| iPodObserver - Carphone Ready for iPhone Push After UK Launch
British cellphone reseller Carphone Warehouse is prepping for a massive holiday promotional push for Apple's iPhone following Friday's official launch with O2. Outside of Apple and O2 stores, Carphone Warehouse is the only place U.K. customers can go to get their hands on the combination iPod and smart phone. The Telegraph reports that Carphone is also looking to expand its reach overseas to the United States. The company already has a deal with U.S. big box retailer Best Buy -- and Best Buy has managed to grab about three percent of Carphone's stock. Like Carphone, Apple's exclusive iPhone carrier O2 expects strong U.K. sales. The cell service carrier added 1,400 employees ahead of the the iPhone launch. 700 will work in customer service, and 200 of those will be assigned exclusively to iPhone support.
New Zune MP3 Players Released
Just over a year after the first version of the Zune hit store shelves, Microsoft is revamping the line, complete with new hardware, new software and new features to combat the iPod's dominance. The new devices include a black, 80GB Zune for $249, as well as 4GB and 8GB models, for $150 and $200 respectively. All of the new models include all the features of the previous Zune, alone with a new touch pad which features both click and touch functionality. You can still sync and download songs from other Zune owners wirelessly and the device also packs a nifty 3.2 inch screen for watching video. Most intriguing, though, is the ability for Zune owners to customize their device using laser engraving. The Zune Originals online store allows users to select a design for the back of their Zune, setting it apart from other devices.
Leopard will have Mac-users purring
Apple's new operating system draws on the success of the iPod and iPhone to make using a personal computer fun and straightforward. Several of the most exciting features come directly from iTunes, the music program that works with Apple's music players and cellphone. I tested the new operating system, Mac OS X Leopard, on a MacBook Pro laptop with a 17-inch screen. Leopard comes pre-installed on all new Apple computers and sells for $129 for a single-user license. Apple says Leopard has more than 300 new features, but I'm going to focus on three key areas: organization and time saving, backup and mail. I don't always do the best job organizing documents, pictures, music and other files on my computer, so I sometimes waste a lot of time looking for what I want. One way Leopard tackles this issue is with "Stacks," a handy new way to store items you access often.
Rising star
At the age of 24, Ebony Bones is a showbiz veteran. She starred as Yasmin Matthews in the now-defunct Channel 5 soap Family Affairs. 'They knew I was heading to music when I brought in my laptop and padded the dressing room for soundproofing.' ยท Self-taught musician Bones's debut single 'We Know All About You' has a sound she calls 'DIY - stripped down, raw, abrasive'. Grace Jones and Don Letts have attended gigs, she's supported Basement Jaxx, and US hip-hop producer Timbaland is a fan. 'He's been spreading the word about me Stateside.' .
Apple unleashes Leopard operating system
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Apple Inc.'s delayed update to the Mac OS X operating system is hitting store shelves as consumers are increasingly snapping up Macintosh computers to complement their iPods and iPhones.Dubbed Leopard, the upgrade goes on sale at 6 p.m. local time at stores around the world. It offers improvements to an operating system that already was widely praised for its ease-of-use and slick interface.Leopard boasts more than 300 new features, including one called "Boot Camp" that lets users install Windows on Macs, though both operating systems can't run at the same time. "Time Machine," an automated data backup system, and "Spaces," a way to simultaneously view open applications, are among the other highlighted features.Macs have reached record sale levels, and the launch of Leopard is expected to bolster a continuing rise.Computers with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows platform still dominate the PC market, but Apple has made significant gains over the past year, outstripping the industry's worldwide 15 percent growth rate.
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