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Track your billable hours with On The Job
If you've got the type of job that requires you to track your billable hours, check out On The Job by Stunt Software. It's got a very iTunes-like interface and makes tracking the tasks associated with a given job really easy. Simply create one folder per job, and store the associated tasks inside. Click the "Play" button when you clock in, and the meter starts running. Click it again, and it stops (See? Easy). On The Job even creates a nice invoice that you can print with a click (Ok, two clicks).It's pretty nice, and a single license will cost you $24.95 (requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or later). Incidentally, Stunt Software is giving away one iPod nano at the end of April, as well as 30 free licenses for On The Job (one every day in April). That should make work a little more tolerable.
iPod homage seen from space
Sometimes even his Steveness is guilty of having too much time on his hands. Apparently, Mr. Jobs won an abandoned mineral mine in Australia in a game of poker (or so the digg post says). So what does Steve do with the land? Why, construct the world's largest homage to the iPod, of course! The site can be seen from space (Google Maps link) and still looks to be a work in progress - but wow. I wonder if this is Apple's attempt at putting little white music players in the hands of little green men.
Daring Fireball on "The iPod Juggernaut"
John Gruber has published a glaringly well-written piece that dissects the iPod's unstoppable success, why things are going so well and why analysts should simply remove the term "iPod-killer" from their vocabulary. While it might be a bit lengthier than your typical "iPods are great, Dell sucks" blog post, it is a wholly educational and darn solid argument worth every word. So head on over to Daring Fireball (click the Read link below) to find out why Apple can't make the same mistakes they made in the 80's, how Apple is out-innovating everyone despite their monopoly, and to hear an actually compelling case for why the iPod's competitors should just close shop - especially since one already has.
Volkswagen to enhance iPod connectivity
Let's face it, people want computing power in their cars. We've seen people cram their Mac minis into their vehicles, and many manufacturers now offer factory-installed iPod connectivity as an option. Volkswagen must have been paying attention to both trends, as their new prototype interface demonstrates. It's called "Gypsy," and really is a PC in the car's dashboard. There's a slot into which an iPod can be inserted (not in the glove box, but right on the dashboard), and a screen from which the iPod can be completely controlled. Browse any playlist, genre, artist...just as if you were using the iPod itself.It's still under development, but it looks pretty cool. CNET has a video of Gypsy interacting with an iPod.
The happiest iPod cables you've ever seen
When manufacturers have created every single iPod accessory that could possibly be conceived, what's left? Why, the cables, of course!Check out the CableGuys iPod cables by Speck. You can grab a set of AV cables for $19.95US, a USB-to-iPod (dock connector) cable for $19.95US or a three pack including a headphone splitter, iPod-to-stereo and a 1/8" mini to 1/8" mini cable for $24.95US. Each cable bears a happy, smiling face what will make you feel so pleased to be using your iPod. Or something. [Via Joshua]
Rig of the Day: The serious photographer
Flickr user and TUAW reader Pete Baker isn't fooling around. Check out his photography rig: 60GB iPod photo iPod camera connector 12" Powerbook Also included is a slew of nice equipment, like a Canon 20D w/a 17-40 L mm lens, pro light meter, Olympus Stylus Epic, oodles of film and more. "Gear Box" posted by treemeat.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day (usually) to highlight.
NES emulator for the iPod
First it was Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man, and now the enterprising geeks at the iPod Linux project have written a NES emulator for the iPod. So far, Megaman, Spiderman, Skate Or Die and Guerilla War work fine, while Tetris, Super Mario Brothers and a few others are still a bit crash-tastic.If you've got the skills (and free time), why not lend these folks a hand in getting a few more games up and running. And before you ask "why," let me provide you with the answer: Because we can.
Belkin introduces TunePower
The folks at Belkin understand that you want to watch video on your iPod, and for a greater amount of time than its battery will allow. So, they've introduced the TunePower rechargeable battery pack. When fully charged, the TunePower will run your iPod for 8-10 hours all on its own. Also, it ships with several attachments that will allow you to use it with any iPod model with a dock connector.Finally, the included detachable DC/FireWire cable will charge both your iPod and the TunePower simultaneously. Pretty cool. You can grab one for $79.99US, and it's shipping now.
Turn your iPod packaging into a speaker
It's good to be frugal. Waste not, want not, right? If that's your credo, then check this out. Basically, it's a tiny, box-shaped speaker that fits just beautifully inside an iPod box. Just connect your iPod to the speaker box with an audio cable and enjoy the heart-pounding mono sound! You can pick one up for about $38US...if you're in Japan.Darn.[Via Engadget]
Rig of the Day: Powerbook, MacBook, iMac, Newton
Remember our "Rig of the Day" feature? Yeah, me too. Today's entry features a Powerbook, a MacBook Pro, an iMac, an iPod and an oh-so-beautiful Newton 2100. Isn't it nice to see siblings getting along so well?"My New Improved Setup" posted by \~{Foolery}~/ . If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day (usually) to highlight.
French radio station giving away Michael Jackson edition iPod
French radio station “Nostalgie” (did I get that right? Help me out, French speakers) is giving away limited-edition Michael Jackson iPods. The 30GB, numbered iPods (1-100) feature an engraved portrait of the singer as well as the text:"VisionaryMichael JacksonThe Video Singles"The prize package also includes a dual disc box set of Jackson music and videos. Good luck, Jackson fans.[Via macosXrumors]
The iPod as demand for action
Believe it or not, not everyone loves the iPod. While I don't count myself among the haters, I do see how this is sort of obnoxious. Tiny stickers that, when affixed to your iPod shuffle, announce either your desire to engage in conversation or your wish to be left completely alone. Hey, I'm glad that you're enjoying your iPod, but I don't need to have the thing telling me what to do.Now, I understand (I think) the idea here. Typically, the act of wearing headphones in public sends a clear "leave me alone" signal. The "Talk to me" sticker would come into play if a person was open to chat despite the fact that s/he was wearing headphones (In fact, the stickers were born as a result of Marco Siebertz's senior thesis exploring the social implications of using headphones, specifically as a sign for non-communication). An interesting idea, but I still think that the same result could be achieved through other means, like eye contact, a smile or, heaven forbid, actually turing your darn iPod off for a minute or two.[Via The Blog Herald]
Wireless iPod transceiver coming from Apple and Jabra
Rumors of the iPod going bluetooth have been flying around for at least a year or two now, and it sounds like there is finally some truth to them. Sort of. While Apple isn't building bluetooth into the iPod itself, iLounge picked up on a Chinese Times report that Apple has green-lighted Jabra to develop a bluetooth wireless iPod attachment. iLounge notes that the attachment will be a transceiver, capable of sending and receiving both music and data between other devices, which I would imagine could include computers, headphones, and bluetooth speakers.The attachment is slated to go on sale in Q3 of 2006, though no price is set yet. With an attachment like this on the horizon, however, I would imagine Apple doesn't have any plans for the iPod to adopt bluetooth on the inside anytime soon.[via iLounge]
Podner reaches version 1.5
The folks at Splasm Software have released Podner 1.5. Podner is the utility that preps your video files for the iPod quickly and easily. New to version 1.5: Enhanced cropping features DV performance improvements support for iMovie HD projects There's more, of course, and you can get the full run-down here. While you're at it, don't forget that Splasm are looking to rename Podner (thanks to Apple legal). If your suggestion is used, a free license is yours.Podner requires Quicktime 7.0 or better, iTunes 6.x and Mac OS 10.4 or better. It will cost you $9.95US.
Newly proposed French law does not penalize Apple
First off, I would like to note that this post is an opinion piece, and though it contains facts, the opinions contained therein are definitely biased towards open source, open standards, the freedom of software programmers, and technological innovation.France's Assemblé Nationale voted in yesterday evening the DADVSI, a rather hideous proposal which will most likely become law when France's Sénat deems it constitutional and President Chirac signs it. Both of the latter are likely as the president is of the same majority right party (UMP) as the Assemblé Nationale. The New York Times (and Slashdot) have noted incorrectly that the law will contain clauses for interoperability required of iTunes and iPods, but those amendments did not make it into the final proposal voted on Thursday night. Read on for a breakdown of the law as it currently awaits, almost certain, approval.
Coming Soon: Keyboard with iPod Dock
Via XYZ Computing comes this interesting tidbit. The popular gaming peripheral maker, Razer, will soon be releasing a keyboard with a built-in iPod dock. It's likely to cost $99 and will have a number of programmable keys and will almost certainly be USB 2.0.I generally don't like most of the 3rd-party keyboards on the market, which I think are universally ugly and uncomfortable, but I do like the idea of a having an iPod dock in my keyboard. Should be interesting; this is one I'll be watching.
Microsoft: We created the iPod packaging parody
Well, here's one we didn't see coming. You may remember the video that was floating around a couple of weeks ago that poked fun at Microsoft by illustrating what the iPod's packaging might look like if Redmond were in charge. Well, according to this article at the iPod Observer, the video was created at Microsoft itself. According to Microsoft spokesman Tom Pilla, the video was "...an internal-only video clip commissioned by our packaging [team] to humorously highlight the challenges we have faced RE: packaging and to educate marketers here about the pitfalls of packaging/branding."Wow, so the folks at MS can make a joke, and a good one at that. I'm impressed.
Use iPod charger to refuel your 360 controller
Yes, we know you can continue to charge the 360 controller using the Play and Charge kit if it's plugged in before turning the console off (the so-called "trickle charge" method). We also know you could just buy some affordable, long-lasting Ni-MH AA rechargeables and be done with it. But you can't deny that plugging the business end of your Play and Charge cable into the iPod charger to juice it up sans system is pretty cool. I'd give this a shot, but I'm a AA rechargeables kind of guy, not to mention my 3G iPod charger is Firewire only. There have to be a couple good uses for this besides not wanting to turn your 360 on. Anyone? [Via digg]
Play Pac-Man on an iPod MAME cabinet
The next step in the iPod's journey from being just a digital audio player to a device that does literally everything is the iPod MAME project. The emulator--a very much unsupported emulator for iPod linux--allows you to play such legendary games as Pac-Man on a range of iPods. We assume that the emulator will play other MAME games (no telling how well), but since the only iPod available for us to test is a chunky 3G iPod, we can't test this theory. In the meantime, check out Scott's nano MAME cabinet pictured on the right. Scott's been working hard to fine tune the graphics for the iPod's display, as well as creating a custom MAME cabinet to play the games on.[Via Boing Boing]See also:Play Doom on your iPodiPod linux project spawns Game Boy emulatoriDoom: now (very) playable on the iPod nano
Star Wars iPod Cover
Proof that when it comes to iPod cases, there's something for everyone. An official Star Wars-themed iPod cover for only $29.95. It's not for me (I think it's ugly), but I know a few Star Wars fans who would buy this. At least you can use the clickwheel though the case (unlike another overpriced case that was recently released).Note: There are a few more Star Wars cases that aren't quite so hideous.
