News Archive for 06/09/08

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Unbox suffers "teething" issues

09/08, 4:35pm

Unbox suffers "teething"

Amazon's new Unbox video store has marked the highest-profile movie download launch thus far, but poses some significant quality issues and "teething" problems, according to various members of the press. CNET's Tom Merritt says purchases require intrusive and imperfect custom Amazon software to work, while underlying issues potentially hurt the long-term success of Unbox Video, according to BusinessWeek. Aside from the common but glaring inability to burn to DVD, rental restrictions are especially limited, according to Electronista: rented movies must be played in their entirety 24 hours after playback begins, or they must be rented a second time. Amazon additionally suffers from the longer-term conflict of interest that might arise from its existing movie sales; as it benefits from purchases of physical DVDs, the online retailer has little incentive to extend its usage rights or lower prices.

Marware ships Sportsuit Relay for Nano

09/08, 2:10pm

Sportsuit Relay ships

Marware today began shipping Sportsuit Relay, the latest addition to its iPod nano cases designed for sports enthusiasts. The Sportsuit Relay accommodates the Nike + iPod Sport Kit receiver and sensor, combining the company's wrist/armband case and the Sportsuit Sensor+ pouch. The harness features protective neoprene and rubber construction with an optional extension wristband piece for upper-arm mounting. Marware's Sportsuit Relay offers play-through access to the Nano's clickwheel, and is available for iPod nano for $30.

Bluetooth iPod dongle unveiled

09/08, 11:35am

Zenecom unveils Blupod

Zenecom has unveiled Blupod, bringing Bluetooth functionality to Apple's dockable iPod players. The device resembles a tiny iPod shuffle in form and control, but functions as a Bluetooth dongle that works with a phone to display a caller's id on the iPod screen, and automatically lowers playback volume for conversing. Blupod features a built-in FM tuner, but does not support transferring files from an iPod to another Bluetooth device (pricing was unavailable).

EZTakes enables burning of DVD movies

09/08, 10:25am

EZTakes for digital DVDs

EZTakes has released the EZTakes Download Manager for Mac OS X, which allows users to purchase any of the nearly 1,000 movie downloads available on the EZTakes site and then burn those titles to standard recordable DVDs that will play in virtually any standard DVD player. In order to discourage piracy, EZTakes has developed technology that personalizes all DVDs with the purchasing consumer's identity and an embedded ID number. People who make unauthorized copies would incriminate themselves because the copies are clearly traceable. Movies on EZTakes start as low as $1.99 per download. Most EZTakes DVDs offer the same quality and all of the extra features of the original DVD. The site offers dozens of movie classics, a number of independent films, a small selection of Bollywood films, Yoga training videos, and more. The offers are sorted by category and also offer customer ratings on each as well as a preview video clip.

Podfitness, Marware join forces

09/08, 10:05am

Podfitness, Marware join

Podfitness has partnered with Marware to bundle exclusive deals with the Sportsuit -- a protective case for Apple's iPod player -- and announced that it is designing additional product initiatives as well as cross promotional plans to enhance the fitness enthusiast experience. Podfitness will also distribute Marware products online, and said it will implement a branded line of Marware products. "Podfitness and Marware will continue to collaborate on co-branded strategies and plans to implement initial offers by October 1st, 2006," the company wrote. "Our partnership with Marware brings together the premier iPod accessory maker and Podfitness, the best way to train with your iPod. Now, not only can you can take your iPod with you to work out, but you can have a real trainer provide instruction and motivation throughout every session."