We've just stumbled upon a very easy, efficient way to back up your entire iTunes music library, one that even accommodates those of you who have MP3 lists that are kilometers in length. 

It's dynamic, too, in the sense that it even provides a way of tracking new music, which really eases backing new additions up.

Click away and see if you find it as great a solution as we do.

If you ever find yourself thinking what should I do with my iPod  boxes well I think we found the answer.

In Japan the company Thanko has come up with a speaker that pumps out 1.2 watts and is designed to look like the box your iPod video or nano came in. It runs on two AAA batteries and has a 35 mm line in jack so you can connect your favorite device
The only problem is you have to import it from Japan.

Check out the pictures!

The Financial Times reports that, depending on how the French parliament votes on a draft copyright law, Apple may have to make music downloaded from its iTunes site compatible with rival platforms.

The French parliament is currently debating whether or not to approve a draft copyright law that would impose "interoperability" on online music stores such that music downloaded from any site can be played on any platform. Should the law be passed Sony and Microsoft would also be forced to comply with it, but in the event that it is passed Apple has the most to lose. Apple currently dominates the world market for paid MP3 downloads.

The most drastic option open to Apple is for it to pull out of France entirely. We have to admit that this does make some sense; after all, the company's business interests are at stake, and online music downloads are hardly a marginal business for Apple.

That said, however, we also think that if the law is passed, it might be beneficial for Apple to try to stand its ground at first and see how it can be circumnavigated, if at all. The law being debated implements an EU directive regarding intellectual property, and as such this might only be the first of many such cases all throughout Europe.

Better learn how to deal with it now than have to keep having to give up ground later on, oui?

Consumer Reports has taken a stab at Apple's new boombox, the Hi-Fi, and finds a product that it describes as 'so-so.' Surprised that a company as innovative as Apple, which usually surpasses, or at the very least matches it competition, has made a product like the Hi-Fi, Consumer Reports finds some trappings that make other choices on the market much more desirable -- and for a lot less.

First up is the look of the unit, which Consumer Reports describes as, "Rectangular and unadorned, the Hi-Fi resembles an elongated white breadbox." Okay, so she isn't going to be Prom Queen this year, but what about her personality? Consumer Reports writes: "The unit's performance is mildly disappointing. Though it sounds decent enough, the Hi-Fi didn't match the audio quality of the best-sounding (and lower-priced) iPod boomboxes from our past tests."

Consumer Reports does like the power-saving features of the unit, as well as remote. But is it enough? "Why go to such trouble when the Altec iM7, $250, offers better performance for $100 less?" I have a feeling that this will be one Apple product that will fade into obscurity.

According to an article in Macworld, the French government has decided not to force Apple, or any other distributor of digital content, to open up their DRM (digital rights management system). The proposed requirement for companies, which was being followed closely for the precedent it would have set had it gone through, at the last minute did not go through.

French parliament voted to enforce penalties on persons engaging in illegal file-sharing programs, and voted to prevent users from legally cracking DRM systems and code. During the same meeting, a proposal to companies requiring that they make DRM systems work on a universal basis was discussed, though according to the website, has not been passed. That proposal is also being followed very closely by Apple and others.

Denon executives, in charge of a company that produces some of the best in high-end audio components, are a little ticked off that Steve Jobs, in announcing the Apple Hi-Fi, said it could replace that much costlier equipment.

Steve said the Hi-Fi, with its lower price point, directly competes and simply trumps the A/V equipment offered by Denon. This, of course, because Apple wants to get in on the accessories market its iPod has created, something Denon executives are keen on.

Needless to say, Jeff Talmadge, marketing manager for Denon, didn't sit still in light of the criticisms. Â?It [the Denon system] will provide so much more for the home theatre environment because of its onscreen metadata information, photo capabilities and video pass-through from the iPod that AppleÂ?s Hi-Fi doesnÂ?t do,Â? said Talmadge. Â?When our $1000 receiver comes out, youÂ?ll be able to send the iPod sound to a second zone and control it with our remote control. The video output will send video and photos to the second zone, as well. We take it to a different level.Â?

In yo' face, Apple!

Time has picked the Apple Hi-Fi its Gadget of the Week, calling out its strengths and witnesses. I don't know about it being the 'gadget of the week,' something I think is predicated more on the Apple name than anything else. I've had a chance to get to see these, and I've got to tell you that, while the sound is good and all, I really don't dig what they did with the overall design.

Seems like Time agrees with me: "For $349, the Hi-Fi is something of a hybrid iPod dock Â? not quite a "bookshelf" stereo, but not quite a home-theater system either. It's more expensive than the Bose SoundDock and Klipsch iGroove, but those are meant for small spaces. The bigger, heavier Hi-Fi is meant to fill a room. Still, though it has an auxiliary input for stereo sources, it's not necessarily something you'd think to connect to your cable set-top box. And because it's all one piece, it wouldn't make a good speaker system for a computer."

Any of you guys out there digging the design?

Sonnet just let go with their Ipod nano wireless FM transmitter. While it's pretty cool to be able to jump in your car, and start "shakin yo laffy taffy", it's definitely not going to win any awards for looks with that ridiculous antenna poking out of the top. But hey, at least you can whip your friend in the face with it when he critiques your music taste.

Anyway, it'll be sure to let you play your tunes in your car, or home stereo with the least amount of hassle. Plus the case just might keep you from sitting on it.

Now where's my Chik-o-stick?

Like many of us out here, Keith Shaw of Network World doesn't get why we need Apple's Hi Fi boom box. Keith, who usually tests out products and brings us back the good and uglies of all the stuff out there, seems convinced that there is really no need for anyone, or at least him, to purchase the boom box if all it does is the same thing many other products out there do -- and worse.

"I may take some hits from the Macintosh faithful, but I don't understand the need to spend $350 on a stereo system to plug my iPod into when there are less-expensive alternatives that do the same thing," Keith said on his website. "If I'm missing something here, feel free to let me know (nicely)."

Keith, I'll tell you what you're missing right now ... um, nothing! Yeah, you're right, the Hi Fi is slightly disappointing when you think about all of the other great systems out there already. I myself think that even old Steve himself must have rushed the thing to market. Without any great catch or appeal -- all it really aims for is sitting there and looking pretty, a feat it fails at in my opinion -- it really should be embarrassed to wear the Apple moniker.

Maybe I'm missing something here. If I am, let me know (roughly).

Up to this point, you could count on the fact that Bose was one of the best audio solutions for your iPod. With the company's focus on innovation and quality, it was THE speaker system to contend with.

Enter the Klipsch iFi Speaker System. The sexy little set up comes complete with everything you need to hook up your iPod to it for some truly awesome sound. The system includes two speakers and an 8-inch subwoofer to drive those highs and pound those lows. Early first- and second-generation iPods can't be docked, unfortunately, but can still hook up via the audio port on the rear of the dock or subwoofer.

Early comments on the system are good. At £249.00 though, they better be. Bob "Dr. Mac" Levitus of the Mac Observer said of the unit: "It's an ultra high performance speaker system designed just for dockable iPods and I agree with my testers wholeheartedly: The Klipsch iFi is the best-sounding iPod speaker system I've ever heard, and not just by a small margin, either."