News Archive for 06/10/10

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Gear4 unveils BlueEye for iPod

10/10, 5:15pm

Gear4 unveils BlueEye

Gear4 today unveiled the BluEye, a device that attaches to the dock connector found on most iPods and synchronizes key calling features of Bluetooth-equipped cellular phones with Apple's music player. The gadget allows users to pause music during calls and displays caller ID information through the iPod, but also adds the ability to dial the most recent number through the iPod itself -- a feature useful to owners who miss an important call while the BluEye is connected. Gear4's device also serves as an alternative to Apple's Radio Remote, offering both an FM tuner with 15 presets and basic music controls for pausing as well as skipping tracks, according to Electronista. The company plans to ship the BluEye in early November for £50.

Studios may join iTunes after holidays

10/10, 5:00pm

Studios may join iTunes

Major Hollywood studios have been reluctant to follow Disney in offering full-length feature films via Apple's iTunes Music Store, but will likely serve up such movies within the next six months following the holiday shopping season. Such hesitation likely stems from fears of retaliation by major DVD retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, both of which recently warned key Hollywood players about offering movies at lower prices than DVDs sold at brick-and-mortar outlets. Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster believes that copy protection may be contributing studio fears, as well as their desire to obtain a more flexible pricing model over Apple's standard pricing. "A couple of the studios indicated that they expect to have content on iTunes within six months, but it may require some tweaks to Apple's pricing guidelines to get them there," Munster said. "We would not expect additional studios to sign on with iTunes before the holidays, however, as most studios recognize that this change could disrupt their holiday business at retailers."

Elecom unveils wooden iPod dock

10/10, 1:55pm

Elecom unveils iPod dock

Elecom today unveiled the ASP-WR8, a new iPod speaker dock that features a real wooden cabinet. The wood design is meant to improve audio quality as well as aesthetic appeal with three different finishes. Speaker functions include two 5.5-watt satellites driven by any dockable iPod or the audio from an auxiliary input jack, according to Electronista. The ASP-WR8 includes an infrared remote, and is shipping in Japan for $135.

Apple offers PBS content on iTunes

10/10, 8:55am

PBS content on iTunes

PBS today announced the launch of PBS content on the iTunes Store, offering documentary specials and episodes from popular PBS primetime and children's programming. The rebranded iTunes Store (previously iTunes Music Store) ships about one million video per week, according to the latest release. PBS Episodes will be priced from $1.99 each and immediately available for the following shows. The company said the lineup will include primetime shows such as Anitiques Roadshow; Nova; Now; and Scientific American Frontiers as well as PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! shows such as: Arthur; Cyberchase; and Fetch!