Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"It may have been a bad idea to begin with and Dell finally seems to have realized it. The company says it has now abandoned plans to launch a digital media player tied to an online store. Dell had planned to launch a MP3 player this year that could potentially compete with Apple's iconic iPod line and Microsoft's struggling Zune player. But the company could have done well to learn from Microsoft's experience with the Zune before it started on its venture."

Oh un-named Dell music player...we hardly knew ye! I can't say I'm all that surprised at this - in order to compete with the iPod, a music player needs to have great hardware and great software...and when's the last time you saw Dell crank out any great software? Yeah, exactly. The Zune is a credible option to the iPod because it has quality hardware, and a solid desktop software experience. I can't see Dell doing anything in this market to compete with either the iPod, or even the Zune.

"If you ever tried to sync your iPod using Windows Media Player, then you know that the two just won't play together. Unfortunately, the only way to sync your iPod is to use Apple's iTunes software. Till today... That's right, kiss iTunes goodbye and start syncing your iPod with Windows Media Player! Finally, there is a solution that is fully integrated into Windows Media Player. MGTEK dopisp is a plug-in for Windows Media Player that enables you to sync your MP3 music to your iPod directly from within Windows Media Player. There is no external user interface, no fluff, not even a program icon to click on. Just connect your iPod, fire up Windows Media Player, start moving your music to your iPod, and forget that the two once didn't play together."

If Jason's recent post about MediaMonkey supporting direct iPod syncing wasn't quite what you were looking for, how about a plug-in for Windows Media Player to allow you to sync directly from there? I'm assuming, whatever voodoo either product is using to accomplish this, could be shut down by an update from Apple; but then again, if you stop using iTunes, not like you are going to get the update anyway.

"Use with any audio source that uses a 1/8"(3.5mm) headphone jack-iPod, Sansa, Zune, portable CD players, you name it. Recharge iTrip universal's internal battery in any USB port (no more replacing batteries!), then connect to your player with the included stereo audio cable. Three user-programmable presets save the best frequencies so you can access them quickly later. User selectable stereo/mono output. Wherever you go, iTrip Universal is the perfect partner for your portable audio."

If you want to broadcast the audio from your MP3 player, phone, or anything with with a 3.5mm headphone jack to a nearby FM radio, this looks like a great solution. The battery in the iTrip Universal is only 180 mAh though, so I take their statement of being able to broadcast for "hours" to mean "more than one hour". It's a bit surprising they don't have an actual rating for the battery life.

"Belkin's new GoStudio recorder is an iPod accessory that boasts a full-featured recording dock that is compatible with the iPod 5G, iPod classic, as well as both second and third generations of iPod nano. The GoStudio is able to record 16-bit 44.1kHz audio directly from a couple of integrated stereo mics or 0.25" XLR and minijack inputs. The recordings are all uploaded into iTunes the moment you're done. You will need to part with $119 for the Belkin GoStudio recorder, and this tool will cater specifically to podcasters."

What do you do when Apple refuses to put a voice recorder on their iPods like most MP3 players (although the Zune lacks one as well)? You build this accessory!

"On Jan. 8, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple Inc. a trademark for the three-dimensional shape of its iPod media player. This was more than a recognition of an innovative product design. It also was Apple's capping piece in a multiyear marketing and legal campaign that pushed intellectual-property rights to new competitive advantage for the company. In many ways, Apple is benefiting from an expansion of U.S. trademark rights, beyond the traditional names, images, logos and two-dimensional symbols trademarks usually secure. In recent years, trademarks have been granted for such things as product shapes, colors and scents that companies can claim are linked exclusively to the source company in consumers' minds. These nontraditional marks are difficult to obtain... The iPod shape trademark gives Apple a new weapon in the fiercely competitive market for media players. While competitors may eventually appropriate the iPod's inner workings, as utility patents expire, they will risk litigation if their products come too close to the trademarked shape of the iPod, including its popular circular-touchpad interface."

I understand that Apple has responsibilities to its shareholders and this trademark will certainly boost revenue in the future, but I find this to be an extremely competition-squashing move, almost more so than Microsoft and its use of Windows to spread other Microsoft software. When I first read that the shape had been trademarked, I figured that it is reasonable since the iPod does have a truly distinct shape and this move may promote some innovation in the space from competitors But I was then was slightly horrified when I read the following -- "In January, the Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple the nontraditional trademark it desired, along with the following more specific description of the approved mark: "[T]he design of a portable and handheld digital electronic media device comprised of a rectangular casing displaying circular and rectangular shapes therein arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner."" That is so incredibly broad that I feel like any personal music player fits into this sort of category. I guess competitors can claim that their devices are not aesthetic? Or maybe they can place all buttons at an angle and claim that they are in the shape of a rhombus than a rectangle. Honestly, I cannot believe the US Patent Office granted a trademark that is so broad.

Having said this, the WSJ article does do a pretty good job of explaining non-traditional trademarks in laymen terms as well as the entire process for Apple to trademark the shape.