iLounge

Creative Technology subsidiary Cambridge SoundWorks today announced the PlayDock i, a new docking speaker system for iPods. The PlayDock i features Cambridge’s high-performance drivers, integrated powered subwoofer, a charging iPod dock, a video-out connector for photos and videos, and can run on AC or battery power. The magnetically shielded system also comes with a remote control and has a built-in handle, line-in connector and headphone jack. Designed for 4G and 5G iPods, the iPod mini and iPod nano, the PlayDock i will be available in January for $200.

Apple has posted its 2006 year-end iTunes charts, revealing the 100 most downloaded albums and songs on the iTunes Store in the U.S. The No. 1 album for the year on iTunes was The Fray’s “How To Save A Life,” while Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” was the top track of the year. Below are the 10 most downloaded albums and tracks in the U.S. on iTunes for 2006. Apple said that iTunes top 100 download charts are also being released for all 20 countries where iTunes has had a store for a year or more. 

Top 10 Albums
1. Fray - How To Save A Life
2. John Mayer - Continuum
3. Jack Johnson & Friends - Curious George
4. James Blunt - Back To Bedlam
5. Justin Timberlake - Futuresex/Love Sounds
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
7. Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
8. High School Musical - Soundtrack
9. Panic! At The Disco - Fever You Can’t Sweat Out
10. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

Top 10 Tracks
1. Daniel Powter - Bad Day
2. Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
3. James Blunt - You’re Beautiful
4. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
5. Sean Paul - Temperature
6. Justin Timberlake - Sexyback
7. The Fray- Over My Head (Cable Car)
8. Shakira - Hips Don’t Lie
9. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
10. Chamillionaire - Ridin’

Matias has introduced its Color Armor aluminum case for the second-generation iPod nano. Available in six colors, the case features a hard plastic screen protector, neoprene lining, optional neck strap and belt clip, and access to all controls and ports. The silver case sells for $30, while the black, blue, pink, green, and red cases sell for $35. Matias said it will donate $5 for each red Armor case it sells to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, dedicated to easing the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Love Labs, maker of a music-activated iPod sex toy called the iBuzz, claims to have received a letter from Apple’s legal team over the use of silhouette images on the iBuzz website. “Our client owns the copyright in all the images used in its ‘Silhouette’ advertising campaign and actively polices its rights in order to protect itself and its consumers,” Apple lawyers reportedly said in its letter. “Certain images used on your website (http://www.ibuzz.co.uk) may have been copied or substantially copied from those in which our client own the copyright, without our client’s consent. Your use of such images amounts to copyright infringement… Apple remains hopeful that this matter can be resolved quickly and amicably. Naturally, if your co-operation is not forthcoming, our client’s approach will not be so flexible.”

Vaja has announced its new lineup of cases for Apple’s second-generation iPod nano. The company is now offering four models for the new nano—the i-Volution Holster ($30), the i-Volution with Hook ($45), the Classic ($34), and the Classic Top ($40). Fashioned from high-quality Argentine leather, the cases come in a rainbow of standard colors and “1,000+ possible color combinations.” The new Vaja cases for the 2G nano can also be personalized with an embossed name or logo. They are all available for immediate ordering.

A new photo from Expedition 14 at the International Space Station shows what appears to be a fourth-generation iPod and a Belkin external battery pack.

The New York Times is the latest to compare iPod sales to iTunes music sales. With nearly 70 million iPods sold as of September, and over 1.5 billion songs sold from iTunes, an estimated 22 songs have been sold for every iPod.

Police in Florida are investigating the disappearance of more than $35,000 worth of iPods from a Best Buy store. “A preliminary investigation revealed that there has not been a break-in or forced entry to the store, leading police and store managers to believe that the thefts could be an inside job.”

Apple has updated its iPod+iTunes support site with an interactive tutorial to show users how to download and listen to music on a new second-generation iPod shuffle. 

Two trade shows in January, 2007 - the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and Macworld Expo in San Francisco - are expected to see the introduction of hundreds of new iPod accessories. As always, iLounge will be spotlighting the best product introductions for our readers, giving you a preview of what’s coming up in the brand new year, and issuing Awards to the cream of the crop.

If you represent an iPod accessory manufacturer who will be formally exhibiting new products at your own CES or Macworld Expo booth, and would like to have your new products considered for one of a limited number of iLounge 2007 Best of Show Awards, please contact jeremy (at) ilounge.com immediately for product submission details. While we have already contacted the vast majority of the industry’s participants on this subject via e-mail, this public notice is intended to make sure that any other qualified company’s products have an opportunity to be considered, as well. Best of luck, and we’re looking forward to seeing you in January!

Please note: Our deadline is December 16, 2006, and only previously unreleased products are eligible for Best of Show consideration.

Bluebird Music has announced the availability of its new Fatman iTube Valve Dock with speakers from TL Audio. The Fatman iTube with speakers bundle ($750) consists of a tube amplifier, iPod docking station and a pair of TL Audio loudspeakers. “Unlike the ‘boom-box’ design of typical docking station music players, the iTube is a real, audiophile-class stereo which delivers the highest level of fidelity of any iPod-specific system currently available,” says the company. The iTube has two audio inputs, a headphone jack and video output. It’s compatible with all iPods except the shuffle, and comes with a remote control.

A group of companies led by IBM have announced a new chip technology, dubbed phase-change memory, that could someday replace flash memory and tiny hard-disk drives in portable devices. InfoWorld reports: “The companies on Monday announced the results of their latest research into the technology, which they say will do a better job of storing songs, pictures, and other data on iPods and digital cameras than current flash memory, and could someday replace disk drives. Among the advances, the companies have built a prototype device that runs 500 times faster than today’s flash memory while using half as much power to write data to a memory cell, they said.”

Pacific Rim Marketing (PRM) has announced the Opticover Screen/Click Wheel Protector and Opticover Full Body Wrap Protector for Apple’s second-generation iPod nano. Made from aerospace polyurethane, the thin, clear film protects the nano from scratches and leaves no adhesive residue when removed. The Screen/Click Wheel protector ($9) covers the most vulnerable parts of the new nano, while the Full Body Wrap ($15) provides protective coverage of the front, back and sides of the nano.

According to a new study released this week, one-third of American teens own an iPod, up from only 1 percent in 2003. The Harrison Group’s 2006 Teen Trends study surveyed 1,000 Americans aged 13 to 18 on their thoughts and habits. The study also found that 75 percent of teens spend two or three hours a day downloading or listening to music online, with half of those teens saying that downloading music for free is illegal. The study also reported that more than half own Sony’s PlayStation 2, and one-third own an original Microsoft Xbox. An estimated 68 percent of teens have created pages on social networks like MySpace, Xanga or Facebook.

[via MDN]

In a Wall Street Journal article about consumers becoming more familiar with dying iPods, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the iPod failure rate is less than 5%, which he claims is “extremely low” compared with other electronics devices. “iPods are designed to last for years, but as with any complex consumer-electronics product such as digital cameras, they can be broken if dropped or mishandled by users,” he said. The “overwhelming majority” of iPod users are happy with their devices, said Dowling. Dead iPods are considered to be devices with bad batteries, cracked screens or malfunctioning hard disks.

The Journal’s Nick Wingfield reports: “Even if only a tiny percentage of iPods malfunction, the huge popularity of the devices means a significant number of users could be affected. Apple has sold nearly 70 million iPods in the five years since the product first went on sale. If just under 5% of that number failed, that could still amount to millions of affected devices. Apple declined to comment on the specific number of iPods that have failed… The iPod’s durability could become a more important issue as consumers become less dazzled by cutting-edge technology and more concerned about longevity, especially for a device that can cost hundreds of dollars”

[via Gizmodo]

As promised, mStation today announced that it has begun shipping its 2.1 Stereo Orb in new colors to compliment the new iPod nano lineup. The mStation Orb models are available in pink, green, blue, and silver, as well as the original black and white. The $130 iPod speaker system (iLounge Rating: B) offers 30 watts of power, a built-in charging iPod dock, a 3-inch dedicated subwoofer, and a 10-key remote.

Brookstone is offering two iPod-compatible speaker systems—the Podz Rechargeable Wireless Speakers ($180) and the OnStage Music System ($150). The Podz system uses 900 MHz technology that transmits audio up to 150 feet through walls and floors. Each speaker has a full-range 3-inch driver, and the speakers have built-in rechargeable batteries and automatically tune to the optimal frequency. The OnStage speaker system (shown) features an all-in-one design with two mini full-range speakers. It has a built-in, charging iPod dock, wireless remote control, and a 3.5mm input jack for use with other MP3 players.

Griffin Technology today announced that its iClear and Disko cases are now available for the second-generation iPod nano. The iClear case ($20) features a two-piece shell design with crystal-clear polycarbonate protection. It offers screen protection and has an opening for the click wheel. The Disko case ($30) senses movement and responds with colored lights that blink and flash in moving patterns around the click wheel. The Disko case comes in black and clear. Both cases will be available in stores for the holidays.

Rivet International has announced the nano Combo Pack, an iPod nano accessory set that includes an earphone lanyard and a protective case. Compatible with first- and second-generation iPod nanos, the Combo Pack features Rivet’s redesigned GRAB case with belt clip and the company’s RHYTHM earphones with integrated lanyard. The earphones are available in black, gray, pink or white, and come with three sizes of earbud gel tips. The nano Combo Pack is priced at $50.

After years of selling digital music with restrictive copy-protection technology, major music labels are beginning to make some songs available as unrestricted MP3 files. “The releases are part of an experiment to gauge demand for tracks that can be played on any digital music player capable of playing MP3s,” reports the Associated Press. “Normally, copy-protected tracks are only playable on certain devices. By selling MP3s, recording companies can ensure they can be played on Apple’s market-leading iPod players without going through Apple’s iTunes Music Store.” The latest unrestricted MP3 tracks come from singer Norah Jones and rock band Relient K, both signed to labels operated by Britain’s EMI Music. Their songs went on sale for 99 cents each this week on Yahoo’s online music service.

Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora claims that “the production ramp has already begun” in small quantities for an Apple iPhone to be available for sale in the first or second quarter of next year. Tortora expects a more advanced smartphone to follow 1-2 quarters later, “likely” in the third quarter. The analyst also believes Apple is planning production of a widescreen iPod for introduction late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Tortora says there is “new evidence that Apple has hired video game designers,” which he says suggests that “Apple may have interest in entering the video game market longer-term.”

Microsoft said today that it expects to sell 1 million Zune media players through the first half of 2007. While that figure pales in comparison to iPod sales, Microsoft claims it would be a good start. “We think that’s actually pretty awesome,” said Bryan Lee, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s entertainment group. Lee said that Microsoft expects to eventually “be the leader” in the category, especially once the company releases more Zune models and starts selling them internationally. According to The NPD Group, the Zune ranked No. 2 among all portable MP3 players in its first week of availability, but has since slipped to No. 5.

Australia’s Attorney General has clarified the country’s new copyright reforms, informing citizens that everyday activities such as owning an iPod and singing “Happy Birthday” are still legal. “The controversial Copyright Amendment Bill 2006, which, as of yesterday, passed through both houses of Parliament, will become law by January 1,” reports the Sydney Morning Herald. “Before it passed through the Senate, the bill underwent significant modifications, following immense criticism by industry bodies, the media and the public… The FAQ clarified that it would be perfectly legal to sing Happy Birthday in a public place, record television or radio programs for viewing at a later date, and copy legitimately purchased music to an external medium such as an iPod or a CD.”