Dear hotel owner,

Adding a nice HDTV to your rooms is just the first step in making me happy.

The next step is to purchase this contraption I found when I was trying to find a new alarm clock.

Sincerely,

Scott

P.S. Make sure you also supply the cables.

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Don’t get me wrong, pink isn’t exactly my thing, but don’t let that stop you from checking out these 2 cases from OtterBox. By purchasing an OtterBox for iPhone or iPod nano Defender™ Series Strength case, 10% of the purchase price will be donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to support access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved.

Without a doubt a very good cause, and one I can absolutely suggest supporting.

Pink OtterBox for iPhone Defender Series "STRENGTH"

Pink OtterBox for iPod Nano 3rd Gen Defender Series "STRENGTH"

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If you’ve been keeping up with the news, then you’ll know that US customs can seize and inspect anything on your laptop, without your consent or without probable cause.

There are many ways around this, including drive encryption or carrying a USB memory key. But those will always present the risk that Customs simply seize them too.

One place you may not have thought about for storing documents is your iPod. Apple conveniently allow iPod owners to enable a portion of the drive on their iPod for non music/video storage, and access is as simple as opening it up in Explorer. Of course, if the documents are of a really sensitive nature, then you’ll want to store them in a Truecrypt file.

Of course, this system also works if you just need a quick and dirty way of storing anything else you need a backup of (photos for example).

You can learn more about enabling disk usage on an iPod in this Apple knowledge base article.

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In the same week that United Airlines announced that they’d start charging $15 for every piece of checked luggage, they began rolling out their newest in-flight entertainment system.

United guests may now reach cruising altitude with a new, personalized in-flight entertainment system. United is the first U.S. carrier to offer iPod and iPhone connectivity to its in-flight entertainment system, enabling customers to enjoy their individual content on a 15.4-inch personal television, all while the iPod or iPhone charges.

The first aircraft with iPod and iPhone connectivity is scheduled to depart at 5:40 p.m. from Washington, D.C. to Zurich as United #936, and it will fly primarily on trans-Atlantic routes. United’s entire fleet of international, widebody aircraft are being reconfigured over the next two years with lie-flat seats, on-demand entertainment, and iPod and iPhone connectivity in first and business class.

“Our guests may now watch or listen to what they want, when they want with programming they choose,” says Graham Atkinson, United Airlines – executive vice president and Chief Customer Officer. “United will continue to provide services and technology that makes our customers’ travel experiences more relaxed and enjoyable."

I love the last part of the press release. I guess adding an iPod charging port makes up for all the other stuff they took away from us. Of course, knowing United, the chances of this new entertainment system making its way to domestic flights is next to nothing.

Source: United Airlines press release

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When Apple introduced the new generation iPod’s, they crippled the video output system that had been in use since the first video capable player. In the past you simply plugged a $5 cable into the headphone jack, and could plug your iPod into a video source.

Then Apple removed that option, and made things worse by adding a special "authentication chip" in their  video cable that would prevent any old cables from working with the new devices.

When Apple introduced the iPod Classic, the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the new generation iPod Nano, every existing video accessory stopped working.

And of course, until recently this "authentication chip" was only available in the original ($50) Apple cable.

The new Dealextreme Premium Plated AV Cable for iPhone and New iPods shaves more than $30 off the price of the Apple cable, and ships from Hong Kong for just $18.31.

Thanks to these creative Chinese manufacturers, it’s now even cheaper to plug your iPod/iPhone into the hotel TV and watch some decent stuff!

Update: Delextreme have updated the page and have removed the iPhone compatability from the list.

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If you thought that the new laptop search rules were baloney, then this new proposal will really anger you.

Members of the G8 plan to meet in Tokyo in July to discuss a new measure that will turn customs agents into copyright inspectors/police who’ll have the authority to take a closer look at your iPod or other electronic device.

The proposal is dubbed the "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement" (ACTA) and will give customs agents the power to levy fines and seize equipment.

I’m not entirely sure how a customs agent plans to determine that the content on my iPod is illegal, but I can’t say I care for the direction this is heading, as more big brother tactics at the airport won’t help anyone.

Source: 9to5mac

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Summer is finally getting closer, and many of the gadgets that keep us entertained during the boring weekday trips will now be coming to more fun locations to keep us entertained instead of keeping us awake.

The thing about more fun locations is that they are often not the friendliest to our gadgets. During the week, the worst abuse may be getting thrown into the x-ray bin at the TSA line, but when you are on vacation your poor gadgets get wet, covered in sand, food or worse.

My iPod classic (160Gb) cost $399, and I’m overly protective of it. Unlike many of my gadgets, I’m always fully aware that iPods are not the most rigid of gadgets and I just know that the hard disk is one drop away from death.

So, today I’m going to show off a product that promises to protect your cherished iPod from pretty much anything you could possibly throw (or drop) at it. The Otterbox iPod classic Armor™ series case is pretty much the toughest case you can get for your iPod. It is waterproof to 3 feet and the hard plastic body will protect it from the worst of accidents.

But the best part of this case is that it does all this while still offering headphone access as well as full access to the scroll wheel!

Read the rest of this entry »

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In the neverending battle to provide the most innovative services for premium class passengers, Singapore Airlines have announced that some of their aircraft now feature iPod connectivity.

Passengers in business class on the A340-500 flights from Newark to Singapore (and LA to Singapore from August) will be able to plug their iPod or iPhone into the IFE and watch their content on the Krisflyer system (a 15" screen).

Personally I’m a little torn on this; it’s great that you can now bring your own video content with you, and watch it on something larger than a 2.5" screen, but it would have been nicer if they just gave everyone the option of iPod or a regular video connection (for a DVD player or other MP3 player brand). There are still some people that don’t have an iPod (I’m talking to you, Zune owners!)

And of course, the poor folks in cattle class will still be stuck with their tiny iPod screens…

Source: Marketwatch via iLounge and Flyertalk.com

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Well, they’re calling it the Bold anyways. The latest smartphone model was announced officially overnight Sunday, and it pretty much matches what was expected based on previous Blackberry 9000 reports.

Features include:

• GPS
• HSDPA connectivity
• WiFi
• iTunes support
• 2MP camera

ATT is the US launch partner for the device, which is expected on store shelves later this summer.

With the multimedia support and HSDPA data speeds, this device is clearly a shot across the bow of Apple’s iPhone, though that one also seems to be undergoing a shift in availability and functionality, pending an official announcement, of course.

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I’m pretty sure that there are now officially more iPod cases on the market than there are residents of Portugal. So it takes something quite special to catch my attention.

Today I’m going to show you the iFrogz audiowrapz case - it’s that "something quite special".

The audiowrapz case is a silcone wrap case for the 3rd generation iPod Nano. Unlike most silicone cases, this one has been treated with a special anti-dust protection, and it clearly shows, as even after a few days the case still looks nice and clean.

But what makes the audiowrapz case special, is the integrated speakers. These are passive speakers, so you don’t need extra batteries, and they don’t draw any power from your iPod.

Read the rest of this entry »

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