iTunes news: NPR drops Audible, Coldplay CD on iTunes

National Public Radio has dropped Audible.com in favor of Audiofeast. Audible and Apple have worked together to bring Audible content to iTunes and the iPod. Unfortunately for iTunes and iPod users, Audiofeast does not offer iPod, iTunes, or Mac support. "Currently AudioFeast only supports Windows 2000 and XP. We don't have plans for Mac support at the present time." The following three shows will no longer be available: "All Things Considered," "Morning Edition," and "Wait...Wait...Don't Tell Me" (Thanks to iPodNN reader Stuart for the tip). Meanwhile, iPodNN reader Joe Felder notes that the latest Coldplay album at the iTunes Music Store contains a video interview with the band and a PDF booklet (presumably the same booklet you get when you buy the physical CD). The video and PDF are only available when you purchase the entire Album.

PC Mag: Toshiba MEG-F60S features poor navigation, EQ

The Toshiba gigabeat MEG-F60S is a new iPod competitor that features a large vertically oriented color screen and white, plus-shaped control surface. Just slightly taller and thicker than the Apple iPod, the gigabeat packs 60GB into a stylish enclosure. In its review of the player, PC Magazine says "our initial enthusiasm for the plus-shaped control surface, which Toshiba calls the Plus Touch, was quickly dampened when we realized that it's just five touch-sensitive switches. There's no sliding function or pressure sensitivity in the arms. Forward- and back-scanning happen at a fixed pace. There's no acceleration or ballistic function, and sliding your finger around doesn't change the rate of progress. Ditto for the volume control.[...] We'd forgive much of the above if the gigabeat were a great music player, but it's only listenable with the EQ turned off."

New TransPod color scheme matches more cars...

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters anounced today new Black and Siver versions of the TransPod Direct Car Solution ($70) for iPod and iPod mini. The DLO TransPod Direct provides customers with a direct connection to their car stereos that integrates the high-quality line-out audio signal from the bottom of the iPod. The TransPod comes with a built-in charger for the iPod, a cradle to position it for easy access to its controls, a cassette adapter and a mini plug cable. The new Black and Silver TransPod Directs now match most car interiors.

"Style & Sound" auction raises money for research...

Led by designer and Board Member Marc Ecko, the Council of Fashion Designers of America has partnered with leaders in fashion and entertainment to host an online charity auction featuring one-of-a-kind iPod cases created by some of today's most notable designers. The auction is currently live on eBay Live Auctions and will conclude at 8:00pm on Wednesday, June 22 at a party hosted by Ecko and Carolina Herrera, the initiative's co-chair. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC), a philanthropic initiative of the CFDA Foundation, which, since its inception in 1994 has raised more than $40 million for distribution to breast cancer organizations in 13 countries.

Roxio debuts 'The Boom Box' software suite for iPods...

Sonic's Roxio division has officially launched The Boom Box, a Mac software suite comprised of five premium applications designed to personalize and customize iPod content. First noted by iPodNN earlier this week, the suite includes CD Spin Doctor (for digitizing vinyl recordings), MusicMagic Mixer (generates custom playlists), Audio Hijack (captures audio from any Mac application), iPodderX (manages/subscribes to podcasts), and iSpeak It (converts documents to audio files). The Boom Box, available for $50, offers users a significant cost savings over the cost of each application separately; it is available today online and will be widely available at retail stores later this month. The suite also includes special discount coupons and offers from Wiley books, Audible.com, and Belkin.

iPods offered as incentive to complete job-training

One UK college is using iPods as an incentive for students to complete special job-training classes. Forbes.com reports that Bournemouth and Poole College is offering students Apple's popular digital MP3 music player if they complete courses aimed at helping them find work. The program is called "Step Up For Summer" and has been accused "bribing" students. "The people who are organizing the course must feel the youngsters don't really want to go, otherwise they wouldn't feel it was necessary to offer them iPods," Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education. "It tells teenagers they don't have to do anything unless they are getting a sweetener." According to the report, a college spokeswoman argued that school had to use the program to bring back "disaffected" students, giving them "an incentive to get them back in to learning."

Apple offers refurb iPods, iBooks, PowerBooks

The online Apple Store is offering refurbished previous-generation 20GB iPods with Click Wheel for $250 along with the non-Click Wheel 40GB version for $330 and several colors of the previous-generation 4GB iPod mini for $170. (The previous generation models include a FireWire cable.) Other refurbished items include the 14-inch iBook ($1,300) and two 12-inch SuperDrive PowerBook models for $1,300 (1.33GHz/256MB) and $1,500 (1.5GHz/512MB). Apple is also offering refurb iMac G5s: 17-inch (80GB/SuperDrive) for $1,000 and 20-inch (160GB/SuperDrive) for $1,400 as well as a 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 for $1,300; refurbished Cinema Displays are $1,300 (23-inch) and $2,600 (30-inch), while refurb versions of the AirPort Extreme Card ($70) and AirPort Express BaseStation ($100) are also available. Update: Apple has added several models of refurb non-clickwheel iPods: 15GB ($180, without a dock), 20GB ($250), 30GB ($280), and 40GB ($300) as well as more 12- and 14-inch iBooks starting at $800. [updated]