Reports of faulty iPod batteries — from the torched Saab or the recent problems in Korea over Nanos –  are occasionally in the news.

One investigation now claims that Apple lawyers tried to hush-up battery problems that have led to fires.

Amy Clancy at KIRO TV, the CBS affiliate in Seattle, spent seven months trying to obtain documents about iPods from the national Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The delay? Apple lawyers filed “exemption after exemption,” her report says.

She eventually got through the smoke to obtain 800 pages said to be the first comprehensive report into how many iPod batteries go up in smoke, some of them burning their owners.

Those pages contained some 15 incidents of fiery MP3 players, some you can download from the TV site, including a jogger who says she still has a penny-sized burn scar on her chest from wearing an overheated iPod. Apple is said to have told her it was an “isolated incident.”

Out of the millions of iPods sold, are the faulty batteries too few to be significant or  not?

Via ZDnet

Today’s deals include refurbished Apple MacBook Pros, starting at $1,349, Floating iPod speakers from Excaliber,the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet and many more.

Details of these and more Daily Deals can be found on the CoM Daily Deals page.

Despite touting its green credentials in new TV ads, Apple is ranked fairly low in Greenpeace’s latest survey of green electronics.

Greenpeace’s quarterly green scorecard was released on Wednesday, and while Apple got high marks for reducing toxic chemicals, it got low marks for not supporting global recycling initiatives or using more recycled plastics.

Overall, Apple scored 4.7 out of 10, putting it in the lower half of a pack of 18 electronics manufacturers. Nokia came top with a score of 7.45, and Nintendo came bottom with a score of 1.

Apple has been advertising the green credentials of its new MacBook line in TV ads — proclaiming them the greenest laptops ever.

Greenpeace’s 12th Guide to Greener Electronics ranks tech companies on three main criteria: reducing overall environmental impact, eliminating toxic chemicals, and recycling efforts.

Hulu’s newly released Desktop application may or may not put Boxee on the ropes, but it could end up being the best thing that ever happened to the Mac mini.

Released Thursday by the popular television content aggregator whose major partners also happen to be some of the biggest Hollywood content producers, Hulu Desktop signals a major move away from the “online only” model that once served as a thin veneer of protection against the ire of cable companies that pay good money to get content from Hulu’s partners.

Still trying to have it both ways, Hulu issued comical Terms of Service with the desktop product that purport to prevent users from using the software on “Prohibited Devices,” to whit:

“You may not download, install or use the Hulu Software on any device other than a Personal Computer including without limitation digital media receiver devices (such as Apple TV), mobile devices (such as a cell phone device, mobile handheld device or a PDA), network devices or CE devices (collectively “Prohibited Devices”).”

In the real world, however, don’t be surprised to see news of an AppleTV hack by this weekend (if not before); and Mac mini users who employ that device’s excellent media server capabilities with a connection to plasma screens in their living rooms should be sitting pretty, too.

Will you use Hulu Desktop or stick with your web browser? Will you keep the content on your computer screen or take it into the living room? Let us know in comments below.

Designer Dylan Roscover has created a fabulous portrait of  Steve Jobs using the words of Apple’s seminal “Think Different” campaign.

At first, Dylan’s portrait looks like a pointillist painting. But on closer inspection, you see that Jobs is rendered in the words of “the crazy ones” TV ad, using a variety of Apple-related fonts — Motter Tektura, Apple Garamond, Myriad, Univers, Gill Sans, and Volkswagen AG Rounded, to be exact.

Dylan is a self-described ‘design nerd’ who lives in Aloma, Florida.

Says Dylan: “This is a typeface-driven design based on the “Here’s to the crazy ones” ad campaign from Apple in the 90s, using… fonts present in Apple branding and products.”

Hit the jump for a detail pic and link to the fullsize picture.

Via Macgasm.

Image via TechCrunch

Apple moved quickly to remove an embarrassing listing on the iPhone web app directory which promoted the notorious QuickPWN software, which jailbreaks iPhones and iPod touches to allow unfettered application installation. Apple removed it tonight around 11 p.m. after coverage around the Mac blogosphere, including here at CoM. The link still comes up on Google, but the page is blank.

Why does this snafu matter? Because this little slip-up is yet another sign that Apple is completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content it needs to curate these days: Music, TV, Movies, and Podcasts in the iTunes Store; thousands upon thousands of apps for iPhone and many more that never make the cut; and an equally huge collection of web apps for iPhone on the website.

In a lot of ways, Apple has become one of the world’s biggest content gatekeepers. And the approval of Baby Shaker and the rejection of the Nine Inch Nails app are pretty clear evidence that the company still has a lot of work ahead to grow into the role.

U2’s lead singer Bono recently revealed in an interview with a DJ in Toronto that his ego knows no bounds. The band’s quiet break-up with Apple in favor of first Palm and now RIM? Well, it’s all because Steve Jobs wouldn’t let him help out with the hardware and software design of the U2-branded iPod.

“[RIM] is going to give us what Apple wouldn’t — access to their labs and their people so we can do something really spectacular,” Bono told Alan Cross.

Hmm. While I’ve always been impressed with U2’s ability to design an experience, ala ZooTV and the PopMart Tour, I can’t say that I have any confidence that U2’s input could have in any way, shape, or form improved the iPod. I’ll trust Apple’s creatives more than U2’s…singer.

This collaboration has fail written all over it.

Globe and Mail via Electronista via Digg

Apple has filed a patent for a wireless “remote wand” with the idea of adding it to future versions of Apple TV.  The wand would give users with control over a cursor on the Apple TV screen, sort of like a mouse controls a cursor on a computer. The wand would also give Apple TV three-dimensional controls similar to those offered by Nintendo’s Wii controller.

According to Apple Insider, unlike the current 5-button remote on the current version of Apple TV, the wand can control a number of functions and can be used to zoom, as a keyboard application, an image application, an illustration application and a media application.

The key to success for some of the best young filmmakers in America may be the unique partnership their school district has with Apple.

Students from Birdville (TX) ISD’s Media Technology program have distinguished themselves by having 5 films chosen for the student showcase at The South by Southwest Film Festival, which began Friday in Austin, TX.

Five films from students in a single school district is a record for the nation’s preeminent art, film and music festival and the program’s director credits the district’s relationship with Apple for her students’ success.

“Apple has made it possible for our students to be certified in Final Cut Studio while still in high school,” says Karen Seimears, the program’s director. “The University of Texas offers this to their students, and it costs almost $2000. Our students can earn it for free! What’s amazing is that we’re giving kids the tools they need while they’re still in high school to be absolutely employable. And not just that, but when they go into college, to be at the head of their class.”

Apple began providing individual laptops for each student in the Birdville program two years ago and the district is home to the nation’s only Apple Authorized Training Center for high school students.

[Art&Seek] Thanks to Julie for the tip!

CBS and MobilTV announced a grand experiment in WiFi broadcasting this week with the release of March Madness on Demand (link opens iTunes), a $5 application for iPhone and iPod Touch that will theoretically allow users with a good WiFi connection to see live streamed TV broadcasts of the NCAA Basketball Tournament begining March 19th.

CBS will stream every game of the tournament up to and including the Finals on April 6th, in addition to providing video highlights on demand. Users without WiFi access will be able to access live audio of games in progress over AT&Ts 3G and Edge networks.

Every year at this time, it becomes a popular sport to estimate the supposed billions of dollars in lost productivity American businesses suffer as a result of workers’ preoccupation with what some call the most exciting spectacle in sports.

How about you, dear Cult readers? Are you willing to throw $5 on the table to see if CBS can follow through on its promise to live stream the excitement?

Let us know how you think this is going to play out in comments below.