MacWay offers Kimono iPod cases

MacWay today began offering Kimono cases by Miyavix, enclosures for various iPod models that are hand made in Kyoto, Japan. The cases are made from kimono fabric, and are available in a variety of colors. Areas of the case surrounding the screen, clickwheel (when applicable), and ports are finished in leather and offer unhindered functional access. Kimono cases come in various styles and fit fifth- (€45, "violet" style shown at right) and fourth-generation (€40) iPods, iPod nano (€40), iPod mini (€40), and iPod shuffle (€40) models. Each case is unique in design, and ships with a metal ring that can be attached to a bag, belt, keychain, or lanyard.

OSU to offer content via podcasts

Oregon State University is close to inking a deal with Apple that would allow the university to use podcasts to disperse lectures and other material. The OSU website is already home to numerous audio and video files posted by varying departments, but the system is confusing and all of the pieces are spread throughout the site, according to The Daily Barometer online. "Our biggest [problem] is finding a way to manage all of that information," said John Greydanus, director of Outreach and media services. "We have been doing this for years, we now have a different method of dispersing information," the director added. Using Apple's iTunes service, all OSU podcasts will be comprehensively listed on the same Apple-hosted website, accessible through iTunes. In a similar move, Stanford University late last year began offering podcasts of faculty lectures, music recorded by Stanford students, and school football games via iTunes U.

Apple warns partners of iPod imposters...

Apple last month began notifying service partners that some companies are illegally manufacturing digital music players which appear remarkably similar to its own various iPod models, and are attempting to sell them to unsuspecting buyers. The iPod nano and iPod shuffle seem to be the most commonly counterfeited iPods, both of which lack a dock connector and utilize nonstandard headphone jacks. Some of the fake products are even stamped with a valid Apple serial number, with several counterfeit models using the specific serial number "6U545TK2TJT." Apple said fake iPod nanos ship without the standard USB cable, and feature a slightly longer screen than the real Nanos. The imposter players run a different operating system, and have been known to include a Play/Pause symbol on the center select button, according to AppleInsider.