iTunes adds HD news podcasts for Apple TV...

Washingtonpost.com today began offering high-definition (HD) podcasts designed for viewing on HD TVs and the Apple TV via the iTunes Store. Washingtonpost.com is the first news organization to conform to the highest specifications for the new Apple TV by offering its documentary videos online in a format that is optimally viewable on Apple's set top box specifically designed for living rooms. "Keeping true to its dedication to evolving multimedia platforms, all washingtonpost.com videos are shot with high-definition cameras, and the series available on iTunes is coded to play in 720p. The HD videos will also be available for download from washingtonpost.com."

iPodmods offers 100GB iPod modification

The team at iPodmods is offering a new modification enabling users with 30GB or 80GB iPods to upgrade the portable player's hard drive to 100GB of storage capacity. The 100GB hard drive replaces the current drive in the iPod, and requires a simple back panel replacement. iPodmods' upgrade uses an iPod-compatible Toshiba hard drive that consumes roughly the same amount of power as current fifth-generation iPod drives. The modification comes with a 90-day warranty, and is priced at $300. iPodmods is also offering a free extended-life battery to customers who purchase the 100GB hard drive for Apple's video iPod or Microsoft's Zune player.

Finetune Desktop preview released

The Finetune digital music service is bringing its catalog of two million tracks from major and indie labels to Mac and Windows desktops, ramping up competition with Apple's iTunes software via customizable playlists. Finetune today released a preview version of Finetune Desktop, one of the first applications built on the alpha release of Adobe's Apollo application runtime. Users can launch Web applications directly from the desktop, without the need to open a Web browser. Finetune allows users to create custom playlists, and can tap into iTunes libraries to automatically generate playlists based on library content. Finetune is available for free, and integrates several aspects of a social network to help users discover new music (system requirements were unavailable).