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Apple Releases iTunes 8.1
12, Mar 2009 04:36 Filed in: Apple
With iTunes DJ, iPhone users that have Apple’s Remote application installed can request songs to be played. Users can also vote to control when songs are played. The DJ feature even has its own preferences, so you can send a welcome message to users and control whether voting is turned on or off. You can also require users to type in a password to access iTunes DJ’s features.
We’re not sure about the utility of the new iTunes DJ but you never know, it might be useful to some.
iTunes 8.1 should be available via Software Update and as always is free.
Apple Loosening It's Grip On iTunes App Approval Process
"[Apple] told me that they are going to start approving a whole new "genre" of apps, and that Pull My Finger will be the first to be accepted in this genre. As of now Pull My Finger is available in the app store.
The very kind Apple Team Member told me that they didn't want to reject it originally, but that they were sorting out how this "genre" of apps were going to be handled. She told me they'd be lifting the restriction on them, and more apps will follow that may have been previously not allowed."
This is great new to anyone needing that all important iPhone/iPod Touch farting app.
The Onion Now Offering ONN Video On iTunes
In case you haven't had the pleasure of reading the Onion or watching Onion video, it is without a doubt the funniest fake news outfits there is. The Onion's satire and parodies will make you laugh out loud and possibly even double over in pain from laugh cramps. It's seriously funny stuff. Seriously.
We here at AYAAW are regular readers of the Onion's online version including ONN videos. Now we can even enjoy ONN content on our iPhone! What could be better then that?
Our favorite clip of all time has to be "Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot". It's truly hilarious! So Onion readers what's your favorite? Post it in the comments. You mom always told you it's good to share.
Griffin Announces iTalk for iPhone & iPod and iTalk Sync for Mac
On Tuesday, Griffin Technology announced the availability iTalk voice recording app for iPhone and the iPod Touch. Griffin also announced the immediate availability of iTalk Sync, the desktop companion app to iTalk.
For a limited time Griffin is giving both apps away free. They don't say how long the "limited time" is so if you want a pretty decent voice recording app combo for your iPhone or iPod Touch and you don't want to pay for it, download them both while you can. There is a small ad that displays across the bottom of two of iTalks 3 screens so perhaps Griffin is testing this as an ad supported app. The ad is very small and unobtrusive so don't let that stop you from trying it out.
Both apps are very intuitive and using them went without a hitch. Syncing via iTalk Sync was painless other than having to turn on Wi Fi on the iPhone. When the app store first opened I immediately purchased nFinity's QuickVoice and it's desktop companion app for the then special introductory price of $9.99 for both. QuickVoice has been a nice app and now nFinity is giving away the iPhone/iPod touch app. You still have to buy the companion app which is currently priced at $14.95 (nFInity's QuickVoice PC page says the regular price is $25). QuickVoice PC is certainly a more full featured app than iTalk Sync. In fact the only thing you can really do with iTalk Sync is wirelessly sync with your iPhone and then drag and drop your recordings to your Mac. iTalk and iTalk Sync are free, however, so they'll no doubt give the QuickVoice combo and all the rest of the voice recording apps on the iTunes app store a run for their money.
Oh and one more thing. Although the iPhone version of QuickVoice works well and has some pretty cool features (upside down mode for when you want to point the iPhone mic away from you) I can't get the desktop app to import any of my recordings. I go through the motions and it does import something but for the life of me I can't figure out where they go. Add to that the seriously ugly interface and OS X 2002 feel and the desktop app just seems like a bad port from a Windows version. I've filed a support request (there is a serious lack of documentation with the desktop app) so hopefully nFInity will be able to help me figure this thing out. We'll see....
In the mean time check out the iTalk & iTalk Sync screen shots below and the QuickVoice shots below that.
For more info see the full press release at Griffin's website.Griffin iTalk turns iPhone or iPod touch into an ultra-mobile, super-compact recording unit. This two-part app allows users to create high-quality recordings, and then transfer the recordings to a Mac or PC. Users will appreciate the one-touch recording controls, and the ability to pause/resume recordings and even append to previous recordings on the fly. iTalk is a two-part software application.
Download the iTalk app from the iTunes App Store and install it on your iPhone or iPod touch, for mobile recording and playback. Its companion program, iTalk Sync, runs on your computer to transfer recordings from iPod or iPhone for editing and sharing. iTalk Sync connects to your iPod touch or iPhone wirelessly via your local Wi-Fi network, and makes transfers a snap: just drag the recordings from iTalk Sync's list and drop them onto your desktop. Recordings are saved as high-quality AIFF files, playable in iTunes and most other media players.
High-quality handheld recording
Easy, convenient user interface and controls
Drag and drop file transfers wirelessly to your computer
User-selectable Good/Better/Best sample rate
Pause/resume and append to existing recordings on the fly
Recording on 2nd gen iPod touch works with the addition of Apple's iPhone headset, or with Griffin's updated TuneBuds Mobile and SmartTalk mic/control solutions
For a limited time Griffin is giving both apps away free. They don't say how long the "limited time" is so if you want a pretty decent voice recording app combo for your iPhone or iPod Touch and you don't want to pay for it, download them both while you can. There is a small ad that displays across the bottom of two of iTalks 3 screens so perhaps Griffin is testing this as an ad supported app. The ad is very small and unobtrusive so don't let that stop you from trying it out.
Both apps are very intuitive and using them went without a hitch. Syncing via iTalk Sync was painless other than having to turn on Wi Fi on the iPhone. When the app store first opened I immediately purchased nFinity's QuickVoice and it's desktop companion app for the then special introductory price of $9.99 for both. QuickVoice has been a nice app and now nFinity is giving away the iPhone/iPod touch app. You still have to buy the companion app which is currently priced at $14.95 (nFInity's QuickVoice PC page says the regular price is $25). QuickVoice PC is certainly a more full featured app than iTalk Sync. In fact the only thing you can really do with iTalk Sync is wirelessly sync with your iPhone and then drag and drop your recordings to your Mac. iTalk and iTalk Sync are free, however, so they'll no doubt give the QuickVoice combo and all the rest of the voice recording apps on the iTunes app store a run for their money.
Oh and one more thing. Although the iPhone version of QuickVoice works well and has some pretty cool features (upside down mode for when you want to point the iPhone mic away from you) I can't get the desktop app to import any of my recordings. I go through the motions and it does import something but for the life of me I can't figure out where they go. Add to that the seriously ugly interface and OS X 2002 feel and the desktop app just seems like a bad port from a Windows version. I've filed a support request (there is a serious lack of documentation with the desktop app) so hopefully nFInity will be able to help me figure this thing out. We'll see....
In the mean time check out the iTalk & iTalk Sync screen shots below and the QuickVoice shots below that.
iTalk Sync
QuickVoice iPhone App
QuickVoice Desktop App
Ars Technica Isn't Betting On iTunes 8
Ars Technica isn't betting on iTunes 8 being introduced at Tuesday's "Let's Rock" event. David Chartier, writing for Ars Technica doesn't give any reasons for the lack of faith of version 8's intro.
The one thing we aren't betting on is seeing iTunes 8 introduced on September 9. Call it a hunch, or call it something else, but we don't plan on waking up Software Update just yet.
We're still predicting an iTunes 8 intro here at And Yet Another Apple Weblog. Not that that means anything as we have no insider info, no insiders, no anything. Call it a hunch or something else. Personally, I do plan on waking up Software Update Tuesday afternoon.
The thing is, Ars Technica has a pretty good track record for predicting what's going on and what will go on with Apple.
Here's our final prediction for Tuesday: Apple will or won't announce new products and or services and they will or will not get a bunch of free publicity and media coverage. Actually no matter what happens on Tuesday they'll get a bunch of free media coverage. That's just how it works.
Joe Henry
The one thing we aren't betting on is seeing iTunes 8 introduced on September 9. Call it a hunch, or call it something else, but we don't plan on waking up Software Update just yet.
We're still predicting an iTunes 8 intro here at And Yet Another Apple Weblog. Not that that means anything as we have no insider info, no insiders, no anything. Call it a hunch or something else. Personally, I do plan on waking up Software Update Tuesday afternoon.
The thing is, Ars Technica has a pretty good track record for predicting what's going on and what will go on with Apple.
Here's our final prediction for Tuesday: Apple will or won't announce new products and or services and they will or will not get a bunch of free publicity and media coverage. Actually no matter what happens on Tuesday they'll get a bunch of free media coverage. That's just how it works.
Joe Henry
Apple Not Likely to Roll Out Subsciption Service
The blogosphere is abuzz trying to predict what exactly Apple is going to unveil at next Tuesdays "Let's Rock" event. One thing most places aren't predicting is a subscription service. In fact, according to CNET's Greg Sandoval
Read the full article here.
This doesn't surprise us here at AYAAW and it shouldn't surprise you either. Although Steve Jobs has gone back on things he said Apple wouldn't do in the past we just can't believe a subscription music service would be
one of them. Apple and iTunes are doing very well all by themselves selling music outright and becoming the number one retail music seller in the U.S. so there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason to roll out a subscription service. Other subscription services don't seem to be doing all that great and are dwarfed by Apple's share of the retail music business, so it just doesn't make sense.
This last spring, however, there were rumors flying around that Apple would offer iTunes Unlimited: a subscription service whereby the entire iTunes library would be available as an add-on to the purchase of an iPod or iPhone and subscribers could download and keep the music as long as they owned the device. Read more about this rumor at Ars Technica. It's an interesting idea.
Most rumor sites are predicting new iPods and iTunes 8 and we think those are the most likely to be true. New Macbooks are also rumored to be part of the event but we don't buy that. This is a music event and as such won't include any hardware refreshes other than iPods. Still, it is Apple and Steve Jobs does so like to surprise.
Joe Henry
AYAAW
"My sources say that they don't expect Apple to announce anything to do with music content, and they are sure Apple won't be rolling out an iTunes music subscription service."
Read the full article here.
This doesn't surprise us here at AYAAW and it shouldn't surprise you either. Although Steve Jobs has gone back on things he said Apple wouldn't do in the past we just can't believe a subscription music service would be
This last spring, however, there were rumors flying around that Apple would offer iTunes Unlimited: a subscription service whereby the entire iTunes library would be available as an add-on to the purchase of an iPod or iPhone and subscribers could download and keep the music as long as they owned the device. Read more about this rumor at Ars Technica. It's an interesting idea.
Most rumor sites are predicting new iPods and iTunes 8 and we think those are the most likely to be true. New Macbooks are also rumored to be part of the event but we don't buy that. This is a music event and as such won't include any hardware refreshes other than iPods. Still, it is Apple and Steve Jobs does so like to surprise.
Joe Henry
AYAAW
Apple "Let's Rock" Special Event
I’m willing to bet that a new iPod and iTunes 8 will be revealed. Yeah I know, neither one are a big stretch but I’m not much of a gambler.
Alas, AYAAW wasn’t invited so we’ll just have to watch the other Apple media outlets on the day of the event. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
Joe Henry
AYAAW
New Nano and iTunes 8.0 Coming Soon
As for iTunes 8.0, Rose says its a major update and includes new features. Could one of those new features be the rumored iTunes Unlimited subscription service? Although he doesn't go into detail Rose says the update is worthy of a full point. Sounds good to me but I have to say I have no interest in s subscription service.
Joe Henry