News Archive for 05/10/26

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Creative blames Apple for MP3 player shortage

10/26, 4:55pm

MP3 player shortage

Craig McHugh, president of Creative Labs today warned that MP3 players may be hard to find during the holiday season due to a shortage of flash memory chips, and blamed Apple by citing the special deal that the company made with Samsung. "Industry demand for high-capacity flash memory currently outstrips supply and this will impact availability of our 1GB flash MP3 players for the holiday quarter. [...] The shortage of flash memory, according to industry analyst speculation, is primarily a result of a special deal that Apple has secured from a key supplier for the holiday season," McHugh said. Creative posted a bigger loss than expected, partially because Apple has squeezed prices, according to a report from PC Pro.

ABC to offer more TV content for iTunes

10/26, 3:15pm

ABC television shows

ABC early next year is planning to increase the number of television shows for iTunes, which are available for viewing on wireless and mobile devices -- such as Apple's fifth-generation iPod. Albert Chang, executive vice president of digital media for the Disney ABC Television Group indicated that efforts are underway to negotiate rights clearances from musicians, actors, writers, and others for shows that Disney does not produce itself, according to a report from imdb.com. "Now when we know a show will be good, we negotiate ahead of time to clear distribution on all platforms. We expect our mobile video subscriber business to reach 14 million in 2009, up from about 200,000 today," Chang said. Disney said it plans to re-launch its Movies.com site with additional editorial content, but without the feature films it originally planned to deliver online, according to the report.

SCAD offers daily film festival podcasting

10/26, 12:55pm

Film festival podcasts

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) today introduced daily video podcasting of its film festival activities on iTunes. Podcasts will feature festival updates with the latest news and events, two to three interviews with special guests, "man-on-the-street" style interviews from festival attendees, film reviews by SCAD professors, and a calendar of events. The eighth annual Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design October 29th through November 5th, presents films by studio independent and student filmmakers, as well as workshops and special guests from all areas of the film industry. Daily video podcasts will begin October 31st and run through November 4th. Guests include directors Sidney Lumet and Terry Zwigoff, actors Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels, Natasha Richardson and James Franco, producer Alan Ladd Jr., film editor and sound designer Walter Murch and animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. Tickets and passes to the Savannah Film Festival will be available from the Trustees Theater box office in October for $5 per film.

Soldius1 charges iPod with solar energy

10/26, 12:15pm

Solar iPod charger

Soldius today rolled out the Soldius1 universal solar charger for iPod. Soldius1 charges iPod mini, the new iPod Nano, the iPod Shuffle, and over 250 mobile phone models, including Nokia, Samsung, Sony-Ericsson, Siemens and Motorola, and the new Motorola ROKR iTunes phone. The Soldius1 is the first device of its kind to fully charge iPods and mobile phones, without the need for an intermediary battery or an out-of-the-box charge. The Soldius1 is available with an iPod kit for $100, or for $110 with an iPod and mobile phone kit.

Apple adds Chinese music catalog to iTunes

10/26, 8:10am

Chinese music on iTunes

Apple yesterday added a large collection of Chinese music to the US version of the iTunes Music Store. Through a deal with The Orchard, the leading distributor and marketer of independent music in the world, iTunes now features the exclusive western launch of China's No. 1 paid download, "Mouse Loves Rice", along with thousands of other tracks from 20 of China's largest music labels. The Chinese music catalog includes an exclusive digital-only Jackie Chan charity track as well as a diverse selection of music that showcases the latest Chinese hip-hop, rap, rock, traditional and cultural music.

Xantrex Pocket Inverter offers mobile power

10/26, 7:50am

Xantrex Pocket Inverter

Xantrex Technology has introduced the XPower Pocket Inverter 100 and 175, which allow people on the go to conveniently operate or charge a wide range of mobile devices such as a laptop, cell phone, iPod or Blackberry. The XPower Pocket Inverters convert 12-volt DC battery power from a vehicle or airplane into usable household alternating current (AC) electricity, to run laptops, portable DVD players and other mobile devices on the go. In addition to a standard wall outlet, these inverters include an integrated USB power outlet, which is perfect for recharging a cell phone, iPod, Blackberry and other mobile electronic devices. Weighing only 0.5 pounds, the XPower Pocket Inverter 100 is the lightest on the market, and with its slim design, it can easily fit inside a briefcase, vehicle glove box or laptop bag.