Not surprisingly, there’s a bunch of iPod-inspired Haloween costumes popping up after this weekend’s partying.
The one above, found on Flickr, is fairly typical. But look at the one below; here’s a party attended by a silhouette, an iPod and Steve Jobs. Now that’s a freaky party!
Cartoonist Fred Seibert, the brains behind a string of hits on Nickelodeon, including number one show The Fairly Oddparents, has launched his own cartoon network for the video iPod — no network or cable required.
Channel Frederator offers a handful of short animations every week as a video podcast. Billed as “Straight from the interweb,” and formatted for the PSP as well as iPod, the site says:
“We really love cartoons and the people who make them. Because of our day job, we see lots of excellent stuff that never gets seen by most people. Channel Frederator gives all cartoons a shot at being shown to the wired world’s masses. And if we can spread the love – or at least spread something – then we will. ”
I watched a podcast and thought it pretty good. The first cartoon was charmingly inscrutable and the second boasted great production values, fast-paced storytelling and a Shrek-like wit. The third, well, er…
In the world of Japanese anime, Central Park Media is podcasting anime trailers and full episodes (promised “soon”) for the iPod and PSP.
Designer Scott Wilson, the brains behind the $13 iBelieve iPod-crucifix-lanyard, said it celebrates both Jesus and the iPod.
Asked if it was genuinely Christian, or a comment on the popularity of ipods, Wilson replied:
“It is both. People will see what they want in it. They may want to visibly show their faith in a more fashionable way. The intertwined meaning is what is interesting. I think we are obsessed with objects today and none more than maybe the iPod. The idea was too funny, controversial, sad, not to visualize.”
Left: Lugz; Right: Apple.
The growing spat over Apple’s new Eminem iPod ad, which appears to have been ripped-off from a 2002 spot for Lugz footwear, may result in legal action, according to the New York Times.
“We’re going to take all the steps we need to protect our rights,” a Lugz spokesman told the Times.
“We’re very upset,” Larry Schwartz, executive vice president and principal at Lugz in New York, said in an interview. “The look and feel are awfully similar.”
“We think very highly of Apple,” Mr. Schwartz said. “We don’t understand how this could have happened.”
In response, Apple’s ad agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day, has issued its first statement about the ad.
In the statement from TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of the TBWA Worldwide unit of the Omnicom Group, the agency described itself as “dedicated to creating original ideas.”
“We do not plagiarize, borrow, or steal them, and have a strict policy of not accepting third-party ideas in our creative process,” the statement read. The agency’s Playa del Rey, Calif., office has long created campaigns for Apple including award-winning ads that carried the theme “Think different.”
… But in its statement, TBWA/Chiat/Day said, “We can assure you that the ‘Detroit’ spot was created without any reference by TBWA/Chiat/Day to the ‘Arrow’ spot.”
“Our intention was to develop a campaign that was a natural and independent evolution of the ‘Silhouettes’ campaign,” the statement read. “Any similarities between the two spots are regrettable.”
Tomi, the Lego-loving artist behind the PodBrix mini-figures, is selling a Lego case for the iPod Shuffle. He writes:
“We are just about to release a new product called the BrixPod Classic. Obviously I’m looking to promote it.
It’s a LEGO® iPod shuffle case that gives the effect of a full-sized functional LEGO® iPod. It will be released this Thursday at 9:00pm EST for $49.99.
The limited edition run will be 300, but we are releasing 150 units first, then 150 units in about 3 weeks.”
The iBelieve is a $13 cap and lanyard for the iPod shuffle that turns the player into a cross when hung around your neck.
The site, which is very slick, appears to be genuine — at first glance. But there’s something fishy about it. First off, the site says:
“Inspired by the world’s obsession and devotion to the iPod, iBelieve is a replacement lanyard for your Shuffle. It is a social commentary on the fastest growing religion in the world.”
This clearly refers to the iPod — the iPod is the fastest growing religion in the world.
Then there’s the “biblical” quote in the upper right corner, taken from “2 Jobs 3:15.” It reads:
“But now bring me a man who plays music. And when the man played music, the groove came upon them.”
According to BibleGateway, the quote is a version of 2 Kings 3:15, which says: “‘But now bring me a man who plays music.’ And when the man played music, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha.”
A quick Whois search reveals the iBelieve site is registered to Scott Wilson of Portland, Oregon, who happens to be an award-winning designer. Wilson currently works at Nike, was formerly at IDEO, and is founder of design shop MOD.
So is the iBelieve lanyard real? It seems to be. The shopping mechanism works, and transports you to PayPal when you place an order.
I’ve e-mailed Scott and will post his response here if/when I get a reply.
Update: I blogged this as I figured it out, but a bit of digging around first would have made things a lot easier. It is in fact by Scott Wilson, who first sent notice of the iBelieve to MoCo Loco, from whence it spread around the blogosphere.
A smattering of movies and TV shows formatted for the iPod are starting to show up on BitTorrent — all unofficial, of course.
They include recent(ish) releases like Sin City and Amityville Horror, and edisodes of TV shows, including Lost, Nip/Tuck, Xena and World Series of Poker.
But there’s also unexpected oddities like Metropolis, Battle of the Bulge and Reefer Madness, which were all uploaded by the same person, and downloaded by none.
The problem with having yuppie customers is they are so quick to sue. The class-action lawsuit against Apple over scratched nanos strikes me as petty and greedy — even though I own a nano (scratched, natch) and am probably eligible to join.
Digital-Lifestyles has a summary of the suit:
More details about Jason Tomczak’s class action against Apple for releasing defective iPod Nanos have emerged on The Inquirer’s site.In the action, started in a San Jose district court, Tomczak alleges that the iPod Nano’s easily-scratched screen renders the display unreadable and thus breaches state consumer protection statutes.
Tomczak alleges that Apple kept on shifting the Nanos even when they knew that there were problems with the design and by failing to recall the MP3 players, the company “passed the expense, hassle and frustration of replacing the defectively designed Nanos along to class members.”
The plaintiff alleges that with Steve Jobs whipping the Nano out of his pocket in a TV advert, Apple led consumers to believe the machine was durable.Tomczak argues that even this simple act could lead to a scratched screen, claiming that the resin used in the product was not as thick and strong as in previous iPods.
The plaintiff wraps up his case by alleging that Apple knew about the dodgy quality problems before release but, “fierce competition on the digital music industry” compelled them to release it anyway.
Yahooligan and occassional-OS-X-critic Russell Beattie bought a new video iPod, and he absolutely loves it. Russell’s no slouch. He’s one of the sharpest observers of tech and Silicon Valley. He writes:
I got the new 30GB White iPod yesterday and it completely rocks. Apple did a great job with this gadget. Much thinner than previous iPods, super-fast syncing over USB, and the screen is *great*. Anyone who complains about the screen size is either 1) blind 2) a whining tempermental jerk 3) someone who hasn’t actually seen the screen. It’s beautiful.
I’m telling you right now, Video Podcasts are going to be huge. HUUUUGE… Making it so easy to rip or download new music and sync it to your device made the iPod what it is today. The same functionality for Videos is what is going to make the new iPod the standard bearer for portable video as well, even though it has a much smaller screen than the PSP.
…I can’t wait for iFilm and AtomFilms and JibJab and all the rest to start creating content for my iPod and other devices as well, available via an RSS feed (do they already?). And I can’t wait for the Podcast guys to start ramping up their content like RocketBoom and Mobuzz have as well.
…It’s all related, can you see it? Portable video is really here at least… and it’s going to be huuuuge!
Suicide Girls, the popular grunge porn site, has launched “SGTV,” a video podcasting service that promisies to offer free “sexy videos” for the iPod every week.
“Show your friends, your mom, the girl next to you on the bus…” the site teases.
“New episodes profiling one of the nearly 1,000 SuicideGirls currently active in the community will be posted weekly,” Suicide Girls said in a press release. “The episodes will feature video sets, interviews and candid moments available for free download.”
So far there are 10 videos on the site for download, featuring “Stormy,” “Pearl,” “Regan” and others. The videos will also be available as a video podcast (here’s the RSS), which will be updated every Thursday.
If you’ve got an iPod nano, you also have a free case for it — the plastic wrapper it came in.
I’ve been using the see-through poly wrapper for a week or two and it’s proven quite functional. It covers both the scroll-wheel and screen, but is thin enough to use the scroll-wheel without taking it off. It protects from scratches, and the glue that holds it together is still sticky.
The only drawback is having to remove the wrapper to plug in the dock connector. Plus it looks kinda mental, like people who leave plastic wrappers on car seats.
What’s really needed is a bit of mental toughness; an acceptance of the fact that the nano will get scratched, and it matters naught.
(Picture lifted from WR276’s Flickr photostream).
“Is that an iPod in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” asks the press release I just received from PovPod.com, a site offering”point-of-view” porn for the new iPod.
On the site, which is definitely not work safe, there’s some “handy” instructions:
Step 1 Download our Videos to your iPod through itunes 6
Step 2 Hold iPod at crotch level
Step 3 Watch our point-of-view (POV) video and feel like you’re there!
The release continues:
“Isn’t it funny how Smut Peddlers seem to be the first to develop new uses for technology? Well, just when you thought there were enough ways to furtively enjoy pornography, a newcomer emerges.
Hot on the heels of Apple’s introduction of its latest hit MP3 player, povPod.com has announced the launch of a new site offering “Point of View†(POV) adult video content, formatted for – you guessed it – the iPod video.
This new, mobile porn adventure brings portable adult entertainment to the mainstream. With PovPod.com just download videos to your iPod and go. The new apple iPod – with support for up to 140 hours of digital video – is an exciting new solution for people who want their porn to-go.”
The new iPod ad starring Eminem bears an uncanny resemblance to a 2002 ad for Lugz, a brand of hip hop footwear.
The two ads share the same concept and execution, the same color palette, and the same graffiti-style motion graphics superimposed over the live action.
Coincidence? Or same advertising company?
There’s an odd moment in Eminem’s new iPod ad for Apple that seems to illustrate his contempt for either Apple or advertising.
As the ad starts, Eminem’s singing his hit Lose Yourself while a silhouette dancer wearing white earbuds prances about. But suddenly, at the ad’s midpoint, Eminem shouts, “Move it out!” and shoves the iPod dancer aside. The dancer flies out of the frame.
The gesture’s appropriate for a rap video, but not an iPod ad. It’s odd that Eminem got away with such a thing — shoving the figure representing the buyer out of the picture. It undermines the whole ad.
See for yourself. Watch the ad here.
The ad has a history, of course. Eighteen months ago, Eminem sued Apple for allegedly using Lose Yourself without his permission. I seem to remember him making noises about “selling out” at the time. Obviously he changed his mind, but I wonder if the shoving is his way of trying to maintain his dignity?
There aren’t a lot of protective cases for the iPod nano in stores just yet. So here are some options for building your own. There’s a range of materials to choose from: gum wrappers, pleather or paper — whatever tickles your fancy.
Londoner Graham Bower has some plausible video iPod predictions, as well as nifty Photoshop mockups of the rumored device.
In Bower’s view, Apple needs to differentiate the 60/80 Gbyte iPod from lower-capacity, music-only offerings, and that’s done by adding video.
The video iPod will sync music, photos and home movies (“home movies away from home”), as well as play short music videos and video podcasts downloaded from the iTMS.
Other predictions include an onscreen keyboard, controlled by the click wheel; a return to the original iPod design (polycarbonate front, metal back); video playback in landscape mode; and a revolving click wheel to control playback when the iPod is held horizontally.
Apple will introduce a major product on October 12 — and it may be the long-awaited video iPod.
The company on Tuesday sent out invites to an event at the plush California Theater in San Jose, where Steve Jobs and Bono introduced the U2 iPod last year.
“Join Apple for ‘One More Thing…'” the invite says, refering to Steve Jobs’ famous line before he unveils a major product.
The invite gives no clue about the product, but AppleInsider — a somewhat reliable rumor site — says it’s a video-capable iPod.
The new iPod will be 60 Gbytes and sport a large, high-resolution color screen.
“The release of the iPod video is expected to be accompanied by a ‘major update’ to Apple’s iTunes music store that will include a significant number of music videos and other short video content,” AppleInsider says.
The site says a video-cpable Airport Express is also in the works.
Luxpro, the Taiwanese company that knocked off the iPod shuffle, has a new product: the Pico.
Uncyclopedia shows how to upgrade the nano to 200 Gbytes! But be warned: “We found in our benchmarking results that the addition of the ATA hard drive adversely affected battery life.”
To match his car stereo, iLounge forum member ryno3xx inverted his iPod’s screen. It took “Much Patience,” he writes.
“The hardest part was separating the existing polarizing filter from the LCD, as it is hard and the LCD brittle, but when all is said and done it’s a pretty sweet looking mod.”
Here’s how he did it:
I got my filter at polarization.com
The mod is quite simple. After first realizing that anything you do to your iPod with a razor blade can cause you great sadness and monetary loss, consider the following:
1) disassemble iPod (see other posts for photo how-to, warnings, etc.)
2) remove screen
3) take Xacto knife, razor blade ( shaped like /___\ is best), etc. to remove black foam border. do not discard or damage. you’ll use it later.
4) use blade at as small an angle as possible to surface (near parallel) to remove top film. It is ~1mm thick. There are two surfaces, The outer one is the polarization filter, the inner is simply a clear film, likely an adhesion layer. Remove both. Be patient. The Filter is a rather tough material, the LCD is brittle. Too much pressure will break the LCD.***never pull filter away from LCD. doing so will create a vacuum, bring all liquid***
***crystal to the middle, and ruin your LCD indefinitely****5) use *mild* solvent to remove any adhesive glue left behind
6) reassemble iPod, not into its case, but just enough that it works.
7) take new polarizer filter and place over display
8) rotate to get desired effect.
9) cut out and place on screen
10) place black foam removed earlier back in place (failing to do so will let the backlight escape thru the casing.)
reassemble iPod
Who says the iPod nano is all delicate and wimpy?
Over at MacMerc, a fellow called jonknee describes how he put his new nano through the wash.
At first, the nano appeared dead, but it slowly revived and is now mostly back to normal.
“After waiting another day, the nano dried completely and at this time you can’t even tell it ever got wet (and soaped up, spun etc). The screen now looks perfect. Very impressive!” he writes.
Here’s the best teardown pictures of the nano so far, courtesy of Japan’s PC Watch.
The iPod nano is flying off store shelves, says Wall Street bank Piper Jaffray.
As reported in Forbes:
Available for six days, the music player is seeing high demand, based on a survey of 20 Apple retail stores, Piper Jaffray said. “No store that we checked with had black 4-gigabyte nanos in stock.”
In the New York Times, Dacid Pogue says the nano will effect Apple’s market share of MP3 players. Writes Pogue:
Apple’s market share won’t stay at 80 percent. It’s about to go up.
If you doubt it, then you haven’t yet handled the iPod Nano: a tiny, flat, shiny wafer of powerful sound that Apple unveiled last week. Beware, however: to see one is to want one. If you hope to resist, lash your credit card to your wallet like Odysseus to the mast.
From the Middle East section of the “iPods Around the World” gallery at the iPodLounge.
There are several striking images in the gallery, like this shot of an iPod in the gun barrel of a tank, and this iPod and a refueling jet fighter.
President Bush listens to a lot of country music on his iPod, according to the L.A. Times. But surprisingly, he also likes the furious, blue-collar rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival. I wonder if he likes the band’s anti-Vietnam anthem Fortunate Son, which goes like this:
“Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they’re red, white and blue.
And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”,
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no,Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no.Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, “How much should we give?”
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no military son, son.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, one.It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, no no no.”
There are some interesting facts and anecdotes about the song here. The band’s lead singer, John Fogerty, has a new album out: Deja Vu All Over Again, which as the title suggests, compares the current mess to the old one.
