Okay, before we start, let me just clarify that I'm merely reporting my source's opinion on Zune and iPod, so that means this isn't my, or QJ's opinion on the said topic.

Having that said, let's go on RDM's take on Microsoft's latest gadget, the Zune. For those who aren't in the know, Zune is Microsoft's portable media player, slated for release tomorrow.

As such, it was touted as "iPod's latest killer." However, our source points out that it may not be the case. Why? Let's check out all three reasons.

First off, Apple's winter strategy was to lower the iPod's price, to make it a viable gift for the holidays. Our source reports that most users would consider the iPod as a luxury item for themselves, and because it's branded as such, consumers won't think of it as a feasible gift for the holidays. Apple seems to know that, so to cash in the holiday frenzy, the price of the iPod is slashed during its winter season so that consumers will see it as an affordable gift this Christmas, generating more income for Apple in the long run.

Second, our source points out that the Zune is rather heftier than the iPod, and it being bulky may become a problem, as it is a portable music device.

Lastly, RDM says that the Zune's radio transmitter and rather large screen drains the battery life faster, which may lead to customer complaints. After all, a portable device should have long battery hours, as it is always on the go (and stopping over some place just to charge it is such a hassle).

As said earlier, these are just our source's views on Zune. How about you, what do you think?

Now we all know there's nothing wrong with being in style. There's nothing wrong with being creative, either. That applies to any person's fashion sense, whether it maybe in the manner of clothing, accessorizing one's place, and adding a few touches to your gadgets.

But of course, not everyone's on the same wavelength in regards to style. What may be cute for one may be considered weird for another. So TechEBlog has made a list of the "five strangest iPod cases" currently out in the market.

Errrr, no. If you're thinking this article's going to be a fashion spread, you're dead wrong. This is QJ, after all.

Want to take a look? Click on the "Full Article" link below!

Yesterday, we reported that over 75 movie downloads from various production companies such as Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, and Miramax Films are currently being made available for the iTunes 7. Now, if you're not a big fan of walking to the nearest video store near you, then that spells good news.

However, getting those for free sounds like a way better news to us. And with iTunes7 you can do just that, but not with movies. Instead, ABC is offering FREE downloads for last season's finales of "Lost", "Desperate Housewives," and "Grey's Anatomy." Cool, huh? With this, you can take the girls of Wisteria Lane with you wherever you go, provided that you have your iPod with you.

Reports say that a million copies would be made available, so if you're in the US, you better hurry while these free goodies are still around. And just to clarify, only the season finale episodes of these TV shows will be made available for free. So if you haven't watched any of these shows yet, you better get your hands on the previous episodes first. But if you're a big fan of spoilers, or just want to check out the last episodes first just for the heck of it, well by all means, go on a downloading frenzy. Just don't spill the beans for those who aren't in the know.

You may have come across our previous articles about the EyeTV. Now this baby from Elgato Systems is back, with twice the power.

Like the EyeTV, the EyeTV Hybrid lets Mac users watch digital TV. Unlike the previous one though, the EyeTV Hybrid also delivers analog TV via antenna and the standard cable. This small stick is also reported to work well with the Apple Remote and boasts of the following features:

• Watch analog as well as digital TV on your Mac.
• Browse EyeTV menus in Full Screen mode.
• Rewind, fast forward, and pause digital TV.
• Record hours of your favorite TV shows directly on your hard drive and edit out unwanted content.
• Find TV shows using the built-in program guide (USA only).
• Export clips and entire episodes to your video-capable iPod.
• Connect game consoles and enjoy zero latency game play.

This product is already available, and costs roughly Â?149.95 or $192 USD.

Dear Apple,

I think the system-wide to-do service is quite wonderful. ThatÂ?s good news for data integrity (and, thus, for user sanity), and it will provide third-party developers with an opportunity to transparently tie their own task management software into this system. It really does a lot to mainatain our sanity.

The addition of to-doÂ?s and notes to Mail may indicate that Apple has some useful ideas for enhancing a Â?non-glamourousÂ? application like Mail beyond just beautiful eye candy.

Hopefully, you'll continue going further on this direction by adding real workflows to Mail. I'm glad some functions that save the user a lot of effort (not to mention countless mouse clicks) are present on Rules, AppleScript, Automator, and third-party plug-ins like Scott MorrisonÂ?s superb Mail Act-On. However, they are still in need of improvements and I am hoping you'll work on them.

My wishlist?

• First, build (many) more Mail-related Automator actions, including very basic functionality like moving messages to a mailbox folder, or replying to a message;
• Second, use some of their UI design voodoo to come up with an elegant and effective way of triggering these workflows within Mail
  

These are just my opinions and I would be most grateful if you could act on them. I know other users have various ideas of their own for software improvements and it would be great if they could share them too. As for me, thanks a lot for taking time to take note of my requests.

Yours Truly,
Jochen Wolters

NOTE: This is just an imaginary letter inspired by Jochen Wolters' actual requests (snippets of it are used in this "imaginary letter", which are highlighted in italics)

Having been students ourselves, we pretty much know your dilemma. You have a philosophy paper due tomorrow, and it's a major thing, mind you; one that constitutes 35% of your total grade. The topic? Explain existentialism according Martin Heidegger, Gabriel Marcel and Rene Descartes. Knowing that your standing in your class is somewhere between C and D, this is one school requirement that could make or break your grade.

Thing is, you also have a biology exam at 9am tomorrow, and an practical exam immediately after that (not to mention American Idol reruns are airing tonight), so how are you supposed to keep track of everything you need to know without losing your sanity?

Here is where iProcrastinate enters the picture. Errr... no, it's not a magic wand that you could wave to make all your school requirements disappear. But it does make you keep track of the things you need to do for a certain period. So it's actually the next best thing, right? It runs on Mac OS X and best of all, it's free. There have been previous versions of this already, version 10 being the first one, followed by version 11 (which had date and completion columns for step tableview, as well as colored priority bars), then the version 12, and finally version 20, which we have here, which features the following:

• Many bug fixes
  
• General UI Improvements
• Multiple class selection
• Assignment Total
• Keyboard commands
• Grades

So if you want to check it out, click the link below to download the program. Now, if only we had this before...

Download: [iProcrastinate for Mac OS X]

Last June, Adobe made Flash Player 9 for both Macintosh and Windows. Now, Adobe has relased another version of the Flash Player 9 that is reported to work better with Intel-based Macs.

According to Sydney Sloan, group product marketing manager of Adobe, the old Flash Player 9 version "has been rewritten to improve the performance and "expressiveness," or interactivity, of Flash applications." If that's the case, then Intel-based Mac users could expect a far better performance from the newly-released Flash Player 9. Say bye-bye to creepy dialog boxes informing you that your current flash player couldn't support a certain flash presentation.

Interested Mac users can get their hands on the new Adobe Flash Player 9 by clicking on the link below.

Download: [New Version of Flash Player 9 for Intel-based Macs]

Once upon a time, Apple decided to run on Intel processors. And so it did, starting with the MacBook Pro, followed by MacBook laptops a couple of months later. Everything went smoothly, and most Apple-users lived happily ever after.

Or is it? Apparently, the tides turned when the said laptops were shipped in quantity. Before we draw speculations, let's take a look at the complaints from most Mac users:

• Whining: The MacBook Pros seem to churn out an ominous whining noise that could be temporarily stopped by opening Photo Booth and closing the said appliction again. The cause? We have no idea. Apple responded though, by telling disgruntled users to contact AppleCare.
  

• Heat: Another source of frustration for MacBook and MacBook Pro users is heat (you might also want to check our article regarding the "exploding Apple Powerbook"), especially if they place it on their laps. Apple's advice? Don't use your laptop on your lap. Hmmm...
  

• Discoloration: Some users claim that there's an "odd discoloration on the casing around the plam rest ares on MacBooks, particularly white ones." Apple acknowledged the problem, admitted it was a "manufacturing defect," and told users to contact AppleCare.
  

• Batteries: There are also reports on warping batteries, which made many concerned about fire hazards. As a response, Apple had an official battery recall for MacBook Pro batteries sold before may 2006.
  

• Logic Boards: Complaints were made regarding random shutdowns "while plugged in or on battery, and usually multiple times in a single computing session." As a result, Apple launched a logic board repair program.

Some attribute these problems to the "rushed manufacturing" of these laptops. Many anticipated the Intel transition, and probably Apple responded by well, rushing the production of the said computers.

However, that's just a speculation. Do you share the same opinion? Let us know.

Most of us probably start the day to the sound of our alarm clocks. The irritating, beeping sound sure doesn't guarantee a joyful way to greet the morning, but it sure is efficient in waking us up from a good night's sleep.

Now, you could start the day with the  Excalibur iBlaster (also known as the iBlaster Alarm Clock, iBlaster Clock Radio AM/FM Radio & Video Player). It's an FM/AM radio-iPod player-slash-alarm clock, plus a remote control for a bonus add-on.

But if you want more time to stay in bed, the remote control of the device will become quite handy for manuevering the iPod from a distance (meaning, when you're too tired to get out of bed). There are also buttons on top of the gadget if you prefer your iBlaster nearby (making it not too hard to pound it when you still want to get extra snooze time, much like what we do with conventional alarm clocks).

This add-on is compatible with the iPod 3G, 4G, 5G, nano, mini, shuffle, 1G/2G*, and  according to our source, is available for a "relatively attractive price."

So if you think you'd get off on a better start with your favorite song waking you up, maybe you'd like to consider giving this iPod add-on a try.

Stuck in a dilemma between getting a Samsung Q1 and an Apple Newton? Well, the guys at CNET pitted those two against each other just for fun. The verdict? Read on.

Undeniably, Apple's Newton MessagePad 2007 has been around for quite some time - since 1997 to be exact. It features handwriting recognition, and touch-screen display plus a stylus, all packed in a simple design. It doesn't boast of a full color screen, but runs on an efficient and virtually virus-free OS.

The Samsung Q1, on the other hand, has a sleek, shiny look as opposed to the "industrialized" design of the Newton. Its screen has 16.7 million colors, so you would be able to watch your favorite movies here. It also has better networking capabilities and handwriting recognition than the Newton.

However, the Newton can run up to 30 hours with four AA batteries, which dealt the final blow on the Q1, which only runs for 2.5 hours. And while the latter costs £799, the decade-old Newton can be bought in eBay for £50.

So take your pick. If you're more into practicality, you might want to get a Newton. But if you're into sleek, modern gadgets, maybe you'd consider getting a Samsung Q1 instead.