News Archive for 06/11/06

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Second-issue iSkin Vibes

11/06, 5:45pm

iSkin launches second-issue iSkin Vibes

iSkin today unveiled its second-issue tokidoki iSkin Vibes in eight styles, designed to protect and visually enhance Apple's 30GB video iPod. The newest Vibes cases display some of the latest illustrations by Simone Legno, tokidoki co-founder and designer. "With his playful interpretation of anime, floating worlds and sultry-fun, the Japanese- inspired, Italian-born and Los Angeles-based Legno teamed with iSkin, a leading provider of iPod accessories, to bring forth a sophisticated way to add fun and flair to portable music," said iSkin. The cases feature a dual-layer protective design that consists of an iSkin Si ('silicone inside') layer combined with a solid outer layer, fitting snugly inside a light-weight, scratch and shock-resistant capsule. Each iSkin Vibe case ships with a low profile rotating RevoClip belt-clip for $30.

iTunes adds Disney content

11/06, 4:40pm

iTunes adds Cars, Dead Man's Chest

Disney today announced plans to add the No. 1 animated film of the year, Cars, and the No. 1 film of the year, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest to Apple's iTunes Store as digital downloads. "Cars, the high octane, comedy-adventure box office favorite about a hotshot rookie race car who with a fun cast of car-acters goes on the ride of his life. Starring Owen Wilson ('Wedding Crashers'), the legendary Paul Newman (Oscar winner Best Actor 'The Color of Money' 1986) and an all-star cast, Cars takes audiences of all ages on an incredible adventure that blends a heartfelt story, great music and breathtaking animation." The film is scheduled for availability via iTunes store beginning November 7th. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest stars Johnny Depp as a mischievous, heroic rogue named Captain Jack Sparrow. The film is due for availability on DVD starting December 5th. [corrected]

Aluminum N2 Nano case

11/06, 12:30pm

PodsPlus debuts Aluminum N2 Nano case

PodsPlus has unveiled its Aluminum N2 case for Apple's second-generation iPod nano. The N2 case is the only aluminum case to offer both screen and clickwheel protection, according to PodsPlus, and is available in six color combinations. Clickwheel protection is provided by a silicone cover with no loss of sensitivity, while top and bottom cutouts offer access to all ports and functionality. The LCD cutout features a clear plastic screen permanently fixed to the case, and the interior is lined with neoprene for extra protection. The Aluminum N2 is scheduled to ship in mid-November for $30 with an optional neck strap.

NVIDIA acquires PortalPlay

11/06, 11:15am

NVIDIA acquires PortalPlayer for $357m

Chip maker NVIDIA today announced that it will acquire PortalPlayer, the pioneer of its system-on-chip (SoC) technology which powers many digital media players -- including some of Apple's iPod models -- for $357 million. A teardown of Apple's 4GB iPod nano in September revealed that Samsung won out over PortalPlayer to supply the main microprocessor in the small device, which followed rumors in late June that new versions of Apple's iPod nano might see delays of up to six months as a result of the supplier switch. Nearly a month later, PortalPlayer CEO Gary Johnson announced plans to resign by the end of the year to pursue pre-IPO opportunities.

Samsung replaces SigmaTel

11/06, 9:45am

Samsung replaces SigmaTel in 2G Shuffle

Apple's second-generation iPod shuffle is likely the bearer of a Samsung processor, rather than the expected SigmaTel chip which has adorned Apple's Shuffle since its inception in January of 2005. Analyst Craig Berger reviewed a teardown of Apple's smallest iPod, according to AppleInsider, concluding that the device processor resembles a Samsung chip recently identified as the primary component in Apple's second-generation iPod nano. "The processor is an Apple logo-stamped ARM chip (#337S3300 844A), similarly named to the Apple logo-stamped ARM chip found in the new iPod nano (#337S3291) that is known to be a Samsung chip," Berger said. A Samsung executive in late May revealed details about a forthcoming iPod before Apple authorized such discussions, which was said to have cost the semiconductor company a contract with Apple to produce chips in its iPod portable media players. Conversely, SigmaTel announced in mid-February that it hoped to win bigger contracts from Apple in the second half of 2007, despite at least one analyst's doubt that the company could even hold its existing business.