iMuffs headphones from Wi-Gear improve sound, work wirelessly with most iPods

In the world of iPod accessories—4,000-plus and counting—the ones worth the money are those that improve the listening experience. I have two for you today, one that will be great when the bugs are worked out and a pair of headphones that makes iPod portability even better.

Let’s start with the almost-there product. “Almost” because it worked with some iPods I tested, but not all. I often won’t write about a product proving unreliable, but I really like what this does and, more importantly, I believe that the people building it will soon get it right.

It’s called miShare, and the simple, rectangular gadget is smaller than a standard iPod but bigger than the redesigned Nano (affectionately dubbed the “fatty”). At both ends there is a 30-pin adapter to connect two iPods to transfer songs from one to another.

And it works, mostly.

Plug an iPod with the music to share into the source end. Let’s call this the “pitcher.” (Hey, baseball season is here!) At the other end, plug into the “catcher” iPod to receive the music.

Unfortunately, my 80-gigabyte iPod did not work as a catcher. But as a pitcher, it sent songs to my fatty. With the fatty, I was able to share music—as a pitcher and catcher—with a colleague’s iPod.

That’s why I love this little gadget. It’s designed to swap music between friends, so you can share iPod playlists and tips on new artists. This is very convenient and fast; songs move over in seconds.

There are a few reasons why I had trouble with some iPods.

First, it will not work with the Touch and the iPhone, yet.

Second, the catcher iPod must be in “manual” update mode. When you plug your iPod into a computer to sync it, the default setting is for automatic updates, but it is easy to switch to manual. In manual, whenever you add music, movies or photos to your computer and want it on the iPod, you instruct the iPod to pick up that content.

But changing this setting on my 80 gb iPod didn’t fix my problem.

Third, the miShare developers—two guys working from a Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment—are working out some bugs. My big iPod, for instance, has too much data on it, causing transfer problems. But the fatty, which can hold up to 8 gb worth of content, did not have that issue.

This issue and some others—you can share video and photos too, but not seamlessly—will be addressed in a software upgrade set for release in a few weeks, said co-founder Nathaniel Wice. He called my issue an “intermittent problem” related to the iTunes database.

Another update will follow to address compatibility issues with the Touch and iPhone.

Wice called the development of miShare, which runs on the open-source Linux platform, a “constant” work in progress. “Designing something that’s easy to use is a process.”

When it works, it is easy to use. The device has one function button. Just make an “on-the-go” music playlist on the iPod and press the function button. The songs move over.

But not all songs. To address the obvious legal issues of sharing music between iPods, songs protected by digital rights management software—primarily those bought at Apple’s iTunes store—won’t play on the catcher iPod.

Some people might question the ability to share music so freely, but this is a legal device designed for one-to-one sharing. It’s not a piece of file-sharing software where thousands of people can get a copy of a song.

Despite the early flaws, I recommend miShare. It will only improve, and the software on the device can be upgraded so you won’t have to buy another. It is sold for $100 at www.miShare.com, and discussions are under way with a major brick-and-mortar retailer, Wice said.

A sound enhancement

Regular readers know I often recommend iPod buyers improve the sound with new headphones.

The iMuffs do that plus provide a great wireless connection via Bluetooth. They are made by Wi-Gear and can be bought on the firm’s site, Wi-Gear.com.

The model I tested sold for $150 and paired easily and quickly with each iPod I tested, except one, the iPod Touch. Wi-Gear has introduced a new model, the $180 MB210, which works with the Touch.

I also tested the iMuffs on a TV-playing phone, the Verizon Voyager, and was quite pleased that I could watch live games from the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament while listening with the iMuffs. Beautiful.

So, yes, these work with music-playing phones, except the iPhone. That’s Apple’s fault because it didn’t include a profile in that music phone for stereo Bluetooth headphones.

You might think the price for these headphones is high, but the iMuffs ship with a Bluetooth adapter for the iPod. That’s usually a $40 item sold separately.

Via  http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-tech-buzz-ipod-mishare-imar31,0,7036862.story

You’d never know it living in America™, but there’s an Apple out there that’s edgier and more colorful than the company’s work-a-day iPod advertising and marketing would lead you to believe.

The mothership’s US iPod TV ads and print ads (advertolog) still regularly receive praise for their look and content, but there’s more to their image than silhouettes.

Examples of Apple thinking different, riffing on itself, can be found in South Africa.

In fact, these ads are so cool, innovative and, well, just completely different than anything else out there, that Apple going ’round the web asking anyone who displays them to remove them, creativebits.

Of course, Cupertino has a strong interest in maintaining consistency. In truth, it’s one of the company’s hallmarks and that’s to be respected.

But neither a strong sense of brand identity nor an active legal team can keep us from looking…

Got links to cool, “non-standard” Apple advertising? Drop us a line and / or post ‘em in comments!

via  http://www.itunesmuse.org/files/460863153b5b036432fce2f57ab78ca1-17.html

Samsung has announced that it’s developed the world’s first 64 Gigabit (Gb) multi level cell NAND flash memory chip. It’s the eighth consecutive year that the density of flash memory has doubled, a feat that bodes well for portable devices like laptops and iPods.

By sandwiching together 16 of the new cells, Samsung says a 128GB memory card is now possible.

Flash to replace hard drives?

Currently, the capacity limitations of flash memory have hampered notebook manufacturers who want to use the technology instead of traditional hard discs. And one of the biggest criticisms of the current iPod touch is that 16GB-worth of storage just isn’t enough.

Samsung’s new chips could be the first step towards changing all that. Samsung says a maximum of sixteen of its 30nm flash devices can be combined. The result would be a 128GB memory card that could store 80 DVD resolution movies or 32,000 MP3 music files.

A 128GB card would also be big enough to replace the HDD in a notebook. Apple was linked with so-called Solid State Drives earlier this year. SSDs are not only lighter and faster than hard drives but they consume less power and are also considerably more robust as they have no moving parts.

Lighter, quieter laptops by 2009

These 128GB memory cards are likely to be very expensive, so the death knell isn’t quite sounding on the traditional hard drive just yet.

Samsung expects to begin production of 30nm-class 64Gb flash devices in 2009. And according to Gartner Dataquest, the accumulated sales for 64Gb NAND flash and higher density devices could reach up to $20 billion by 2011.

By the end of 2009, iSuppli has predicted that 28 per cent of ultra-portable PCs will use some form of flash memory for storage.

via http://www.tech.co.uk/computing/upgrades-and-peripherals/memory/flash-memory-cards/news/samsung-promises-128gb-flash-drives-by-2009?articleid=1180991810

As may know right now the newer iPod’s are encrypted. This stops everyone from developing any software for the iPod. To try to fix this please sign the following petition . It will only take 15 secs at the most and this could save the iPod modding community. Check out the iPodLinux and RockBox projects http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/FreeiPod

via http://digg.com/apple/Free_the_iPod_so_iPodLinux_and_RockBox_can_continue

The iPod video is one sexy player, but let’s face it: that tiny display is hardly suitable for any real video playback.

The Portable iPod Video Enlarger and DVD Player solves this problem by allowing you to integrate your 5th generation iPod and watch the movie on a 8 1/2-inch 16:9 widescreen LCD screen. That’s about 2.75 times bigger than the iPod’s screen.

According to the manufacturer, due to the use of active matrix technology, the LCD can redraw images faster than typical LCD monitors, resulting in a sharper, more detailed resolution.

It features dual headphone jacks so that two people can share the video player. Perfect for sharing with a friend or spouse on a long flight or drive. It also comes with a remote control and a strap for attaching to a car headrest.

via http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portable-ipod-video-enlarger-dvd-player

A study from May 2007 claimed that IPods interfere with the function of Pacemakers. However, a new study that will appear in April’s issue of Heart Rhythm found otherwise. But are Ipods or music to blame?.

In the study which included 55 patients, researchers found that mp3 players did have an effect on the computerized device used by doctors to check and recalibrate a heart device.

Which makes me wonder? Has anyone actually felt a disturbance while using an Ipod near a pacemaker and could the interference be caused by another technology? What is the effect of music on the heart? Can music change your heart rate?

An October 2005 study claims that it can. In this study, Italian and British researchers found that listening to music can influence your heart rate and how fast you breathe, especially if you’re a trained musician. So what were the scientists at Michigan State really measuring?

Check out the 2005 study on music and heartrate.

Check out the 2008 study by Children’s Hospital Boston.

Check out the 2007 study by the Michigan State University.

via   http://www.melissa-mcavoy.com/abilityedge/2008/03/27/can-ipods-mess-with-your-pacemaker/

Attention teenagers: There are many ways to see naked girls. Many. Even when I was a teenager, before there were terabytes of porn on the Internet, I found ways, and none of them got me arrested.

This guy from Iowa, though, he had different ideas. He stole a classmate’s iPod, then demanded that she video record herself doing some filthy, dirty sex things and send it to him to get it back.

Yah, he’ll be popular in Juvie Hall. Don’t be like this guy. Just use Google.

via  http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/03/27/dumbass-teen-holds-ipod-ransom-for-sexy-sexy-video-of-schoolmate-goes-to-jail/

Operating an iPod from across the room usually requires three devices: the iPod, a stereo dock and a remote. But Monster, the company best known for its fancy cables, has cut out the middle man. Its iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge lets you beam music from the iPod itself to a distant stereo.

The iSoniCast adds a dock to the stereo and a small broadcast card to the base of the iPod. The regular iPod touch wheel controls the music, so you can switch from jazz to blues when the mood strikes, even while circulating at a cocktail party.

The device can transmit up to 30 feet using the 2.4 gigahertz band, although 20 feet is a more reliable distance. It uses some battery power, shortening listening time.

Streaming at 4 megabits per second, the resulting music should sound better than a transmission over Bluetooth, but not up to CD standards.

The iSoniCast, which sells for $100, is compatible with any iPod with a 30-pin connector that fits in a dock — except the iPhone. Sorry, no crank calls over the stereo to amuse partygoers. ROY FURCHGOTT

via  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/technology/personaltech/27broadcast.html?ref=personaltech

These are instructions on how to jailbreak your iPod touch using iLiberty+ and Windows.

Before following these instructions you should have already restored your iPod touch to 1.1.4 using iTunes. You should have the iPod connected to your dock/computer and iTunes should have detected the iPod after restore at least one once!

Step One
Download iLiberty+ 1.2 from here, or here to your desktop.

Step Two
Double click the downloaded file (iLibertySetup_1.2.0.65.exe) on your desktop to launch the install program.

Step Three
Click the Next button to begin installation.

E

Step Four
Select the location to install iLiberty+ in and click the Next button.

 Step Five Enter a name for the iLiberty+ Start Menu Folder and click the Nextbutton.

Step Six
Check the box if you would like to add a iLiberty+ icon to your desktop then click the Next button.

Step Seven
Finally, click the Install button.

Step Eight
Once installation is complete you will be given the option to launch iLiberty+. Check the box next to Launch iLiberty+ then click the Finish button.

Step Nine
iLiberty+ will open onto the standard tab. Check the operations you would like to perform. If you are jailbreaking an iPod touch then you only have to have Jailbreak selected.

Step Ten
Click to select the Payloads tab. From here you can select additional payloads to install while jailbreaking. We will leave this alone for now and go back to the Standard tab. Note***: A tutorial on how to download and install payloads will be posted in the near future.

Step Eleven
Click the Go for it! button from the Standard Tab to begin.

Next I got a message that asked me to disconnect then reconnect my iPod touch and click the OK button.

Step Twelve
You will then notice a status bar appear. Unfortunately, mine only displayed until around 13% when the iPod rebooted into recovery mode and then it disappeared. No worries though, the jailbreak procedure continued and finished successfully. I was not notified that it did by the software. Just watch your iPod until it comes to rest at the \”Slide to unlock\” screen.

via   http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=850

ANTIOCH - A 17-year-old Antioch resident was robbed of his iPod at gunpoint Monday night behind a Wal-Mart store, police said. The teenager was walking home behind the store, 4893 Lone Tree Way, around 9:30 p.m. when he was confronted by four young men, Antioch police Sgt. Diane Aguinaga said. One suspect pulled a gun and stole the victim’s iPod.

No one was injured during the robbery.

The suspects were described as 18 to 20 years old, Aguinaga said.

The portable listening devices and cell phones have become popular robbery targets, police said.

Reach Matthias Gafni at 925-779-7174 or mgafni@bayareanewsgroup.com.

via  http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8693103