pixelbomb

When it comes to reverse engineering data formats, no-one can do it better than Jon Lech Johansen. Jon is most famous for his involvement in the DeCSS software which allows users to decode the content-scrambling system used to license DVDs. Now Jon has shifted his focus to music.

A self-proclaimed proponent against closed systems, Jon just announced that he has reverse-engineered FairPlay, the encryption technology Apple uses to make the iPod a closed system. Presently, thanks to FairPlay, music purchased from iTunes cannot be played on other MP3 players, while copy-protected material in a format other than Apple’s cannot be played on the iPod. Jon’s Doubletwist venture will change all of that.

Jon’s system will enable companies to emulate Apple’s FairPlay protection, thereby allowing them to directly sell iPod compatible, and protected, music without going through the iTunes store.

Is this a good idea? I’m not too sure, after all it was Steve Jobs who championed the $0.99 song, and it was the greedy music labels that wanted to charge more — and now they can.

We already knew that Victoria’s Secret Angels like Macs, but what’s better than seeing pictures of Gisele Bundchen backstage with a Mac? Seeing her as a home movie — notice I said “as” and not “in”, although “in” would probably be even better. Gisele makes a great cameo appearance in one of three new Get a Mac commercials, starring as … a Mac home movie.

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Greenpeace decided to take on Apple a couple of weeks ago calling for greener more environmentally friendly macs. Their latest report, which was released on September 18th, claims Some of the best-known laptops are contaminated with some of the worst known toxic chemicals, and we’ve got the test results to prove it. However, many point out that Greenpeace may have stooped to sensationalism and deception, and that the group’s latest ‘poison Apple’ campaign was simply a malicious attack based upon lies.

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In a rather ironic turn of events, Universal Music, the world’s largest music group, has signed a deal with SpiralFrog to make their entire music catalogue available for download … for free. Under the agreement, Spiralfrog will offer Universal’s songs online in the US and Canada. Setting their sites directly on iTunes, SpiralFrog has based their entire business model on profit-sharing from advertising dollars. Users will have to endure short non-intrusive targetted advertising before actually being able to download their music.

At first glance this sounds rather promising, but one huge component has been left out, possibly intentionally, in the initial press-releases, There is no mention of which audio codec or DRM solution will be used. This could possibly make or break the start-up.

Update: It looks like this frog is ready to croak before it has even left the lilly pad. SpiralFrog will offer the music as Windows Media Files (read: won’t play on iPods) that you can listen to on your PC and two portable devices. Here’s the kicker — you must log in to the Spiral Frog service at least once per month, and see their ads, or your files will stop playing! Two thumbs down … way down. Take away the “To Go” feature, and you have a far more ad-laden imitation of the free service launched by Napster earlier this year. Forget the hoop-la, this frog is fried.

Apple has agreed to pay Creative Technology, maker of the Zen MP3 player, $100 million to settle the patent lawsuits filed against Apple’s iPod menu navigation scheme. Steve Jobs noted that, Creative is very fortunate to have been granted this early patent. Yes, it is apparently possibly to patent the way someone can navigate through menus. The settlement will reportedly resolve all differences between the two companies and restore order to the universe.

What better way to continue yesterday’s post, Victoria’s Secret Angels like Macs, than with a second post with even more pictures of the Angels backstage. Here we see that Gisele Bundchen sure likes her Apple MacBook — so much that she just can’t put it down, even when faced with the daunting task of eating.

There are 28 more pictures of Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele and the other Angels after the jump, so be sure to click the link below…

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Nothing more than a couple of the Victoria’s Secret Angels pretending to actually do work on their Apple MacBooks. I wonder what Alessandra Ambrosio and Gisele Bundchen are looking at … pixelbomb, natch!

Update: If you want to see more backstage pictures of the Angels, check out the Victoria’s Secret Angels like Macs mega post

Tomi, the artist behind the stunningly nerdy yet somehow cool Lego + Apple mash-ups, has done it again; and dare we say that he’s reached a whole new level. Moving away from the figures that started it all, Tomi will be introducing his greatest work yet — the 1984 Playset. It’s inspired by the classic [Apple] TV commercial and features over eighty parts; including a backlit “movie screen”.

The set will go on sale tomorrow, August 2nd, at 9:00pm EST for $198.99.

Love Stuck in an elevator
Livin’ it up when I’m goin down
Love Stuck in an elevator
Lovin’ it up till I hit the ground…

Apple has discovered a new way to not lose potential customers — don’t let them leave the store. A group of visitors to Apple’s new flaghip store in NY got trapped inside the glass elevator as they were leaving. After Apple employees were unsuccessful in freeing the prisoners group of people, NYPD was finally called in to save the day. Moral of the story: don’t leave the Apple store without purchasing something.

Remember that iPod nano lawsuit filed back in October over the easily scratched screens? It would appear that the lead plaintiff, Jason Tomczak, wanted nothing to do with it. In an open letter to the Mac community, Jason Tomczak tells his side of the story.

According to his account, the two law firms spearheading the lawsuit, David P. Meyer & Associates and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, solicited him. He responded to their request for information, but added that he wanted to remain private and not be included in the case. Without his consent or a signed attorney-client agreement the lawsuit was filed in his name. Since then his life has been a living hell — absorbed in legal battle between the two firms, their two hired defense firms, and an angry Apple community.