RadioShack to sell Apple iPods

Apple and RadioShack have reportedly entered into a partnership that will deliver Apple's full line of iPods to the shelves of thousands of RadioShack electronics stores in time for this year's holiday shopping season, according to an AppleInsider report published this afternoon. "According to industry sources, RadioShack, the nation's No. 1 electronics specialty retailer, has agreed to carry Apple's full mix of iPod digital music players at several thousands locations beginning the fourth calendar quarter of the year." RadioShack has reportedly agreed to purchase at least 450,000 iPods during the initial three-month period.

MPIO announces world's smallest Multimedia player

Today MPIO announced the world's smallest portable Multimedia player. The MPIO One measures 31 x 55 x 14.5 milimeters and weighs in at 34 grams. It features flash memory (256MB to 1GB), a 65K color OLED, voice recorder, FM radio tuner/recorder, photo viewer, USB support and games. Supported formats are MP3, ASF, WMA, OGG (Q10) and MPEG4. The new product apparently has all the requirements to support the PMP format as well. Telecoms Korea has a photo of the new device in several colors.

Seagate anticipates lost revenue from flash iPods

Seagate worries that Apple will reduce MP3 hard drive consumption by ramping up its flash-based iPod strategy. Piper Jaffray maintained an "outperform" rating of $27 price target on Seagate Technology after the fiscal fourth-quarter earnings release but stated that "some near-term weakness could be experienced in the one-inch drive market due to flash-memory encroachment and in the gaming market as Microsoft and Sony shift to new gaming platforms [...] One concern is that Apple Computer may increase the flash-based iPod mix thus reducing MP3 hard disk-drive consumption."

Griffin debuts Chameleon case for iPod mini

Griffin Technology today announced its Chameleon case for the iPod mini. "Griffin Chameleon cases are made of a sturdy dense polyvinyl material, much tougher than regular silicone cases. Inside a Chameleon Case, your iPod is shielded from the rigamarole and derring-do of your typical day. The front control wheel is completely protected and fully functional." The rubber, form fitting case includes belt clip dock for easy on/off access and a 21-inch lanyard. The Chameleon case will be available next month in 16 designs for $15 each.