iLounge

Actioncorp TV has produced an interesting video with “hidden details” from Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ iPhone announcement. Of particular interest is strong evidence that Apple intends to sell music ringtones.

Talks between EMI Group and online music sellers—including Apple and Microsoft—about offering music free of digital rights management (DRM) have stalled because the companies balked at the size of an advance payment required by EMI.

The Associated Press reports: “A high school teacher was assaulted by two students and hospitalized with broken vertebrae after he took an iPod away from one of them during class, officials said.”

Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts plan to offer high-definition, LCD televisions with an iPod-ready “digital connectivity panel” and 25-watt stereo speaker system in all its guest rooms in the U.S. and Canada.

BitTorrent, maker of the popular peer-to-peer file distribution technology known for pirated content, has launched an online video store to sell movies and television shows licensed from Hollywood studios. The BitTorrent Entertainment Network offers films from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate and episodes of TV shows such as “24” and “Punk’d.” TV episodes are $1.99 to download to own. BitTorrent will rent movies for a 24-hour viewing period for $3.99 for new titles and $2.99 for older films. BitTorrent’s videos are protected by Windows Media DRM and will only play back using Windows Media Player.

Texas MP3 Technologies, a recently formed company that appears to only exist on paper, has hit Apple, Samsung, and SanDisk with patent-infringement lawsuits. The suits were filed on Feb. 16 in Marshall, Texas, a city popular with patent enforcers because of speedy trials and juries that lean in favor of the plaintiff. Texas MP3 Technologies—which shares a street address with one of its lawyers in Marshall—alleges infringement on U.S. patent 7,065,417, which was awarded in June 2006 to multimedia chip-maker SigmaTel and covers “an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method.” SigmaTel reportedly sold the patent in August 2006 to a “Dallas-based patent licensing agency” because it said the agency would be better able to take advantage of its potential value.

During tonight’s broadcast of the 79th annual Academy Awards, the first television commercial for Apple’s iPhone was aired—multiple times. The 30-second teaser featured over 30 famous actors and actresses—such as Lucille Ball, Michael J. Fox, Will Ferrell, Robert Redford and Harrison Ford—answering the phone in a series of famous television, cartoon, and movie sequences. A rotating image of the iPhone appeared, followed by the word “Hello” on the screen in white text on a black background, followed by the line “Coming in June.” The iPhone screen now features the AT&T name rather than Cingular’s, as Cingular has recently been absorbed into the larger phone company. View the commercial, set to the song Inside Your Head by Eberg, below.

Only 1 percent of consumers are willing to pay $500 for Apple’s iPhone, according to results of a survey released this week. Nearly half of consumers surveyed, however, would buy the device if it was priced from $200 to $299. “Online market research firm Compete Inc. surveyed 379 people in the U.S., most of whom had heard of the iPhone and have shopped for an iPod, to find out how interested they are in the device to produce the uncommissioned report,” reports InfoWorld. “Among the 26 percent of respondents who said they’re likely to buy an iPhone, only 1 percent said they’d pay $500 for it. When Apple introduced the iPhone in January, it said it would cost $500 on the low end. 42 percent of those who said they’re likely to buy the phone said they’d pay $200 to $299.”

Pro Armor, a maker of off-road riding accessories, is now showcasing a line of iPod cases and accessories. The ProVault cases, available for various iPod configurations (nano 1G & 2G, video 30GB/60GB/80GB) and made of aluminum, use a slide and lock system which opens and closes with no tools or clasps. They can be mounted via a variety of accessories to various locations like motorcycles and one’s belt.

Apple’s second-generation iPod shuffle grabbed top honors for best consumer product design at the 2007 Design Week Awards. “We were in a quandary with Consumer Product Design,” says Sebastian Conran of Conran & Partners in announcing the winners. “Though there was a wide variety of interesting products, there was also a raft of entries from Apple’s design team, of which, though all were excellent, only the Shuffle was truly ‘new.’ It feels a bit unfair to all the other entries, which were mainly very good indeed, that Apple—with its relentless commitment to innovative and evolutionary design, and its attention to detail—should again win pole position. The Shuffle is a simple, beautifully executed concept with minimal, re-useable packaging that is fantastic value for money.”

The Apple TV streaming media device could be a DVD killer, according to one analyst. “It’s conceivable” that the device could carve out 20 to 30 percent of the $26 billion DVD market in a few years, said Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore.

Annual consumer spending on movie and TV downloads will top $4 billion in 2011, up from $111 million last year, according to a study by Adams Media Research. “The Internet is going to revolutionize the distribution of video,” says the firm.

Podcasting and online audio service Odeo is up for sale. “In the last few months, we here at Obvious have been increasingly focused on Twitter. As a result, our original product, Odeo, has not gotten the attention it deserves,” the company said.

Following a meeting with Apple executives, Prudential Equity Group analysts said the company expects most of its future iPhone sales to happen at its retail stores where consumers can be shown the device’s features.

Speck Products has announced its SeeThru Lucid case for Apple’s second-generation iPod nano. The clear, hard shell case features a 1-piece design, rubberized seal, a removable belt clip, and access to all controls and ports. The SeeThru Lucid is available in clear or smoke and sells for $25.

Light aircraft maker LoPresti has announced a new cockpit device that uses an iPod as a flight data recorder, also known as a “black box.” The iPod-powered device will be able to record over 500 hours of flight time data in LoPresti’s Fury piston airplane. The device will also used to capture two-way cockpit conversation and communication with air traffic control.

“This is the perfect marriage of a consumer product to the aviation market,” says LoPresti VP of operations, RJ Siegel. “The iPod has an ideal product spec for aviation. It’s light and small, with very low power requirements and a simple interface. There are thousands of developers passionate about writing applications for the iPod. With such a large body of programmers we literally have no idea what the next great aviation application may be.”

Apple and Cisco said late Wednesday that they have settled their dispute involving the iPhone trademark. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies are free to use the “iPhone” trademark on their products, and each side will dismiss any pending actions regarding the trademark. In addition, Apple and Cisco will “explore opportunities for interoperability in the areas of security, and consumer and enterprise communications,” according to an announcement from the companies.

Ion Audio has announced the Ion iPA03 ($300), a portable PA system with an integrated docking station for iPods. The two-way speaker system has a built-in rechargeable battery that reportedly lasts for over six hours at high volumes, as well as four inputs for connecting microphones, instruments and other devices. The iPA03 also features aluminum construction, wheels and retractable handle. The iPA03 can output high-fidelity sound to nearly 150 feet.
[via CrunchGear]

IFC Entertainment today announced the availability of its independent theatrical catalog on Apple’s iTunes Store. Available immediately for purchase and download on iTunes are 13 films, 6 of which are nominated for IFC’s upcoming 2007 Independent Spirit Awards, which will be held on Saturday, February 24th. All IFC films on iTunes will be priced at $9.99. “By making IFC films available on the world’s most popular online movie store we’re giving independent filmmakers the exciting opportunity to reach a wider audience of movie enthusiasts,” said Lisa Schwartz, IFC’s senior vice president of sales and business development.

Speck Products has announced the TechStyle Puck ($20), a new all-in-one carrying case for the second-generation iPod shuffle. The TechStyle Puck holds the shuffle and earbuds, and features cable management and a removable carabiner clip. “The durable hard shell exterior provides protection, while inside, the ingenious cable management system keeps your headphones wrapped up and ready to go” says Speck. “Simply snap the shuffle in, zip it up and toss it into your purse, briefcase or luggage for easy travel.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will make a rare joint appearance at The Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference this year. According to show organizers, they will jointly discuss “the history and future of the digital revolution in an unrehearsed, unscripted, onstage conversation.” Both executives have made multiple appearances at the conference, but this will be their first joint session at D. Jobs will also appear on his own in a separate segment at D to discuss the latest developments at Apple. The conference, which is sold out, will take place May 29-31 near San Diego, California.

Griffin Technology today announced its latest line of iPod cases are now shipping and will hit shelves over the next month. Griffin’s Spring case collection includes: Reflect for iPod video and nano ($25), a tinted reflective polycarbonate hard-shell case; Centerstage for iPod video with mirror finish ($25, shown), an updated version of the flip-stand case with Reflect tinted finish; iClear Photo for iPod video and nano ($25, $20), a customizable clear polycarbonate case that allows you to insert your own artwork; Trio Plus for iPod nano ($30), a 3-way leather case with interchangeable covers; and California Roll ($20), a soft-sided roll-up case.

Jive Records announced today that Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around… Comes Around” video, which debuted Feb. 9 on the iTunes Store, has been purchased and downloaded more than 50,000 times.

iPodResQ have renamed their business to iResQ. “This re-branding will simplify the recognition of their repair programs and will provide room for growth into new markets,” according to the company.

Palm CEO Ed Colligan recently discussed the iPhone with Swiss newspaper Sonntagszeitung. “I have great respect for Apple, but won’t be easy to create a good smartphone that will functions on networks worldwide,” Colligan said. “Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung have worked on this for for 25 years and have only partially succeeded today. Our Palm Treo already has 90% of Apple’s iPhone features at a much lower price.”

EMI has confirmed a buyout offer by Warner Music Group. The AP reports: “Struggling music company EMI Group PLC, beset by profit warnings and an accounting scandal in Brazil, was thrown a potential lifeline Tuesday with a possible new takeover bid by former suitor Warner Music Group.”

Life Fitness has announced that it will soon offer commercial exercise equipment with iPod integration. “This connectivity makes it possible for iPod users to plug in and charge their iPods, watch video on the equipment’s large LCD screen and control the playing of their iPod music libraries from the console,” says the company. The first Life Fitness product with iPod integration will be demoed at the upcoming IHRSA Convention in San Francisco and will be available in March, with the rest of the line to be released later in the year.

Low-cost Mexcian airline Volaris this month began handing out iPods to passengers in a test run, and will soon start charging 50 pesos (about $5) per flight. Volaris currently offers 30GB fifth-generation iPods filled with Mexican TV shows and popular music, but the airline plans to also load U.S. sitcoms and other music genres. “We’re the first to use iPod’s. We like it because no one else has it,” said public relations officer Alfonso Collantes. “We just went out and bought a bunch of iPods and started giving them out to passengers.” U.S giants Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines announced last year that they planned to add iPod connectivity into seat-back video screens.

Speaking at an education reform conference last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs criticized teacher unions, saying public schools would not improve until principals could fire bad teachers.

Graphic design firm Logan has posted screenshots of the startup movie for the Apple TV, which is scheduled to ship before the end of the month.

Jon Healey of the Los Angeles Times reports that EMI may have been planning to offer its catalog of music in DRM-free MP3 format before Apple CEO Steve Jobs penned his recent open letter on copy protection.

Satellite radio giants Sirius and XM announced today that the two companies will be combined in an all-stock merger with a combined enterprise value of approximately $13 billion. A company press release listed the iPod as one of the combined company’s many existing competitors, rather than potential partners, with new wireless and radio technologies expected to follow suit.