the construct :: weblog

There is now new iPods out. Some good points..it also comes in black!

It has a 320 x 240 pixel, 2.5-inch, 260,000 color display, 20 hours of battery life, and supports playback of H.264 and MPEG4 at 30 fps. Has TV out and will come in both 30GB and 60GB versions, with the 30GB version being 31% thinner than the current 20GB iPod and the 60GB version being 12% thinner than the current 20GB iPod. The 30GB will hold up to 75 hours of video and retail for $299. The 60GB version will hold 150 hours of video and sell for $399. Both will ship in one week. from: engadget

Take a look at list of features
I’m quite glad that I bought the Nano when I did, even though I knew I wanted a 60gb iPod. I told myself I would wait until Christmas, so that turned out for the best. The whole “video iPod” thing has been circling around for a couple months. Including hidden features withing iTunes 5 for video. [side note: iTunes 6 is out]

Related releases: the new iMac G5 with the Apple Remote and FrontRow which is a new way to manage your media . Looks pretty cool, I would like to see it in action.

Overall a good week for Apple releases…
For more, visit these sites:
Gizmodo
Engadget
of course Apple.com

If you didn’t notice already, all new iPods have color screens for not too bad of prices.

The simplified lineup features a new 20GB color screen model for $299 (the same price as the older monochrome version), a 60GB model for $399 ($50 cheaper), and an updated iPod U2 Special Edition with a color screen for $329 ($20 cheaper). The company has apparently dropped the 30GB iPod photo model, which sold for $349. (From iPod Lounge)

This makes me want to get one pretty soon. Yes I have an iRiver with a beautiful color screen and lots of other features that the iPod doesn’t have. Yet I still want an iPod. Why? The user interface. The UI that has won the hearts and minds of millions of people everywhere. It’s easy to use, yet very fuctional. So if you are in the market for a new iPod, the color ones are at a decent price, and if you don’t want a color iPod, the old ones are getting cheaper by the second. Then there is always eBay.

Also, one other thing to note, iTunes 4.9 is out not with the new podcast feature. You can subscribe and download and listen to all your favorite podcasts. I wonder how this will affect ODEO(which is an awesome service by the way) If you think back a little ways, I was talking about podcasting as it was really starting to gain attention. Now it will be getting alot of attention, especially since Apple is. Wired has done many articles on the topic. Now is the time of podcasting… I’ll probably write another post on podcasting soon.

In this cnet blog post there is talk about Palm One confirming that they are going to be using a 4gb micro hard drive in one of their new handhelds. This is a freaking novel idea. I say “freaking” because I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. I always wanted a PDA with a mini hard drive in it. Yes there is some handhelds that have a gigabyte of space, yet that is still not a mini hard drive, yet just a large flash memory module. (Correct me if I’m missing something)

Now that hard drives are getting smaller and cheaper, they are going to put into everything. Hence there being so many portable music players out there with a large amount of space in a small package. Players such as the iPod, iRiver Creative players, Virgin players, and like a whole lot more. Now you can get a hybrid PDA that is your camera, life manager, music player, and telephone all in one. (my palm zire does all that except it is not a phone)

I can’t wait to see how these work out.

Through a round about way, I was able to pick up an iRiver H320 20 gb audio player. I must say, it’s awsome. It has a color screen, which is now setup to playt movies and tv shows and music videos and look at photos and record audio, and well, oh yeah! It plays audio too!

Today is my first usage of the fine piece of equipment, and I will let you know more of the awesome things about it soon!

By the way, it’s way better than the iPod, hehe.

“PodCasting” as it has been named is basically just an evolved version of the basic idea of radio, yet it mixes the internet, audio, and any form of portable audio player into one.

It’s pretty much a new up and coming and current trend for anybody and everybody who wants it. From what I know, here is how it works, I think in this order:
1)Someone creates a podcast, in essence it is a mini personal radio show. A person records themself, and then makes it availble for download.
2)The creator can make the podcast available on sites like podcast.net and ipodder.org where people can subscribe or “tune in” and download the podcast to their portable audio player, which is done automatically with software like iPodder which downloads the latest podcasts you have subscribed to.
3)Enjoy the podcast wherever they want to listen!

Yes, this is a really simplified version of the list. It’s not super easy to get into it, yet will be in the near future. Especially with companies like Odeo starting up.

There are so many websites that already have info on the topic that a simple google search will give you a bunch of results. Look out for it.

complete setup,
originally uploaded by construct.

I just got in my stereo reciever from ebay. My oh my am i happy with it. It’s like from the 80’s yet it works great and has pretty good power. Too bad I don’t have good speakers right now, yet sometime soon. Now I have the phono on top of the reciever and the speakers taped to each side of my desk so the sound in realatively good. The reciever is an MCS (Modular Component System) reciever which is basically a brand that doesn’t exist anymore. The best part is, once I get a long enough cable, I will be able to record some of the vinyls (which is very few) onto my computer. Then I neeed to upgrade my record player to one with a better needle, then pass it on to somebody else as it was passed onto me.

There is one more photo if you click the current photo. I now have to get back to rocking out to Bad Company.

Some of you might have read my Other post relating to HP iPods and I just found some more interesting stuff relating to the topic on gizmodo.com It turns out that P-Diddy has his own custom HP-iPod with diamonds and all sorts of “bling” on it. I was like, “whaaaaat the hizzo…?” It’s actually a little rediculous, and also really cool that the iPod has become such a trend that it is being customized. Like people puttin 28 inch rims on their escalade. Or you all know “pimp my ride” and how crazy they get with the customizations. Anyways, check out the pictures and a few more words at the Gizmodo Article

Turns out HP and Apple have joined forces to conquer the digital music scene. Sometime soon I’ve read that the ipod like player will be available here in the states. The trade off of the deal is that Apple’s iTunes jukebox software will come pre-installed on all new HP/Compaq computers. (Remember the HP/Compaq merger? I do.) I think the deal is pretty awesome and exciting to hear.

I personally switched from WinAmp to using the windows based iTunes just for the features. I use the search function all the time and I love that all my music is right there in front of me after one initial loading.

That’s that, look out for the HP iPod coming in the next few months or sooner to stores. Here is the press release of the details.

Here’s an article on Wired.com about the whole free ipod thing It has worked for a bunch of people. I just wished that it worked for me. So come on people, lets get some free ipods!

Related Entries:
FreeIpods.com
FreeIpods.com continued

Here’s a little followup of this entry I wrote a couple days ago about the new RIO player. Turns out Gizmodo has an article on such the player. Click here to see the Gizmodo article
By the way, I stole this picture from their website. Check it out. Looks sleek and stuff.
rio-carbon product shot