Rumours of Lower iPod Prices
If you are thinking of upgrading or purchasing an iPod for the first time it may well pay you to wait. Strong rumours are circulating that Apple expects the price of iPod digital music players to decline over the next 3 months.
“We expect them to be down a little bit in the June quarter,” Apple’s Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said.
This is not only good news for consumers but also reinforces all the rumors about a video iPod coming soon and increases in storage capacity for the iPod nano models.
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Podcast Sponsors Wanted on eBay
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VoiceIndigo, a leading podcast advertising network and mobile brand enabler today announced that it has teamed up with public radio broadcasting personalities Dr. Moira Gunn ("Tech Nation") and Deirdre Kennedy ("Animals Aloud") to offer sponsors the opportunity to reach a highly targeted, well educated, and prosperous audience via podcasting. eBay was selected as the auction tool to support VoiceIndigo's podcast advertising network.
"We produce at least two podcasts of 'Tech Nation' every week in addition to our shows aired on public and satellite radio around the world. There is no better medium than podcasting to truly connect with listeners. Podcast listeners are technology trendsetters who get excited about innovation. They tend to be well-educated and are prosperous and excellent indicators of what will be important in the months and years to come," said Dr. Moira Gunn, producer of the award-winning "Tech Nation."
"There is nothing more powerful than spoken word. Listeners actively seek out and download our podcasts, so they are by nature highly interested. The sponsorship packages that VoiceIndigo developed enable advertisers to gain valuable experience with an increasingly important narrowcast vehicle for distributing content," said Deirdre Kennedy.
"In the past, we've sold sponsorships exclusively one-on-one using fixed price offers. Now that more brands and progressive advertising agencies are buying podcast sponsorships, we decided to add eBay auctions as a standard part of our sales process to ensure that both sponsors and podcasters obtain a fair market price for the value that they offer each other. Market transparency is a good thing for everyone, and eBay gives sponsors of all sizes a chance to participate. I believe that the advertising industry will see more and more types of inventory available using an open auction model in the years to come," said John Mayerhofer, CEO of VoiceIndigo.
"I'm thrilled to see leading talent from public radio across the country embrace podcasting to produce and distribute programming that adheres to high production standards and contains compelling content. Podcasting is certainly a rapidly growing trend that gives these professionals a much greater editorial voice," said Doug Kaye, Executive Director of The Conversations Network, the exclusive online distributor of Dr. Moira Gunn's "Tech Nation."
As sponsors reach for innovative ways to work with podcasters, VoiceIndigo is helping them find their way with a leading mobile distribution network and a growing podcast advertising network.
The eBay auctions will begin at 8 AM PDT on April 11th. For information about the listings, visit www.conversationsnetwork.org/ebay or www.animalsaloud.com/ebay . More information about VoiceIndigo can be found at www.VoiceIndigo.com/advertisers .
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Clickstar and Danny De Vito Launch New Entertainment Channel
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DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL IS THE FIRST OF MANY ARTIST-CREATED ENTERTAINMENT CHANNELS TO BE FEATURED ON CLICKSTAR'S BROADBAND ENTERTAINMENT SERVICE
ClickStar, Inc. and Danny DeVito will launch Jersey Docstm, an artist-created entertainment channel dedicated exclusively to documentary films that will be available for digital download on ClickStar's broadband entertainment service.
The partnership announcement with Mr. DeVito delivers on ClickStar's promise of bringing film lovers “closer to the stars.” Mr. DeVito's passion for documentaries will provide fans a ground breaking, interactive, and immersive experience.
ClickStar, Inc. is a digital entertainment venture founded by Revelations Entertainment, the production company headed by Morgan Freeman and producer and business partner Lori McCreary, with investment from Intel Corporation. ClickStar anticipates that its service will be available later this year and will target millions of broadband consumers using Intel® Viiv™ technology-based PCs, which enable consumers to enjoy full screen high-fidelity films conveniently on their big screen TV from the comfort of their homes, or on-the-go through Intel Centrino® mobile technology-based laptop PCs.
DeVito joined ClickStar CEO James Ackerman in announcing the alliance at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina, where the company is acquiring additional documentaries for the channel.
Artist created channels are an exciting new platform for artists and consumers to come closer together for a dynamic and immersive entertainment experience. More filmmaker alliances and artist-created channels will be announced in the coming months.
Morgan Freeman said, “Danny and I have known each other for years and we both share a passion for documentaries. I am thrilled that through ClickStar we can introduce a wide variety of documentaries and emerging filmmakers to audiences. We see Jersey Docs as being the go to destination for documentary filmmakers who are looking for a distribution outlet that ensures their work is seen by the largest possible audience.”
ClickStar's core mission is to become the online destination for premium content, designed to give filmmakers a vehicle to connect directly to their fans with new ways of experiencing home entertainment in a very affordable and flexible way. ClickStar's service plans to offer first-run, pre-DVD-release films as well as the artist-created entertainment channels as part of its online services.
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When the iPod and a Merc Collide
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When you integrate your iPod with your Mercedes-Benz, you get a factory-engineered solution that gives you everything you love about your iPod in the vehicle you love to drive. No workarounds, no limitations.
Simply dock your iPod into the specialized port in the glovebox and you're ready to go. Your iPod stays securely attached and out of view in its glovebox port, and continually charges — even as it's playing. Using your iPod in your Mercedes is just as easy and convenient as using your iPod alone. Has high-end technology ever been this simple?
| Use your Mercedes-Benz steering-wheel controls to browse through your iPod collection — all viewable on the in-dash Multifunction |  |
Find out more HERE
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How To Limit the Volume on Your iPod
Owners of recent-model iPods will now be able to set how loud their digital music players can go.
Apple Computer Inc., facing complaints and a lawsuit claiming the popular player can cause hearing loss, made the setting available as part of a new software update Wednesday. The free download applies to the iPod Nano and the iPod models with video-playback capabilities.
Parents also can use the feature to set a limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a code, the company added.
"As the leading provider of digital music players, Apple continuously brings iPod customers innovative and easy-to-use solutions," Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president for iPod marketing, said in a statement. "With the increased attention in this area, we want to offer customers an easy-to-use option to set their own personal volume limit."
Earlier this year, a Louisiana man filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the iPod can cause hearing loss in people who use it.
The devices can produce sounds of more than 115 decibels, a volume that can damage the hearing of a person exposed to the sound for more than 28 seconds per day, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif.
Apple ships a warning with each iPod that cautions "permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume."
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