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Something like the iPod Touch can do so many things, it can be hard to know where to begin.Year after year, Apple's line of iPod portable media players make for great holiday gifts to give and receive. But whether it's your first iPod or an overdue update, the increasing complexity of the iPod (and the iTunes software behind it) can be challenging to wrap your head around. To shorten the distance between unboxing and rocking out, I've put together a collection of all the major iPod and iTunes tutorials I've created over the course of the year. Happy holidays.

2000-2009 Product winner revealedCall them the Noughties (‘00s) if you will but the decade now passing into history has had its fair share of industry/culture/commerce-shaking products and technologies. PC Advisor editors and expert contributors, with reader feedback from pcadvisor.co.uk's 300,000 registered users, have nominated ten products, technologies, people and companies that have defined the decade 2000-2009 and will still hold influence over the next. See all nominations for the PC Advisor Awards 2010 The Product Of The DecadeThe Product Of The Decade had to be something so influential that it shook up not just its product category but everything around...

Apple Bans Another Developer, 1000+ Apps Pulled by Greg Kumparak on December 7, 2009 As the old mantra goes, “Cheaters never prosper”. In this digital age, it may be time to revise that saying. Granted a veil of anonymity by the Internet, cheaters surely prosper from their cheating; it’s just that when they get caught, they go down hard. Alas, “Cheaters may temporarily prosper – but if they get caught, they’re totally boned” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Such was the case earlier today, when the development company behind over 1,000 iPhone applications was busted scamming the...

Analysis: Apple Embraces The Cloud, Positions Mobile With Lala Deal December 07, 2009 - Digital and Mobile By Glenn Peoples, Nashville With its acquisition of online music start-up Lala, Apple appears to have bet on a digital music strategy that places ownership – no matter how ephemeral - over subscription. And more than competing services, Lala best fits into Apple's desire for well-designed applications that complement other Apple products. The iPod wouldn't be the same without iTunes, and the iPhone should be better with Lala. Apple's interest in Lala is not surprising. Compared to other services, Lala has an iTunes-like...

Internet and television personality Alex Albrecht claimed to have insight on the price of Apple's rumored tablet during the latest episode of Diggnation, which also featured actor John Hodgman from Apple's "Get a Mac" commercials. During the course of episode 231 of the Internet-based show, co-host and Web entrepreneur Kevin Rose asked Hodgman, who plays the bumbling "PC" in Apple's commercials, if he has any inside information on the tablet. "I don't know anything about it," Hodgman said. "You think they'd tell me?" Rose then turned his attention to Albrecht, and insinuated that the co-host had privately revealed supposed information...

So it seems the CrunchPad is no more... The CrunchPad, which was the brainchild (pace legal settlements) of Michael Arrington, who runs the Silicon Valley-based technology news site TechCrunch, was intended to be a touchscreen tablet computer with a 12.1in screen... it began in July 2008 with the aim of producing a $200 tablet computer... the idea was that it would be open-sourced as far as possible. Except what is there to open source in the hardware? All the things you need to be standard already are; all the things you need to be special aren't -- such as some...

Businesses of all sizes have reached out to Apple with interest in its iPod touch-based point-of-sale system, which recently debuted at the Mac maker's stores. Gary Allen of ifoAppleStore has reported that Apple has been "deluged" with inquiries about the system, which utilizes a custom-built shell that encases the iPod touch and adds a barcode scanner and magnetic stripe reader to it. The hardware attachment is partnered with custom-built software that allows Apple retail employees to check out customers quickly and easily from any point in the store... In November, ifoAppleStore and AppleInsider gave an exclusive look at Apple's new...

After years of over promising and under delivering, the solar Industry is finally starting to show some interesting developments which have the potential to make solar power as cheap as fossil fuel on a cost-per-watt basis within five years. Getting us to that state, called grid parity, would require solar companies to produce power for around $1 a watt. Is it possible anytime soon? Many analysts think so and the target date being touted around is 2015. The reason for this fresh optimism is a mixture of technological development and simple economics. Traditional conductive materials make up 40% to 50%...

Has Palm finally given up on the great cat/mouse/iTunes chase of ‘09? November 17th, 2009 Posted in Technology The number of times Apple and Palm went back and forth trading clever coding tactics was beginning to wear thin. At first I found myself saying “yay for the little guy”. But after Apple made it very clear from the get go that they weren’t feeling the cross platform love, Palm decided to kick it up a notch. And so began the cat and mouse game that went on for weeks. The latest Palm OS update, 1.3.1, that was released recently failed...

For several weeks, Bj Hurley has been training for her first half marathon. While preparing her body to withstand race rigors, she has weaned herself off a trusted running companion. Among hundreds of runners expected to flood the streets for today's Manchester City Marathon/Half Marathon, Hurley will trot without her iPod, which race rules prohibit. "I wouldn't want to take the chance of running with one and being asked not to come back," said Hurley, a mother of three from Candia. While many runners rely on music from an iPod or portable MP3 player for mental distraction and motivation, the...

I don't know would you buy/wear a tie that holds your iPod? Its called the 'Commuter Tie' - its by Thomas Pink. Said Thomas Pink: "Keeping up with technology miniaturisation, the popular Commuter Tie has been updated to ..

Wednesday's It's Only Rock & Roll event saw the return of Steve Jobs to the stage, a new version of iTunes with a boatload of features, more-colorful iPod shuffles, faster and higher capacity iPod touches, a video camera-equipped iPod nano, and no Beatles music. In one of our punchier podcast episodes, I discuss these issues and others with editorial director Jason Snell and senior editors Jonathan Seff and Dan Frakes. Show Notes Throughout the podcast we discuss what was announced at the event. Among them: * iTunes 9; * a slightly updated iPod touch; * barely refreshed iPod classics and...

Is the iPod Classic a goner this Wednesday? by Harry McCracken, PC World Tumblr developer/blogger Marco Arment has posted his best guesses about what Apple will announce-iPodwise, at least-at its music event Wednesday (Technologizer will be there to liveblog the news). Arment’s predictions seem logical enough-which doesn’t guarantee their accuracy, of course-and the most interesting thing about them is that he thinks that Apple will discontinue the iPod Classic, the high-capacity, small-screen, no-touch, no-apps model that’s the direct descendent of the original 2001 iPod. In the era in which the iPod Touch is unquestionably the most exciting iPod and the...

Apple Inc. is expected to unveil an updated line of iPods at an event next week as it aims to boost slowing demand for the music players. The Cupertino, Calif., company issued invitations Monday to media and analysts for a "special event" in San Francisco on Sept. 9 that Apple indicated would be related to its iPod music players. The email invitation showed the dancing silhouette of a person with an iPod and the words: "It's only rock and roll, but we like it". --snip--

The iPhone & Steve Ballmer: It’s Time For Him To Eat Some Serious CrowWednesday, August 26, 2009 There are very few people in the tech world who annoy me quite like Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. It’s not just that he’s loud, dismissive and arrogant. It’s that he manages to be all these things while usually being spectacularly wrong, especially when it comes to Apple. Take for example his thoughts on the iPhone from a USAToday article in 2007: “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance,” said Ballmer. “It’s a $500...

In late 2004, Nicks began visiting Army and Navy medical centers in Washington, D.C. While visiting wounded service men and women, Nicks became determined to find an object she could leave with each soldier that would raise their spirits, motivate, and give them something to look forward to each day. She eventually decided to purchase hundreds of iPod Nanos, load them with music, artists, and play-lists which she would hand select, and autograph them. She now regularly delivers these tokens of her appreciation, bringing her closest friends to share the experience. In 2006, Nicks held a get-together to raise money...

iPhone users talk on the phone less than regular cell phone users [ ... ] they spend a whopping 50% more time using their phones than average cell phone users ... [ ... ] iPhone users spend 60 minutes per day on their phones versus 40 minutes for cell phone users. iPhone users talk on their phones about 45% of the time they use it versus 70% for cell phone users. [ ... ] What makes up the difference? It's not texting - each type of user spends about 15% of their phone usage texting. [ ... ] iPhone users...

"APPLE HAS CHANGED THE WAY THE GAME IS PLAYED", says MSFT Win Mob chief Thu, 08/20/2009 - 01:21 by Jonny Evans "Apple has changed the way the game is played," Loke Uei, senior technical product manager for mobile developer experience at Microsoft said at the company’s first Windows Mobile Developers Camp (WinMoDevCamp) yesterday. His comments came during the developer meeting at which Redmond hopes to inspire/attract application developers to its platform. Attendees also got to see a preview of Windows Mobile at the event. The company hopes to take on Apple when it launches its Marketplace for Mobile later this...

ONE IN FOUR SONGS IN U.S. BOUGHT ON ITUNES By Caleb Johnson Aug 19th 2009 at 1:30 PM Although digital music sales continue to rise, CDs still account for the market majority in the U.S. When it comes to the burgeoning online world, though, iTunes stands alone. Macworld writes that a recent report released by NPD Musicwatch showed that 25-percent of the songs purchased in the United States during the first months of 2009 came from the iTunes store. That makes iTunes the most popular music retailer in the country, beating out former champ Wal-Mart, which boasts 14-percent. (That figure,...

Apple's 99-Cent Apps Are Too Cheap, Microsoft Says By Barry Levine August 20, 2009 9:39AM Microsoft is wooing developers to Windows Mobile by promoting the idea that Apple, Inc. prices App Store apps too low at 99 cents. Loke Uei told developers "your app is worth more than that" in sessions preparing for Microsoft's launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The BlackBerry, Palm and Android stores also plan to charge more than 99 cents. With Apple's App Store offering many free and 99-cent apps whose prices please buyers but frustrate many developers, Microsoft is wooing developers to its Windows Mobile...

Letters from Microsoft: An Employee Tosses His Zune August 18th, 2009 by Daniel Eran Dilger Windows Enthusiasts like to paint me as biased against the Zune because I didn’t get a free gift basket from Microsoft and then turn around with a CNET-style gushing review of the me-too player that manages to consistently slink a year or two behind Apple. But what does one of Microsoft’s own developers think of the device? Here’s an independent report from a person deep inside the Zune maker. The developer, whom I’ll call “Mike Rosoft,” volunteered the following experience with the Zune in an...

My 10 year old daughter has been saving for an MP3 player for a long time. She finally built up a tidy fund to purchase what she wanted. She ended up buying an IPod Touch for over $200! I tried to talk her out of it but her Mom would NOT let me override her decision. Well, she's had it for a couple of months now and she's already managed to password protect herself out. Now she has a $200+ paper weight on the coffee table. I searched the web for ways to bypass and none of it works. Does...

Browsing through new releases at a downtown record store, Chet Mohr of Somerville admitted that commercial radio is far down his source list for finding new music. Where precisely does radio rank? Somewhere between irrelevant and are-you-kidding-me, Mohr indicated. “I’m into local bands and record labels, and they don’t get played on the radio much,’’ said Mohr, a 23-year-old guitar enthusiast and bank employee who hopes to form his own rock band. To broaden his musical palate, Mohr relies on bloggers, Internet message boards, web publications, friends, and social networking sites. Sam Davies, 16, a student at Needham High School,...

Offbeat: Paranoid lawsuit attempts to link Apple to Italian mafia By Neil Hughes Published: 08:10 AM EST A new lawsuit from a Beverly Hills, Calif., man alleges that Apple conspired with the Italian mafia to secretly track him, transmit threatening messages to his iPod, and insert the word "herpes" into the song "Still Tippin'" by Mike Jones. Not just his iPod, Gregory McKenna is convinced that many things in his life were bugged, including his bedroom, living room, upstairs bathroom and Toyota Camry. McKenna alleges in his lawsuit that two iPods he owned – an iPod shuffle bought on eBay...

When the Sony Walkman was launched, 30 years ago this week, it started a revolution in portable music. But how does it compare with its digital successors? The Magazine invited 13-year-old Scott Campbell to swap his iPod for a Walkman for a week.My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day. He had told me it was big, but I hadn't realised he meant THAT big. It was the size of a small book. When I saw it for the first time, its colour also struck me. Nowadays gadgets come in a rainbow of colours but this...

My wife and I were on a crowded 1 train last year when a young red-headed woman turned to the woman seated next to her, who was playing her iPod way too loud. “Hey, mind if I listen?” the redhead said, and without waiting for a response, plucked the woman’s left earbud, placed it in her own ear, and began bobbing her head to the music. The iPod owner looked mortified. The car grew silent save for the blare. I looked at my wife, who had heard me rant about this so many times she knew exactly what I was...

A teenage girl survived a terrifying lightning strike after she was saved by the wire of her iPod. Schoolgirl Sophie Frost and her boyfriend Mason Billington, both 14, stopped to shelter under a tree when a storm struck as they were walking near their homes. Doctors believe Sophie survived the 300,000-volt surge only because it travelled through the gadget’s wire, diverting it away from her vital organs. The teenager was taken to hospital and is recovering from burns to her chest and legs while Mason suffered damage to his eyes. Both are expected to make a full recovery and Sophie...

Apple may be known for its advertising prowess, but this little marketing coup is going to go down as one of the most hilarious ad placements in recent history. doubleTwist, the company co-founded by renowned software reverse engineer DVD Jon, has managed to place a banner for its product directly next to the main entrance to Apple’s flagship San Francisco store. The ad invites passersby to try “The Cure for iPhone Envy”, which they can use to access their “iTunes Library on any device. In Seconds”. It’s clearly a message that Apple doesn’t want anything to do with. We’re hearing...

Barry O'Bomber of the Barry Bomber Four joins us today to debut his new single, covering the classic "I Fought the Law," but with his own special twist, chronicling his rise to the presidency and actions since his inauguration. Enjoy folks!

Apple rumors: iPod gets an iPhone-like camera Jeff Bertolucci (PC World (US online)) 17 May, 2009 00:10:00 With all the unsubstantiated rumors buzzing about a new iPhone and its alleged features, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Apple will launch some sort of new or upgraded device very, very soon-perhaps even at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) June 8-12 in San Francisco, or maybe later this summer in a separate announcement. So what if it's wild speculation? That's what makes it fun. Today's gossip comes from PhoneArena, which posted a screenshot allegedly from the Best Buy inventory system. The image displays...

It's a first lady faux pas -- wearing expensive, high-fashion French designer sneakers to a food bank. Michelle Obama wore the sneakers, made by Lanvin, while helping feed the poor at a Washington food bank on Wednesday. The pricetag on the footwear? A cool $540. Keds, they're not. The sneakers, which come in denim and satin, are a favorite of comic Ellen DeGeneres and rapper Kanye West -- and they're "certainly not a reflection of the poor economy," said FOX News' Noelle Watters, host of iMag Style. "She paired the kicks with a much more reasonably priced cardigan from J....

Internet rights champions have accused Apple of stifling free speech by bullying OdioWorks into ending online sharing of ways to get iPods to work with music websites other than iTunes. Attorneys from nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) teamed with OdioWorks lawyers to file a lawsuit against California-based Apple in a US federal court. At the heart of the issue is the BluWiki website that details ways to get Apple's popular iPhones and iPod MP3 players to synchronize music and video files with media at services such as Songbird, Banshee, Rockbox, and Winamp. BluWiki operates as a "public service" with visitors...

Teenager killed by train while listening to iPod A teenager was killed whilst listening to his iPod because he did not hear an oncoming train. Last Updated: 4:51PM BST 08 Apr 2009 Gino Shepherd, 17, who was killed after being struck by a train at a level crossing near his home in Gateshead Gino Shepherd, 17, died instantly when he stepped into the path of the Northern Trains service at Peth Lane, Ryton, Gateshead. He was found by the emergency services with his headphones still in his ears following the accident last Thursday Gino's cousin, Charnie Campbell, of Newbiggin Hall,...

I never imagined I’d say it, but I’m beginning to identify with Barack Obama. I’m certainly not referring to his politics or his narcissism, but it seems that both of us really suck when it comes to gift giving. First, he gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown some DVDs that were incompatible with English electronics, and then he gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod that contained his speeches. Well, I hate to admit it, but I can empathize. Shopping for a prime minister has got to be hard enough, but trying to shop for a woman who has her own country would...

Skype has been on Windows Mobile/Windows CE since 2004. I remember trying it out a few years ago on a T-Mobile device here in the US. It didn't seem like a big deal. Perhaps because at that point there was only GPRS speeds for data and the application (and the OS) were so clunky, that the ten unintuitive steps I had to do to activate Skype made it too tedious. It got uninstalled. Fast forward a few years. 3G wireless data speeds are more than capable of carrying voice data. Even high quality, better-than-landline SILK audio codec data is easy...

While the studios are getting themselves in a tizzy about the leaked, unfinished version of Wolverine, there were far more heinous events unfolding in the world of copyright infringement. Barack H. Obama, the president of the United States of America, was (allegedly) committing international copyright law, illegally (allegedly) trading intellectual property to the monarch of another country. Over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation's blog, the organization's senior staff attorney Fred von Lohmann explores the legality of Obama's recent gift of an iPod to the Queen of England. Along with the iPod, Obama gifted 40 show tunes ripped from a purchased...

OK, you're the young, mould-breaking, rockstar president of the US of A. You're on a visit to Britain that features (among other stuff) tea at Buck House, your first ever encounter with Her Maj. You've already been chastised, and not in a kind way, by the British press for presenting their prime minister with a gift of 25 Great American Movies on DVDs that may or may not have been compatible with British machinery. So now what do you give their octogenarian monarch who, you can safely assume, already has everything she could ever want? An iPod, of course. Engraved,...

iPod Save The QueenBuckingham Palace is in an uproar after learning a gift from Obama was given to him as a present by Goodwill Zwelethini, King of the Zulu nation.President Barack Obama later gave her highness, Queen Elizabeth, the same iPod as a gift in recognition of their first meeting. No one really knows why. Now, according to palace spokesman Dudley Liddlesham, the Queen discovered the present had been re-gifted."Oh, she's bloody hell hot," said Liddlesham. "She's not taking tea. She's not practicing her special hand wave. She's just upset."

President and First Lady Obama gave Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II a video iPod with inscription, songs uploaded and accessories, plus a rare musical songbook signed by Richard Rodgers. Uploaded onto the iPod: * Photos from the Queen's 2007 White House State Visit * Photos from the Queen's 2007 Jamestown, Va., Visit * Photos from the Queen's 2007 Richmond, Va., Visit * Video from the Queen's 1957 Jamestown Visit * Video from the Queen's 2007 Jamestown Visit * Video from the Queen's 2007 Richmond Visit * Photos from President Obama's Inauguration * Audio of then-state senator Obama's speech at...

bam-bam and michelle gave the queen an I-pod , a frikkin' I-pod .... among the uploaded were: Photos from President Obama's Inauguration Audio of then-state senator Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and Audio of President Obama 2009 Inauguration Address

Hey, you never know when Hopenchange fee-vah might strike. She could be sitting there, listening to show tunes, and suddenly think, “You know what I’m in the mood for? Obama’s 2004 convention speech.” Only a quick menu-scroll away. And to think, you guys thought this gift wasn’t special. Uploaded onto the iPod: * Photos from the Queen’s 2007 White House State Visit * Photos from the Queen’s 2007 Jamestown, Va., Visit * Photos from the Queen’s 2007 Richmond, Va., Visit * Video from the Queen’s 1957 Jamestown Visit * Video from the Queen’s 2007 Jamestown Visit * Video from the...

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia. In return, the Queen gave the President a silver framed signed photograph of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh - apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries.

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to the Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia. In return, the Queen gave the President a silver framed signed photograph of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh - apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries. The Queen already has an iPod, a 6GB silver Mini version she bought in 2005 at the suggestion of Prince Andrew. UPDATE: Pool reporter Richard Wolf of USA Today says that an Obama aide told him...

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to the Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia. In return, the Queen gave the President a silver framed signed photograph of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh - apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries. The Queen already has an iPod, a 6GB silver Mini version she bought in 2005 at the suggestion of Prince Andrew. Earlier, Mr Obama had spoken of his admiration for Her Majesty but indicated that his...

MSNBC just broke the news that the official gift from the Obama's to the Queen was an I-Pod loaded with songs and video of her trip to the U.S.A. back in 2007. The Queen gave a sterling silver frame with a photo autographed by all of the Royal Family. An I-Pod and a DVD set...this is what the Obama's have given to British power.

LONDON – President Barack Obama has arrived at Buckingham Palace for a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. Several thousand well-wishers crowded the traffic circle in front of the gated palace on Wednesday to cheer and wave as the limousine carrying Obama and first lady Michelle Obama rolled past. On the eve of a global economic summit, Obama promised world leaders he would listen, not lecture, as they seek a common fix to the financial crisis. "We can only meet this challenge together," he said Wednesday as the U.S. and Russia spoke on the summit sidelines about nuclear warhead reduction....

I am looking for a humorous photo. The photo is of a 20-something year old white kid sitting in an auditorium with an Apple laptop. The caption is something like "Liberal Liveblogging - because when the revolution comes, I already know which Starbucks window I'm going to smash with my bike lock" Seems apropos of the G20 protest. Can someone help me out?

Obama gives Queen an iPod @ 1:25 pm by Eric Zimmermann President Obama has reportedly given the Queen of England an iPod during his visit to Buckingham Palace. The iPod contains video of the Queen's visit to the United States in 2007. In return, the Queen presented Obama with a framed photograph of her husband and herself, the same gift she gives to all visiting dignataries.

Apple's Greg Joswiak (VP, iPod Marketing): Over 17 million iPhones sold to date, over 30 million iPhone and iPod touch units altogether so far
  Over 800,000 downloads of the free iPhone SDK(s) to date (8 months)
  Over 50,000 companies and individuals joined as iPhone/iPod touch developers
 60% of those devs have never developed for any Apple platform before
  Over 25,000 apps, 96% of apps that have been submitted, 98% were approved in under 7 days
  iPhone OS 3.0 will feature 1000 new APIs
  Subscriptions, new levels: devs can now charge to extend, for examples, magazine subscriptions, additional game levels from...

A group thought by many to be devoid of tech-savvy compared to their Democratic counterparts is attempting to break that stereotype by using technology that a lot of people have incorporated in their daily lives. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told a group assembled at the Heritage Foundation’s Blogger’s Briefing on March 17 that he and House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., are developing an application for the iPod Touch, a product of Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), that would be used to keep the entire House GOP on a unified message. “The one thing Cantor and I have done, we’re buying,...