News written by Dave Horvath (July, 2004)

Tired of having a one-way conversation with your iPod? Done with all the strange looks when you have a fight with your iPod because it never seems to listen to you? Well, the folks over at Apple have come up with a solution. The iPod buddy! While not the official name, Apple has developed a proprietary software for their iPod enabling it to convert text of bands, tracks, albums and menu items into speech.

The benefits of this would be so iPod users can either hear the next track coming up without looking at the screen, or increase safety by letting drivers navigate the menu without looking at the screen. Bicyclists could also benefit from this by not having to read the screen in areas where the lighting is not optimal. Although Apple has not commented on this development, the patent registered with the US Patent Office clearly shows that this feature could be available for the sixth generation iPod.

In the aftermath of recent stories released about some third-party iPod manufacturers as well as recent technical issues with the most recent version of the hardware, Apple hopes this will give them another edge in the growing portable music player market.

In a joint venture announced recently to help independent filmmakers to enjoy the spotlight of the emerging HD-DVD technology, Microsoft has partnered with Amazon.com to use their CustomFlix subsidiary in producing some 1000 Indie titles. Spurred by CustomFlix's DVD On Demand service which authors and stamps a fresh DVD only when an order is placed is said to help these independent film artists with costs associated with releasing films on HD-DVD.

Vice President of music and movies for Amazon Peter Faricy stated, "This collaboration with Microsoft is a great opportunity for independent filmmakers to reach Amazon customers with their films via the HD DVD format. By working together with Microsoft and leveraging the proven CustomFlix DVD on Demand model, we can lower the barriers to entry for independent filmmakers and dramatically increase the selection we offer our customers."

CustomFlix, which is a company owned by Amazon, will be at the forefront of the DVD availability. By eliminating the cost of inventory, their DVD On Demand service will usher in independent filmmakers into a realm that some may not have been able to enter before. Co-founder and managing director of CustomFlix, Dana LoPiccolo-Giles "With retail shelf space at a premium, our model eliminates the risk of carrying inventory and immediately expands the number of great HD DVD titles available to consumers."