iPod Touch Hacking: Apple issues notice

The iPod touch hacking effort seems to have hit a road block with Apple issuing a take down notice to the ISP where the iPod Touch code was being hosted. The story begins with a hardware hacking expert by the name "Martyn", finding an iPod touch whose screen had been smashed, from a lady.

Since the unit was not covered under Apple Care, the lady swapped the dead iPod touch for a nice pretty iPod nano. Martyn took the smashed touch back and extracted its chips.

He was planning to dive in and download every bit of code on it in the increasingly complicated effort to put 3rd party applications on the iPod touch. He wasn't planning on releasing the code to the public, but he did plan to upload the code to a secured area of his site in order to let the other touch hackers have a crack at it.

But even before his upload finished, his ISP showed up, with a takedown notice in hand. Apple had somehow found his site, had contacted his ISP, and let them know that it would be against copyright law for him to upload that code to the Internet.

Martyn wasn't interested in breaking the law (and it would be illegal to share that code), so he pulled the page off. But what's amazing here is how fast Apple moved on this. It seems that they've got someone listening in on the development wiki. [Source:tuaw]

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Marware C.E.O Premiere iPod touch case

Marware's first iPod touch case, the C.E.O. Premiere is an elegantly designed, stylish case with a rich Nappa-leather exterior and a soft leather-lined interior. The case has a notched bottom for easy iPod removal and a magnetic closure safely secures and protects your iPod touch.

FEATURES:
-Classically styled, elegant case
-Includes clear protective film for the screen and a microfiber cleaning cloth
-Notched bottom for easy iPod removal
-Access to headphone port and On/Off button
-Rich, full-grain Nappa leather exterior
-Soft, leather-lined interior
-Secure magnetic closure and low-profile belt clip
-And, of course, you have the assurance of Marware’s lifetime guarantee!

The C.E.O iPod Touch case is priced at $29.99 USD and is available for Pre-order.

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Starbucks to give away free Apple iTunes songs

"Starbucks Corp. plans to give away 50 million free digital songs to customers in all of its domestic coffee houses to promote a new wireless iTunes music service that's about to debut in select markets," Elizabeth M. Gillespie reports for The Associated Press.

"From Oct. 2 to Nov. 7, baristas in the company's more than 10,000 U.S. stores will hand out about 1.5 million 'Song of the Day' cards each day. The cards can be redeemed at Apple Inc.'s online iTunes Store," Gillespie reports. "Thirty-seven artists with featured songs include Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell -- the first two to sign on with Starbucks' Hear Music label -- along with Joss Stone, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Annie Lennox and Band of Horses."

"Also on Oct. 2, Starbucks will start selling iTunes digital release cards that allow a full album of music and bonus material to be downloaded online," Gillespie reports. "Starbucks also will offer a limited-edition reloadable purchasing card that includes two free iTunes downloads when customers register their cards online."

"Earlier this month, Starbucks and Apple announced a partnership that will allow users of Apple's iPhone and new iPod Touch to download songs playing in a Starbucks shop directly to their portable devices," Gillespie reports.

"The coffee chain's icon will light up on the iPhone or iPod Touch whenever a user is within range of a Starbucks shop's Wi-Fi signal. People with the devices -- or a laptop with iTunes software -- will also be able to use the signal for free to browse and buy other iTunes music. The service will launch at 600 Starbucks shops in Seattle and New York on Oct. 2, then roll out in San Francisco in early November," Gillespie reports. "Starbucks plans to have the service up and running in a quarter of its stores by the end of next year and in all U.S. stores with wireless networks by the end of 2009."
[Source:Businessweek]

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ifrogz iPod Touch Cases

touchwrapz
Available in several colors, ifrogz' new cases for the iPod Touch are made of 100% polished silicone that protects like no other case out there. The silicone offers padding to protect from drops or bumps while maintaining the sleek form of the iPod Touch.

There are bumpers added on the corners to protect from hard falls. These are not thin and flimsy like other silicone cases you've tried. Specially treated to resist dust, dirt and grime so your Touch is always looking sharp.


TREADZ
Life in the fast lane has never been so good. Bring your feel for the road to you iPod Touch. Made of the highest quality silicone available, the treadz case will keep up with you wherever your travels take you.

Treated to resist lint and dust your iPod Touch will always look its best while being protected from life's high speed accidents. Easily access your ports and controls while protecting your Apple iPod Touch in style.

These cases are still in development and will be available sometime next month.

Update(21st Oct): iFrogz is now taking pre-orders for its iPod touch Wrapz silicone case. The case will begin shipping October 25.


Related iPod Touch Cases:
> Griffin Hard-shell iPod Touch Leather Case
> Griffin Reflect Case for iPod Touch
> Belkin Leather Folio iPod Touch Case
> ezView iPod Touch Leather Case from ezGear
> invisibleSHIELD iPod Touch Screen Protector

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iClear Hard-shell iPod Touch case from Griffin

iClear iPod Touch case is perfect when you want hard-shell protection that lets your iPod Touch shine through. iclear case is one of the popular cases updated for Apple’s new iPod Touch.

This case provides complete access and protection for the iPod Touch in a custom-molded shell.

Features:
- Clear, two-piece polycarbonate case
- Easy access to touch screen, dock connector, headphone port and hold switch
- Put your iPod touch in the top casing then snap the back into place
- To open the case, insert a coin (a quarter works best) into the notch in the bottom corner and gently twist.




Related iPod Touch Cases:
> Griffin Hard-shell iPod Touch Leather Case
> Griffin Reflect Case for iPod Touch
> Belkin Leather Folio iPod Touch Case
> ezView iPod Touch Leather Case from ezGear
> invisibleSHIELD iPod Touch Screen Protector

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Mossberg reviews iPod touch as ‘A great media player’

Walter S. Mossberg from The Wall Street Journal has reviewed the iPod Touch describing it as ‘A great media player’. "Like earlier iPods, the Touch is elegant and capable, and works smoothly with Apple’s free iTunes software for Windows and Macintosh PCs, as well as with its computer-based online iTunes Store, which sells far more downloaded songs and TV shows than any other legal outlet," Mossberg reports.

"Not only that, but the Touch introduces a mobile version of the iTunes store. It’s called the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, and it allows you to buy, right on the iPod, any of six million songs for the same price you’d pay on a computer. This portable store will soon be made available on the iPhone as well."

"For all its beauty and functionality, the Touch has some quirks and downsides. It’s the first iPod model I’ve ever tested that fell significantly short, in my tests, of Apple’s battery-life claims [just under17 hours for music and just over 4 hours for video vs. Apple's claimed up to 22 hours and up to 5 hours]," Mossberg reports.

"In my tests, music and video playback went perfectly, and so did viewing photos. The Wi-Fi functions, including the Web browser, a YouTube video viewer and the new mobile store, also worked perfectly," Mossberg reports.

The most important comments in Mossberg' review is about the iPod Touch display issues that some early iPod touch users have been reporting. Mossberg says, "Also, some early iPod Touch units have had defective screens, where images appeared too dark. Apple says this problem affected a small number of units and is being remedied. My two test units displayed beautiful images."

Apple's new iPod touch "is a great media player, and the iPod remains the best end-to-end portable solution for playing and purchasing music and video," Mossberg reports.

Read the full review here.

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iPod Touch home button double-click feature

One of the good feature of the iPod Touch that the iPhone lacks is the ability to double-click the Home or the tactile button to bring the iPod controls.

Pressing the only tactile button on the player twice makes music controls appear over whatever screen mode you happen to be in—Safari, YouTube, or whatever.

Even if the player is locked, double-clicking will bring up a set of music controls that features track information, play/pause, forward and backward within a playlist or album, a Music button to take you directly to the Now Playing screen, and a Close button to escape.

This function works even if the screen has timed out and gone black, and it's a great quick way to skip that song you hate or pump up the volume on the one you love.

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