iLounge

Keyspan has released updated firmware for its TuneView iPod remote. The update increases scrolling speed, adds an ability to jump to a specified first letter within a large list, and improves overall wake-from-sleep performance. The TuneView remote can be updated by connecting it to the USB port on a PC or Mac and loading the new firmware. The $179 remote, released late last year, features a color LCD screen and 2-way RF connectivity that allows you to browse and manage an iPod throughout your house.

Looking to grow as a chip provider for portable devices, Intel CEO Paul Otellini said his company is readying a low-power chip designed for portable multiple-application devices that will compete with Apple’s iPhone. “Virtually every computer and handset manufacturer is struggling to figure out how they’re going to compete with Apple’s iPhone,” Otellini told analysts and investors at Morgan Stanley’s Technology Conference. “If we get the power and performance [of the Intel chip] right, it’s going to be a killer combination.” Otellini said the chip will be available later this year. Intel is the sole supplier of processors for Apple’s Mac computer lineup. There has been varying reports on who the supplier is for the iPhone processor, with most believing it to be Samsung or Marvell.

HoMedics is offering the iSoundSpa ($80), a “Made for iPod” alarm clock that lets you wake up to your iPod, radio, beep tone, or nature sounds (ocean, rain, night, waterfall, brook, and sunrise). The iSoundSpa has a docking station which charges a docked iPod while in use and makes use of inserts to fit most iPod sizes. Time can be viewed either on the large digital LCD display or projected onto your ceiling via a blue light.

In addition to Apple-documented changes from iTunes 7.0 to version 7.1, released today, several more interesting details have been discovered in the software and detailed by iLounge’s editors.

One change, a list of countries for which parental controls can be applied, shows Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom as newly selectable options for Ratings standards used outside of the United States. All of the countries save for the United Kingdom now have both TV and movie ratings; the United Kingdom now has selectable movie ratings, but not TV ratings. While not conclusive, the addition of this feature suggests that the iTunes Store will soon sell video content across all six of these territories.

Additional text discovered within the iTunes software reveals that it will support a maximum of five synchronized Apple TV hardware units at once, a previously unknown limitation. For additional information on these and other updates to iTunes 7.1, including full-screen Cover Flow and more, check out our new article, Instant Expert: Secrets & Features of iTunes 7.1.

Apple today released iTunes version 7.1. According to the release notes, the update adds support for the Apple TV, which is expected to ship later this month, as well as a new full screen Cover Flow view and improved sorting options. “Using iTunes 7.1, you can now enjoy your favorite iTunes movies, TV shows, music, and more from the comfort of your living room with Apple TV,” says the company. “iTunes 7.1 also supports a new full screen Cover Flow and improved sorting options to let you decide how iTunes should sort your favorite artists, albums, and songs.”

Apple ranks 7th on Fortune magazine’s 25th annual list of the most admired companies. “You could say that Apple has landed—not only on our street corners and in our malls but also, for the first time, on the top ten of our Most Admired Companies list,” writes the magazine. “Apple’s peers have watched it upend industries from computers to music. And now it’s become the best retailer in America. In 2004, Apple reached $1 billion in annual sales faster than any retailer in history; last year, sales reached $1 billion a quarter. And now comes the next, if not must-have, then must-see, product (iPhone).” To create the magazine’s top 20, Fortune survey partners at Hay Group asked 3,322 executives, directors, and securities analysts to select the 10 companies they admire most.

The Tune-In Bed ($700-$1000), currently for sale through Pottery Barn Teen, has audio input connections which let you hook up an iPod so you can listen to music through two four-inch speakers built into the headboard. The bed, which is available in twin, full and queen sizes, has a volume control knob and a pocket to hold the iPod as music plays.

Some 67% of first-year University of Virginia students own an iPod, according to the school’s annual technology survey. For the past 10 years, U.Va. has questioned every new student about the technology they bring to school—from their operating system to game console. In addition to the iPod usage, this year’s survey of 3,092 students also found that 20% of first-years are using Macs, which is up from just 3% in 2002.

“The question is, what is it taking the place of?” said UVa sociology professor Allison Pugh of the iPod. “If it is replacing a game of pick-up basketball, then the university is a poorer place because of their prevalence. If students are using iPods to drown out dorm noise so they can study, say, or to entertain themselves when they go running, then iPods aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Studies show that young people spend almost 2.5 hours listening to music every day. iPods are probably tapping right into that culture.”

Always hopping, the iLounge Discussion Forums are full of interesting topics this Friday; here’s a sampling of what your fellow iLoungers are talking about:

Everyone knows that Apple only sells white iPod docks - but why? Black iPods - and, of course, nanos - continue to be popular. Several readers discuss black Apple Dock alternatives for the iPod.

If you’ve bought an iTunes Store Season Pass to a TV show, share your impressions in this thread. A user’s thinking of taking the plunge and buying into the iTunes video library; iLounge forum moderator Audrey offers some helpful pointers. What do you think?

Now that DLO’s much-promoted HomeDock Deluxe 2.0 has been released, readers are beginning to put their just-received units through their paces. If you still have questions after reading our just-published First Look, dive into the forum discussion.

These posts - and literally over 1,000,000 more - are yours for the reading in the iLounge Forums. Take a peek today and see what you’ve been missing!

Up to 75 percent of iPhone purchasers will be first-time AT&T wireless subscribers, AT&T Chief Financial Officer Rick Lindner said this week. “The majority of those customers, two-thirds to three-fourths, will be coming from outside of our current wireless customer base and that’s a good thing,” Lindner said during a speech at a Merrill Lynch conference. The iPhone is likely to draw more customers to AT&T stores “at the launch and throughout the rest of the year,” Lindner said. “Creating more traffic in the stores means more sales.” AT&T (formerly Cingular) will be the exclusive U.S. carrier of Apple’s iPhone when it launches in June.

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook gave a presentation and took part in a Q&A session at this week’s Goldman Sachs Technology Investment Symposium. Cook discussed the iPhone, though no new details were revealed.

Apple’s iTunes Store is now selling the first six episodes of Fox’s The Winner in advance of the show’s March 4th premiere.

Blockbuster is in talks to buy Movielink as “a way to speed its entry into the online movie-downloading business.” Blockbuster would reportedly pay less than $50 million in cash and stock for Movielink, which is owned by five major studios.

GeekTechnique has posted an article on how to replace an iPod mini’s MicroDrive with a 4GB Compact Flash card.

A new bill before Congress would poke holes in the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act to make it easier for consumers to enjoy digital content. The Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing US Entrepreneurship (FAIR USE) Act, co-introduced earlier this week by a Democrat and Republican in the House of Representatives would reportedly allow “customers to circumvent digital copy restrictions in six limited areas when copyright owners’ business models are not threatened.” An example of this is allowing “libraries to circumvent digital locks or secure copies of works that have been damaged, lost or stolen.” The RIAA has come out opposing the bill, while the Consumer Electronics Association, among others, supports it.

Marware and Dr. Bott have announced the availability of the USB Travel Dock for the second-generation iPod shuffle. The $20 device, original set to ship in January, allows you to charge and sync the new shuffle while “causing no interference with adjacent ports, so you can prominently display your new 2G iPod shuffle right next to your laptop screen.” The USB Travel Dock also sports a blue “Power On” LED indicator.

Apple looks to have taken the iTunes Store into the realm of independent video downloads, according to Variety. The snowboarding action movie That began selling through iTunes on Tuesday, the trade publication reported, as well as content from action sports video distributor Studio411. These two moves mark the first time the iPod maker has “sold video content that didn’t come from an established network, studio or distributor.” Apple would not comment to Variety on any future video distribution plans in this vein they might be planning.

Electronic Arts today announced that music from its best-selling games will be available for purchase from the iTunes Store. “Game players and music lovers worldwide can visit EA Trax and jump directly to an iMix of the music from their favorite EA game on iTunes,” says EA. “From Madden NFL to Burnout to Need for Speed, every song that can be heard in the game can now be purchased on iTunes including exclusive mixes, non-album cuts and previously unavailable international tracks.” Songs are currently available for games such as Burnout Dominator, Def Jam Icon, Need for Speed Underground, Medal of Honor, SSX, and various NFL, NBA, NHL and FIFA titles.

Comedy Central has announced that uncensored versions of episodes from South Park this season will be available for purchase from the iTunes Store. The network said the uncensored episodes will be available on iTunes the Tuesday after they premiere beginning on Tuesday, March 13th. The 11th season of South Park launches on Wednesday, March 7th at 10:00 p.m. ET. “Coming up in the 11th season, viewers can expect a parody of the popular Fox hit series, 24, and Hilary Clinton pays a visit to South Park. There will be plenty of shocking surprises from the legendary fourth-graders,” says Comedy Central.

iLuv has introduced the i185 video dock for fifth-generation iPods. The device, similar to the DLO HomeDock Deluxe, allows users to connect an iPod to their home entertainment system to navigate and play music and videos from the device on a TV screen. The i185 comes with a remote control and features S-Video and Composite video output and 2-channel audio output. The iLuv i185 video dock sells for $150.

“Simply dock your iPod into the i185 and the little 2.5-inch screen is transferred to your much bigger TV screen,” says iLuv. “With a larger screen area on which to navigate the contents in your iPod, you have a more user friendly option at your fingertips. Sit back on your recliner and view the contents of your iPod on the TV using the included remote control. Now that high-resolution movies are available from iTunes music store, the iPod no longer has to be the little entertainment gadget that you carry around in your pocket. It can now effectively knock out your DVD player as the primary video player in your living room.”

Apple could sell as many as 12 million iPods during its March quarter, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munser. Based on January iPod unit sales from NPD, the analyst estimates that Apple will see sales of 11 million to 12 million iPods during the quarter, slightly above the street consensus of 10.9 million units. “The 11m-12m unit range is based on various assumptions and is an extrapolation of one month of data,” Munster explained. “When the second month of data is released, our analysis will likely lead to a slightly different iPod unit figure than what our analysis suggests based on the first month of data, so we believe investors should supplement this data point with other information.”

iTunes usage nearly doubled in 2006, based on data from Nielsen//NetRatings. According to figures, the number of unique iTunes users grew by 47.5% last year. During the same time, RealPlayer users grew by 9.1%, QuickTime by 8.7%, and Windows Media Player grew by 2.0%. “At current growth rates, iTunes should pass RealPlayer in unique users by the second quarter of 2007,” reports WebSiteOptimization.com. “Apple should be whistling a happy tune this year. While iTunes continues to show strong double-digit growth rates, Windows Media Player growth appeared to slow over the past year.”

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters announced today they are now shipping the second-generation HomeDock Deluxe iPod dock. The HomeDock Deluxe allows users to connect their iPod to any TV and home stereo to view, navigate and play music and videos from the device. First announced early last month, the new HomeDock Deluxe features on-TV navigation of iTunes videos, full color Album Art, new screen savers and visualizers, 12 new color themes, on-TV playlist creation called “My Jukebox,” an upgraded remote control and more. The new HomeDock Deluxe retains its original price of $150.