Tag: IPod
The true cost of the App Store
As you are well aware faithful readers – because we know you all pay diligent attention to every post we publish – the Apple iTunes App Store is celebrating its first birthday this week.
Whether you love the App Store or, in fact, think that it’s a pile of novelty nonsense as Dan hinted at on Monday, you might be interested to know its true value. How much would it cost to buy every single app available?
Well, American blog Busted Loop has done a bit of research and has revealed that in order to buy all 55,732 apps that were available as of 7th July 2009 you would need to fork out $144,326.06. That’s £89,366.57 in proper money. An average of about £1.60 per app.
The publisher with the most valuable portfolio of apps is Iceberg Reader, who offers best-selling books for its e-reader app. You would need £10,172.62 to buy all of their titles.
What is the value of your app collection? How much have you spent on apps? Let us know the usual way. Me – I’ve spent diddly squat. If someone can recommend me a paid app that I simply can’t be without then please do so. In the meantime, I’ll be browsing the app store like a celebrity backstage at an awards show – grabbing all the freebies that I can.
(via Busted Loop)
iPods save lives – it's official
A 14 year-old girl’s iPod could have been her saviour after the headphones attached to it diverted a lightning bolt away from her body during a storm.
Sophie Frost and her, quite brilliantly named, boyfriend Mason Billington were taking shelter under a tree when the incident occurred. Frost wasn’t listening to music at the time, instead the headphones were hanging around her school uniform. She received burns to her chest, stomach and legs and is currently recovering in hospital.
Sophie’s mother Julie told the Sun: “I just thank God my daughter is still alive. The doctors say her iPod saved her. Her nan only bought it a few days ago. Luckily, she wasn’t actually wearing the headphones. If she had been, she might not be here today. Mind you, the only thing Sophie seemed worried about was that her new iPod was frazzled.”
Great PR for Apple then. Surely not even Steve Jobs can conjure up lightning bolts though – can he?
(via The Press Association)
Microsoft unveil Zune HD – still not sexy
Microsoft has announced the arrival of the Zune HD, portable media player. The new Zune will aim to be a web surfing, digital radioing, multi-touch screened thorn in the side of the smug iPod touch.
Boasting a yummy 3.3 inch OLED screen (with 16:9 ratio) and HDMI output it looks like Microsoft are finally getting serious about taking on Apple’s iPod, although no comment was made as to the capacity or pricing of the new Zune.
You’ll be able to use the Zune to watch 720p HD video on your HDTV too, which is pretty neat. But looking at the release pictures, it doesn’t look like the Zune is going to rival the iPod in the sexyness stakes. Although an improvement on the original Zune which was undeniably hideously proportioned, the new Zune is still far from sexy.
Think of it as going from Nora Battie to Sonia Jackson – it’s only a bit better.
Microsoft might have done better to spend all the money they’ve spent on developing the Zune trying to tempt Jonathan Ive to come over to the dark side. Sorry, did I say dark side, I meant Microsoft, easy mistake to make.
(Via TechTree)
Embiggen your iPod to 240GB and 48,000 tracks
A company in Kalamazoo called Rapid Repair has started running an iPod upgrading service. Currently, the largest pod that Apple supplies is the 120GB classic which’ll only bag you 24,000 tracks at the most – not really enough for any true file junkies out there.
What RR does is to remove the old, small Apple HDD and, unfortunately, the guarantee with it, and replace it with a much more advanced but same sized 1.8″ Toshiba 240GB storage unit. Hey presto, a doubly big MP3 player.
It’ll cost you $300 plus whatever the postage might be to Michigan and back. With any luck someone this side of the Pond will clue up to the business which is turning a very tidy 25% profit incidentally. In the mean time, Rapid Repairs are looking into Zunes and other MP3 machines. Doubtless, the original manufacturers will be thrilled.
(via Small Business)
Etymotic shows off its ear-moulded headphones for the iPhone and iPod
Uber-high-end headphone manufacturer Etymotic is releasing a set of its personalised earphones for the iPhone and iPod. The hf2 Custom Fit headset integrates a microphone and ‘answer call’ button into the cord, so that you can use your iPhone without getting it out of your pocket.
A partnership with ACS (Advanced Communications Solutions) means that the headphones are custom-moulded to your ear. They stick a load of goo in your ear, which sets, and then produce a set of headphones the exact same shape as your inner ear.
That custom moulding ensures that a perfect fit is achieved, so the headphones are completely isolating. As a result, you can listen to music much more quietly and still get fantastic detail in the sound without damaging your hearing. They also stay put in your ear – they won’t fall out if you’re exercising.
I’ve tried the earphones myself, and they’re incredible – I’ve spent the last couple of days obsessively listening to all the songs I love, because everything sounds so much better. It’s amazing how much detail there is in songs that you’re often unaware of, even if you’re using a respectable pair of headphones already.
The custom-moulded headphones don’t come cheap. The kit is £90, plus another £90 for the fitting session. But if you’re an audiophile then that’s cheap for what you’re getting – almost perfect sound reproduction. Though, of course, you’ll need to re-encode everything into Apple’s lossless format to get the most out of it.
The hf2’s will be available from April 28th.
Obama gives the Queen an iPod
On Barack Obama’s official visit to Buckingham Palace last night, he handed over an iPod to the Queen as a gift, stuffed with video of her 2007 visit to the U.S. and a bunch of tracks from Broadway musicals including “Cats”, “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma!”.
Not that impressive, really, is it? It wasn’t even engraved with the Royal Seal. She’s already got one, too – a 6GB iPod Mini, which Prince Andrew suggested she buy in 2005. Her Maj was a little more classy – giving Obama her traditional gift of a framed photograph of herself and Prince Phillip.
(via Telegraph)
Next-gen Vuzix VR glasses will be unveiled at CES
You might remember Vuzix from the VR920s that I reviewed back in October. They were bulky, unresponsive, and difficult to configure. These, however, look like a different kettle of fish. Specifically, a kettle of fish shaped like a pair of really nice sunglasses.
As well as the design getting a massive kick up the arse, the new glasses should also feature improved screens with considerably better immersiveness than the older model. The glasses unveiled at CES will be the non-interactive ‘watch-videos-on-your-ipod’ version, but here’s hoping that an interactive gaming model like the VR920 will be released shortly after with the necessary built-in accelerometers.
(via Gadget Lab)
Related posts: SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: Vuzix iWear VR920 | Vuzix announces widescreen virtual reality glasses
Powermat – magnetic wireless mass gadget charger (assuming it works)
Something I’m looking forward to grill its manufacturers about at CES is the Powermat wireless gadget charger. It’s not, for me, of particular interest that there are no wires involved – technically speaking, there are – but it’s the idea that you can charge more than one device from just one power source.
From what I can gather, the mat itself plugs into the wall
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.
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
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…
