News Archive for 06/06/19

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iWood Red iPod case ships

06/19, 5:00pm

Miniot ships red padouk wood iPod case

Miniot has unveiled a limited edition of its natural protection for Apple's 30GB video iPod and special U2 iPod, dubbed iWood Red. Users who purchase the iWood case can choose a monogram along with a personalized two-line message to be carved into the case, and the iWood offers accessibility to the iPod's headphone jack (up to 10mm) as well as the dock connector. A concealed steel hinge and small magnets keep the wood tightly shut to protect the player within, and the iWood Red allows users to sync the iPod while it remains inside the case. Crafted from natural red padouk wood, iWood Red is available for $100 until June 30th.

ReelBean 1.1 released

06/19, 4:40pm

ReelBean 1.1 improves export drawer

JS8 Media has released ReelBean 1.1, an update to the company's media converter and player software. ReelBean converts movies from numerous formats to those which will play on Apple's video iPod, and offers support for exporting movies to many of the most popular formats, according to JS8. ReelBean 1.1 adds extra video and audio conversion types to the export drawer. The update improves the appearance of the export drawer, and adds a button for saving the current video frame in an image file. ReelBean 1.1 also fixes a bug with the sizing of shadows in movies with a very small width, which previously caused the time field to overlap player controls. ReelBean 1.1 is priced at $10, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Patriot iPod cases ship

06/19, 4:20pm

Case-mate ships Patriot iPod cases

Case-mate has launched the Patriot case, a protective cover for Apple's iPod that features an American Flag or Camouflage designs. A portion of the proceeds from the Patriot case line goes directly to the United Service Organizations of Georgia, which funds 120 locations around the world. The form-fit cases are made from genuine Napa leather, featuring an injection molded plastic shell for protection. The case offers cutouts for access to all iPod functionality, such as the clickwheel and Dock connector. Patriot cases ship with a removable belt clip, a full face screen protector, a scrollwheel protector, an applicator card, and a micro fiber cleaning cloth. Patriot cases are available for fifth-generation iPod with video ($30) as well as iPod nano (25).

Belkin debuts TuneDeck

06/19, 1:50pm

Belkin debuts TuneDeck for iPod nano

Belkin today debuted TuneDeck, offering an all-in-one in-car audio solution for mounting, powering, and playing Apple's iPod nano. The device plugs into a cassette deck to play audio through the car stereo, and includes a mounting option that rotates to allow easy viewing of the Nano's screen. The accessory works with most car tape players, powers as well as charges the iPod through an included mobile power cord, and secures the iPod with a custom cradle. TuneDeck for iPod nano features an inner-magnetic shake-resistant design, and is priced at $50. TuneDeck is slated for shipment in North America in July of this year, with launches in Asia, Europe, and Australia to follow shortly thereafter.

Apple looks to movies

06/19, 8:30am

Movie industry wary of Apple's clout

With Apple's dominance of the digital music world, the film industry is worried that Apple's enormous clout will extend to the digital movie world, as the company negotiates contracts with various studios. A report on Variety, which touches upon about the secrecy of Apple, Steve Jobs' wealth, and his management style, says that the Apple CEO personally heads up most negotiations, while Apple VP Eddie Cue takes up some of the slack as competing studios are wary of doing business with a member of Disney's board. "Studios have resisted Jobs' initial insistence that feature films be priced at the easy-to-remember $9.99. After all, library titles are typically sold to Wal-Mart and Best Buy significantly cheaper than new releases. Studios now are trying to convince Apple to sell similar content at multiple price points, something the company has never done." The report notes that the film studios are trying, simultaneously, to work out deals with a host of other distributors, including Amazon, Movielink and BitTorrent, in part to make sure that one company does not dominate. The publication expects most major studios to add movies to its iTunes Music Store by the end of the year.