Techy News Bites

Apple Cpmputer Inc. has partnered with Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. to offer an easy iPod connection with many of the three auto giant’s car brands. Greg Joswiak, iPod VP of marketing stated that “more than 70% of 2007-model U.S. automobiles will offer iPod integration.” GM alone will offer the iPod connections on all 56 of its models.

Google Inc. has extended a multi-year deal with RealNetworks Inc. to promote Google software across Real’s entertainment and multimedia products. They have also agreed to distribute the Mozilla Firefox browser together with the Google Toolbar along with Real’s RealPlayer audio and video playback software.

Napster Inc. is falling behind iTunes in its ability to grab a goodly share of the online media downloading business. Yesterday’s financial forecast for the company that pioneered the idea of online file swapping was very disappointing revealing a 7% fall in its subscriber base. The company, formed in 1999 and shut down in 2001 after several lawsuits aimed at its P2P downloading practices, was bought out by Roxio in 2003 and turned into a legal download venture.

The Entertainment Software Association decided on Monday to scale back the gaming industry’s premier trade show and will more-than-likely move it from May 2007 to July 2007. They are hoping this decision will give game makers from time to prepare demos so they will be ready for trade show viewing long before the titles are ready for store shelves.

Finally….You can trade in that four-wheeler and get around town with your very own Jet-Pack. Inventor Rick Herron has designed and built a personal flying jet pack that is able to produce enough thrust to lift him off the ground vertically leaving the seat of his pants free of those unsightly engine thrust powder burns. He has also developed a new business around the invention called Skywalker Jets. The prototype weighs about 90 pounds and is reported to be able to easily lift a person with a weight of over 200 pounds, flying for about 5 minutes. Herron’s goal is to have the first models for sale to be able to achieve around 4 miles distance before the need to refuel. Not exactly a money saver over current automobiles, but he is just starting. The pack also has a built-in GPS unit, just in case you miss that second cloud to the right. Herron estimates that a final working model, should it be approved by the FAA, would cost consumers around $200,000 (US), again a tad more expensive than a PT Cruiser.