance. Each one is slightly different.

I see only one minifig available for sale on the site. Are there others?

Tomi Responds:

At this time I am producing a limited edition run (300 units) of the "1K Brix" minifig. Lego minifigs are hard to come by in large quantities and I don't want to commit to more at this time. When the "1K Brix" have sold out, I will design another different figure. Join the mailing list to be updated when we release a new product.

This is the sort of thing that drives me to drink soda again. Dam them.

Starting at midnight on January 31, consumers will be able to look for codes under the caps of specially-marked 20-oz. and 1-liter bottles of Pepsi products for alphanumeric codes and a "Free song" message, which provides one free song download from the iTunes Music Store. After redeeming your free song code, you will automatically be credited with one entry in the iPod mini sweepstakes, which will give away one iPod mini every hour (24 a day) from February 2 to April 11, with one final drawing on May 2. Apple said it will be giving away approximately 1,700 iPod minis--all of which will be silver with an engraved Pepsi logo on the back.

If you bought a new iPod you can get some (13 songs) free from the iTunes Music Store. If you already have an iPod, your SOL. Well maybe not. You can download the same free music by clicking this link. You see, apparently iTunes can tell when you have a virgin iPod so it will take you to this page automatically.

Remember, just because it's free doesn't make it good.

Note: If you want to get the link for yourself, get if from the ITMS. I'm using my affiliate link to the album.

I think this sums it up for some people. Not me though (I do like my iPod, thats as far as it goes).