Apple giving away music and downloads during the iTunes 12 Days of Christmas

Apple’s 12 Days of Christmas campaign is eating away at 2008’s profitability figures by giving away one free iTunes download a day between December 26 and January 6th.

The songs and TV shows, some of which may be by people you’ve even heard of and are interested in, will pop up on the site each day, along with some interesting facts about the material in question, which may come in handy if you’re planning on attending a Christmas pub quiz.

You don’t get a choice. Today’s is ‘Video EP’ by Jason Mraz.

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The idea is no doubt meant to promote edgy new artists you otherwise wouldn’t bother listening to on the radio for free…

The Fusion Electronics CA-IP500 car stereo with unique iPod deep-throating dock action

Leaving your iPod sitting there in the ashtray while you pop into ASDA to see if they’re making jam or custard doughnuts in the bakery today is a definite no-no – so keep it safely hidden from view by ramming it right down into the stomach of the Fusion Electronics CA-IP500 music player.

The deep unit swallows an entire iPod, just like an old cassette-based car player, leaving it hidden from the view of opportunist thieves who want your iPod player for its potential eBay resale value and not your artistic tastes in music.

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It’s slightly unsettling tearing the poor thing’s face off and ramming an iPod down its throat, but as long as you don’t get too emotionally…

Calling all Bach lovers: get a limited edition iPod with composer's complete works

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Here’s a pretty amazing deal for anyone whose a big fan of Johann Sebastian Bach. The online classical download store Passionato has teamed up with Hanssler Classic to launch its limited edition 120GB iPod loaded up with Bach’s complete works.

The whole package, which includes a full DVD backup in case your iPod decides that it likes the German composer’s flavour, costs £499. The estimated cost of buying the complete works on CD is around £1,000, and a 120GB iPod classic costs £175, so you’re getting all that music (over 175 hours worth) for just over £300. Not bad if you’re a Bach nut…

Deafness charity finds 67% of you lot are listening to music TOO LOUDLY

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A survey conducted by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People discovered that two-thirds of us are listening to MP3 players at dangerously loud volume levels that could break our earholes for good.

The RNID accosted 246 people in the streets of Edinburgh and plugged listening gadgets into the headphone sockets of their MP3 players, testing the volume output levels. The level considered safe for blasting music…

Can you really turn your iPod touch into an iPhone with Truphone?

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Truphone, ever keen to promote its free and low-cost phone services, is appealing to those who want the Apple goodness of an iPhone but don’t want to pay large upfront bills or sign up to an extortionate monthly contract.

The “solution” is to buy an iPod touch, which is considerably cheaper than an iPhone (but still more expensive than a lot of mobile phones of course) and use Truphone’s application to make free calls over Wi-Fi to other Truphone or Google Talk users.

There are three fundamental problems with this if you’re hoping for an always on, out-of-the-box solution (don’t you love those kind of phrases?)…

RXS Bluetooth adaptors let you hook up your MP3 player

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RXS has just launched a couple of Bluetooth adaptors for MP3 players that’ll let you stream your tunes over to a Bluetooth-capable car stereo, or pair of speakers or headphones. There’s an iPod version (pictured above) and a rather clunkier version that plugs into any 3.5mm headphone jack that’s available.

The iPod version weighs just 4.5g, sits nicely against against your iPod, and comes in black, white and silver. The 3.5mm version is much bigger, contains a rechargable battery, charged via USB, with 10 hours of listening time battery life, and comes in white and black.

If you own a Bluetooth enabled car stereo or set of headphones, then these are a brilliant way to get stuff hooked up. They’re not the best-looking accessories in the world, and a little pricy at £30, but if you need the connectivity, then they’ll provide it.

RXS

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Logic3 releases iPod dock with valve amplifier

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iPod docks, as I’ve said before, are ten-a-penny around here. They’re not the most exciting product to write about, and every company in the world makes one. This, however, is something special. It’s got valves.

If you don’t know why that’s good, then go ask your neighborhood audiophile. It basically makes the music sound ‘warmer’, and valve amps have long been praised for the lovely feel that they give to sound and music. Of course they’re not cheap. This model costs £300. For that, you’re getting lovely lovely sound, a pair of 40W speakers (though you can plug in whatever speakers you like) and two auxiliary inputs, for plugging in your TV or stereo. Full specs are over the jump.

Apple's iPhone manages the extremely possible – overtakes Motorola's RAZR in America

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The fact that Motorola’s RAZR is the best-selling mobile in America one of those inexplicable regional events that defies all logic. Americans just like it and its flimsy, feature-light charms. So much so that it’s consistently been the best-selling phone out there for the last three years.

But not any more, as recent stats have shown that Apple’s popular-with-everyone iPhone has overtaken it, shifting 6.8 million units in the last business quarter. The RAZR was pushed down to second and RIM’s Blackberry Curve came in third, followed by LG’s Rumour and enV2…

Splash out on H2O Audio's iSH2 underwater iPod Shuffle case

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If you’re a swimmer, then you’ll know what a pain it is when cases that claim to be ‘waterproof’ leak, and your iPod suddenly dies mid-breaststroke. Well, here’s a waterproof case that has won an award for best iPod Shuffle case of the year, and intriguingly, clips to the back of your head.

Makers H2O Audio reckon that it’ll go down to 3.6m deep, and because it’s positioned on the back of your head, it reduces “water drag”. It’ll attach easily to your googles, so it won’t fall off, though what the sound quality is like on the attached headphones when you’re underwater remains to be seen. Oh, and did I mention it costs £60? Pick it up from the H2O Audio website.

H2O Audio

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Steve Jobs "heart attack" claim was done by a kid, on the internet, for a laugh

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News that Steve Jobs had suffered a “heart attack” swirled around the internet at the beginning of the month, triggering a 5.4% drop in Apple’s share price and causing panic among Apple fans and quite a few tears from more emotional hardware enthusiasts. Only he didn’t have a heart attack. It was a lie. A joke.

The not particularly hilarious “joke” was posted as news by an 18-year-old on “citizen journalist” site iReport, triggering a full investigation by the US government’s Securities and Exchange Commission after it hit Apple’s share price rather hard…