@methodshop

According to AppleInsider.com, Apple has a new line of iPod products that may be announced at MacWorld in January. These products are more than "accessories" and are being called iPod Companions.

One of the rumored iPod companion products is a Apple Boombox with a hard drive, streaming capabilities and Sirius Satellite radio.

AppleInsider isn't the only website predicting this major deal. Sirius already has Howard Stern coming in 2006. If Sirius makes a deal with Apple to bring their satellite radio programming to the iPod, their satellite competitor, XM, might as well pack it in.

"[A Sirius iPod] doesn't seem too far fetched considering that there have been negotiations between Apple and Sirius Satellite Radio over the past year."
~ Softpedia.com

Do you have a ton of DVD's? Want to watch them on your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV? Here's a tutorial that explains how to use an awesome program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iTunes compatible MPEG-4 video files.

Tutorial: How to Rip DVDs into MPEG4

methodshop

Labels: iphone, ipod, tutorial

This is a first. A free video download is now available on iTunes and it's from the Sci-Fi channel.

Take a behind the scenes look at life onboard the Battlestar Galactica. Watch exclusive interviews with the people at the heart of one of television's most acclaimed shows. Get up to speed with the crew's adventures so far, and get a sneak peek at some of the upcoming action in the new season.

Download: Battlestar Galactica Sci-Fi Inside

December 24th
Holiday Gift Idea #24:
Amazon.com Gift Certificate

Only 1 day left until Christmas! If you were planning on getting a gift and mailing to someone for Chritmas, it's too late. Your only option now is an email gift certificate.

Recipients who are unable to receive e-mail in HTML will receive a text-only version of the e-mail gift certificate.

$5.00-$5,000 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com

Has the popularity of the iPod had a halo effect on Mac computer sales? Are people switiching to Mac from PC? According to Internet traffic statistic company, HitsLink, in November 2005 the Apple OS market share broke 4%.

Apple market share has been constant to slowly growing the past 12 months, but November showed a nice gain from 3.87% to 4.11%. December's early numbers show Apple OS making another large jump in market share this month as well.

The chart also shows Microsoft XP steadily gaining market share. However, these gains are coming at the expense of older Windows platforms as people continue to upgrade computers and operating systems.


Note that this data is based on computers browsing the internet, and does not attempt to reflect server operating system usage.

Our friends at ZeroSign have stumbled upon some interesting Roomba news. iRobot just released a Roomba hacking kit that will allow hackers to directly access the internal controls of their product. Just so we're all on the same page here, it's highly unusual for a company to encourage the hacking of their products. Just imagine if Microsoft encouraged people to hack Windows.

iRobot is releasing the "Roomba OSMO//hacker" kit complete with a serial control interface allowing users to connect to and program their Roomba robots. Is this hacking kit an improvement to the average Roomba? No, according to iRobot. "This update is not a necessary enhancement for Roomba owners, rather it is intended for software programmers and roboticists to create their own enhancements to Roomba."

So what results can we expect from the release of this hacking kit? This is what ZeroSign.net speculated in their blog:

"This hacking kit and serial interface will totally open the Roomba to homebrew apps! The mind quickly becomes dizzy with the possibilities available with this. Could I really have the robot servant that I have always dreamed of? applaudde iRobot for their bold move. If more companies released interfacing kits I have no doubt that this world would be a better place for it."

For those of you unfamiliar with the Roomba, it's a robot vacuum created by the iRobot corporation. They make a variety of robots include military grade machines that defuse bombs in Iraq or for SWAT teams.

My Roomba is currently cleaning my kitchen floor while I'm typing this blog post.


Related Links:

• iRobot Hacker Information
• iRobot Interface Manual PDFdf)

[Thanks ZeroSign.net]

As you are reading this, your blog or website might be down. I've never met a Webmaster who hasn't had their site go down for some reason or another.

Staff or friends usually catch it right away but it would be nice to have someone keeping a close eye on your server's uptime all the time.

What if I told you there was a way to watch your site all the time for free?

WatchMouse Site Monitor is a Mac OS X Dashboard Widget that checks your company site or personal blog every 1, 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes and alerts you in case of problems. It will also show the hourly availability of your website over the last 72 hours.

And the best part? WatchMouse Site Monitor is free.


Download Link: WatchMouse Site Monitor

It may be a minor victory, but any victory against Microsoft can seem pretty big for a small software company like Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox web browser.

On December 14th, an Internet Explorer team member announced in their blog that Microsoft will adopt the orange RSS icon that Firefox has popularized across the web. Orange is the official color of Firefox.

If you are unfamiliar with RSS (Rich Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication), it is an information syndication technology used to send "feeds" to RSS readers and compatible applications.

According to market research firm Ipsos Insight, over 30% of web users have used RSS whether they realize it or not. According to a research document prepared for Yahoo! by Ipsos Insight, "the use of RSS in websites is becoming more common, but very few Internet users are actually aware of it... many Americans use RSS unknowingly via personalized start pages and browser-based experiences."

RSS was first developed by Netscape programmer, Dan Libby, in 1999 as a way to customize the My Netscape portal hompages. AOL lost interest in RSS after purchasing Netscape in 2001. RSS then became an open-source project and was integrated into the Firefox browser and most blogging software.

"We all agreed that it's in the user's best interest to have one common icon to represent RSS and RSS-related features in a browser," the Microsoft team wrote in their blog. Several months ago, the IE team blog said they would design an original Microsoft RSS icon.

If you haven't switched from Internet Explorer yet, consider Firefox 1.5 your invitation to do so. Firefox has taken the web by storm and according to the Wikipedia Firefox page, received over "25 million downloads in the 99 days after the initial 1.0 release."

Getting Microsoft to adopt a standard they didn't invent is like a mouse moving a mountain. Congratulations to Mozilla and the Firefox development team.


Related Links:

• RSS History
• Microsoft IE Team Blog
• Firefox page on Wikipedia
  

Think Sony PSP games are overpriced? Us too. Here's a tutorial on how to download free homebrew games off the Internet and install them on your PSP.

In this tutorial we will be installing a homebrew game called SmashGpsp.

If you are unfamiliar with this game, SmashGpsp is a PSP version of the popular Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Brothers. In other words, it's a lose PSP recreation of the Nintendo game Super Smash Brothers by a very talented programmer, mATkEUpON.

Tutorial: Install Homebrew Games on Your Sony PSP

Yahoo plans to webcast the celebration following the airing of shock jock Howard Stern's last show on traditional FM radio.The "exclusive" live video will show the party at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York

read more | digg story

Time Warner's HBO is interested in making a deal with Apple to offer programing for the video iPod, the cable network's chief executive said on Thursday.

read more | digg story

Last Saturday morning, everyone in the blogosphere woke up to the news that MSNBC had purchased advertising on 800 blogs. This was the largest single blogad buy in history. The promotion is for a special day of TV programming taking place on Wednesday, December 14th. The day is unofficially called "Digital Day" and will feature special Internet related TV programming, a live blogger, and interaction with bloggers throughout the day.

Although MSNBC's intent in purchasing the blogads was to gain TV viewers, most of the press around Digital Day has been about the massive blogad buy and not about the content of the shows. To help raise awareness of the topics being covered on December 14th, MSNBC has put together a special video teaser tape for Digital Day in iPod and Sony PSP video formats.

The subjects being covered on Digital Day range from Oddball Videos and the Porn Industry to more serious topics like Internet Addiction (chat rooms, online gambling, shopping, gaming, etc).

Many of the clips being covered in the Oddball Video segment have probably been in your inbox before. My favorites are the fishing monkey, Pope drinking beer, Elvis impersonator pumping gas and the singing Swedish kid.

Rita Cosby's coverage of the Porn Industry and Internet Addiction will probably strike a chord with a more sophisticated audience. Call me simple, but I just want to see the funny clips.


You can download the MSNBC "Digital Day" Teaser Tape here:

• MSNBC Digital Day Teaser: iPod Video (17.5 MB)
  
• MSNBC Digital Day Teaser: Sony PSP Video (11.2 MB)
  

If you don't know how to copy videos onto your PSP, then check out this MethodShop.com tutorial: How to Copy Videos onto Your Sony PSP


Program your TiVo's now. Here are the MSNBC shows to checkout on 12.14.05:

• Oddball Video - Keith Oberman: 8 p.m. ET
• Inside the Valley of Porn - Rita Cosby: 9 p.m. ET
• Internet Addiction - Joe Scarborough: 10 p.m. ET
  

Related Links:

• Technorati Search: MSNBC + BlogAds
• MSNBC's Confusing Digital Day Splash Page
• MSNBC's Plan to Inundate the Internet
• MSNBC's Big Week for Online Ads
• Blogads Sells The Farm!
• Offensive MSNBC Porn BlogAds
• Why I'm Happy I Didn't Get the MSNBC Porn Ad
  
• Nice Neon, Bad Splash Page
  

December 12th
Holiday Gift Idea #12:
The He-Man Christmas Special (DVD)

Have someone on your gift list who already has it all? Trust us, they don't have this one yet.

In this special Christmas episode of the He-Man and She-Ra cartoons, their sidekick Orko accidentally gets beamed to Earth during a test of a new spy satellite. Orko manages to get back Planet Eternia, but brings along two Earth children, Alisha and Manuel, with him. Since it's Christmastime on Earth, the kids are naturally filled with the holiday spirit, but this overflowing goodwill attracts the unwelcome attention of the Horde Prime and Skeletor.

Will the combined power of He-Man, She-Ra and the spirit of Christmas be enough to stop Skeletor? Or will you pass out from Grandpa's "special" egg nogg before you can find out?

$13.99 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com

December 9th
Holiday Gift Idea #9:
iZ

You are probably asking yourself, what iZ it? Basically iZ is a musical toy.

You can have iZ make his own music by twisting and turning his ears and pressing his belly or you can plug your iPod or any music source into iZ and let him play your songs his way. Don't have an iPod? No problem. You can plug iZ into any audio or music device that uses a standard headset cable.

Once iZ is activated, his eyes bounce to the rhythm and his horn pulses in rainbow colors to the beat. Trippy.

December 8th
Holiday Gift Idea #8:
The Essential Dean Martin (CD)

From Mom and Dad to Metrosexual or Urban Sophisticate, you can't go wrong with the gift of Dean. This album has 30 tracks by a master song stylist that is sure to get the whole room singing along.

Dean Martin, shines in this collection of recordings which were released from 1949 ''Powder Your Face With Sunshine'' to ''Gentle on My Mind'' in 1968.

$13.49 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com

December 7th
Holiday Gift Idea #7:
TomTom Go 700 Portable GPS Navigation System

Sick of getting lost when Dad is driving? Maybe it's time the family chipped in and got him a GPS system for the car.

Just plug in your TomTom Go 700, switch it on and go. There's no need for any special installation or activation. A set of clear, accurate, turn-by-turn voice instructions and crystal-clear 3D graphics will help you to get where you need to go. The unit's simple design allows you to take the TomTom Go 700 with you from car to car quickly and easily. All the newest maps come installed on a 2.5 GB hard drive as one seamless map, allowing you to find your way to any address across all of the United States and Canada.

In a few years, when the current maps loaded on the TomTom Go 700 need updating, just plug it into your Mac or PC using its USB 2.0 cable.

Want to use the TomTom out of the car? No problem. The TomTom Go 700 built in battery so you can take it out of the car, change the route preferences to "walking" ( this way it ingnores one way streets) and navigate on foot to that resturant you have heard about but could not find while fighting traffic. It allows you to create custom points of interest categories and add sites to these categories with your own names.

The TomTom Plus feature uses your Bluetooth enabled cellphone to give you real-time information like traffic and weather conditions, plus extra downloads such as detailed city maps, additional voices, points of interest, and more.

The Tom Tom company donated 300 units for use in recovery after Hurricane Katrina. They were mounted in Blackhawk helicopters and used on rescue boats.

There are higher-end and lower-end GPS navigation systmes on the market, but overall, the TomTom Go 700 has the best combination of data and interface and at a decent price.

$843.08 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com

NBC began selling television shows in the iTunes Store today. Shows from NBC, USA Network, and the Sci-Fi channel are available for download to your iPod Video.

Just some of the shows include:

December 6th
Holiday Gift Idea #6:
The Catcher in the Rye

Do you have a little brother that should be reading more and playing less video games? The trick is finding something they can relate to. Harry Potter might work for younger kids. Older kids around 16 years-old, or at that 'coming of age', age, might find a connection with a novel like The Catcher In the Rye.

In J.D. Salinger's brilliant coming-of-age novel, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old prep school adolescent relates his lonely, life-changing twenty-four hour stay in New York City as he experiences the phoniness of the adult world while attempting to deal with the death of his younger brother, an overwhelming compulsion to lie and troubling sexual experiences.

Salinger has captured the eternal angst of growing into adulthood in the person of Holden Caulfield. Anyone who has reached the age of sixteen will be able to identify with this unique and yet universal character, for Holden contains bits and pieces of all of us. It is for this very reason that The Catcher in the Rye has become one of the most beloved and enduring works in world literature.


$6.99 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

December 5th
Holiday Gift Idea #5:
The Warriors: The Ultimate Director's Cut (DVD)

A gang called The Warriors are framed for killing a gang leader trying to unite all the gangs in the area. With other gangs gunning for them they must get back to the home turf of Coney Island... alive.

The Warriors combines pure pulp storytelling and surprisingly poetic images into a thoroughly enjoyable cult classic. The plot is mythically pure (and inspired by a legendary bit of Greek history): When a charismatic gang leader is shot at a conclave in the Bronx meant to unite all the gangs in New York City, a troupe from Coney Island called the Warriors get blamed and have to fight all the way back to their own turf--which means an escalating series of battles with colorful and improbable gangs like the Baseball Furies, who wear baseball uniforms and KISS-inspired face make-up. Pop existentialism, performances that are somehow both wooden and overwrought, and zesty, kinetic filmmaking from director Walter Hill (Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs.) result in a delicious and unexpectedly resonant operatic cheesiness. The Ultimate Director's Cut doesn't radically alter the movie--some of the editing is tighter, the Greek legend has been added as an introduction--with one exception: in transitions, scenes begin and end as scenes from a comic book.

The DVD has no audio commentary, but there are four short documentaries (really, one documentary in four parts). These include excellent interviews with the director, actors Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, and Deborah Van Valkenburgh. The producers, the cinematographer, the costume designer, the stunt coordinator, and many others give lively and in-depth descriptions of how the movie came to be. One of these documentaries includes portions of a deleted scene that was used when The Warriors was screened on television; no other deleted scenes are included.


$12.99 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

December 4th
Holiday Gift Idea #4:
SwissMemory 256MB Flight Safe Multitool

Not your dad's Swiss Army Knife, this multitool is equipped with a 256MB memory stick that can plug right into any USB port. It's a handy way to transport digital pictures, MP3 files, and important computer files... even on the plane. This Swiss Army Knife has no sharp blades and can be taken on any flight in your carry on luggage.

It's also equipped with an LED mini-light and a retractable ball point pen--useful for getting work done in dark places.

The tool is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, and gold-plated contacts ensure excellent dataflow. The memory stick also has a convenient extension cable for easy access to USB ports.

$54.85 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com

December 2nd
Holiday Gift Idea #2:
Gourmet Green Tea Set

Not a big tea drinker? Me neither, but this tea set makes a great little gift.

It's very easy to use. You fill the pot with water, nuke it in the microwave, then put your green tea leaves directly in the water. Wait 3 minutes. Put the pot on the top our your cup and it drains into your cup through the bottom while the mesh filter retains all the leaves.

Super easy to clean and dishwasher safe. And its microwaveable - perfect for the office or the road.

$19.00 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com

Despite the fact that it is legal to record free TV broadcasts on your VCR, DVD recorder, and TiVo, there are rumblings at NBC that they might sue TiVo for allowing those same episodes to be recorded on portable devices, namely the newest iPod and Sony's PSP.


A NBC spokesperson had this to say:

"TiVo appears to be acting unilaterally, disregarding established rights of content owners to participate in decisions regarding the distribution and exploitation of their content. This unilateral action creates the risk of legal conflict instead of contributing to the constructive exploitation of digital technology that can rapidly provide new and exciting experiences for the consumer."

[Via Variety.com]

December 1st
Holiday Gift Idea #1:
"Rocked, Wired & Bluesed" by Cinderella

Need the perfect stocking stuffer for your cousin in New Jersey? Why just say "Happy Holidays" when you can say "Happy Hair-Metal Holidays" with the Cinderella greatest hits album Rocked, Wired & Bluesed?

The big standouts on this album are Nobody's Fool, Night Songs, Shake Me, Somebody Save Me, and Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone). True, there are a few boring bluesy fillers mixed in there, but the album as a whole is a great way to take a mind trip back to 1986.

WARNING: This album might make you want to dig through the attic and find those leather pants, scarves, leg warmers, flying V guitar and get your hair all wild with Aqua Net.

When you've heard "Frosty the Snowman" for the 100th time on Christmas morning, throw in Rocked, Wired & Bluesed and watch grandma cringe.

1. Night Songs
2. Shake Me
3. Nobody's Fool
4. Somebody Save Me
5. Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart At The Seams
6. Gypsy Road
7. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
8. The Last Mile
9. Long Cold Winter
10. If You Don't Like It
11. Coming Home
12. The More Things Change
13. Shelter Me
14. Heartbreak Station
15. Winds Of Change
16. Blood From A Stone
17. Hot And Bothered

$13.98 from Amazon.com
Buy It Now

methodshop.com