Griffin Technology has announced its latest lines of cases for iPods.

Griffin’s Spring Case Collection includes:

Reflect for iPod with video & nano (MSRP – $24.99)

Reflect’s tinted reflective polycarbonate shell protects the iPod and hides the screen from others. But whenever backlighting is activated, the screen becomes visible through the tinted case.

Two Reflect models are available: one for iPod nano, and the other for 30GB, 60GB and 80GB iPod with video.

Centerstage for iPod with video with mirror finish (MSRP – $24.99)

Griffin’s Centerstage case, with an integrated flip stand receives an update, adding a tinted, reflective finish.

A tinted, reflective, polycarbonate shell protects the iPod and hides the screen from others. The screen shows through whenever backlighting is active.

Centerstage’s unique flip stand design uses an anodized aluminum stand to prop the case at the ideal viewing angle.

March 10: It’s 31 Days of Free Music month at Podcasting News. Every day in March, we’re going to do our best to hook you up a great free music podcast.

CC Chapman saw the potential for the combination of indie music and podcasting early on. He’s been producing the Accidental Hash podcast for over two years.

Chapman’s a self-described “music junkie”. His addiction is your gain, though, because he regularly puts together several podcasts a week of great indie music. After doing more than 200 shows, Chapman’s an expert on indie bands, so his show is a easy way to find out about great musicians that share their music on the Internet.

You can preview one of Chapman’s shows below, or subscribe to the Accident Hash podcast by adding this feed URL to iTunes or other podcast client:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/accidenthash

Use of streaming video increased 38.8% in 2006 across all entertainment and media sites, including free (ad-supported) and subscription services. Internet music radio grew by 17.9% in ‘06.

The largest streaming video networks include Internet aggregation sites such as Yahoo, MSN, Real Networks. Traditional media brands such as Disney/ABC and CBS also command significant video streaming share.

While more audio and video is being used on the Internet than ever, people are getting it from more sources. The number of broadband streams per unique user site declined 10.9% in 2006 to 10.6 streams per month, excluding video advertising streams. In 2005, 11.9 video content streams were viewed per unique user per month across all broadband sites.Music videos commanded the largest share of streaming video in 2006, capturing 35.5% of total streams served, and news a 23.6% share.

“Media and entertainment brands fully embraced broadband publishing in 2006,” commented AccuStream research director Paul A. Palumbo.

“They made more premium content available, that’s the key, and fashioned syndication relationships with aggregators who can deliver audiences and began to populate emerging distribution platforms. Moreover, a growing base high speed users and the adoption of Flash propelled the market.”

Source: AccuStream

Universal Music Group and Bolt have announced that they have reached an out-of-court settlement resolving the lawsuit brought by UMG against Bolt. UMG sued Bolt for copyright infringement in connection with the unauthorized use of UMG’s video and music content on the Bolt website.

Universal sought damages of up to $150,000 for each video distributed without permission.

‚ÄúMoving forward, we and our artists will now be paid for the use of our music and videos on the site,” said Doug Morris, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group.

“While our preference is to work out similar arrangements with other user generated sites so that we can bring our music to the widest possible audience, we will continue to be vigilant in protecting our rights and those of our artists and songwriters from services that unreasonably expect to build businesses on the backs of our content and hard work without permission and fair compensation,” added Morris.

Edwards Air Force Base has launched a video podcast, Dateline Edwards, the first video podcasts in the Department of Defense, according to the base.

“We’re very proud of’Dateline Edwards and have been looking for ways to expand its distribution,” said Dawn Waldman, 95th ABW Public Affairs chief of electronic news. “Soon after we started the show, it was picked up by the Pentagon Channel, but was still unavailable for most television viewers. The new video podcast now allows anyone with an Internet connection to automatically download the program to (his or her) home computer.”

“The audio podcast was the first base-specific podcast in the Department of Defense, and it’s still the only one,” said 1st Lt. Brad Kimberly, 95th ABW Public Affairs deputy chief. “The new video podcast follows the same precedent we set back in 2005. It is the first video podcast produced about a specific installation in the DoD.”

San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is warning commuters that Apple’s iconic white earbuds are magnets for thieves.

“Don’t be a target!” warns a BART flier distributed by at station entrances. “Use ear buds other than the standard iPod white, or other aftermarket headphones.”

About 1 out of 10 robberies on the BART system connecting San Francisco to the East Bay and region south of the city are iPod thefts, according to the flier.

“iPod theft is not unique to BART; it is a crime of opportunity occurring when an individual is seen wearing the familiar white iPod ear buds,” adds the flier.

March 09: Every day this month, we’re highlighting a free music podcast – for 31 Days of Free Music. It’s all stuff that you’re not likely to hear on mainstream radio – so get ready to free your ears!

Have you recovered from yesterday’s barrage of FCC-banned music? If so, maybe you’re ready for some hip-hop that you’re not likely to hear on the radio.

Los Angeles-based indie recording label Alpha Pup Records publishes the Alternative Hip-Hop Lounge podcast. Billing themselves as “the freshest DJ-mixed podcast on the planet,” the show features music ranging from avant-garde rap to cutting edge turntablism and experimental electronica. Each month’s podcast is mixed by a different DJ or underground hip-hop producer.

You can preview a recent Hip-Hop Lounge podcast below, or subscribe to the podcast by adding this feed URL to iTunes or other podcast client:
http://www.alphapuprecords.com/podcast/alphapodcast.rss

After receiving a court order, Turkey’s largest telecommunications provider, Turk Telecom, Wednesday blocked access to YouTube because it featured video clips that were seen as insulting to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

The censorship marks the latest battle between Web titans such as YouTube’s corporate parent, Google Inc., and foreign governments over free speech on the Internet as the companies expand into new international markets.

YouTube and other technologies that allow users to share information “shift power away from central institutions to communities,” Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li said. “Whenever you hold a lot of power, you’re very threatened when that power is taken away from you. That’s what the Internet does, and that is what YouTube is doing.”

An Istanbul court ordered the YouTube ban, acting on a prosecutor’s recommendation. In Turkey, it is a crime punishable by imprisonment to denigrate “Turkishness” or Ataturk, and the statute is sometimes used to prosecute those who criticize official government policy on a wide range of sensitive issues.

In Turkey, freedom of expression is an explosive issue ‚Äî one that has shadowed the government’s push to gain membership in the European Union. Turkish media reported that in recent days, Greek and Turkish nationalists had been posting inflammatory competing videos on YouTube.

The Hurriyet newspaper reported Wednesday that YouTube had received tens of thousands of e-mails protesting the depiction of Ataturk as a homosexual, and that the video clips in question had been removed.

Paul Doany of Turk Telekom said access to the site would be restored if the court ruling was rescinded.

via Los Angeles Times

March 08: It’s 31 Days of Free Music month at Podcasting News. Every day in March, we’re highlighting a free music podcast.

The University of Washington’s KEXP is a great example of what public radio can do. They play an eclectic music mix of rock, hip-hop, electronic, country, blues and world music. You can stream many of their specialty programs from their site.

KEXP also publishes several podcasts that you can listen to online, download to your computer or sync to your portable media player and take with you. The station’s Music That Matters podcast mixes full-length songs from some of its favorite artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world.

A recent episode of Music That Matters looked at music that the radio hosts would like to be able to share with listeners, but cannot play on the air due to FCC regulation against profanity on the airwaves. It’s a heartwarming collection of memorable tunes, like Slam Suzanne’s I Like To Say F***, and Brazilian Girls’ Sexy A**hole.

It’s not for the faint of heart – so don’t say we didn’t f***ing warn you!

The Linux on iPod developer blog has announced that 5.5g iPods can now run Linux…..in case you’re the type that wants to run Linux on your 5.5g iPod.

Many thanks and cheers to the hard work by DataGhost et al. in figuring out all of the final little bits in getting 5.5th gen iPods working with iPod Linux (Winpods and Macpods, 30 and 80 gig units). His various patches have been checked in, and integrated into the current nightly build of the kernel.

There’s a minor patch being integrated today that will allow 30 gig units to work properly… look for that kernel tomorrow!

More information can be found on the 5.5G Wiki Page with respect to installing these experimental builds on your 5.5th gen iPod.