Yahoo Music DRM deadline

All ability to copy or transfer tracks bought through Yahoo Music will end with the month of September, an announcement indicates. Beginning on October 1st the company is shutting off the delivery of DRM keys for tracks, a move which should leave the music playable locally, but difficult if not impossible to copy to a portable player, second hard drive, or compact disc. The deadline follows months after the closure of Yahoo Music sales, which have since been replaced by a partnership with Real's DRM-free Rhapsody service.

The shutdown echoes Microsoft's dilemma with MSN Music, which has also closed shop and had an initial date of August 31st set for the expiry of DRM. Microsoft has since reacted to pressure however, and agreed to extend the life of its DRM servers until late 2011. Such concern is one of the primary reasons stores and labels have begun switching to DRM-free formats.

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Revo DAB radio, iPod dock

UK-based Revo Technologies recently announced it will launch the first product to combine Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), Internet and FM radio reception, along with iPod docking capabilities. The iBLIK RadioStation also supports Wi-Fi Internet radio, RDS text data for FM stations and MP3 media streaming capability from Mac or PC computers. The unit also has a built-in alarm clock.

The DAB/DAB+ tuner allows users to find one of the 11,000 supported worldwide stations by name, and delivers interference-free digital audio signals complete with scrolling text information. The iBLIK RadioStation is certified for compatibility with Apple's iPod, and will charge and allow control over dockable iPods' contents via the unit's buttons or the included remote control. An included M-Port cable allows MP3 players to connect to the iBLIK.

The alarm clock options include four separate settings, allowing users to wake up to any source apart from a docked iPod, or a traditional buzzer. A customizable Sleep setting is also included.

The iBLIK RadioStation will be available on the UK market starting on August 18, priced at �180 (about $360) via Apple stores and online, as well as on Revo's web store. [via PocketLint]

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Uno goes on sale for iPods

Gameloft has released a new portable version of Uno, (iTunes link), now designed for iPods. Players in the card game attempt to whittle down their hands, while simultaneously sabotaging their opponents' hands with special "action" cards. Competition can include either AI players or live ones taking turns on the same iPod.

Nine different rules settings can be used including "7-0" and "Jump-In," and special achievements are awarded for people who complete achievements in the Career Mode. Uno costs $5 and requires an iPod Classic, a third-generation Nano, or an older fifth-generation iPod. The release marks the first new clickwheel iPod game since Apple debuted the App Store for iPhones and iPod touches.

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99p rentals at iTunes UK

The UK storefront for iTunes has joined those in Canada and the US in offering discount movie rentals, Apple has announced. The site now advertises a "99p Film of the Week" program, letting people rent a single movie at a sharp discount over the normal cost of �2.49. The chosen debut movie is John Frankenheimer's Ronin, a 1998 thriller about the life of spies in a world without good, evil or the Soviet Union.

The new pricing is of course proportionately higher than equivalent 99 cent options, which if converted from US dollars would equal only 50p. MacNN cannot confirm if an HD version is available to view from an Apple TV.

[via Macworld]

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MobileMe fully-functional?

Apple's beleaguered MobileMe service should now be fully operational, according to a status update. Following almost three weeks of difficulties, the company says it has resolved the vast majority of Mail issues, in particular webmail and message history issues that have persisted for 1 percent of MobileMe subscribers. Despite this a chatline has been established solely for people who may still be coping with e-mail problems.

Apple notes that an unrelated bug appeared briefly on Monday, causing contact and calendar sync to break when connecting over-the-air from an iPhone or iPod touch. In some cases the affected data disappeared from handhelds entirely, despite it remaining online and on computers. The bug has since been fixed, though some people may need to reboot their device, turn contact and calendar syncing off, then turn it back on again.

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Future Mac/iPod shortage?

Apple is warning that some products will be in short supply in the near future, according to a bulletin allegedly sent to resellers. The memo indicates that Apple is ramping down the production of current-generation iPods, along with 13-inch MacBooks, and 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros. The company has "strongly suggested" that resellers should immediately buy about four weeks' worth of iPods, as the reservoir could go dry within the next seven days. MacBook vendors are being pressured to buy three weeks' worth of stock.

Apple has traditionally let retail stocks dwindle in advance of a new product announcement, a move which reduces the burden of outdated inventory while lowering the number of customers angry at a sudden upgrade. The most recent example is the original 2.5G iPhone, which gradually disappeared in the months before the launch of the iPhone 3G.

The company has also traditionally introduced new iPods in September, and is rumored to be working on a tall-screened iPod nano, as well as an unspecified revision of the iPod touch. A redesign of the MacBook could also be in the works, marking a switch from standard Intel platforms to custom ones, and possibly with glass trackpads. The end product of this effort would be at least six to eight weeks away from shipment, say reports.

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Second iPhone 2.1 beta

A new beta of the iPhone 2.1 firmware is seeding to developers, say reports. The code is mainly said to contain bug fixes, but Apple has allegedly confirmed that it contains an early version of background push notification. The technology is a workaround for the lack of background processes on the iPhone, but should nevertheless provide advantages in the form of better battery life and CPU performance.

Release notes point out that the API is not yet connected to a live push server, meaning that apps built with background push cannot be fully tested. Investigation into the firmware has meanwhile revealed that GPS compass and velocity references, previously thought to be new to v2.1, may have existed in the basic v2.0 code. By contrast a reference has been spotted for a new iPod touch, under the listing "iPod2,1." Changes could be significant, as even the iPhone 3G is referred to as "iPhone1,2."

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