What Will They Think of Next?: Convert Apple Earbuds into Headphones

While I'm not an Apple iPod owner, and I would advise anyone who has one (or any MP3 player, for that matter) to invest in a better set of headphones than what comes in the box, I can't help but recognize the cleverness of this product. Called BudFits, it turns the cheesy, white earbuds you get with your iPod into over-the-ear headphones that fit more securely, and won't annoying fall out of your ears.

If you have ever purchased or own a Bluetooth headset, you probably noticed that most come with a variety of different sized ear hooks that you can loop through a hole on the headset to wear it comfortably around your ear. Essentially, this is what EarBuds are: flexible, rubber hooks that you loop through each Apple earbud, to then secure them around your ears.

The company claims that, in upgrading to new 'phones, you "lose the coveted Apple image associated with Apple earbuds." Indeed, seeing those signature white cords hanging from someone's ears and into their jacket or backpack certainly cries "iPod". But I think at this point, the prestige has more to do with which iPod you have and what you have on it; not just the fact that you have one (who doesn't, these days, present company excluded, of course). Bottom line: the iPod earbuds might say "iPod, but they don't exactly scream "quality listening experience".

With that said, invest in a pair of new headphones, for goodness sakes. But if you want an affordable alternative to use at the beach or any other spot where you don't want to get your expensive 'phones diry or fear losing then, the BudFits are a neat stocking-stuffer idea for just US$9 per pair. www.budfits.com

SanDisk Loads up microSD Cards with Music

SanDisk has developed a logical means of music distribution: microSD memory cards that come pre-loaded with music. Aptly named slotMusic, the cards will include DRM-free tunes from major record labels like EMI, Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner.

I've always been a fan of the flash memory card format, mainly due to its versatility and convenience. They sort of remind me of mini versions of the 3.5mm floppy discs of yesteryear, in that you can buy them pre-loaded, or load a bunch of data onto them, then access said data by inserting the square-shaped device into your PC. Except with flash memory, you can instantly access the data through a host of other devices as well: an MP3 player, a cell phone, a portable navigation device, a voice recorder, a digital photo frame, an SD card-enabled TV or car stereo system: essentially any digital card reader of any kind. The slotMusic cards will come with a small USB adapter to connect them directly to the PC, but I'm surprised that they won't come with SD card adapters, which allow you to insert them into larger, SD card-enabled devices (e.g. a digital camera).

One of the first questions that came to mind when I heard about this product was whether you'd be able to load your own songs onto the card as well. The answer is yes, you can. Each card is 1 GB in capacity, and tunes already loaded onto them will play back at 320 kbps. A really neat addition, however, is that the cards not only store the audio tracks, but also liner notes, album art, videos, and other creative content selected by the artist.

While the concept makes sense, and I'd totally be on board for it, there are some things to consider. First, if you have a Sony Ericsson mobile phone or other portable Sony device, you're likely out of luck since they use the Memory Stick media format. If you have an iPod, you're also not interested in this format since iPods (sadly) don't have memory card slots.

Another concern is the fact that microSD memory cards are tiny and therefore much easier to lose than a CD. While this wouldn't be a major setback with those old 16 and 32 MB cards that were the norm, today's 8 and 16 GB cards can easily hold someone's entire music collection. Would I entrust a small card like that with all my music, even if it were slotted into a postage stamp-sized SD adapter? I'm not sure. But it is something to consider if you're prone to misplacing things.

One thing's for sure: if SD cards continue to become more and more ubiquitous, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a ton of them floating around pockets, purses, and wallets. If I were an accessory manufacturer, I'd be jumping on this opportunity to design a whole whack of neat, secure, and fashionable microSD memory card holders that can accomodate multiple cards, and fit into a wallet or purse. These may become the way of the future.

Availability and pricing for SanDisk's slotMusic cards will be announced in time for the holiday season; and they will initially be available through Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores in the U.S., with Europe to follow.

MP3 Tax Back in Play

The Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) is trying, once again, to impose a levy on the sale of "MP3" players for 2008-2009. That includes the popular iPod, and other portable audio players with built-in memory that the CPCC says can be considered a "recording medium".

The way I see it, if I buy it, I own it. Let’s use the real-world, every day example of clothing. If I buy a pair of jeans, then lend said jeans to my girlfriend for a night out on the town, is this unauthorized use of the legwear? After all, I bought them for me to wear, not to share with anyone else. From the manufacturer/retailer’s perspective, my friend was a potential customer that could very well have forked over the dough to buy those jeans herself, right? Should I then have to pay a “lending” levy on the jeans that cover how many friends I might lend them to once I’ve purchased them?

The same goes for music, except replace the jeans with the MP3 player, or rather the memory within the player that holds the tunes. I can transfer music from my MP3 player to my friend’s device, and therefore, she won’t have to purchase the tracks herself. But who’s to say she would have purchased them at all? What’s more, now she’s actively listening to these tunes, and may wish to purchase a future album now that she's gotten into the groove of their music. And perhaps she's even exposed others to the tunes who in turn decide to purchase the CD or download the tracks. Are you following me?

If the argument is based on the fact that I can copy tunes back and forth amongst my own devices, what’s your point? If I buy a nice designer top, can I alter this top, wear it underneath a vest, maybe sweater, layer it with other tops, and so on to create several different outfits? Sure I can. It’s mine!

Bottom line: artists should be compensated for their music via the sale of CDs, and even digital tracks: it would be ridiculous to think otherwise. But once purchased, the owner of these tunes should have the right to burn them to a CD, transfer to an MP3 player, or stream them throughout his home in any way he pleases. Each device that facilitates these tunes are that person's business.

Of course there will always be cases of counterfeiting, or unauthorized sales: this happens in any industry (think "designer" handbags, DVDs, or "prescription" pills, for example). These individuals should be prosecuted. But the rest of us folk are just trying to enjoy our music and technology any way we can. And so we should.

I’d love to hear your views on this topic.

Background: In a 2003-04 decision, the Copyright Board approved the CPCC’s request for a levy on the hard disk or flash memory embedded in iPods and other MP3 players. The Federal Court of Appeal later threw out this decision, stating that the CPCC had no jurisdiction to impose such a levy. Subsequent to the decision, several digital audio player manufacturers reduced the price of their players. The private copying levy rates have remained unchanged since 2001; and they expire on December 31, 2007.

People Still Read Books

It’s nice to know that even in the age of rapid technological innovation, people still long to curl up on the sofa with a good book. Indigo Books & Music Inc., which operates the Indigo, Chapters, The World's Biggest Bookstore, and Coles stores throughout Canada (as well as the http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ Website), reported record numbers for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Net earnings were up 18.4 per cent over the previous year, reaching a whopping $30 million. Total revenue was $201.9 million, up $11.8 million (6.2 per cent) over the same quarter last year. That’s a lot of Harry Potter and Shopaholic Series books!

This just goes to show that technology doesn't always replace the traditional way of doing things: it simply helps to enhance activities that we’ve always loved engaging in. I don’t see myself reading an electronic book any time soon; but when I’m relaxing on a flight with the latest paperback novel, I’ve definitely got my noise-canceling headphones on, and my MP3 player geared up and ready to go once I've finished a few chapters.

Kudos to Indigo for keeping us entertained the old-fashioned way while we jump on the tech bandwagon to enhance our experiences.

Ready for a Full Meal, or Just a Media Snack?

I’ve heard the term “media snacking” several times over the past month. So what is it? Media snacking is the act of grabbing quick “bites” of content. This can include things like short video clips, text messages, tunes, or even blogs like this one. If you're reading this right now, you're snacking!

Most would think that media snacking on mobile devices in particular is just for kids: after all, what working adult has time to engage in such activity? Think again. According to a survey conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of Palm Canada, 60 per cent of adults are active in mobile entertainment, nibbling on bits of media more often than they even have time to do.

Ironically, the reason adults are raiding the mobile ‘fridge is because of lack of time, and being so overloaded. Most professionals do not work a typical 9-5 day (27 per cent say they work at least 10 hours!), and are finding themselves more often than not on-the-go. Snacking on media is a way to help unwind during the day.

What are mobile adults snacking on? Survey says: tunes and text messages (44 per cent); video clips (19 per cent); and radio (33 per cent). Social networking Websites like Facebook and MySpace are also being visited from portable devices, which is something I can personally attest to, having logged in many times during lunch or while on the road (only as a passenger, I swear!)
Once they’re at home, it appears that many people still can’t manage to put away the BlackBerry until the morning: the temptation to check and respond to e-mail is far too great for any road warrior to fend off. Almost a third of the people even admitted to responding to e-mails while eating dinner; and close to 40 per cent confess to working while attending social or family gatherings (remember Ari during Yom Kippur on the latest episode of Entourage?).

Media snacking is great. But it’s important to ensure all this techno-wizardry doesn’t consume our lives: 24/7 is too much, 9-to-5 is too limiting. I feel it all boils down to balance. If you know when to shut down your connection, you’ll value the nature of mobile technology much more.

iPod Sales STILL Growing

It's insane to think that, even after so many years of market domination, the Apple iPod is still growing like wildfire: Apple recently reported an 88% earnings growth, fueled by 36% growth in Macs and 24% growth in iPods when compared to the same quarter last year. In fact, the company reported that it was the most profitable March quarter in its history!

I'm probably one of the few people left on the planet that doesn't own an iPod, and it's not because I don't think its a sleek, sophisticated device. I often stroll through a local retailer and stop to admire the beautiful form factor of the nanos, all lined up in varying colours. If there's even been a sexy gadget, that one's it. I think part of me just doesn't want to follow the pack: it's like an iPod cult, and I want no part of it. After all, is the iPod really the best interface out there? Or is it just conditioning that has made people believe this? I'm not sure. I have used an iPod, and it is blazingly simply, and very, very cool. But I've also used a Toshiba Gigabeat, and a SanDisk Sansa player, and so are they.

As for getting music, the last thing I want to do is fork over my credit card and rack up a ton of $2 purchases for songs. I've heard horror stories of people racking up thousands of bucks over the period of a few months on just downloading music! I'll pass on the unnecessary debt, thank you very much. I'll just rip them from my CDs, or find, er, other means of getting tunes. So really, the whole "seamless integration" thing doesn't matter to me. In terms of video, podcasts on iTunes are free, and up here in Canadia-land, I can't get the TV shows anyway.

I'm not saying the iPod doesn't deserve the market-share leading position it has achieved. But for me, I'll continue to admire the gorgeous nano from afar, and stick to my guns in supporting the underdog.