iTunes Videos tops 1 million

Taken from Yahoo Finance:

Apple Computer Inc. said Monday that iTunes users have downloaded more than 1 million videos since they were made available on Oct. 12.
"Selling 1 million videos in less than 20 days strongly suggests there is a market for legal video downloads," Steve Jobs, chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Our next challenge is to broaden our content offerings, so that customers can enjoy watching more videos on their computers and new iPods."

Using iTunes, customers can choose from more than 2,000 music videos, episodes of popular television shows and short films from Pixar Animation Studios.

Apple shares rose 86 cents to $55.33 in premarket trading.

Closing in on 2000

I just would like to point out that the TechWrap is closing in on 2000 views (check the bottom of the page).

I'm going to continue to tell people about it as much as I can.

If you guys would be willing to tell your friends then that would be great. Also, if you are active at a particular forum then for instance if you found out something new from this site, then link them to us. That would be great and I would really appreciate it.

I've set the goal of hitting 2000 views by the end of November. Hopefully we'll reach that!

Thanks to all that continue to come back to this site and enjoy it.

Google Maps w/ Weather

Click the title or the this. for more info. Basically, it is google maps but it has little weather icons on it that will show for most major cities in your state. A lot of people have been manipulating Google Maps recently such as the frappr thing I showed earlier. Click below to see that

World of Warcraft Expansion Unveiled: Burning Crusade!

The new World of Warcraft expansion, the Burning Crusade, has been unveiled! Here’s the breakdown (via worldofwarcraft.com):

* An increase in the level cap to 70
* Two new playable races (including Blood Elves)
* New starting zones
* The entire new continent of Outland (via Dark Portal)
* Many new high-level dungeons
* New flying mounts in Outland
* Many new monsters (including epic world bosses)
* Hundreds of new quests
* Hundreds of new items
* A new profession (Jewelcrafting)
* Socketed items

Microsoft Office Online??

Here is what the article that I read said:

Microsoft is leaping into hosted applications big time. InformationWeek reports that Microsoft plans to offer hosted implementations of SharePoint, CRM and ERP applications. But the best quote in that article was left till last. A "Microsoft insider" was asked which other products and services Microsoft would host and the reply was: "Everything. Hosted Office. Everything hosted."

Ahem, can anyone say Web 2.0 Office? Exactly a month ago I wrote what turned out to be a very popular post entitled The Web-based Office will have its day. My main focus in that post was all of the small start-ups that are currently building web-based office apps. I forgot to mention that of course there's nothing stopping Microsoft from building their own Web 2.0 Office! Perhaps that's their only option to head off Google, because Google Office has been rumored to be around the corner for 1-2 years now.

I have NO idea if this is true (click the title of this article to go to the full copy and you can decide for yourself). I really don't like the idea of a web-based Office. I think you should be able to choose between software and web.

Google Web Accelerator Beta: Get It!

This is an amazing product. It really speeds up your load times, especially of highly flash based and image based sites. Basically, what it does is that when you visit a site it remembers that and then when you visit the site again it will just warp speed you to it, updates and all. It really is an amazing product. So far I have saved 2.5 days. Ok, I know this sounds like a complete lie, but it really is true. The only difference though is that it just allows you to do more things online, which will in turn, take you the same amount of time without it.

It just increases your productivity and happiness with the web. I love it and I definitely recommend it to anyone. Click the title of click this.

Nintendo Revolution due for June '06?

This one is according to SPOnG news. They say that the Nintendo Revolution will be coming out in June of 2006. Also, they will be planning a worldwide launch which is basically what will happen with the xbox 360. SPOnG also says that there will be only a $200 tag on the item. Nothing here is official but pretty interesting. Just wish to remind everyone that Nintendo never sells their consoles at a loss like xbox and the playstations. This means that the Revolution won't have as much power as the other systems.

Base broke?

Google Base (read the article below) has been released (I believe it is an alpha). I've tried logging in but haven't had any luck. Some others have but most have not. Check it out for yourself:

http://www.base.google.com

Google to take on eBay

Google Base is in development right now. Don't know what Google Base is, then keep reading! Basically, Google Base is going to be a fixed offering site (like eBay's buy it now function). Currently the Buy it Now feature on eBay makes 30% of the gross earnings for eBay which is a good piece of the pie. Google will make money by, like always, placing relevant text ads on the items (we even have some). No details on whether this will come bundled with the Google Wallet service (meant to be Google's version of PayPal).

I think this would be pretty great and good competition in the end is better for the consumer than anyone else (which i love).

Google Maps for the Tech Wrap

Check this out i though it was pretty cool. Don't worry it's completely safe. Basically, it's Google Maps for the Tech Wrap! So you can see where people are from which is pretty cool. Again, it's 100% safe and all they ask for is your zip code. Just click the picture below!

Gizmondo releases in North America

The Gizmondo has been released in North America recently (I would have posted this earlier but my internet went down). Basically, this thing has got GPS, games (which I hear aren't that good), music, videos, and a couple other things. It looks like it is trying to be the N-Gage QD which no one likes. It seems great in theory but no one is going to buy it. Sorry Tiger Telematics, this is a no brainer. Don't get into the portable gaming if you don't have the brand name to support it.

Flock: New browser built on Firefox

There is a new browser out there that has been released to developers. Even if you aren't a developer you can get one here. Basically, it is built on Firefox and has edited the look and feel of it. I like the look of it so far and I can't wait to try it out. A cool feature that it has is integrated blogging. This would be extremely useful to people like me so I will definitely give it a try. Also, another key thing is that it is open source which will create even more 3rd party apps which is always a good thing.

Note: don't use as your main browser for right now because it is a beta.

Good Email Signatures

Here is a good email signature that I found:

http://esigs.brightdev.com

Check it out it's pretty cool. They look really good on forums and websites (which is exactly what they are made for). If you don't own a website or participate in a forum then this isn't for you.

PowerMacs have just been updated!

This is definitely the big press release out of today from Apple. You can get four G5 cores (running in two dual-core G5 CPUs all in a single box. This is huge news and it supports PCI express. Also, it comes with support for multiple Cinema Displays. That means you can have up to four(!) 30-inch displays side by side. The base unit does not come with a monitor and will cost $3,300. If you get the best of everything on it then it'll cost $18,000. The max amount of RAM is 16GB!! Ahh, if only Macs supported better gaming then this thing would be perfect.

My Rating: 5/5 This is now an EVEN better piece of computing hardware.

Powerbooks: No G5s, Details Here

Direct quote from my source:

Apple announced two spec bumps to their G4 PowerBooks at the PhotoPlus Expo 2005 today. Expect the new machines to have higher resolution displays; the 15-inch will hit 1440 x 960 (up from 1280 x 854), and the 17-inch will bound all the way up to 1680 x 1050 (up from 1440 x 900). Both laptops’ displays will actually have 46% increased brightness, while supposedly managing a 22% increase in battery life. They’ll also feature standard SuperDrives, built-in Cinema HD support, and are available now with a new pricing scheme: the 12-inch will go for $1,499, the 15-inch for $1,999, and the 17-inch for $2,499.

The big thing here is that it comes with a higher resolution along with SuperDrives standard. The more pressing issue is that it DOES NOT come with G5 processors (64-bit processors. They are the future).

My Rating: 2/5 Pretty poor update and overall just disappointing to many that expected G5s.

Apple Press Event update

Apple is just churning out the products in the past month so far. They have updated the PowerMac line, PowerBook line, and have introduced a Photoshop type product called Aperture. There will seperate posts detailing all of these.

Wi-Fi iPod??

I just read this article about the possibility of a new Wi-Fi iPod coming. I believe this is pure speculation and is not going to happen any time soon. This article was in MacOSRumors. Here is the article link:

http://macosrumors.com/20051016A.php

It would allow automatic updates of your iTunes directly to you iPod. It sounds cool. I don't believe this is true just because a new iPod and the Nano have just been released, and I don't think another update to the iPod line will happen for at least another year.

Our RSS URL

Here is our RSS URL:

(Just plug it into your RSS reader)

http://techwrap.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Apple to release new Photoshop-type product?

There is a new October 19th press release for Apple that I mentioned earlier. This has not been confirmed but it is believed that Apple will be releasing a high end version of iPhoto which will be photoshop-esque. Once, more details come out I'll be sure to add new posts.

GAIM 2.0.0 in the Works

GAIM 2.0.0 is in the works currently. The main feature update is that it will add Google Talk functionality support. GAIM is basically a program that allows you to add you MSN, YAHOO, AIM, etc accounts all into one buddy list. This is a really good option and it is open source which is another plus. Another good option that I like is Trillian which if you want then just Google it. GAIM is a good product and a definite try out especially once this new version comes out.

Great article about Apple

Here's a great Article about Apple and its integration. It also includes the new iPod in the article. Straight from Time Magazine

Time: Apple Article Click Here

Domains: Which one to get?

So, I've been looking around lately and I'm not an expert on which domain service to use, but Yahoo Domains seems pretty good. Yahoo Domains currently has the deal of just $2.99 a year and it seems like a good offer. Currently, there are a bunch of different domain options and many seem to rip you off. If you are interested in a domain then i suggest Yahoo Domains because it seems cheapest and it is a dependable name you can trust. If you guys know of any other great deals then please post in the comments. :D

Also, Yahoo! Domains got the PC Magazine's Editor's Choice Award for a small business solution. I think that speaks for itself that Yahoo! Domains is a good option.

If i get enough hits on the google ads at the top then I will try and make domain name. I was just searching through the market and Yahoo! Domains seemed like a good option.

RSS: Not many know about it. Let me educate you!

I am a big avid fan of RSS feeds. Sadly though, not many people actually know what they are. RSS feeds are basically things that will give you the headlines for you favorite sites. Almost all major sites have one (we have one if you use mozilla live bookmark feeds) and they can just keep you informed about the updates/headlines on a site without having to waste time and go to the site itself. It's really great and a time saver and I suggest it to anyone. There are many RSS readers that will show you your RSS subscriptions. We recently talked about a Google RSS reader that they released, so go check that out if you want (I suggest just getting Firefox and using Live Bookmark feeds).

Note: there's not really a pic for RSS so sorry about that guys.

Our RSS URL:http://techwrap.blogspot.com/atom.xml

New Hotmail Kahuna Beta Pics

A user requested some more pictures for Kahuna in our comments (if anyone else would like to make a request on any topic then I'll be happy to ablige as long as the request is reasonable)





These are the two decent ones from my source. Hope it helps.

Apple October 19th Press Event

There will be an Apple October 19th press event. The big news here is that it is most likely updates to the PowerMacs and the Powerbooks (hopefully). New details will be posted when more information is confirmed.

Edit: for some reason the blogger picture host option is working well so I am having to use Imageshack. These pics will be replaced once the blogger picture host option is working properly.

Sony release PSP firmware v2.50

Here are the features:

FEATURES IN 2.50 INCLUDE:

* [LocationFree Player] has been added as a feature under [Network].

* [Auto-Select] and [Unicode (UTF-8)] have been added as options to [Encoding] under [View] in the [Internet Browser] menu bar.
* [Text Size] and [Display Mode] settings of the [Internet Browser] can now be saved.
* The input history of online forms accessed through the [Internet Browser] can now be saved.
* Copyright-protected video can now be played under [Video]. (This applies to video data saved on Memory Stick.)
* [Set via Internet] has been added as an option to [Date & Time Settings] under [Settings]
* WPA-PSK (AES) has been added as a security method under [Network Settings].
* Korean input mode has been added to the on-screen keyboard.

For those of you that don't know location free is this thing where you can send you videos and tv feed and now watch them on your PSP (this requires a LocationFree base station. sold seperately)

Rating: 1/5 Useless update unless you have LocationFree. Don't update otherwise you can't downgrade and run homebrew.

New Apple iPod VIDEO!!!

There is a new Apple iPod Video which is a much needed upgrade to the iPod line. It replaces the previous 20GB and 60GB ipods. Specs:

Holds up to 15,000 songs and full-color album art
30GB model is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches; 60GB model is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches
Bright 2.5-inch, 320 x 240 pixel TFT display
Up to 20 hours of battery life
Holds up to 25,000 photos
Holds up to 150 hours of video
Plays video or photo slideshows on TV via the optional Dock
Apple Click Wheel
Accessory-compatible Dock connector
Dock works with the new Apple Remote
Charges and syncs via USB
Works with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
Syncs contacts, calendars and to-do lists

My summary: It supports H.264 and MPEG4. It is thinner and boasts a better battery life. 2 versions: 30GB and 60GB, $299 and $399 respectively. Also, has a TV out and has a larger screen

My Rating: 5/5 Apple HAD to do this to stay on top of the game and even though i wish there were a bigger screen the TV out takes care of that. Once I get my hands on it somehow I'll post a complete review.

Apple introduces Front Row and Remote Control

Apple has just added a remote control and Front Row to the new list of things that they have unveiled today. Basically Front Row is a program that allows you to view your videos, photos, and music on your Mac more easily. This isn't all that special until you see that it comes with a remote control so when you and family or your friends are at your house you can just hit the switch and watch videos, photos, or listen to music. It's a pretty neat program, but I'm not sure how popular it will become. It at least gives you the option.

New iMacs G5s!!

Apple has also released today the new iMac G5s!! They come with Front Row and the new iPod remote (more details in next post). Also they are slimmer and come in 17-inch and 20-inch editions. Superdrives (DVD burners) are now standard. These have G5 processors so they are the future with 64-bit. Also, it comes with a Mighty Mouse standard. The better thing though, in my opinion, that comes standard is an iSight camera built into the monitor/computer. I think since it is standard more and more users will be taking advantage of video chatting.

If i can somehow buy one then i'll make a review of it. If not then i'll probably just go to the Apple store.

New iTunes 6.0

Brand new iTunes 6.0. Just an update because of the new iPod Video!!

Nero 7 Unveiled

This is the long anticipated Nero 7 that has just been released. Nero is a burning tool that you can use for your computer and does a variety of different things. The big news here though is that it supports HD-DVD and Blu-Ray burning which will become very handy in the future. I'll let the Nero people try and sell you on it here: http://ww2.nero.com/nero7/enu/Products.html

New Hotmail Kahuna Beta

Hotmail has now followed Yahoo in introducing a new Hotmail (beta) version. This is code-named Kahuna. It seems decent. Its got the Outlook feel if you like that sorta thing then good for you. One major issue I have with it is that it is ONLY for IE 5.5 or better (will work for lower IEs but won't have full functionality). I use Firefox exclusively which I believe everyone should. Also, it excludes Opera support. I personally only think that Yahoo and Hotmail are trying to catch up with Google and just trying to "rethink" (yea right) web-based email. Again, please get Gmail because it is a lot better and works on all browsers. I'll try and post some pics of Kahuna in comments if I can. If not then use Google (another thing yahoo and Microsoft are trying to beat google at and won't)

Rating: Haven't been able to get my hands on the beta yet

Podcasts

About only 20% of the U.S. know what podcasts are which is a real shame. For those of you that don't know what podcasting is get ready for a treat because i'm about to tell you.

Podcasts are basically TiVoed radio shows. There are a great variety of topics from technology to sports. Basically, sum people will get together (ranges from 1-5) and just record themselves talking about a topic (a talk radio show basically). So basically you can download and subscribe to these things and just put them on your ipod and listen to them. Many aren't entertaining at all which is a true bummer. I've found 2 funny shows that also have good content.

Diggnation - Tech podcast
Dremstation.CC - Video Game podcast

*you can get these podcast from iTunes 4.9 or greater. Also, you could google it and find their sites.

Rating: 5/5

New Trojan bricks DS

Looks like DS is following the PSP on yet another thing. There is now a supposed "3rd party software" that was supposed to be a hentai viewer (w/e that is). But instead it is a Trojan and of course bricks your DS

Rating: 0/5 All trojans are bad, especially if it bricks you

New iPods on Oct. 12th most likely

According to ThinkSecret, there will be new ipods coming out on the 12th. No video support. These will just update the current models. They will be smaller and at capacities of 40GB and 80GB ($299 and $399 respectively). Also, they could not confirm on a Madonna ipod (basically, it would be pink, yea we know).

They are also reporting that there will be four new Mac configurations. Most likely on the PowerBook.

You heard it here FIRST!

Microsoft copies Google Earth

This is what Microsoft is good at. They take products (i.e Apple's original computer software) and improve upon them with lack of innovation and ingenuity. Microsoft sux because of this. Microsoft has just released MSN Virtual Earth beta (stealing Google's idea of calling everything beta no matter what. It seems like everyone is doing this nowadays) which provides satellite images that you can show off to your non-techie friends. Basically, it is Google Earth but falls short. Even Microsoft of all companies are getting bad at imitation. Makes you think whether they should come up with some innovation or sumtin.

If you wanna check it out then just google it or MSNit (you know there was a memo on getting this phrase out) because I'm not gonna advertise for such a shit*y company.

Rating: 3/5 Some interesting features but nothing I haven't seen before.

Apple ROKR officially sux

I've been saying all along that the ROKR would definitely suck mainly because it just is not an appealing device. Think Motorola, which should I choose your ROKR or the RAZR?

Easily, most people would pick the RAZR because it looks good. It is something you can show to your friends and they will go all googly eyed at. The ROKR on the other hand looks like a basic Nokia candybar phone (not fun at all).

Now though, I've been officially backed by an analyst that says that the ROKR isn't selling because it looks so god darn awful. Analyst Piper Jaffray recently said in the Wall Street Journal that the ROKR isn't selling, because it is "ugly." (Nice terminology big time Journal reporter).

Official PSP memory stick DUO

There was an official PSP memory stick DUO released in the past week . It was nothing special except it said it was specifically designed for the PSP which was complete BS.

They just added a PSP logo on it but the main difference is that it should be a couple of bucks cheaper. I have heard reports of $74.99 but nothing is final until it comes out in the U.S.

Note: The picture shown is what it is expected to look like except with a PSP logo on it.

Google RSS Reader

Google has come out with a new RSS reader which seems all well and good but I don't see how google expects to make money off these products. Maybe it's just something they came up with in their free time but I just would like to say that Google Talk sux. I use it occasionally because I like to "call" some of my friends in Texas, where I used to live

Now in my opinion, Google is a great company and I'm not jumping ship any time soon. Google Talk is probably the first Google program that has disappointed me and I wish they would stop coming out with other products (that not many will use) until they improve the one that seems like a half-assed job (seriously, google couldn't even come up w/ their own. Had to use Jabber).

Rating: 4/5 Good reader just wish it was a stand alone reader.

Direct TV introducing new DVR tomorrow

This one is brought to you by engadget. Here's what they said:

It’s the day TiVo hoped would never come: tomorrow DirecTV is launching a $30 million advertising campaign to introduce its new in-house digital video recorder, the R15 DirecTV Plus DVR. This doesn’t by any means spell the end of TiVo. DirecTV users account for only a small percentage of the company’s overall revenue — they’re only making about a buck a month off of every DirecTV with TiVo subscribe, which is way less than they’re making from standalone subscribers — but this arrangement did help them pump up their subcriber base in a pretty significant way.

My bit:
I have DirecTV with Tivo and i must say I think it is the greatest thing alive. It's just a great service and allows you to record one show while watching another. The interface is amazing and I understand why it has "changed TV." For those of you that don't have it, get it. Best thing you will ever do and also get it through Tivo and not DirecTV

OpenOffice.org 2.0 Release Candidate 2

OpenOffice.org has just released a 2.0 version. It is a great alternative to M$ (Microsoft) and every should give it a try. It is 100% open source which is always a plus so please check it out.

http://download.openoffice.org/2.0.0rc/index.html

Rating: 5/5 I love open source programs and OpenOffice is an amazing one. Very good alternative.

Video iPod

There have been numerous reports right now about the new iPod Video. This is rumored to be released on Oct. 12th. There have been extreme bits of speculation going around. Personally, Apple is a great company and to really boost their revenue they NEED a video iPod. Without it iPod sales will shrink and of course everyone loses. And to quench your thirst: