Legal music downloads in the U.S. and much of Europe more than tripled in the first half of 2005—180 million tracks were downloaded, up from 57 million in the first half of 2004.

The iPod is doomed,” writes Fast Company’s Joun Sviokla. “Not this month, not this year, and maybe not the next. But soon enough, Apple will lose its hold on the marketplace for both digital-audio players and digital songs. It’s inevitable… Why? Because [rivals] have created an economic ecosystem that powers innovation. Apple hasn’t.”

The Japan-only BrightonNet Power shuffle Charger is a portable iPod shuffle charger that strangely mimics the device and its control pad. [via DAP review]

MAKE Magazine has posted an iPod notes version of the schedule for all three days of DEFCON as well the complete speaker list. The annual hacker conference takes place July 29 – 31 in Las Vegas.

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LC Angell

LC Angell was a senior editor at iLounge. Angell is known for her work on various aspects of the Apple ecosystem, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod. In his role at iLounge, Angell was responsible for a wide range of editorial content, including reviews, buyer's guides, news, and features.