Remember that time you were on tour with The B-52's and had a great idea for a song, but there was no recording equipment to be found? Oh wait, that was The 88. Well anyway, The 88 recently recorded their latest single with nothing but an iPhone and the Sonoma Wire Works Four Track application, according to The Loop.

The 88 recorded the song, Love is the Thing, with a few tricks: to make sure the drums didn't overpower the iPhone speaker, they covered the drums with a sheet and uses brushes instead of drumsticks to deaden the sound. Four Track records at 16 bits and 44.1 kHz and can make unlimited-length tracks. The band recorded 14 separate tracks, including various guitars, vocals, and effects, and combined them on a Mac for the final mix.

The band documented the process in more detail on their website. The song sounds great quality-wise and is now available in the iTunes Store for $0.99, and Four Track is in the App Store for $9.99.

We've previously reported on the emerging showdown between Apple and Palm over Palm's latest phone, the Palm Pre. The phone, set to come out the weekend before Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, is already said to have several technological improvements over the iPhone.

But now, there's an additional incentive to those who may not want the original iPhone. Fortune magazine has discovered that if you plug a Palm Pre into a Mac, it will sync content from iTunes with no issues. According to the article, the iTunes Music Store will recognize the Palm Pre the same as it does an iPhone or an iPod. However, it will not load the DRM-protected music that the iTunes Music Store used to sell.

The article states that there is third party software that provides a bridge between non-Apple devices and iTunes. However, the Palm Pre has the code built right into the device -- a boon for those wanting an alternative to the iPhone, but possibly setting the teeth of Apple's legal team to gnashing. To date, there has been no response from Apple, but previous analysis has suggested that Apple just might have a case against Palm.

[Via CNNMoney.com/Fortune Magazine]

Once again, it's time for another edition of Ask TUAW: the place where we try to answer all of your Mac and Apple-related questions. This week we're taking questions about tracking your total iTunes purchases, forcing processes to quit, doing a clean install of OSX and more.

As always, we welcome your suggestions for this week and questions for next time. Please leave your contributions in the comments for this post. When asking questions, please include which Mac and which version of OS X you're running. If you don't specify, we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac.

Dima asks:

I would like a way to require a password when the computer wakes from sleep, but not to require a password for just the screensaver. Is there a way for me to accomplish this?

The only way I know of to accomplish this would be to modify the plist file for the screensaver via the Terminal. However, unless this is really important to you, I would not advise doing it. If you want to do it, proceed at your own risk.

Either way, here's the command to enter in the Terminal if you want to try it.

defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 0

This will set it so the computer only asks for a password after waking from sleep and not after the screensaver.

Frank asks:

In my finder window, next to my drive's name, there's a number in parentheses. it used to be a (2), but recently it changed to a (3). What does this number mean?

After much time and negotiation, movies have finally come to the German iTunes Store. As of this writing, there are 500 films available to German customers (just about 100 are available in HD), including American hits like The Dark Knight (good movie, but the motorcycle is a bit over the top) and Die Fälscher from German cinema.

Pricing breaks down like this:

• Older titles are sold for €7.99
• Newer titles sell for €9.99
• Brand-new releases are €13.99

Rentals are either €2.99 or €3.99. TV shows came to the German iTunes Store earlier this month last year.

[Via iPodNN]

The most recent iTunes update introduced variable priced, with many popular tracks now priced at $1.29. Needless to say, this makes Amazon MP3's 99 cent tracks that much more attractive. Advantageous mp3 is a little script and application combo that makes comparison shopping between iTunes and Amazon a snap.

Basically the Advantageous installer adds both an AppleScript to iTunes and a small application to your Mac. When you're browsing in the iTunes Store if you invoke the script from iTunes script menu in the menubar it will start the little application and search for the track in Amazon (via your default browser). It's not perfectly reliable (for instance, it didn't work with Choosy as my default browser and it messes up some searches), but it is a convenient way to surf for music in iTunes but take advantage of lower prices at Amazon. So now you can do to Apple what you've been doing to Barnes & Noble!

Advantageous mp3 is a free download from Robert Palmer.

[via Engadget]

Remember in 2007 when Apple started selling "iTunes Plus" tracks as DRM-free and 256 kbps AAC files? Much later you were able to upgrade your songs on a per-track basis, if you were so inclined. Well, get ready for more pricing changes. The LA Times reports a date has been set for the kickoff of the variable pricing model Apple announced at Macworld this year: April 7. While I doubt most people care about a slightly better listening experience (seriously, have you used an FM transmitter to play music in your car?), I think simply paying more because a song is popular won't go over so well.

I'm not alone in thinking there will be backlash against the policy of selling more popular songs at a higher price. Jim Guerinot, who manages Nine Inch Nails, a pretty vocal opponent to the labels' stranglehold on the industry, feels the increase in prices will only ramp up piracy -- again. I'm inclined to agree.

Yes, we knew this was coming. But the average consumer embraced the iTunes Store not only because it was Apple, or the iPod, or iTunes itself, but also because the one-price-fits-all model is easy to understand. People don't pay taxes with Zune Points or Disney Dollars, they prefer to think "Hey, it's just a buck." The psychological impact of having a price point at $0.99US for everything makes impulse shopping a no-brainer. Just ask all those fart app devs.

The only upside is that less popular songs will be priced lower. Essentially, it's the bargain bin of the iTunes store, featuring one-hit wonders and college radio flops and a random assortment of attic-dwelling musical pieces as low as $0.69. I only hope it doesn't play into the theory of perceived value, which Joel Spolsky noted when iTunes Plus tracks debuted. Apple also said at Macworld "many more songs" will be available at 69 cents versus the $1.29 price point. It'll be interesting to see what develops and if sales suffer as a result of the changes. The labels certainly love variable pricing, and they've been right about this new digital era all along, haven't they? In the meanwhile, get your Top 40 Radio fix while you can; it'll soon be a premium experience to join the "in" crowd.

On a January day in 1981, my sisters and I experienced unbridled glee when our father came home with a shiny new VCR. Imagine: Movies. In our own house. Whenever we wanted. What a world! It was an enormous, top-loading hunk of metal and plastic that I'm sure is currently at the bottom of a Pennsylvania landfill.

The VCR's arrival spawned the movie rental shop, the biggest of which (In Scranton, anyway) was Blockbuster. Today, services like On Demand, Netflix, Hulu and to a lesser extent Apple TV have forced them to re-think their business model, and they're getting into the video on demand business as well.

According to AppleInsider, Blockbuster's vice president of digital entertainment Kevin Lewis recently told Reuters that they're going to make downloadable content available to TiVo customers soon, and Apple after that.

That's all the detail we've got, but we'll assume he meant the Apple TV and iTunes. We'll keep an eye on this story and keep you updated.

Eminem's production company, FBT Productions, has been arguing that their artist is entitled to half of all royalties generated by sales of his music in the iTunes Store. Of course, Apple takes a commission before the artist receives their compensation. FBT's argument hinged upon whether the arrangement constitutes a licensing agreement.

MacNN reports that a Los Angeles jury decided no, iTunes is simply another distribution channel, so Em will not be receiving the $1.47 million he was after. Bummer, dude.

This certainly isn't the first time Eminem's legal team has clashed with Apple's. Back in May of 2005, Apple was forced to pull an iPod ad that featured a young user singing (Rapping? Speaking?) the lyrics to "Lose Yourself." The story at the time was that Eminem refused to give Apple permission to use the song, but they did anyway.

Later that same year, the folks at Lugz footwear had Apple pull an Eminem-approved TV ad that looked a lot like their own. Oops.

Earlier this week at New York ComicCon, Marvel announced their intention to sell "In-Motion" comic books through the iTunes Store. According to Marvel, the In-Motion comics go beyond the paperback books with animated panels and voice-over work from popular actors. Sounds like something that could be a lot of fun on an iPod touch or iPhone.

Speaking of paperbacks, traditional paper versions will be made available following iTunes releases. As of this writing, there's no word on when these will be sold or for how much. I'll sacrifice some geek cred here and admit that I've never been a comic book fan. However, I do get behind attempts to expand artistic endeavors into new territory. Good luck to Marvel!

Talks with Apple to sell the iPhone in the Chinese market have stalled again, according to Interfax -- this time over the fact that China Mobile wanted to sell iPhone apps directly to customers, rather than through the App Store.

A source in the Interfax story said that China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou said that buying extras for mobile phones is different for Chinese customers, since many are accustomed to using prepaid credits rather than a credit card. Wang said that China Mobile would have to play some part in providing apps to customers, if only to fulfill this payment scheme.

China Mobile's "application shop," announced in November, would have sold apps for not only iPhones, but for Symbian- and Linux-based phones, too. Apple obviously wanted to sell iPhone apps through iTunes, as it does now all over the world.

Wang declared to Apple that "China Mobile should operate the application store itself in order to maintain its advantage."

It's unclear what this means for the future of the iPhone in China. China has other carriers, like China Unicom, and the lengths that Apple has gone to to please China Mobile might be reason enough to look for another partner. Rumors last year suggested China Mobile demanded an iPhone with a reduced feature set that some analysts later predicted could be the iPhone nano.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

Last Christmas, my wife surprised me with an Apple TV. I had mentioned it a few times, but not with the breathless anticipation I typically reserve for Apple products and baked goods. Still, I set it up and have enjoyed renting movies, listening to music and delighting the kids with enormous pictures of themselves.

While the Apple TV isn't a flop, it isn't the type of runaway hit we've come to expect from Cupertino. When Tim Cook shared Apple's first quarter financial results last month, he referred to the Apple TV as "...a hobby." He also noted that sales tripled since they added movie rentals, but didn't share specific numbers. After a month of playing with it, I think I know why.

First, let me share what I love about the Apple TV, lest you think I'm a Negative Nellie. To start, it's tiny and unobtrusive. While I like owning fun gadgets, I dislike looking at a stack of ugly hardware.

The UI is extremely easy to navigate and the learning curve is nil. A 6-year-old could operate this with no instruction. I'm also quite pleased with the quality of the content. HD programming -- both TV shows and movies -- are ready to view just seconds after purchase, and look great on my TV. Additionally, I never thought I'd listen to music with my television, but I've been doing just that.

Finally, it "just works." All you need to do to get an Apple TV working is connect it to your TV (a single HDMI cable in my case) and plug it in. There isn't even a power button to flip. iTunes saw it immediately and began to synchronize media.

Speaking of the media, that's where we run into trouble.

Apple has apparently bowed to pressure because the iTunes Store is now allowing upgrades to iTunes Plus on a per track basis. Back when Apple first dropped DRM on some of their music they started allowing customers to upgrade their previously purchased tracks to the higher bit-rate and DRM-free iTunes Plus versions. Unfortunately, until recently Apple required you to purchase the upgrades for all of your qualifying music all at once, whether your wanted them all or not.

Now it seems you can upgrade your previously purchased music to the iTunes Plus versions for 30 cents per track. The albums in my account seem to cost between $3 and $4 to upgrade. You can find all your qualifying music on the iTunes Store by following this link (iTunes link) or from the iTunes Store home page.

It's nice to see that Apple has seen the light on this. Note that Macworld is reporting some kind of glitch with using the shopping cart and are saying you need to turn on the buy with 1-click option in the iTunes Store preferences to get the correct upgrade price (and not be charged the full album price again).

[via Macworld]

Back in 2005, TUAW conducted a poll of its readers to see what TV series they wanted to purchase through iTunes. Among the top five was The Simpsons.

The Simpsons Movie was previously available through iTunes, but it is one of the movies that has disappeared in the past few weeks. In the past couple of days, however, the main Simpsons TV series has finally made it into the iTunes lineup.

Only the eight episodes aired thus far in season 20 are uploaded in standard definition. Hopefully earlier seasons will arrive, along with high-definition once it starts. The Simpsons (link opens iTunes) can be purchased from the U.S. iTunes Store for $1.99 an episode with a season pass for $37.99.

Or, for those wanting a free alternative in the U.S., the episodes are also on Hulu and can be streamed onto Apple TV using boxee.

Thanks for the tip, Tyler!

Apple has created a "Best of 2008" [iTunes link] section in the iTunes Store. On this page, Apple lets everyone know what the top-downloaded TV Shows, Music, Movies, Apps, Podcasts, and Audiobooks are.

Among the top paid iPhone applications are Koi Pond, Texas Hold'em, and Moto Chaser. Among the top free iPhone applications are Pandora, Facebook, and Tap Tap Revenge. There's also a top downloaded podcast list. We didn't quite make the top downloaded podcasts list, but hey, there's always next year.

So, if you're looking to find some of the best online content for 2008, look no further than iTunes. You can click here to visit the iTunes Best of 2008 section.

China Mobile, the service provider in talks with Apple to distribute the iPhone in the world's most populous country, is still expressing interest in selling the handset, but has plans to open its own online app store.

According to Macworld, Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile's chairman and CEO, said at a recent conference that "We will set up our own shop, and we hope, welcome all content providers to sell their software applications and games and songs and any other products in our application shop."

Cult of Mac's Ed Sutherland notes that Apple and China Mobile are still in talks to bring the handset to China, according to Wang.

Dan Nystedt of the IDG News Service speculated that China Mobile's app store would sell apps for Linux- and Symbian-based mobile phones, but it's unclear how this will affect China Mobile's burgeoning relationship with Apple.

Apple, of course, already has the iTunes store, which offers music, games and apps for the iPhone platform. China Mobile's store is unlikely to interfere technically with the iPhone/iTunes ecosystem, but it would compete financially with Apple's offering. Not that there's anything wrong with competition, of course.

An agreement with China Mobile would mean having the iPhone available to a market of 400 million existing subscribers, and perhaps millions more new subscribers. For comparison, the total population of the United States last year was just over 300 million people.