Apple

Belkin jumped on the iPod battery extender bandwagon on Monday with the release of its TunePower for third and fourth generation iPod and iPod mini players.

Priced at $79.99, the rechargeable battery pack allows for 8-10 hours of additional play time and is available at major retailers.

The add-on features a 2-cell lithium ion battery that fits in one of three sleeves--10/15/20GB iPod; 30/40GB iPod; or iPod mini.

You can charge your iPod with the TunePower add-on simultaneously with the Apple AC wall charger included with your iPod or through a FireWire port from your PC.… Read more

If you caught wind earlier in the month of a new site, SmashMyiPod.com, and have been anxiously awaiting the posting of video, well, it went up Friday night. Watch away, but put aside 10 minutes to do so, and prepare for a slow first half.

The video is targeted at those members of what just might be a growing anti-iPod movement. But, putting all judgment aside, it's likely to also appeal to those who just get pleasure out of seeing carefully crafted devices smashed into pieces.

"Yegor," a 19-year-old Toronto resident, launched the site, "dedicated … Read more

We weren't the only ones in the blogosphere left scratching our heads (while amused) over a site, www.devoted1.com, selling the "iBelieve" cross-shaped replacement cap and lanyard for the iPod Shuffle.

With the site's faux Bible quote from "2 Jobs 3:15: But now bring me a man who plays music. And when the man played music, the groove came upon them," iBelieve appeared a clever spoof add-on for the popular music player. Yet it also had the makings of a legitimate product. After all, religion-related iPod products seem to be gaining apostles.… Read more

Tired of being tethered to a power outlet? Let the sun shine in, says Dutch firm Soldius.

The company out of Apeldoorn, Holland, has developed a consumer-use solar charger for mobile devices such as Apple's iPod, Research In Motion's BlackBerry or cell phones from Nokia, Motorola and others.

The 5-inch by 3-inch device known as Soldius1 converts solar energy into 6.58 volts at a maximum of 320 milliamperes of power after only about three hours in direct sunlight.

Battery life varies depending on the device, but you can keep it hooked up while in use, the company … Read more

Reprising its long-running "Think Different" ad campaign, Apple Computer paid tribute to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks on its Web site this week.

The company devoted a good chunk of its home page to a black-and-white photo of Parks along with the company's signature tagline. Parks died Monday at age 92.

The company also posted a feature story on Parks and her many accomplishments.

Fashion meets function once again in the iPod world.

A new $275 jacket from Los Angeles fashion design firm Kenpo comes with a five-button touchpad on the sleeve and an inner pocket that holds either an iPod or an iPod mini.

The jacket is machine washable, completely self-powered and requires no batteries.

Kenpo says it may eventually offer clothing that functions with other MP3 players and electronic gadgets.

There are more than 1,000 accessories made specifically for the iPod, ranging from high-end fashion cases to speaker systems to automobile integration kits.

Just as we're trying to get used to all the new voices in podcasting, now it's time for new faces, thanks to the recently introduced version of iTunes and the video iPod. But in the case of Adobe "Photoshop TV," (formerly "Photoshop Radio") which launched its first video podcast episode today, the video component is an asset that goes beyond the personalities of its three anchors, "The Photoshop Guys," aka Scott Kelby, Dave Cross and Matt Kloskowski.

Particularly when it comes to tutorials featured in the show, put on by the National … Read more

For those wondering just what is it that makes the video iPod tick, Wall Street firm Jefferies & Co. has published a report that tears open one of the gadgets and documents its innards.

The report, issued Wednesday, notes the similarities between the design of the circuit board in the iPod Nano and that of the new video iPod. The firm puts the total materials cost of Apple's 30GB player at $143.50, giving Apple a 52 percent gross margin on the $299 device.

On the chip side, Jefferies notes that longtime chip supplier PortalPlayer remains in there with … Read more

As for iPod coverings, we thought we had seen it all, particularly when we recently learned of a new line of handmade Halloween costumes for the popular music player.

But it appears a new trend could be emerging: iPod cases with officially licensed logos and characters. For example, beginning Nov. 1, XtremeMac will be shipping its Iconz line of rubber iPod Nano cases adorned with favorites like Batman, Scooby Doo, Bart Simpson, SpongeBob Squarepants, Darth Vader, and--for the retro at heart--Speed Racer. In addition, the Iconz Sports line, for now anyway, features five popular Major League Baseball teams. Both Iconz … Read more