Home / tuaw.com rss archive / September-21-2007


Zune on Woot for $20 less, Woot offers rebate (and parody)
Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, BlogsGosh, I love Woot.com. Not only are they based in my original hometown (St. Louis, MO, also home of Fried Ravioli and the Bowling Hall of Fame), and not only do they have some great deals on their site (they sell just one item per day, usually at lower-than-normal prices), but they are insightful and funny people. Take, for example, today's item-- it's a Zune (that non-Apple mp3 player that you may have heard of). When Woot offered the Zune a little while ago, not only did they make headlines, but Apple fans really enjoyed it-- it took Microsoft's mp3 player a full 23 hours to completely sell out, even at the low price of $150.And now, as reader Jon points out, Woot is giving Apple fans another chuckle. Not only is today's Zune on sale for $130 ($20 less than before-- and it is sold out as of this writing), but their description text is a pitch-perfect parody of another mp3 seller who's had to announce falling prices on one of his products....

iTunes: Free Friday
Filed under: iTS, DealsMore! More! More free iTunes videos for your viewing delectation. Today's are all courtesy of Fox, including a few frepeats from yesterday:Continue reading iTunes: Free FridayRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iPod touch as Camera: Take 2
Filed under: iPod Family, HacksYour computer already thinks your iPod touch is a camera. So why not just take it to the next level? If you stock some pictures into a DCIM/100APPLE folder, you can actually sync your touch to your computer as an image capture device. Last night, for fun, I decided to create a DCIM/100APPLE folder on my iPod touch. I added a few pictures and thumbnails, all using the standard IMG_10001.JPG and THM format. After rebooting, I connected the touch to a computer. Bingo. My files synced perfectly into iPhoto as if I had snapped them on my touch. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Elgato offers European EyeTV and turbo.264 discounts until October 7
Filed under: Hardware, Retail, DealsUntil October 7th, you can buy European EyeTV Hybrid and turbo.264 units for €20 off the normal price: €110 for the EyeTV and €80 for the turbo.264. TUAW has reviewed the Hybrid and the turbo.264 and gave thumbs up to both products. Read more at the Elgato website.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Use your iPod touch as second-rate $400 USB stick
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhoneYou know that "Enable disk use" checkbox? The one that appears in iTunes for most modern iPods? That checkbox isn't there for the iPod touch. The touch provides no built-in disk access utilities but if you have an Intel Mac, and aren't afraid of the command line, you can use these Media Folder utilities to copy files to and from your touch.The utilities, which are based around a modified version of iPhuc, work with the iPhone as well as the touch and copy files to and from the Media/Documents folder.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iToner 1.0.2 is available
Filed under: iPhoneIn the world of iPhone ringtones, there's the Apple way, and there's the way everyone else does it. For the latter, Ambrosia has released iToner which lets you use any MP3 or AAC as a ringtone for your iPhone (we first looked at iToner a couple of weeks ago). Changes in version 1.0.2 include: Improved iTunes 7.4.x support Fixes an issue where iTunes ringtones might not properly sync Improved handling of playlists GUI improvementsYou already paid for you music, why pay for it again just to use it as a "ringtone?" iToner costs $15US and requires Mac OS 10.4.10 (and and iPhone. But you knew that).[Via MacMinute]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Uncle Steve keeps raking it in
Filed under: Steve JobsForbes magazine has released its annual Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans and our favorite CEO is #56 with an estimated worth of $5.7 billion. Although Steve Jobs' worth increased around $800m since last year, his ranking actually slipped from #49. I don't think I'll shed a tear, however. Needless to say, Bill Gates remains at number one with a measly $59b.[via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New My Book external HDs from WD
Filed under: Hardware, PeripheralsI wouldn't normally post on a new external hard drive, but I have to mention that my favorite Western Digital My Book drives have just been redesigned and are shipping today (besides as Ask TUAW man it's an opportunity to remind you that you should be backing up!). I can't say that I've tested a large variety of drives, but of the external drives I've owned the My Book series has been by far the quietest, most attractive, and most reliable. Gone is the ring of light from the old models replaced by a light strip that functions as a capacity gauge. The new model comes in three models: a USB only Essential Edition, USB + FireWire + eSATA Home Edition, and an unfortunately Windows-focused Office Edition. I can't help but think one of these shiny piano black beauts would look great with one of those new Samsung printers next to a new iMac.[via electronista]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple the exclusive retailer of new Samsung printers
Filed under: Peripherals, Retail, AppleI don't recall this happening any time recently; the Korean newspaper Chosunilbo is reporting that Apple is the exclusive US retailer for a new line of Samsung printers, at least until January 2008. The printers in question are the slick piano black monochrome laser ML-1630 ($199.95) and multifunction laser SCX-4500 ($299.95) and both qualify for Apple's $100 rebate when purchased with a new Mac. Looking at these printers I can't help but think they'd blend perfectly with the black bezel ring of the new iMacs.[via Engadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Monopoly Here and Now released at Macgamestore
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Humor, Software, Odds and ends, AppleI never even realized such a thing existed, but apparently Hasbro (which now owns the Monopoly brand) had released a computer version of the famous real estate game, completely updated for 2007-- as in, there are Hybrid cars and RAZRs in the game (yeah, yeah, I'll get to that in a second), and luxury tax now costs you $150,000, instead of the quaint old $75. And it's now been released for the Mac-- you can pick it up for $20 over at Macgamestore, or grab the demo for free at Macgamefiles.Gamespot users thought the PC version was pretty all right, so if you like the game a lot but don't always have the real opponents around to sit through the whole thing with you, this might be right up your alley.But of course, what I'd like to see, in either virtual or realspace, is an actual Apple-branded edition of Monopoly-- the Newton and Lisa can be Mediterranean and Baltimore, and Park Place and Boardwalk get...

OpenOffice coming to the Mac natively
Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Productivity, Open SourceOur Weblogs, Inc. buddies at Download Squad bring us this news: OpenOffice is going to be able to run natively on the Mac in 2008.The OpenOffice suite is getting pretty impressive-- while Writer, Impress, and Calc might not be necessary when you have Pages, Keynote, and Numbers around, OpenOffice's Math, Draw, and Base will probably be welcome additions to a few Macs out there. And don't underestimate compatibility-- back when I had to use a PC at work, OpenOffice was a constant tool, and using the same program at work and home has its advantages for people who are forced to co-OS.If you can't wait another year, there is still an alpha version available of the native port, and you might be waiting even longer than 2008 anyway-- we were promised a native port a year ago that apparently never showed up in full form. And don't forget about NeoOffice, either-- it's a very nice branch of the OpenOffice code that already...

Radiohead ditches iTunes to keep album complete
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTS, iTunesHere's an interesting twist on the iTunes vs. record companies situation. Radiohead (disclaimer: I'm a Radiohead fan) is choosing not to sell their latest album on iTunes not because their record company is pressuring them out of the deal-- their record company is EMI, and they're more than willing to sell the record DRM free-- but because iTunes is forcing them to break up their album into songs that can be sold separately.Usually, I'm all for selling separate songs-- why should I pay for a whole album when I'm only going to listen to three or four songs? But when a request comes from the artist like this, it seems like a different ballgame. I'd like to buy Radiohead's album on iTunes, and if they want it complete, then that's the way I'd want to buy it. But because Apple has fought to keep songs separate, Radiohead isn't selling it with them at all. You might say that I wouldn't feel the same way about other artists, and you'd be...