iPod Fashion + Function

Wow... Brighton Net is selling these cool bags in Japan that actually have functioning speakers inside, and a place to hook up your iPod. According to AkibaLive:

"The two channel/two speaker & amp are built-in to a leather handbag
from Kawa Sozai, a famous high quality leather producer in Japan. In
the center of the bag is a pocket for the insertion of an iPod. The
exterior of the iPod pocket is covered with clear vinyl, allowing one
to control the wheel of the iPod without removing it."

Check out AkibaLive for the story. You can also visit the product info section on the Brighton site here (in Japanese). You can check out this story about it on TechJapan as well.

Podcasting Future: Odeo

This is pretty big news.

Yesterday a NY Times article broke the next big venture for Evan Williams, of Blogger fame. He's behind Odeo, a yet to be launched application for finding, creating and syncing audio content for your computer/iPod. The reason this is a huge announcement is really just because of Evan's track record, bolstered by the fact that the space is still really new. Keep an eye on this one.

Visit the Odeo site: http://odeo.com/
Visit the Odeo blog: http://odeo.com/blog/
The History of Odeo: http://odeo.com/story/
Read the Odeo post at evhead.com

Link via Signal vs. Noise.

We Hardly Knew Ye

I approached Apple's recent price cuts on the iPod line like many other people who already have them... I shrugged my shoulders and thought "why did I pay $40 more not too long ago."

But I missed something... They've gotten rid of the Gold iPod Mini. The BBC has a great eulogy.

Link via Kottke.

Hello Kitty iPod Mini

The folks at TechJapan point to a limited edition Hello Kitty iPod Mini... Here are the details from their site:

"Available only in pink, the 6GB iPod mini comes with a Hello Kitty
iBe@r stand, case and set of keyrings. Only 2000 will be available so
don't delay!"

Will the Hello Kitty brand ever die? I don't think so.

iPod Shuffle Stickers

TechJapan posts about a Japanese message board where you can download user-created templates to customize your iPod Shuffle with stickers. (For those of us who can't read Japanese, when you get to the message board, use the pink buttons at the very bottom to move through the pages.)

There seems to be something for everyone on this site... 

Nice: old school, mini, red/green

Absurd: painful, boxing, showgirls

Original post from Slashdot Japan.