Monday, June 30, 2008 -- 2:51 p.m. -- at my desk

Whoa! I didn't realize how tired I was getting of all this iPhone 3G news ... not that I'm not excited, but it's getting depressing! No MMS, no information from AT&T, Rogers, etc.

Here's a bargain from iPTIB that may or may not interest you.

In the iTunes store, you can purchase a CD called "The 100 most essential pieces of classical music" for just $5.99.

I thought it was a mistake. $5.99 for 100 songs -- 6 cents a song -- and get this -- they are all in the iTunes Plus format, so they sound pretty darn good.

I will be the first to admit that I don't listen to classical music. Not my thing. But for that price, I'm tempted to just have it for my iPod for those times when I need something really relaxing and clean. For when I actually get tired of my hundreds of 80s hits.

So I thought you'd all appreciate the heads up of a good bargain. Here's the direct link.

If you have it or decide to get it, please let everyone know what you think of it.

Thanks for calling.

Monday, November 26, 2007 -- 3:41 p.m. -- at my desk

You know I love bringing you the iPhone news, and this time it's for John Lennon fans.

On December 4, which happens to be my birthday, Starbucks will release a card redeemable in iTunes for a John Lennon video collection.

It features 21 videos, including Imagine (Legend version), Woman, Watching the Wheels, Mind Games and Happy Xmas (War Is Over).

The collectable cards, which cost $24.95, feature a silver-toned photo of Lennon. Many of the videos are being offered for the first time.

Recent reports indicate that similar audio cards, including KT Tunstall's "Drastic Fantastic" and Eddie Vedder's "Into The
Wild" soundtrack, are doing quite well. There's no reason to believe videos wouldn't do well, especially with someone as big as Lennon.

Enjoy. Could make for a great stocking stuffer.

Thanks for calling.

Sunday, October 14, 2007 -- 11:59 a.m. -- on my couch

Apple participates in Bono's charity Project (Red) by donating 10 percent of the cost of every Red iPod Nano to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

And that's why what I'm about to write makes no sense to me.

My wife and I chose two U2 songs as prominent music for our wedding. So naturally, I checked on the status of these songs as potential ringtones.

Nothing doing. There's 3 songs from the entire iTunes U2 catalog -- Instant Karma, One and City of Blinding Lights. Our songs aren't there.

How can this be? How can a company that's worked so closely with Bono offer only 3 U2 ringtones?

I won't lose any sleep over this one, but it does make me scratch my head in amazement.

What do you all think?

Thanks for calling.

Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007 -- 9:12 p.m. -- at my desk

Just in case you are itching to add some new music to your iPhone, Apple announced that the John Lennon catalog is now available for purchase in the iTunes music store.

There's been talk of the Beatles releasing their catalog digitally—perhaps exclusively on iTunes—but so far that hasn't happened. But John Lennon is no slouch. You can download right now, sync and be humming "Let It Be" "Imagine" in a matter of minutes.

And, the songs are available in both iTunes formats -- the regular 99 cent variety and the new $1.29 iTunes Plus variety, encoded at a higher bitrate for supposedly better sound. I have not yet tested the better sounding songs, but from what I hear, higher encoding is noticeable, especially using premium headphones.

Thanks for calling.

Update: I've corrected the error of my musical ways. I also found out that my soon-to-be mother-in-law reads the blog because she informed my fiancee. So thanks!! :-D

Friday, Aug. 3, 2007 • 1:25 p.m. • I'm still standing

Oh, Elton ... Don't go breakin' my heart!

There's a piece in today's New York Times about Elton John wanting to shut down the Internet. This is what he told London's The Sun newspaper:

"Let's get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging. I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole Internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span. I'm sure, as far as music goes, it would be much more interesting than it is today."

Well, Elton, have you seen America's hottest new gadget? I'm not much for protesting, but the iPhone would allow you to blog anywhere, from the club at the end of the street to Piccadilly Circus.

Now I realize you are a grand piano kind of guy, but there's a world of possibilities out there if you'd just embrace technology. And perhaps you'd become cool again to the younger crowd. Cranky old man isn't exactly one of those traits people are looking to emulate.

So in closing, Elton, who better to quote than you?

Don't give us none of your aggravation. We had it with your discipline.

And to paraphrase a little bit, Saturday night's alright for blogging.

Thanks for calling.

P.S. I do not have one Elton John song on my iPhone's iPod.

Friday, Aug. 3, 2007 • 12:17 a.m. •  my desk

Here's a great way to see the latest 25 releases at the iTunes Music Store.

iTunes 25 new releases feed.

If you are looking to increase the amount of music on your iPhone, this is a great link to bookmark. Obviously, you can't access the store from your iPhone, but if you use the iPhone RSS reader (see entry: RSS on the iPhone) you can browse the music on your phone and then download and sync when you get home.

Enjoy.

Thanks for calling.

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007 • 12:42 a.m. • at my desk at work, using the last bit of battery power

I'm conducting an informal survey to find out what kind of music you have on your iPhone's iPod?

4GB, 8GB ... chances are you have a bunch of songs, and nothing says more about a person than what kind of music they listen to. That's not really true, but it sounded good.

Me? I've got lots of stuff from R.E.M. and I'm rather proud of my 250+ title strong 80s collection. Yes, I'm a child of the 80s and I'm not afraid to share that with the world.

So share with us what's on your iPod. I promise I won't tell anyone ... well, other than the millions of readers that stop by every day :-D

Thanks for calling. And for sharing.