Jeff Porten returns to Las Vegas to cover (such as is possible) CES for TidBITS, and while trying to figure out what to focus on, he ran across a proposal to make DRM-protected video semi-portable. Whee!
Scrambling to come up with last-minute presents for those lingering on your gift list? If you and your recipient are Facebook users, consider an iTunes Store gift card. You can now purchase virtual iTunes gift cards through Facebook, without needing iTunes at all. To purchase one, you must become a fan of iTunes on Facebook, then click the iTunes Gifts tab to follow customization and purchase instructions. The certificates come in $5 (which isn't available normally via iTunes itself), $10, $15, and $25 values.
Chuck Joiner interviews a slew of electronic book authors about electronic book readers, like the Kindle and Nook. Chuck talks to Michael Cohen, Glenn Fleishman, Joe Kissell, Kirk McElhearn, and Matt Neuburg, all Take Control authors who have strong opinions about print books, too.
David Pogue reviews the Barnes & Noble Nook electronic reader at the New York Times, and finds it a poor competitor to the Kindle for identical features, while its unique features don't measure up to a real difference.
Brad Stone of The New York Times reveals that Apple has agreed to buy the digital music company Lala. In contrast with iTunes, from which users must download purchased music before playing, Lala lets users play their music directly from the Web on a computer or smartphone with Internet access. Lala's streaming music licenses are not transferable, making engineering skills and knowledge the most likely reason for the acquisition.
Ars Technica reports that Amazon's Kindle 2 is automatically receiving a firmware update (as long as you have its wireless service on) that enables native PDF viewing, complete with rotation for a wide-screen viewing option. It's still not a good PDF reader (no bookmarks or links honored), but it's a step in the right direction.
The Apple TV 3.0 software update brings a welcome change to the top-level navigation, along with support for iTunes LP, iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes, and iPhoto Faces and Events.
Roku has added two new products to its lineup of boxes that connect Internet streaming video services with your television.
Barnes & Noble has unveiled its Kindle competitor, the Nook. The Android-powered ebook reader, priced at $259, features two screens - one for viewing, one for touch-based navigation - and connects to both Wi-Fi networks and AT&T's cellular data network.
Sure, it won't replace an iPhone or other PDA, but if all you want is a portable encyclopedia, the new WikiReader is cheap, cute, and chock full of Wikipedia.
Amazon has released the international Kindle, bringing its signature ebook reader to the world outside the United States. But do the company's pricing plans blunt an otherwise exciting announcement? Kirk McElhearn, writing from his home office in the French Alps, takes a look.
Colleagues seem alarmed by Glenn's antipathy to the iPod nano's analog FM radio tuning. But by failing to leverage data in the radio stream, Apple delivers a typical and irritating experience - compared to what it could have been.
A few short weeks after the release of iTunes 9, Apple gives us iTunes 9.0.1 with a variety of important-sounding bug fixes.
The subscription-based Rhapsody music service from Real Networks is now available as an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The service lets you listen to an unlimited amount of music from an 8-million song library for $15 per month. The app only streams music; this version can't even download songs temporarily.
Apple has unveiled iTunes 9, expanding its crowdsourcing capability with Genius Mixes, introducing long-awaited app arranging capabilities, bringing new home network sharing features, and expanding music and movie content offerings with iTunes LP and iTunes Extras.