Into Tech

With 100 million iPods knocking around it’s easy to forget that other companies make decent digital audio players too.

Next month will see Sony’s latest Flash players arrive in the UK, sporting cool-looking OLED displays and 30-hour battery life. There will be a variety of colours and some will sport tuners.

The NX-E01x series will come in sizes ranging from 1GB to 4GB, with prices starting at £59. They will also sport some decent high-end earphones, a handy USB port and a mere three-minute charge will give you three hours of playback. -Martin Lynch

MP3 music Flash sony

You gotta love the well-oiled machine that is the Apple PR department. Just a week after EMI and Apple kicked DRM into touch – for a price, of course – Apple rolls out the impressive stats that the iPod has sold 100 million units. That’s impressive in anyone’s book.

Anyone would think there’s a link between the timing of these iPod-related announcements.

As the ‘fastest selling music player in history’, the iPod has had five versions and 10 different models.

Steve Jobs, in the official press release, wanted to thank you all for your continued support and, as a sign of his appreciation, tell you that for one day only iTunes downloads would be completely free and he’ll pick up the tab.

Hahahahahahahahahaha…

See what some famous people thunked about it after the jump.-Martin Lynch

“It’s hard to remember what I did before the iPod,” said Mary J. Blige, Grammy Award-winning singer. “iPod is more than just a music player, it’s an extension of your personality and a great way to take your favorite music with you everywhere you go.”

“Without the iPod, the digital music age would have been defined by files and folders instead of songs and albums,” said John Mayer, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist. “Though the medium of music has changed, the iPod experience has kept the spirit of what it means to be a music lover alive.”

“I take my running shoes and my iPod with me everywhere,” said Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France champion. “I listen to music when I run. Having my music with me is really motivating.”

news ipod itunes apple

NEW YORK, April 9 (Reuters Life!) - Apple Inc. has sold its
100 millionth iPod in just over five years, boasting on Monday
that the digital device was “the fastest selling music player
in history” that appeals to both young and old.

We all know that an iPod dock can be jammed into just about anything but that doesn’t mean that they should be. Take the iCarta iPod Dock and Toilet paper dispenser or the ball-shaped, wheeling robot, Miuro.

Now, we have the iPod fireplace, the FRP-4300. This butt-ugly slab of stone boasts a iPod dock on the side and a couple of flat 4 x 9in speakers – possibly NXT – which just look right at home, don’t they? You can have this majestic ‘focal point’ in 9 different finishes. I’ll take the Fireplace TV, thanks.-Martin Lynch

[Bornrich]

apple ipod fun geek

One of the most annoying aspects of iTunes, or any other music download service, is that once you’ve bought a few single tracks for your 79p each and you decide to opt for the full album, you end up paying for those few tracks again. Apple’s new ‘Complete That Album’ offering will now do away with that, thankfully.

If you buy a track and then decide later to get the album, you pay 79p less for the album since you already bought one of the tracks.

Somewhat overdue, it’s a good idea and certainly one of the best iTunes facilities yet. You have 180 days from your single track (s) purchase to get the rest of the album at the reduced price. Anyone see the High St. record stores following suit? -Martin Lynch

news technology gadgets ipod itunes apple

This object apparently elicited “oohs” and “aahs” of delight from Hollywood’s chosen few when they saw it as part of their pre-Oscar swag. Ewwwww. According to the PR blurb, this pet carrier brings “the 80’s boom box ideal back and turns it into THE accessory built for today’s fashion, technology, pet, celebrity and music-obsessed lifestyles.”

I pity the pets - no self-respecting dog would be seen dead in a bag made out of something Great-Grandma might have worn to clean the house. Just to warn you, Kathy Hilton was seen checking them out, no doubt with an eye on a solution for transporting Paris around in, following her daughter’s latest driving misdemeanor. – Ad Dugdale

iPod-compatible pet carrier [TUAW]

A 30-pound Plexiglas display case containing 42 iPod nanos walked out of an Apple Store in Boulder, Colorado, courtesy of either very sneaky shoplifters, snoozing store clerks, or some devious combination of the two. You’d think someone walking out of an Apple Store carrying a big glass box filled with $8705 worth of nanos would be rather conspicuous, but apparently in Boulder people do it all the time, since no one noticed anything suspicious and police have no suspects. So if you see a set of 42 nanos in a “handsome display case” up for sale on eBay this weekend, bid with caution. – Matt Buchanan

P.S. Cobbling together the information given to us and utilizing our crack Law and Order skills, we came up with a rendering of the suspect, which you can see on the right, so be on the lookout.

42 iPods stolen from Apple Store [Daily Camera]
image via Flickr

A 30-pound Plexiglas display case containing 42 iPod nanos walked out of an Apple Store in Boulder, Colorado, courtesy of either very sneaky shoplifters, snoozing store clerks, or some devious combination of the two. You’d think someone walking out of an Apple Store carrying a big glass box filled with $8705 worth of nanos would be rather conspicuous, but apparently in Boulder people do it all the time, since no one noticed anything suspicious and police have no suspects. So if you see a set of 42 nanos in a “handsome display case” up for sale on eBay this weekend, bid with caution. – Matt Buchanan

P.S. Cobbling together the information given to us and utilizing our crack Law and Order skills, we came up with a rendering of the suspect, which you can see on the right, so be on the lookout.

42 iPods stolen from Apple Store [Daily Camera]
image via Flickr

A 30-pound Plexiglas display case containing 42 iPod nanos walked out of an Apple Store in Boulder, Colorado, courtesy of either very sneaky shoplifters, snoozing store clerks, or some devious combination of the two. You’d think someone walking out of an Apple Store carrying a big glass box filled with $8705 worth of nanos would be rather conspicuous, but apparently in Boulder people do it all the time, since no one noticed anything suspicious and police have no suspects. So if you see a set of 42 nanos in a “handsome display case” up for sale on eBay this weekend, bid with caution. – Matt Buchanan

P.S. Cobbling together the information given to us and utilizing our crack Law and Order skills, we came up with a rendering of the suspect, which you can see on the right, so be on the lookout.

42 iPods stolen from Apple Store [Daily Camera]
image via Flickr

A 30-pound Plexiglas display case containing 42 iPod nanos walked out of an Apple Store in Boulder, Colorado, courtesy of either very sneaky shoplifters, snoozing store clerks, or some devious combination of the two. You’d think someone walking out of an Apple Store carrying a big glass box filled with $8705 worth of nanos would be rather conspicuous, but apparently in Boulder people do it all the time, since no one noticed anything suspicious and police have no suspects. So if you see a set of 42 nanos in a “handsome display case” up for sale on eBay this weekend, bid with caution. – Matt Buchanan

P.S. Cobbling together the information given to us and utilizing our crack Law and Order skills, we came up with a rendering of the suspect, which you can see on the right, so be on the lookout.

42 iPods stolen from Apple Store [Daily Camera]
image via Flickr