Macenstein

Review: Jensen’s Banshee JISS 330 and JISS 550 docking speakers for iPod

Banshee is about to release their JISS 330 and JISS 550 speakers for the iPod, and we managed to get a sneak peak. The JISS 550 and its little brother the JISS 330 look remarkably similar to Banshee’s 5.0 surround sound speakers we reviewed back in July of 2006. We’ve found the Banshee’s “unique” styling is either a big hit or a big miss with most people, but after having seen so many similar-looking iPod speakers, we still appreciate its futuristic,... Read More

NBC who? FOX, CBS show iTunes support

NBC may have decided it can launch its new Fall seasons without the help of the iTunes store, but it appears the other networks are lining up for some free publicity. This week no fewer than 3 high-profile shows are offering their season premieres on iTunes for free. FOX is leading the way with 2 shows. First up is the season premiere of Prison Break, their popular prison drama which managed to find a way to get Michael Scofield back behind bars for a 3rd season. Next up is the... Read More

Apple announces iTunes movie rentals – sort of

Posted by Dr. Macenstein It appears that the big news regarding iTunes 7.4.1 is not the ability to purchase ringtones or the ability to brick your hacked iPhone, it’s that MOVIE RENTALS are coming to the iTunes store, and likely very soon! David Watanabe posted a screenshot of what for all intents and purposes will serve as Apple’s announcement of iTunes movie rentals. “I was trying to report a problem via iTunes, and this pop-up for selecting a reason contains... Read More

I hate Cover Flow

Posted by Dr. Macenstein How’s that for a headline? I know, it’s kind of like saying “I hate bunnies”, but hear me out. We all have our favorite way to interact with our data, and I am sure there are some people who use Cover Flow every day in their iTunes browsing, but my god, I sure hope it isn’t one of the big selling points of the new iPods at this Wednesday’s special event. For those of you who love Cover Flow, more power to you, and congrats... Read More

Apple drops NBC after NBC drops Apple

Posted by Dr. Macenstein Fans of The Office may have to dust off their VCRs, as Apple today announced that it will not be selling the upcoming season of NBC television shows on its online iTunes Store. The move follows NBC’s decision to not renew its agreement with iTunes after Apple claims they declined to pay more than double the wholesale price for each NBC TV episode. We’re not sure what the “wholsesale” price of a TV show is, but Apple says the proposed... Read More

HandBrake 0.9.0 Released

Posted by Dr. Macenstein In their eternal quest to avoid a version 1.0 release, the folks over at HandBrake have just announced the release of HandBrake 0.9.0. There are a slew of enhancements, most notably improved video quality and the addition of iPhone and PSP presets, and the interface has undergone a bit a sprucing up as well. Download version 0.9.0 here. Oh, and if you are confused by the lack of the alleged iPhone preset (like me), be sure to choose UPDATE BUILT-IN... Read More

iTunes 7.3.2 released

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iTunes Store Tops Three Billion Songs

Posted by Dr. Macenstein Apple today announced that more than three billion songs have been purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store, presumably 2 billion of which are from Fergie. “We’d like to thank all of our customers who have contributed to this incredible milestone,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. iTunes features a catalog of more than five million songs, 550 TV shows, and 500 movies, and it recently surpassed both Amazon... Read More