iPodderX 3.0 adds advanced podcast tools

iPodderX 3.0 uses the power of RSS and Atom newsfeeds to bring fresh content to your desktop automatically. Depending on which feeds you subscribe to, iPodderX will deliver Audio (Podcasts), Movies, Images, Documents, and any other kind of file to your computer. Version 3 adds SmartSpace, to help "keep your hard drive from filling up with old podcasts." It also features a Playlist Builder for creating iTunes Playlists or iPhoto Albums. The update also adds NewsCaster, which can turn text-based news into an audio podcast.

iPod mini knockoff appears in German catalog

German retailer Plus will reportedly begin selling a China-made iPod mini knockoff, which first debuted in March. At the time, the device was being marketed using the iPod name. However, it appears the device will be called "micromaxx 42452" in Germany. While not identical in appearance to the iPod mini, the device could confuse the untrained eye. The device offers line-in recording as well as voice recoding via line-in inputs for a built-in internal microphone. The battery offers 12 hours of playback. It also offers "optional" features such as an FM Tuner, MP3 line-in encoding, and support for MP3, WMA, DRM WMA, ADPCM files. Meanwhile, Apple is considering legal action to prevent the sale of Medion AG's MP3 music player, according to a report in Spiegel magazine that cites "unnamed sources."

Column: Apple to legitimize podcasting

Apple's official endorsement of podcasts is helping increase public interest in the audio broadcast phenomenon. Technology Review feels Apple's support for podcasting in the upcoming iTunes 4.9 might make podcasting as mainstream as blogging. "The podcasting movement, for all its headlines, is in dire need of the 'Apple treatment.' More than anything else, Apple has succeeded in the last 10 years because it has made technology easy for people to understand and commodity hardware stylish." Apple's involvement with podcasts may also help legitimize the concept, which is currently surounded by "murky legal water." Some podcasts include music, but licensing rules -- which have hampered streaming music services -- have yet to be established for podcasts."

Celebs create custom iPod cases for charity auction

Beginning on June 8, designer Marc Eck is partnering with fashion and entertainment stars to introduce “Style & Sound,” a fundraising initiative for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC). The online charity auction, to be held in conjunction with eBay Live Auctions, will feature custom iPod cases created by celebrity partnerships, including Carolina Herrera with Renée Zellweger, Marc Ecko with Jamie Foxx, Luca Luca’s Luca Orlandi with Mischa Barton, and Judith Leiber with Katie Holmes. Each case will contain a 40GB iPod, courtesy of Apple, and a playlist created by each designer’s celebrity partner. The auction will conclude at a June 22 gala fundraising event to be hosted by Ecko and Herrera, co-chairs of this philanthropic venture. Ecko and Monster Cable will also introduce a unique iPod case designed by Eck as part of “A Case For A Cause.” The light blue leather cases, which will sell for $30 on the Apple Store, feature FTBC’s signature bulls-eye logo and will be packaged with literature on breast cancer awareness.

Report: Apple to offer 2GB and 4GB iPod shuffles

Samsung and Toshiba plan to ramp up their output of 8Gbit NAND flash chips, as Apple plans to roll out 2GB and 4GB versions of its iPod shuffle this summer, PC Pro reports. Samsung was reported to have started volume production of 8Gbit NAND flash memory in April of this year, while Toshiba stated it will begin producing 8Gbit parts this summer. Apple currently offers 512MB and 1GB iPod shuffle models. Samsung and Toshiba are reportedly the only companies that have the ability to volume produce 8Gbit NAND flash using 90nm technology. Report from iPodNN.com.