Posts Tagged ‘Apple iPod’
Obama Says iPad, iPod, Xbox, PS3 are Distractions
The U.S. President works his BlackBerry fine, but doesn’t know how to work an iPad, iPod, Xbox or PlayStation.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to an audience of the class of graduating students at Hampton University, Virginia with his views on education, technology and modern media.
“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter,” Obama said, according to the AFP.
Some of Obama’s comments were made in light of how certain blogs and talk radio shows can publicize their views; “Some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,” Obama said. “All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy.”
Obama then specifically named a couple of popular Apple portable devices and HD gaming systems as diversions and distractions.
“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,” he said.
Sony to launch challengers to iPad, iPhone
Sources have told the Wall Street Journal that Sony is planning on making a challenger to Apple’s iPad that will have all the capabilities of a netbook, a Sony Reader and a PSP, the company’s handheld gaming device.
At a Sony news conference in Tokyo, Sony’s CFO Nobuyuki Oneda didn’t provide any details but expressed the company’s desire to compete against Apple’s newest gadget, due in stores next month.
“That is a market we are also very interested in. We are confident we have the skills to create a [great] product,” said Oneda. “Time-wise, we are a little behind the iPad but it’s a space we would like to be an active player in.”
The WSJ also reported Sony is making a new smartphone – containing Sony Ericsson mobile technology and capable of playing PSP games – to compete against the iPhone. Both devices are expected to work with Sony Online Services, an online store due to launch in March and sell music, movies, books, and other downloadable applications for mobile products.
The iPad challenger and the new smartphone are expected to launch sometime in 2010, but no details about specs, price or design have been released.
Sony has tried to get into the phone/gaming gadget arena in the past. A patent was filed in 2006 for a device that looked like a PSP on one side and a smartphone on the other, but such a device has never hit the market.
Apple sold 8.7 million iPhones in the last three months of 2009. The company announced Friday that the iPad will be available April 3.
Ubuntu 10.04 Now with iPhone and iPod Touch Support
Whenever I mention Ubuntu (or for that matter any other Linux distro), I’m invariably asked whether the OS offers support for Apple’s iPod. The answer has always been “no” … until now.
It seems that the Alpha 3 release of Ubuntu 10.04 “Lucid Lynx” offers out-of-the-box support for the iPhone and iPod touch devices.
Integration seems seamless. The Nautilus file manager accesses the tracks, playlists and apps, while RhythmBox can integrate with the contents much like iTunes can (although it cannot play back any DRMed files you might have …). This has been tested using the latest hardware, and the latest firmware.
In my opinion Ubuntu is fast becoming the most user-friendly and versatile of the Linux distros, and offering iPhone/iPod touch support only makes it even more user-friendly.
This should help open up Linux to a whole new audience.
Company Set to Launch MP3 Successor
MusicDNA is set to bring magic back to music.
Reuters is reporting that BACH Technology is working on the successor to the current MP3 format. Called MusicDNA, the digital music technology will feature additional content including lyrics, news updates, and images. The new format, which could help convince consumers to purchase music rather than leech torrent files, already received an official blessing from the original MP3 creator.
According to the report, MusicDNA is based on the MP3 format: consumers simply download the song to the PC and will receive the bonus content. While that may sound appealing, there’s a catch: music labels, bands or retail outlets can send updates to the music you have purchased and downloaded. This may be some type of DRM hidden behind new interviews, social network updates, or other news content.
But despite the added content, the songs will still play on any MP3 player, including Apple’s iPhone and iPod products. “What we are bringing back to the end user is the entire emotional experience of music,” Chief Executive Stefan Kohlmeyer told Reuters. “We think it got lost in the transition to the digital era. We think a beautiful piece of audio has been reduced to a number code. We want to enrich it again.”
Kohlmeyer said that a beta version of the new MusicDNA format will be available this Spring, with an expected commercial rollout by the end of the summer. BACH Technology is currently in talks with major record labels, and has already signed on partners across the globe.
New iPod Touch May Get 2 Cameras FaceTime
With the third generation iPod Touch on the market since September 2009, and iOS 4.0 out the door merely weeks ago, talk of the fourth-generation device has heated up in anticipation of its annual iPod Touch September refresh. Although hardware specifics are naturally unconfirmed (although recent hardware leaks tend to make rumors more credible), the new information stems from a Xmas in July event recently held in London.
While we’ve already seen a prototype of the new iPod Touch with a built-in camera, the new “leaked” specs changes the previous specs. According to a previous report, the device sported a built-in Jabil/Mflex OV2665-6S 2-megapixel camera, however suppliers attending the London event now say that the device will have a 5-megapixel camera–along with a built-n flash–capable of shooting HD video (720p like the iPhone 4). Users will also have the ability to upload videos directly to YouTube from the device.
As for other new features, the new iPod Touch may feature a front-facing camera as well, as it’s said to ship with support for FaceTime, a one-tap video calling service that connects users over a Wi-Fi connection. The new iPod Touch will also supposedly offer a gyroscope–in addition to the current accelerometer–to better enhance its gaming capabilities.
Suppliers indicated that the new device is expected to make an appearance during the annual iPod refresh slated for September.