Blackhacker

BetaNews | iTunes may finally get The Beatles
United Press International posted a report on Saturday stating that a $400 million agreement had been reached between ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and Apple’s iTunes over the distribution of The Beatles’ back catalog.

Profits made from the deal and subsequent sales will be split between McCartney, Ringo Starr, the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon, Sony, EMI, and pop star Michael Jackson, each of whom owns some form of rights to the songs, be it in publishing, recording, or reproduction.

The battle between “Apple Computers” now called Apple Inc. and Paul McCartney’s Apple Corps Ltd., of the trademark “Apple” was the STUPIDEST feuds in the history of Intellectual Property. At the time, the two Apples where no where NEAR each other core businesses, and and all it did was cause bad blood between the two organizations that delayed the largest distributor of digital music from providing to the public one of the most recognizable and sough after collection of music.

I’m not much of a Beatles fan, I just hate stupidity. I’m sure there are many people who want to buy their music. I’m also sure iTunes wants to sell it to them and it would make Paul, Ringo and the Estates of the John, and George a a lot of money. That’s why its stupid. It’s an obvious win for everybody, so why can’t they just get together to make a few million dollars. I guess when you are a billionaire, you don’t bother stoop down to pick a few million dollars, when you don’t have too.

1. Caring around your entire music collection is just as intoxicating as it seems.
2. The Belkin FM transmitter Sucks !!
3. How do you keep those buds in your ears ?
4. If your going to use your iPod with a Mac and a PC format your iPod for PC first. The Mac can read a PC formatted iPod but the reverse is not true.

Stop treating me like a criminal. Let me …

… update my iPod from more than one iTunes instance, without destroy the music that I have on it.

… transfer ANY MUSIC I WANT from my iPod to iTunes. Just because ITMS was not the point of sale doesn’t mean I stole it. 9.18 GB of audio and the ONE album I bought from iTunes is the only thing I transfer to my PC at work. Never mind that the rest represent YEARS of music collecting acquired by going to the store and plopping down 12-15 dollars apiece and hours spent importing.

Sony Joins Other Labels on Amazon MP3 Store - New York Times
SAN FRANCISCO — Sony BMG, the music company, announced Thursday that it would become the fourth and final major label to begin selling digital music on Amazon.com, offering its entire catalog in the MP3 format by the end of the month.

We are apparently hearing the death nell of the scourge of fair use, DRM.

Apples got some worries, because this make Amazon the largest legitimate music down load site, in terms of catalog.

Dap: /.

IPhone Flaw Lets Hackers Take Over, Security Firm Says - New York Times
A team of computer security consultants say they have found a flaw in Apple’s wildly popular iPhone that allows them to take control of the device.

The researchers, working for Independent Security Evaluators, a company that tests its clients’ computer security by hacking it, said that they could take control of iPhones through a WiFi connection or by tricking users into going to a Web site that contains malicious code. The hack, the first reported, allowed them to tap the wealth of personal information the phones contain.

When the iPhone becomes available in June, you’ll be able to buy ringtones through iTunes. I came to that conclusion when I read this :

IPhone Fans and Foes Clash Online - WSJ.com
What will be missing from Apple’s iPhone — in spite of its cooperation with Cingular — is Media Net, Cingular’s wireless portal, where phone users can browse the Web and buy ringtones and games. Mr. Siegel declined to comment on what kind of features will eventually be available on the iPhone.

… And the sheep will actually pay for them. $.99 rigtones has GOT to be the biggest scam in the world. You pay the SAME price you would for a full length song but only get 20 sec. Anyway, your gonna pay 5 or 6 hundred dollars to Apple for phone, don’t give them any more. The article linked uses Audacity but if you have an iPhone, you probably have a Mac, which means you probably have iLife, which means you probably have GarageBand, which probably a MUCH better choice for editing audio files.

1. Probably one of the worst kept secretes, and that was by design, the new iPhone, announced at Macworld today.
2. Jobs also unveils it AppleTV. Basically this is a device that allows you to stream iTunes movies and TV shows to your TV.
3. Real, apparently tired of being punked by Microsoft, is now taking the lead in the PlayForSure relationship, and announcing a deal with Tivo. You will soon be able to stream Rhapsody content to your Tivo.

Microsoft beats Apple to the TV with Xbox Live Video
Beginning on November 22, Xbox 360 owners will be able to buy and rent over 1,000 hours of programming using the new Xbox Live Video Marketplace. The Marketplace will see Microsoft selling programming from CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. “CSI,” “South Park,” “Batman Forever,” and “Nacho Libre” are a few of the titles that will be offered by year’s end. At launch, TV shows will be offered as download-to-own, while movies will only be available as 24-hour rentals.

With signature (buzz making) flare the CEO of Apple Computers finally makes it BIG Announcement. C|Net has the details.

1. Video iPods, with new searching capabilities, and plays games
2. Some new brighter, longer lasting nanos. And they come in colors
3. A new smaller, clip on 1GB shuffle (it is REALLY small)
4. iTunes 7 will have cover art for music, & carry movies, for download, the same day they come out on DVD 14.99 & 9.99 price points. Download will take 30 minutes at 5Mb/s, quality will be close to DVD. This is not as big of news as you think because only Disney & Pixar movies will be available, initially.
5. Last but not least is a new product codenamed iTV, Cringely calls it videoXpress (Cringley’s name is better)
   

   iTV will sell for $299 and works with PCs and Macs. “We think it completes the picture here,” Jobs said.

   10:55 a.m.–The new iTV device, which Jobs demonstrated onstage, has 802.11 wireless built in, wired networking, USB, an HDMI connector, and also component video, analog audio and optical audio. It will be controlled with an Apple remote and hooks directly to a TV or to set-top box or home theater system.

   The point of iTV is to allow movies and TV shows downloaded to a computer to play on a TV in another room. The device is coming in the first quarter of 2007, Jobs said.

I think the last item is the really big news. It comes out in Q1 of 2007. My question is will it play standard formats or just what ever DRMed up forma Apple comes up with. It would be cool to download video via juice or democracy, and then be able to see it on a standard TV.Ooooorr what if I set up a DVR into a Mac, will it play those videos as well?

Today must really be a special day. I’m doing MSFT dirty work and telling you about Zune. In case you where under the same rock as me, (I just found out about this today) Zune will be MSFT’s answer to the Apples iPod. The link just points you to a stupid little flash movie and then asks you for your email addy and those of your “family & friends”, a reference to the old MCI promotion. Engadget Has a good write up on what is known about the MSFT soon coming portable media player.

I will say this, if the player is half decent, Apple could have a fight on their hands because, MSFT as something that AAPL dosen’t. All that liquid cash sitting around like Scrooge McDuck’s money bin. And also according the enageget they play to use it, to pay for you to re-download all of the DRMed up itunes media, making switching MUCH easier.

Don’t forget that MSFT’s gonna need that money ’cause, AAPL’s secrete weapon is good will. People who use Apple LOVE Apple. People who use Microsoft, tolerate it. Its gonna need to spend ALOT of money to get people to switch to this new player. And it gotta do at the expense of partners in PlaysForSure, like Napster.

Well it should be interesting.

The nation’s No. 1 consumer electronics chain last week began evaluating a new planogram layout that prominently displays Apple’s Mac line in a designated area of its personal computer department.
(AppleInsider)