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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.

Sirius satellite radio has introduced a rather interesting little device. Named the Stiletto SL100, this latest offering from Sirius is a $350 portable satellite receiver/MP3 player that, among other things, connects via Wi-Fi to the internet so you can listen to Sirius stations without using Sirius’s satellites. The Stiletto comes complete with 2GB for your MP3s, WMAs and stored Sirius content, slim battery with 2 hours of Sirius reception or 10 hours of stored content playback, an extended battery which has double the capacity, and bluetooth. Will it topple the iPod, not likely, but it is poised to give it a run for its money.

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.

Can you spot the iPod Nano?

These lacy panties are being called perfect for those of us who love to lounge around in sexy undies all day and listen to music … because that’s what girls do when they’re at home — lounge around in their lingerie, unless there’s a pillow fight in the bedroom. All that’s missing from The Sexy Society’s product description is the obligatory, Customers who bought this item also bought (NSFW) link. If you’re going to do it, you might as well go all the way.

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Previously: How to sell an iPod

Supposedly spotted in an Apple store center in Prague, this Czech iPod ad reads, iPod - The best companion for the summer. Yes, there is actually text accompanying the ad as well as an iPod, of course you have to look real closely…

Fake or not? You decide. The original picture was found over at iLounge’s iPods around the world gallery.

Hailing from the days when album art mattered, this (concept?) iPod dock created by British designer Michael Kennedy fuses old world style with new world functionality. Looking like a cross between an old phonograph (remember those?) and a DJ’s turntable, the I-Deck returns the emphasis on the sleeve art - something that’s often neglected in the digital age.

Once you plug in your iPod, the cover art is featured on the large, functional, LCD touchscreen. Flicking the screen will skip a track, and spinning the screen will fast forward or rewind the song. Finally, an iPod dock where function seems to follow form.

Since Apple has been neglecting to add Bluetooth to the iPod, Jabra decided to take the matter into their own hands. The maker of the popular line of Bluetooth cell phone headsets has announced that they will be introducing the Jabra A125s Bluetooth adapter for iPods in August. The adapter fits most iPods and will allow you to listen to your music via Bluetooth headsets (which Jabra will also sell you – they suggest their BT620s model as the perfect companion). However, at $75 plus the cost of headphones, it’s a rather pricey add-on.

Nielsen Media Research has announced that they will be expanding their television viewer measurement polls to keep up with the changing trends. Their new Neilsen Ratings will sample consumers who watch television shows on the Internet and via cell phones, iPods and other personal, mobile devices, under an initiative it is calling Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement.

At least someone out there is recognizing that people won’t be anchored to their televsions forever, and that the marketplace and its consumers have evolved. Now if only the dinosaurs RIAA and MPAA would wake-up and face reality as well. Times, they a’ changing…

Weighing in at a whopping 194 pages, it’s everything you ever wanted to know about the iPod, and some things that you didn’t. This book, put out by the folks at iLounge, answers every question you ever had, or ever will have, about the iPod and iTunes. It also includes 20 exclusive sneak peeks at new iPod accessories, ratings of over 900 accessories and iPods, plus extraordinary guides to All Things iPod, All Things iTunes, and Beyond. And the best part, it’s free.

Dr. Bott and i-doll are bringing us yet another way to dress up our iPod. Marketed as high-fashion threads for your iPod, these cases boast that each one is Made from the finest, most luxurious materials, i-doll cases are hand-stitched by French leather craftsmen who pay close attention to detail and tradition. Whatever, it’s a case; and they’ll run you $27.99-$49.99. So if you are in dire need for your daily dose of shag, check them out.