Apple released iTunes 7.01 today, which is reputed to fix a number of bugs that 7.0 introduced, including static and iPod sync problems.

Apple - iTunes - Download iTunes

A Slew of New iPod/iTunes Announcements from Apple

Apple Computer held a press conference (of sorts) on September 12 to announce a bevy of new products and services. Among the notable items:

1. Launch of a new iPod Shuffle, which is postage stamp-sized, priced at $79 (1 GB). "How small is too small?" you may ask. This may answer that question--I'm pretty sure I don't want my six year-old daughter losing an $80 postage stamp! The official size is 1.07" x 1.62" x 0.41", and weight is 0.55 ounce, compared with the previous version, which was 3.3" x 0.98" x 0.33", weighing 0.78 ounce. Shuffle pric
   
2. Slightly changed iPod Nano design (rounded corners, slightly thinner and lighter). The Nano is also now available in five colors, including silver, pink, green, and blue. The 8GB Nano is also available in black. The Nano also runs longer on a charge--24 hours vs. 14. Nano pricing is $149 for 2GB, $199 for 4GB, and $249 for 8GB.
   
3. Revamped iPod Video (now known as the iPod 5G), to include 60% brighter screens and drastically improved battery life (a great improvement, as those of us with 5G iPod Video units that run ~1 hour in video mode can attest). Screen size and resolution stays the same. The iPod Video is now available in 30GB and 80GB versions, and the battery life is reported to be 14 hours audio/3.5 video (30GB) and 20 hours audio/6.5 hours video (80GB). Pricing is $249 for 30GB and $349 for 80GB...in terms of dollars per GB, the 80GB iPod 5G is the best deal in Apple history, at just ~$4/GB.
   
4. iTunes Version 7, which includes a new and improved "iTunes Store" that now sells iPod movies and games in addition to TV shows and music. At this time, the only movies for sale on iTunes are Disney movies (no doubt Steve Jobs' position on the Disney board had something to do with that!), and the prices range from $9.99 to $14.99, depending on the movie and when it's purchased. The new iTunes also has an iPod backup feature that will burn directly to CD/DVD--a most welcome addition. iTunes V7 also includes support for "gapless" music, which allows some music, such as classical pieces, to play without silence between tracks.
5. An iPod software update, which no doubt is required primarily for the new iTunes capabilities to work on existing iPods.
   
6. An automatic software update application that will keep iTunes and QuickTime up to date, automatically.
7. iTV, which is a an estimated $299 wireless device that will receive iTunes content and display it on a TV.
   

Remote Controlled Car Jumps House, Still Runs

This is an amazing video--a guy builds a ramp and jumps his house with a remote controlled car (nitro-powered, I think)--and it still runs afterward. Man, I need one--think of the fun I could have....

RC Car Jumps House

EZ Jigger - Great fishing gadget

I just saw this on 9News--a local inventor (Littleton, Colorado) has created the EZ Jigger, which is a combination rod holder and automated jigging device that retails for about $50. The product is battery powered and comes with different cams that create different jigging actions, which is desirable depending on the type of fish you're going after.

The EZ Jigger also has an alarm that sounds when a fish is on the line, and it was designed by fishermen who also happen to be local aerospace engineers. Looks like this make it on to this year's Christmas wish list!

Easy Fix for iPod Screen Scratches

I first read about this on THE TENSION blog, and thought I'd give it a try...and it works pretty darn well.

The idea is that you use an off-the-shelf CD/DVD scratch repair kit (the one I used was a Memorex CD Scratch Repair Kit that I bought at Office Depot for $10), and basically just follow the directions (other than you use it on your iPod instead of a CD, of course!). (I noticed that the Memorex web site now mentions that the CD scratch kit is also effective on PDAs, etc.)

The entire three-step process (clean, polish, finish) took about 15 minutes, and while it didn't restore my iPod to its original "out of the box" condition, it did remove about 95% of the scratches. I suppose I could repeat the process again, I'm pretty satisfied with the results as-is. It's important to note that my iPod is nearly always in its case--it was actually the process of inserting and removing the iPod from the case that created the scratches, which were all abrasion-type "blurring" of the display (vs. actual deep scratches in the plastic).

I would whole heartedly recommend this process to anyone that wants to improve their iPod display. For the record, I have a 30GB iPod Video.

New Skype Phone Doesn't Need PC or Wi-Fi

Skype has partnered with Philips to create a cordless phone that takes my Vtech USB 7100 one step further, removing the requirement for a PC altogether.

The Vtech unit, incidentally, is a cordless phone that has two connections: a standard RJ-11 telephone line, and PC USB. The RJ-11 connection allows it to act like any other cordless telephone, and the USB connection allows it to connect to a Skype-enabled PC, which allows the user to place and receive calls via Skype. The problem, of course, is that it requires a PC to be running if you want to use the Skype features of the phone.

The new Philips phone removes the PC requirement, substituting the USB connection for an RJ-45 (wired Ethernet) connection. This intimates that the phone has a full Skype client embedded within, which is a great idea. The phone, which is supposed to be in the $150 range and will be available by the 2006 holiday season, is only one of many similar phones that are likely to hit the market in the next year or so.

While this phone is interesting, I still really like the idea of a self-contained Skype phone that will work over WiFi--particularly if it has an embedded Web browser and WPA client that would allow you to use it at virtually any hot spot--even those that require authentication. There are phones like this in development, such as the Netgear Skype WiFi phone, but they're going to be spendy ($300+), putting them out of range of most folks for a while yet.

The other issue I have with the current crop of Skype phones is that they only work with Skype--for that kind of money, it would be really good if they worked with competitive services like Yahoo, or even commercial VOIP systems like Vonage.

Pyrrha: Pandora to Portable Podcast

Now this is a great idea: take a Pandora music stream and turn it into a portable "podcast" (actually, just a single MP3 file) that can be used by any portable music player. Pyrcast has created a free utility that does just that, called Pyrrha, which was Pandora's daughter (clever!).

Pyrrha allows you to choose which Pandora station you'd like to convert into a Podcast, and the makers stress that the program is not intended to infringe on any copyrights.

Pyrrha is available at http://www.pyrcast.com/.

Palm Pilot Robot Kit

This page describes how to convert that old Palm III into a cool little robot--perfect for those old units that are gathering dust in the drawer. You can build it from scratch or buy a pre-made kit; there are also some cool add-ons like a digital compass that are available. Now if I only had the time..... :-)

ThinkGeek :: LED Binary Watch

Wow--a watch only a geek could love. The hours and minutes are displayed in binary--hours on top, minutes on bottom. Baffle your friends for only $70, and it's available with blue or red LEDs.

Windows In Your Pocket | Tom's Hardware UK and Ireland

Great HOWTO article that shows how to create a bootable version of XP that will run on a USB thumb drive -- 256mb or greater. Wonderful idea for emergency boot situations. I'll have to give this a try some time.

10 Oddest iPod Accessories

A good read: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/07/ipod/index_01.htm

I'm thinking that the iPod purse and the iPod toilet paper holder might be over the top....

Ace Craft USA - GEN H-4 - One Man Helicopter

Super cool- a $30K personal helicopter!

The Ultimate Gameroom


This is awesome--Peter Hirschberg has converted his basement into what has to be the ultimate game room--over 50 authenic classic video games on two levels.

This is something for me to aspire to!

HiFiiPod » MP3 vs AAC vs OGG

An interesting article/test comparing the audio quality of MP3, AAC and OGG VORBIS. As I expected, the MP3 frequency response curve tails off pretty significantly over 10KHz, and OGG provides a relatively flat curve all the way up. Interestingly, OGG also sacrifices some linearity, which comprises natural reproduction of the music.

The biggest surprise is that AAC, which is a compressed (lossy) format that Apple recommends, seems to provide the best response curve across the spectrum. Looks like I'll be using AAC for most of my rips!

If you're interested in the frequency response curve for lossless (WAV/AIF) files, it's here. As you might suspect, it's completely flat throughout the spectrum, but of course it also requires a tremendous amount of space to store (like 10x more than compressed formats).

The HiFiiPod site also has some very interesting tests of the various iPod models; it seems that the audio circuitry compares favorably with low- to medium-end audiophile gear, which is pretty impressive for a unit that costs $400 at the top end.

AutoStitch: Automatic 1d and 2d panoramic photos

This is cool--free software that will take multiple digital photos and stitch them together to create panoramic images, both in 1d (horizontal) and 2d (horizontal/vertical).

Main Page - wikiPodLinux

This is a project that has created a version of Linux that runs on iPods. Unfortunately, they don't have support for the 5G iPods yet--but it's coming.

One advantage of running Linux on an iPod is that you can play codecs that aren't normally supported, e.g. FLAC, and you can also play some Linux games, or so I'm told.

Being the early adopter that I am, I'm eagerly looking forward to being able to try this on my video iPod!

Arty, modern 21C offers feast for the senses

This is an amazing hotel--they even offer an iPod in every room, pre-programmed with the guest's favorite music. Guests can take the iPod home--but it will be charged to their credit card.

Sounds like a great place--too bad it's in Louisville, KY!

Picoflyer contents

Very cool--world's smallest RC helicopter. The Picoflyer has 60mm diameter rotors and is incredibly tiny!

Unfortunately, you can't buy it--Prox only does R&D for other companies. Sounds to me like they ought to start manufacturing them!

Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Review (pics, specs)

A good review of the ThinkPad T60, which I think is the ultimate laptop (next to the new Mac!).

Jabra BT800

Preliminary review

I picked up a Jabra BT800 the other day at CompUSA ($99 manager's special; $149 retail and street price is ~$119). My previous headset (a circa 2001 Jabra BT200) literally fell apart on me--which wasn't unexpected when you consider that I've been using the same one for five years. Incidentally, the BT200 was Jabra's first Bluetooth headset ever and has been a great performer for me.

When contemplating the purchase of a new headset, I had already decided to go with a new Jabra as I was very pleased with the performance (and longevity) of my previous unit. After reviewing the Jabra line, which now spans around 10 different Bluetooth headsets, I had narrowed my choice down to two options: the BT800, which is literally the state-of-the-art unit (more on that later), and the BT500, which is the latest incarnation of their original Bluetooth headset.

Being a gadget guy, I was immediately drawn to the BT800, which has a number of state-of-the-art features:

1. LCD display that shows incoming caller ID information and enables the headset to have a menu system (more on that later);

2. Digital signal processing (DSP) technology: allows the headset to automatically adapt to environmental noise levels (e.g. if you walk outside into a noisy environment, the unit automatically raises the volume level!). DSP also allows the unit to cancel wanted noises, which benefits both the wearer as well as the person on the other end of the call.

3. On-the-ear design: unlike the BT200/500 series, which rides on the back of the ear and involves inserting an "ear gel" into the ear canal, the BT800 is much easier to don as it rides on the top of the ear.

4. Vibrating alerts and ring tones: the BT800 can vibrate and/or generate its own ringtone when the phone rings. The former is nice when you have the unit in a pocket and the latter is nice when you have the unit on your ear--both particularly so if your phone isn't on you when it rings.

5. USB and AC charging: the unit can be charged either via a standard AC "wall wart" or via a supplied USB cable--which means you can charge the unit directly from a PC>

6. Upgradeability: since the unit has a USB cable for charging, Jabra also took advantage of this feature to allow a PC to upgrade the software running on the unit, which I have already taken advantage of.

7. Menu system: through a combination of buttons on the unit and a "jog" switch, plus the LCD display, the user can configure the unit completely using the menu system. This includes pairing the unit (which can also be achieved by pressing a recessed dedicated pairing button), changing the earpiece ring tones, and even reviewing a list of incoming phone numbers. The latter is particularly interesting, as the unit can actually instruct the phone to dial a number in the earpieces' call list--a really cool feature.


8. Battery life: the unit has 6 hours talk and 125 hours standby time, which is excellent.

Field Testing

As you might suspect, I had to take the unit "in the field" for some testing, and so far the results are impressive. I was using the BT800 yesterday on my way in to work, which involves walking from a parking lot to a commuter light rail train, when three buses drove by me (very loud diesels). I reflexively reached for the volume control when I noticed that the Jabra had automatically increased the volume for me--very cool--and I was able to continue the conversation without having to adjust the volume. I also noticed that the Jabra does a decent job of dealing with wind--a 15 mph wind did not bother it, although later in the day a 30 mph wind rendered it unusable (not a big surprise--no headset can deal with wind very well). The unit also deals very well with background noise--to an extent. In noisy environments, the unit's DSP circuitry definitely helps, but once it gets too noisy, not even high-tech wizardry can help.

In summary, so far I am very impressed with the BT800--it's a nice melding of high-tech with usability. We'll see how I like it after the "honeymoon" period is over, but if my past experience with Jabra units is any indicator, the BT800 will be a long-term tool!