iLounge

There is considerable discussion on Apple’s iPods discussion boards from European owners of new iPods regarding volume limitors that are present in the European models—but not in US models.

Because of EU health regulations, European models are not capable of producing the same volume levels as their US brethern, causing considerable indignation from buyers who were not made aware of these limits.

Apple has not responded to any user feedback or comment on the subject, nor have any fixes been offered by the company or users.

iPod advertising, packaging and user information makes no note of these limits.

Engineered Audio has announced a wireless remote for use with 3G iPods. The RemoteRemote uses RF technology to remotely send commands to iPod via its 5 button transmitter. Each button controls either Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume Up, or Volume Down. The RemoteRemote can transmit up to 100ft radius. The reciever unit plugs into the iPod earphone port, requires no batteries and draws power from the iPod. RemoteRemote costs $34.99 and is expected to ship in late summer. Support for older iPod models is coming soon.

Power Support Japan has been busy developing new accessories for 3G iPods. Included in the new lineup is; the new Silicone Jacket (a.k.a Groove Jacket), Wheel Film for protecting the touch wheel, Crystal Film for protecting the LCD display, Simple Stand all aluminum stand, iPod Stand for use in your cars’ drink holder, the Fix Stand for use in the car or home with adjustable viewing angle and a Line Out extension cable. Though none of the items are yet available for shipping to U.S. residents, we suspect most items will start to appear at various online U.S. retailers in the coming months. We’ll keep you posted with the latest.

iPod_News 1.0 was released for 3G ipods today. It reads RSS files (versions 0.91 0.92 and 2.0) from the internet and syncs them with your iPod. News appears in the notes folder of your iPod.

A brief check of Dell’s website, www.dell.com, revealed a distinct lack of iPods.  Only 5 mp3 players are listed, and the iPod is not among them.  Whether or not the absence is temporary remains to be seen.

Contour Design, makers of the popular iSee clear case will be releasing a new version of the iSee later this year.  Unfortunately no pictures have been posted but hopefully iLounge can squeeze a prototype of the case from Contour. Can’t wait to check this out!

Dealmac: MegaMacs.com offers the second-generation Apple 10GB iPod for Windows for $279.99. We couldn’t find a better price for it elsewhere, although we’ve seen it for much less in the past. (The current 10GB model typically costs about $20 more.) Shipping starts around $5.

Brick and mortar retailer FutureShop (similar to BestBuy) in Canada has added an Apple product section to its online store which includes iMacs, iBooks, eMacs and iPods as well as official Apple accessories.

Charles Haddad, correspondent for BusinessWeek writes:

I discovered today that Apple has discontinued the remote for previous model iPods. After my remote cable twisted I decided to call the Apple store today to order a new one. A very apologetic representative informed me that it had been discontinued and the new remote was incompatible with the old iPod. I was told that I could use any earphones with my iPod, but no longer use a remote.

MacMice, the company behind the DVBase and PodPerch stand designs are at it again. This time they have announced an all aluminum stand for all iPod models, and the design pays homage to the recently released Apple Power Mac G5. The GPerch is priced at $39.99 and is now available for pre-order. Shipping is expected to start July 15th.

Vaja has announced the new Classic 665 and 667 cases which have been redesigned to accomodate new dock iPods. Both cases feature flip-top leather design, snap closure, screen protector, padded lining, optional belt clip, headphone access, and FireWire access. The Classic 665 fits 10 and 15GB iPods, while the Classic 667 fits 30GB iPods. Both cases start at $34.90 (w/o belt clip) and are available for pre-order. Custom cases start at $54.90 with options for embossing, color combos, lining, etc.

Deals on the Web: Dell Home: Take $40 off an an order of $400 or more. Click the link and use coupon code “118627D45335” during checkout to get the discount. Expires 7/1/03 at 11 PM CT. Can be combined with Dell’s ongoing 10% off digital cameras, MP3 players (iPods), camcorders, LCD monitors, printers and more.

Phillip D. Long, senior strategist for the Academic Computing Enterprise at MIT writes about the iTunes Music Store and gives a beginner’s lesson on audio formats titled “Audio File Formats 101.” Also included is a list of websites for further reading about AAC, MP3, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.