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Not sure which MP3 player you need? There are dozens of great portable audio players these days, so picking the right one with the right price can be a challenege. Now it doesn’t have to be. CNet has an MP3 player personality test that helps you pick the right player for you, whether you are a commuter, fitness freak, traveler, audiophile, file hoarder or an audio recorder. Several of the players do fit into multiple categories, but each fits within the given category.
Read More 
| CNet
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Pepsi and iTunes Join Forces Again
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Portable Audio / Video,
While many thought last years promo was a flop, apparently Pepsi and Apple did not. They are joining up for another “Drink. Win. Play.” promo, where 1 in 3 Pepsi branded soda caps will have a code which you can redeem on iTunes for a free download. Check stores if you are into this kind of thing, as bottles have reportedly already started showing up.
Mad Catz Interactive will be producing customized NBA team controllers for the Xbox and the Playstation 2 video game systems. Mad Catz has signed a license agreement with the National Basketball Association that will allow them to produce these customized controllers, similar to what they earlier did with the NFL. Each controller will be fully customized with each of the 30 team’s logos and team colors, and will be available in March 2005. Be on the look out for these controllers so you can support your team while beating that annoying little kid from across the street.
Read More | Mad Catz
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If you use Apple iTunes you need to upgrade immediately. There is a security threat that affects iTunes 4.7 and earlier on both OS. Hackers can build malicious playlist files that crash the system then take over the computer by inserting a Trojan code. If you have not upgraded to iTunes 4.7.1 you may do so by opening the “look for updates” window in the program. Users are advised to avoid clicking on or accessing playlist files that have come from unknown sources. This probably one of the fist of many security threats to come this year as iTunes continues to rise in popularity.
Read More | BBC News
Thanks go out to everyone who participated in our Robosapien giveaway by letting us know your thoughts on the best and worst of CES. Props to Gear Live reader trudat for posting the winning entry, which was chosen at random. Her Robosapien Humanoid Robot is in the mail, courtesy of PrizeCube.
I don’t think that there are any words that can be said to dignify this image, found in a 1983 edition of Teen Beat. I mean what woman (or man for that matter!) can resist the young, fitted sweater wearing, Microsoft CEO William Gates? That’s right Bill - you throw that
disk at the camera. They love that.
Read More | Monkey Methods
Apple has done it again. Once again they have suceeded in producing a product so hot that it is now backordered after just one week of it being announced. The iPod shuffle has gotten so popular that now there is a 2-3 week waiting period for its $99 512 MB model and a 3-4 week waiting period for its $149 1 GB model according to the company’s website. Could it be that Apple just knows how to come up with products the public is eager to buy as soon as they can? Or does Apple not know how to judge how many of these “hot” products they will sell? One has to wonder, does Apple just under-deliver their new products to spark consumer frenzy?
Read More | Reuters
You know how the iPod shuffle doesn’t really have a lot of space in it? Well, Apple put in a nice feature that down-converts your high bitrate music to a shuffle friendly 128 kbps on the fly. This means that you can easily sync your high bitrate Apple Lossless music to your iPod shuffle, and fit more than 8 songs on the thing. From the iPod shuffle manual:
Converting Songs to Save Space on iPod shuffle
Songs encoded using formats other than AAC may take up more space. You can set iTunes to convert higher bitrate songs when they transfer, so they’ll take up less space on iPod shuffle.
Note: If this option is selected, songs encoded in AIFF or Apple Lossless format are converted to 128 kbps when transferred to iPod shuffle (the song files in iTunes aren’t affected). Otherwise, iPod shuffle doesn’t play songs encoded in those formats.
Gracenote: Now Your Music Listens To You
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Portable Audio / Video,
I can see the situation now: You’re just turning onto the on-ramp of the interstate, and you’ve got to be somewhere fast, but the other cars won’t get out of your way. What can you do? Ask your car to play “Ludacris - Move”, of course. A software and online-music company, Gracenote, is working on voice recognition software that would allow you to ask for a song and have your car’s stereo play it from its hard drive. Rather than having to sift through thousands of possible songs, you would simply ask for your favorites. If you don’t like the song that is playing, command it to play the next one. If you want to listen to everything by Coldplay, just ask. Your wish it its command. This technology, in conjunction with an in-dash computer, would allow drivers to have complete access to their files without ever taking their hands off ten-and-two. Luckily, this technology doesn’t yet extend to your car’s steering as well, or you might have a problem when asking your car to play Van Halen’s “Right Now.”
Read More | MSN CNet
Why bother integrating an iPod in your car when you can get the whole computer? Although in-car computers are nothing new, the Apple Mac Mini brings a new face to the concept. Classic Restorations wants to put a Mini in your dashboard. By integrating the Mac into the car’s system, you can have countless cool features available to you on the go. By adding Wi-Fi, your car can now access the internet from hotspots. By adding a GPS module, you can plot directions to your driving location. You can even play 40 gigs worth of music from iTunes, if that’s what you want. The Mac Mini is just about the right dimensions to fit into the dash where most CD player head units typically go, so it isn’t inconcievable that with a little stretchwork a professional looking install would work. The CD drive could be used as your car’s main stereo, powering the speakers. The possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to see a finished result.
Read More |Mac Daily News
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