Universal Music's decision to deliver DRM-free tracks to pretty much everybody but iTunes in its "test"—Amazon, Google, RealNetworks, Wal-Mart and other smaller stores—continues its wary, passive-aggressive stance toward Apple. Officially, a Universal rep told us in an email that it's "a scientifically designed research study over the next six months" that's using iTunes (their "Apple sales") "as a standard control group" to serve "as the baseline for comparison." But, what's really being tested is the viability of non-iTunes online sales.
The thing is, iTunes is kind of crappy a "control" in this little experiment if the only variable being tested is the presence of DRM, because its sales dwarf every other store in the test. Moreover, Universal's buying AdWords to drive traffic to the DRM-free downloads, throwing in yet another variable. It doesn't line up very well with the scientific method I was taught in high school.
Reading between the lines, it seems clea...

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Integrated Mobile Electronics (IME) will be releasing a dock station that allows you to easily plug your Microsoft Zune player into your car sound/video system. This dock allows you to play your MP3s, Zune Radio or video through your existing car sound system. The product is set to release on 20 August, 2007 and retail [...]

As a member of the U.S. Air Force I can appreciate Microsoft producing a Halo 3 Zune for the military. Microsoft is launching a new brown Halo 3 Zune exclusively for U.S. service members. The Halo 3 Zune will be available exclusively at military retail stores in August. I will check my military BX this [...]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

A Korean company called Avago Technologies has just announced a new control unit for remotes, video games, phones, and media players called the AMRS-2325. The small, touch-sensitive pad is a multi-faceted input device which allows control to vacillate between an iPod-like scroll-wheel, a game joystick, or a four-way navigational pad. The company also produces an electronic controller for the pads, called the AMRI-1000, which is an IC chip used to switch functionality between the various modes. Together, the two technologies make for a supposedly low-power solution which Avago, judging from their artist renderings, seems to think would be equally suited to an Xbox 360 controller, Logitech remote, or Zune / iPhone hybrid -- an idea which should scare the living daylights out of Apple and Microsoft fanatics alike.

[Via Remote Shoppe] 
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum Syst...

Being a soldier isn't an easy job. If you aren't being shot at in hostile territory, you're doing lots of pushups and getting haircuts. At least that's what movies have lead me to believe. Well, Microsoft wants to give something back to our servicemen and women, which is why they're releasing an exclusive Halo Zune for military personnel. But wait, Microsoft is giving these to the troops for free, right? Well, not exactly.
They're giving 300 of them to a group of soldiers leaving for active duty today, with the rest of them being available for sale exclusively at "military retail stores." The Zunes will be brown with fancy Halo artwork and will come pre-loaded with artwork, trailers, and music from all three Halo games. No word on whether or not this Military exclusive will sell to soldiers for any cheaper than the standard pricepoint of $250.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming
It would seem that the first-ever iPhone game has been written and is available to download to your Jail-broken device, and true to the natural form of the Microsoft vs. Apple debate, it's all based around blowing up Zunes. Jason Merchant, a clever (and possibly very bored) iPhone hacker has coded a small game app for the phone wherein you target floating Zunes with your onscreen mini-iPhone, and then blast away with missiles. The Microsoft-fanboy-incensing shooter was written in objective C, and obviously requires that your device has had Jailbreak run on it to allow for the install. The creator says he's working on an aquarium app which will allow you to drop fish-food to an underwater iPhone, which pretty much makes no sense at all.

[Via Hackint0sh, thanks Boy Genius] 
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Special thanks to Brazbit for these nice basic Zune backgrounds. Check out the Basic Background gallery for some cool basic designs and animal Zune Backgrounds.

It looks like my “Apple Cult: Drinking the Kool-Aid?” and “Apple Cult: Drinking the Kool-Aid? Part 2” articles have angered the iPod fanatics “a.k.a Kool-Aid” drinkers. When I went to submit another article at digg.com by account was removed with all my posts. When I signed up again and tried to submit an article I [...]

A few weeks back I wrote an article titles, Apple Cult: Drinking the Cool-Aid?. I got a lot of support from Zune users and a lot of negative comments from iPod users (some I could not publish!). Today, I was surfing the net looking for some Zune news and I found this blog that [...]