Thanks to the iPhone Firefly media service, you can stream your iPhone media library - audio (preferably) or video - over to iTunes on your computer, your neighbor's computer, or your buddy's computer. You'll need to sort through the settings to get the service to work, however, because while it looks like a simple, three-step process, it has hiccups (like many a hack and tweak).

First and foremost, anyone interested in streaming their media to an iTunes host will have to navigate to a site using the iPhone's Mobile Safari (we know, it looks like it's starting to become a fad). The address is the Read link below. This site has the files required to install Firefly on your iPhone's Installer.app.

Failure in this section often results to a web redirect or a download failure. If you manually enter the address at the Read link below, it should solve most of your problems. Once you run Installer.app, you now have the option to install Firefly. Do so, and prepare for the next step.

For this step, you'll need to consult your computers settings. Whether on Mac or PC, you'll need to run iTunes and set it up correctly. Head on over to the program preferences, enable sharing if you haven't already, enable "Look for shared library", and then configure your system's firewalls to accept proper incoming connections (easy peasy on Mac OS X Leopard).

Techies might want to get real down and dirty with ports and all for this one, but for a test run, a simple general permission is alright. Some firewalls come with application gateways, so you'll have to allow iTunes to communicate with other system processes or daemons in order to function.

With the firewall ready, your iPhone should now be letting its library be known as "shared", so try and navigate to that shared library in iTunes. You really can't miss it - it's labeled by the name of your iPhone. When you select it, you'll have to log in, so if you haven't messed with your media password, it should remain as "dottie" - even for Apple Software 1.1.1.

When you play a song, it should play through the speakers of your computer. Of course, not all situations are flawless, so don't hit yourself on the head if nothing is coming out of your speakers but static. This issues will need to be straightened out with a full-fledged guide - one thing we don't have our hands on yet. Stay glued to this space in case one comes up.

So you loved the first Guitar Hero games - and it's a bet we're willing to take that you're gonna love Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - and you grew attached to the soundtrack (from playing the level so many times) that you just have to have it. Well here's your chance to download the complete albums (plural, meaning from all the games) from the iTunes store.

iTunes is now offering features tracks from Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and finally, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Almost all the songs will be available, and a new version of Anarchy in the UK performed by the Sex pistols will also be downloadable as a separate track.

The series will also feature custom-created playlists featuring tracks chosen by artist and by genre, including a guitar-themed playlist. The tracks are available through the iTunes Store, following the read link below. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) itself will be available on November 23 but you don't have to wait to listen to the soundtrack.

Following Steve Jobs' announcement of an iTunes song price cut on The Wall Street Journal Online, Apple has dropped the price of all iTunes Plus songs (those without any digital rights management) from US$ 1.29 to US$ 0.99 for U.S customers. It was also announced that Apple will be beefing up their selection of songs by adding more independent music labels to iTunes Plus.

While Jobs didn't explain why Apple is dropping iTunes Plus songs' prices, rumor has it that this price drop and the addition of new indie labels is Apple's response to Amazon's DRM free music download store.

This move could further solidify iTunes' reputation as the 3rd largest music retailer in the U.S. We'll have to wait and see if Steve Jobs' current actions will generate more consumer interest.

If you walk down a normally busy street you're sure to end up meeting a couple of people fiddling around with their iPod or other Apple-related product. In fact, there probably isn't a single place in the civilized world that hasn't been been infected by Apple's gadget fever. It's no wonder that it won so many awards during the recent T3 Gadgets Award, with the iPod named the Best Gadget of All Time.

The firm brought home a monumental six awards that night. Asides from the iPod, Apple's other gadgets were bestowed their own prestigious accolades. The iPhone won the Most Anticipated for 2008, while iTunes was named Best Download Service. Apple's MacBook Pro laptop also took the coveted Drop Dead Gorgeous Award.

Of course, it was the iPod that stole the limelight from everyone else as it won other awards asides from the Best Gadget of All Time, including Best Commuter Gadget and Best Music Gadget.

Michael Brook, Editor of T3 Magazine had this to say about Apple after the awards:

Apple really does appear to be an unstoppable force right now. The iPhone and the iPod Touch may have received some mixed press at times, but consumers are salivating over the products and the company is still unshakeable. The iPod is not just a true tech icon but also a huge factor in bringing technology to the mainstream.

We've got some good news lined up for the resident iPod and iPhone owners, at least if you happen to be a big fan of Family Guy.

Apple has just updated their iTunes store with season six of the said series. At the moment, the download will cost users US$ 1.99. As TUAW.com mentioned, however, there only appears to be just one episode available for now.

Apple has also yet to say if the iTunes store will be handling out full seasons or a "best hits collection" - sort of like the Freakin' Sweet collection that was released as a DVD, and eventually as a PSP UMD. iTunes subscribers may to check out the read link below to see the Family Guy over at Apple's site.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) Associate Producer Ryan Hamlyn sent out word over at the official PlayStation Blog that Lair fans can now purchase the game's official soundtrack on Apple's iTunes. All one has to do is type in "John Debney Lair" at the store and the listing should appear.

In case you haven't heard yet, the soundtrack for Lair was recently nominated for Best Original Score in the Video Game Awards sponsored by British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA. Hamlyn shared that they are really proud with the game's music especially when played in the Concert Hall within the game's Extras.

"I think it's amazing how different the music sounds outside of the game setting and how well it works on its own, and yet how reminiscent of the game it is and how much it adds to the gameplay experience. Happy listening, and hope you enjoy," added Ryan Hamlyn.

The official Lair soundtrack costs US$ 9.99.

An Apple spokesperson has given word that the new episodes of House will not be available on iTunes. This was expected considering the main company producing the show, NBC Universal, has decided not to renew its contract with Apple which expires this December.

Apple has given word that negotiations for a contract renewal fell through because the production company wanted more than double the wholesale price for each episode. A move which would have pushed the price of each show to US$ 4.99. NBC Universal seems to have already found other means of distributing their content online with Hulu, an upcoming joint online video venture with News Corp. that will be challenging YouTube for market dominance once it goes live.

The company pulling out its content has many speculating regarding its impact on the popularity of Apple's media service. Considering that NBC Universal content is credited for 40 percent of all video downloads on iTunes, there might be a very big drop in user downloads once the split has been completed.

The official soundtrack of PlayStation Portable title Dead Head Fred is now available for purchase over at Apple's iTunes store for those who want to bring the game's rather sublime atmosphere and feel wherever they go.

The music was provided by music studio Rednote Audio and Lakeshore Records. For those who have yet to try out Dead Head Fred, its music is a combination of jazz, ambient, rock fusion with a little bit of southern guitar tunes.

The soundtrack itself was written and produced by video game composers Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves with runtime clocking around 40 minutes. Vicious Cycle Software Senior Sound Designer Mark Reis said:

Working with Rod and Jason is always a joy and their contribution to Dead Head Fred added flavor and depth that complemented the sound design and voice acting. The edgy soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the twisted noir world of Dead Head Fred.

In an attempt to block other media players from synching with the new iPod models, Linux users now find themselves unable to use their third-party software of choice to load songs into their new iPods.

An article in the ipodminusitunes blog states that there is a code embedded in the iPod, locking the iTunes database to a specific iPod. Any attempt to do modifications on the code will result with the iPod thinking that there are "0 SONGS" in its memory, even if there are songs uploaded into the iTunes database.

Other online sources think that this is not a measure to prevent piracy in itslef, but rather to eliminate competition of the iTunes store. Since most major music labels have eliminated DRM from their digital tracks, the likelihood of other music players that automatically load DRM-free music is very high, thus competing with iTunes Store.

This new move limits the choices of software to be used with the iPod, and since iTunes doesn't work on Linux, Linux users may need to either change to Windows or Mac, or not buy the newer iPods. Does Apple really want to lose its iPod Linux users? More updates as they come!

A recent announcement by the Steve (that's Mr. Steve Jobs, to most of us mortals) last Wednesday revealed that iPhone owners would now be able to buy songs from iTunes and get a 30 second ringtone thrown into the deal if they pay double the price for their purchases.

However, if you want to get the most bang out of your buck, you can follow these five easy steps in getting yourself your own customizable Ringtone without having to pay the extra charge. You basically just have to rename the .m4a file to a .m4r and that's pretty much it. While this procedure is Mac specific, it should work the same way on a PC.

Anyway, here's the step by step tutorial on how to install your own Ringtones according to our source:

1. Convert the song you want to use as a ringtone to AAC 128kbps. OR if it is already in this format, duplicate it. Then, in iTunes, add an additional word or letter to the title in the duplicate or new AAC (I just put "(ringtone)").
2. Drag the file onto your desktop, and edit the file in another program. I have Sound Studio which is pretty easy to edit an AAC file and add a fade in/fade out, but apparently Audacity and Garageband work as well. There is obviously a size limit on the file, the best guess on Macrumors.com so far is between 3.1 and 3.5mb. However, if the file is too big, it will not show up on your "Sounds" menu on the iPhone. I usually edit the song down to about a 20-30 second clip and save it.
3. Click Apple+I (or right click "Get Info"). Change the file name from .m4a to .m4r in the "Name & Extension" section. When asked if you want to change the extension, select "Use .m4r;". Also change the file name to what you want it to show up as on your phone. For example, by default it will be . I deleted the song track number.
4. Drag the file into iTunes. Since the "Ringtones" feature isnÂ?t completely enabled yet, it won't show up anywhere in your Library, but once you Sync your phone, the ringtone will show up in a list under the "Ringtone" tab. You can manually delete the file from the Home > Music > iTunes > iTunes Music > Ringtones, but this wonÂ?t delete it from iTunes. For that you will have to re-create your iTunes Library which will reset all play counts and dates added. So just deal with the extra files until the feature is completely enabled.
5. After that, plug your phone up and click the "Ringtones" tab. You can choose to "Sync All" or select the ringtones you want. If it shows up in your Ringtones list in iTunes, but doesn't show up on your phone, the problem is that the file size is too large. Edit it down and try again. Otherwise, click "Apply" and enjoy. No more Marimba.

Take note however that with the 7.4.1. iTunes update released by Apple, you won't be able to pull off the above mentioned steps. Also, if you have a previously installed Ringtone with iToner, iPhoneRingToneMaker or other hacks then you will lose them if you upgrade your iTunes. You might want to check out this video courtesy of LoPo21 we included in relation to the tutorial, just take care you don't brick your iPhone by accident.

Check out a video courtesy of LoPo21 detailing the "hacking" process right after the jump!