IpodVideo
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When Steve says "No" we hear "Maybe." Here's why.
In a recent TUAW post, I wondered whether a closed Mac system might be in Apple's future in addition to the standard Mac offerings. Despite the existence of Apple TV, some are dubious. After all, Steve Jobs said no (or, more accurately "nope") to a correspondent who recently asked about a Mac App store under a far more universally closed system than the scenario floated yesterday. Jobs has said "no" (and "nope") before. Sure, we at TUAW love Uncle Steve, but when Jobs says "no," we're not always sure that he really, really means it. The following list includes TUAW's 6 top Steve Jobs "no way" moments. Each of these transformed into "yes way" actions some time after Apple's denial. It's not as if Apple doesn't mean "no" when it says "no." It's just that like any other corporation, Apple often moves in unexpected directions based on consumer pressure. And sometimes Pinocchio's nose grows a teeny tiny bit.
Sparkz projector / dock for iPhone displays your videos, empties your wallet (video)
If you're in the market for an Apple handheld-friendly pico projector, you're in luck. Sparkz is a bulbous white dock that will play nice with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPod video, as well as your favorite A/V and VGA sources. Featuring 640 x 480 resolution, a 60-inch viewing area, and stereo speakers, it can be yours for the low, low price of -- $495? Well, it will charge your iPhone. And it does come with a tripod. And, to be honest, a 60-inch viewing area is none too shabby. If you think it's worth it, by all means hit that read link and snatch one up. In the meantime, we'll content ourselves with watching the video of the thing in action. It's after the break, and it's free.
An ode to my iPod video
How do I love my iPod video? Let me count the ways. Seriously, I adore this small piece of technology. It's nearly 3 years old now -- I ordered it the first day it was available -- and this 5th generation 30GB iPod video unit is still chugging along and making our lives better. First and foremost, it is an absolutely fab music player. Apple did it right. My iPod offers all the audio control I could ask for including my much-beloved parental controls that keep my kids from blasting out their ear drums. On behalf of parents everywhere, thank you Apple for giving my kids' ears a chance to grow up. I'm not a serious audiophile, fussing about detailed audio reproduction. I have listened to music of every genre, podcasts, audio books and so forth on this thing and it still sounds great. The iPod video is the perfect size. It fits in my hand and my pocket, my purse and my backpack. It's quite a bit smaller and lighter than my iPhone despite its onboard hard drive. More of my overflowing praise for the iPod video below...
DIY iPod video projector boosts utility
There's only one thing (okay, so maybe that's a stretch) that we love more than a mod that gives you all sorts of bragging rights: a mod that adds all sorts of utility. Tanntraad's most recent concoction -- a DIY iPod video projector -- most certainly ratchets up the PMP's functionality, as this homegrown device requires no external power, a ridiculously small amount of parts and no prior experience as a projectionist. Needless to say, the resulting unit blows up the video on your iPod for an entire room to see, and while we're sure the quality is nothing to write home about, you can give it a go yourself by following the instructions in the read link below.
Playing Google Video on iPhone
Sure, we'd all love to watch Flash-based videos on the iPhone, but until Apple actually implements Flash in MobileSafari, everything but YouTube (with its builtin player) is off limits. Or is it? Check out this little trick, in which you can use the "Download for Video iPod" option on Google video to watch almost any video instantly.Now, my guess is that this trick presupposes a few things, first of all that you have a network connection from the iPhone that can stream video instantly. Also, I'm not quite sure where the video itself gets stored-- is there a temp directory in MobileSafari that would store this stuff? I doubt that the video itself would get added to your iPhone's videos library, but that may be the case.At any rate, if you've got the connection (and maybe the space) for it, this is an easy, no-jailbreak way to watch any Google videos (or any other iPod-formatted web videos, I'd guess) that offer themselves up for download.Thanks, Kit!
Apple's 5.5G iPods receive stealthy price cuts
While everyone's busy trying to figure out which particular shade of brushed metal Apple's new iMacs are going to show up in, a few major online retailers have quietly trimmed 5.5G iPod prices. Apple, who usually keeps a pretty tight rein on its product prices throughout various retail channels, hasn't matched the cuts on the Apple Store, but you can currently score a 30GB or 80GB iPod (with video) for about $20 off at Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City and J&R online stores. Notable exceptions include Target's online store, and Wal-mart, which doesn't sell iPods online. It's anyone's guess as to what actually sparked these price drops. It could be a way for traditional retailers to compete with Apple's aggressive back to school promotions, an attempt by Apple to clear away excess stock in preparation for a brand new iPod, or perhaps just a good old-fashioned price cut. Perhaps we'll know more on August 7th?[Thanks, Matthew]
Clever iPod advertising in South Africa
Starting with the infamous 1984 Super Bowl television commercial, Apple's advertising campaigns have become almost as unique and interesting as their retail products. Check out some images of this recent campaign, created by Net#Work BBDO in South Africa to announce the functionality of video iPods. Staged in movie theaters, the campaign featured tiny boxes of popcorn that bore the slogan, "iPod: Movies in your pocket," as well as tiny movie posters and even an iPod-sized trailer on the big screen. Pretty clever.Thanks, Ivan!
100GB upgrade for 5G iPod available
So you've got an 80GB iPod, but it's bursting at the seams with all of those movies. Wouldn't an extra 20GB be handy? Check out this hard drive upgrade from PDASmart. For $275US, you can get a 100GB upgrade for the 30GB, 60GB or 80GB iPods with video. The drive is a brand new Toshiba MK1011GAH, and includes warranties from both the manufacturer and PDASmart.Note that the 30GB upgrade will include a higher capacity battery and a new back for the iPod, as its size will be increased to that of an 80GB iPod. They offer a mail-in service as well. Be the hippest geek on your block![Via iPodHacks]
Apple prepping for an all-flash iPod lineup?
Could Apple be getting ready to finally kick those hard drives to the curb and go with flash memory across its iPod lineup? At least one man seems to think so: Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, who compares the swap to Apple's move in 2005 from the 1-inch HDD iPod mini to the NAND flash iPod nano. "Flash memory is clearly more expensive on a $/GB basis than hard disk drives," he says. "However, the late 2005 Nano transition to flash provides a guide as to the point at which the previously mentioned non-cost advantages of flash memory outweigh the cost premium." Apple is in a position to bump its HDD capacities to 120GB thanks to recent advances in perpendicular recording, but while that's great for video capacity, the fact remains you can only get 5.5 hours of video playback out of one of the current models, making additional capacity seemingly a low priority. Tortora sees 32GB as being cost-feasible for later this year, but we'd be surprised to see Apple segment its market with low capacity flash-based video iPods and high capacity HDD-based video iPods, so perhaps they'll manage to swing a 64 gigger by then. Speaking of video iPods, Tortora also claims the next generation of iPods will include an iPhone-esque wide touchscreen, WiFi for Apple TV streaming, and GPS functionality -- something that's been hinted at in certain Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard rumors. Jesse Tortora's track record isn't the greatest, his calls on the iPhone were pretty well off the mark, but the move to flash he details sounds reasonable, and while WiFi and GPS in an iPod seems like a distant dream at the moment, we're sure we could make room in our heart for such functionality.
Sakar offers up iView PVP for iPod video
We'll admit, we definitely admired Belkin's prototype version a lot better, but Sakar is doing something with its iPod-engulfing PVP that Belkin currently isn't -- bringing it to market. The iView player mimics a portable DVD player in just about every major aspect, including the seven-inch widescreen display, built-in stereo speakers, thin frame, AV output, and rechargeable battery, but instead of letting users load up their favorite disc, it sports a sunk-in socket for one's iPod video along with a dock connector to seat your Apple and keep it well hidden while in use. While we're not positive about when Sakar plans on rolling this thing out, nor if it'll come in a white color scheme to compliment the black, it'll run you $150 when it finally lands.[Via pdaBlast]
iTunes and iPod Video Viewing take off
More and more people are cutting back their TV watching in favor of catching their favorite shows on their computer and portable devices according to a report in TechNewsWorld. Nearly half of all on-line viewers say they watch less traditional TV, including those who only watch an on-line show once a week. The BBC commissioned a survey about viewing habits and discovered that about 75% of those surveyed said their computer and mobile TV watching has increased from a year ago. Apple's growing video content in iTunes is helping to feed this trend, allowing consumers to catch missed shows or take their shows with them on iPods.
Do you watch video on your iPod?
I'm a big iPod video watcher. I love watching my shows while waiting on slow lines or at the dentist or at the DMV. My kids watch video when we're carpooling and my husband has a boatload of old John Wayne movies digitized that travel with us when we go to hotels. Perhaps we're not the most normal iPod users on Earth, but we use the iPod video features a lot. More than we even use the audio.According to a recent study by Nielsen, we're completely out of step with most people.Ars Technica reports that the demand for iPod video features is greatly overblown--if you believe Nielsen. After following 400 iPod users for a month, Nielsen concluded that a very small number of iPod users are interested in the video functionality of their iPod.Now before you jump to any conclusions, keep in mind that those 400 users weren't all using video iPods--nearly a third didn't own or use video iPods. The Nielsen numbers suggest that only about 1% of the content played on the iPods they surveyed was video, a pretty pathetic showing. Even after restricting iPod use to video iPods, that number only rose to 2.2%.Surprising, isn't it?So what about you, TUAW readers? Do you use your iPod for video? Or are you mostly music listeners out there? Let us know in the comments as we conduct our own unscientific and highly skewed poll.
Make a screensaver for your iPod 5G
I'm not sure why your iPod needs a screensaver, or whether this particular effect can really be called a screensaver, but since several of you have sent us this tip, there must be some interest in it! This how-to is so short I'm going to re-post it all it here: create a folder on your iPod named "Demo Mode" - this requires that you have Disk mode enabled on the iPod. in iTunes, rename any video "Demo" keep the iPod connected and let it and iTunes idle for 2 minutes magically the "Demo" video will start to play So really this isn't a screensaver so much as a tethered demo mode, which would have some usefulness in a retail or kiosk setting but not so much usefulness in any other setting. Plus, I think you can already designate videos (and certainly slideshows) to repeat or loop, so I'm not sure this is really needed it all! I may be wrong about videos repeating, though, so don't quote me.
Apple launches "enhanced" 5.5G iPod
Not quite the video iPod we were hoping for, not by a long shot, but Apple is refreshing their flagship iPod (with video) models today with a whole lotta' software love, and a couple hardware tweaks for good measure. The screen is now 60% brighter, the battery can last up to 3.5 hours during video playback, and the iPod includes new headphones, but otherwise the specs remain the same. As for software, the iPod is finally getting gapless playback, text-based search and brightness controls, along with a whole slew of games. The 'Pod has Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma bundled, and you can nab new games for $5 each off of iTunes. Maybe the best news is that Apple is dropping the prices and bumping the storage: you can get a spankin' new 30GB iPod for $250, and the new 80 gigger for $350. No word yet on availability.
ViewSonic busts out ViewDock display series for iPods
We can't say with absolute certainty that every single device type known to man has now been outfitted or retrofitted with an iPod dock, but we sure are getting pretty dang close. ViewSonic's new ViewDock display series brings the iPod to your LCD, allowing you to view video, photos and those oh-so-cute menus at up to 65 times larger than an iPod screen. The displays also feature multiple USB 2.0 ports, an 8-in-1 card reader, a microphone, integrated speakers and a subwoofer to really bring the convergence. Of course, the average computer has most of those features already, along with copies of your iPod media if you're docking at your traditional computer, but what's the fun in that? We're otherwise slim on details for the new displays, with ViewSonic merely claiming "ultra-fast" response times, "high" brightness and contrast ratios and "wide" viewing angles. We've also yet to find a pic of these ViewDocks, but we'll be sure to update when we find one.[Pic courtesy of bit-tech, thanks Ben D.]
iScorch to the rescue
I lost my lighter to airport security the other day. So I was resigned to being unprepared for the inevitable flame tribute to the bands at the Lyons Folks Festival tonight. That is, until I came across this post at Cult of Mac about the iScorch. I'll just hold up my iPod Video and let this video be my torch. There's also an iScorch for the Nano and the iPod Photo.
Alpine's KCE-415i car interface for iPod video
As followup to that audio-only Alpine KCA-420i iPod interface from oh, about 2 years ago, it looks like Alpine has been quietly pumping out an iPod video capable KCE-415i unit in Europe for the last month. Yet a North American KCA-415i version is, at best, stil only on display on the trade show circuit. The E-variety 415i retails for about $100 and allows you to play/pause, skip, fast-forward/rewind the main 5G iPod directly from your Alpine MultiMedia station or overhead monitor with additional controls available from the Alpine head unit, remote control, or iPod itself. The interface is seen by your Alpine system as an external DVD source and not only charges your iPod's battery, but allows the iPod to be switched on/off via your car's ignition system. The unit provides composite or S-Video outs and as you'd expect works with a wide-variety of Alpine monitors. So just kick-in the autosync on your iTunes season subscriptions and you'll never suffer the lack of fresh, child numbing content on those long-haul trips again. [Thanks, Jeff G]
New patent covers wireless iPod video conferencing
These iPod-related patents get more outlandish by the minute, and this one might not even be from Apple, but we thought we'd run it by you all the same. The patent seems to refer to what could at least be an iPod accessory. It isn't filed by Apple, but since it continuously refers the the iPod specifically, it seems the device is somehow closely related. Clearly evident is an ability to do iChat AV-style video conferencing over a wired or wireless connection. References to "wherein the handheld video device is an improved iPod" give us hope that this device will work with some sort of next-generation wireless iPod, possibly even a phone version. The patent also covers the use of the iPod as a video server or to receive video streams from the Internets (World Cup, anyone?) which we're sure quite a few fans of the little device could find useful. There's also the chance that these pictures that include a phone are merely the dreams a patent squatter, or that the bare-bones approach of plugging in an external camera and headset will be as far as anybody goes with these video capabilities. But we can always dream, right?[Via Macsimum News]
ezGear's ezVision Video GlassesHMD
Until full-color flexible displays start hitting the market in who knows how many years, the only way to get big-screen video enjoyment on the go (besides holding your iPod right up to your face) is by attaching your device to a head-mounted display. Far from the bulky eyesores they once were, HMDs have thankfully evolved to the point where you don't look completely goofy sporting a pair in public, so there will probably be some interest in a new low-profile model called the ezVision Video iWear Glasses. Typical of these devices, instead of advertising the actual size of the LCDs, manufacturer ezGear only claims that the ezVisions simulate a 50-inch widescreen TV at some undetermined distance. You also get an 8-hour rechargeable battery, iPod and RCA breakout cables, and a replaceable nose piece, all for $400 direct from the manufacturer, or perhaps less when they arrive at retailers later this month.[Via Yahoo]Update: Sounds like ezGear was using "iWear," a trademark belonging to another company, without permission. Woops! Call 'em the ezVision Video Glasses.
Improve your at bat with an iPod
The Colorado Rockies are using iPods (with video) to help their players improve their batting skills. It seems that one iPod can hold five seasons worth of at bats for a particular player, letting the ball player review his performance at his convenience. The Rockies also plan to equip their talent scouts with iPods containing videos of potential draft picks.[via iLounge]
