Erik Staats

I’ve started working on the 64-bit x86 port for the Songbird iPod extension. I used Parallels to run 32 bit Linux on my iMac, but Parallels doesn’t support 64-bit OS’s on the Mac. Thus, I’m running 64-bit Ubuntu on VMWare’s Fusion.

It’s in Beta, and it shows. I couldn’t boot from an iso image on my HD like I did with Parallels. I had to burn a CD first. It’s slow, but otherwise seems to work. I got Songbird running and playing MP3’s. I’m building the iPod extension right now.

I bought a G3 iBook on eBay. I’ll start the Mac PPC port of the iPod extension when it’s delivered.

Apparently, there are rumors that Amazon is going to open a DRM-free MP3 music store in Q1′07. That would be awesome! Hopefully, they will provide an open enough web interface for Songbird to connect to. I’ll definitely be looking to write a Songbird Amazon extension if this happens.

Computers.net: Amazon Soon Opening DRM-free MP3 Store

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Looks like some folks from TerraSoft along with others at SCEI got Mozilla apps running on Fedora Core 5 on the PS3. The author of this blurb wonders if Songbird would run too. I also wonder…

Hmm, I may have to get a PS3. With an HD and WiFi, a PS3 attached to your TV and stereo would make a great Songbird platform. DAAP client and server support would be even sweeter!
Linux Fedora Core 5 + PS3 = Open Source OS That Runs Mozilla! | The iHigh.com Network

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ExtremeTech has a nice review of our favorite media player, Songbird. My iPod extension even gets a mention. Woohoo!

Songbird: The Firefox of Media Players

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Apparently, there’s some work going on to integrate Amie Street with Songbird. I blogged a bit about Amie Street. They price songs by popularity. Pretty interesting to see them integrate with Songbird. I haven’t tried that out yet.
Blog » Better Integration for Songbird and Other Cool New Stuff - Amie St

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I just found this blog about a media store called Cruxy integrating with Songbird. It looks like Cruxy provides lots of different media including music, videos, and still images. I haven’t heard of them before.

It looks like they have a wide variety of content from rock to cooking to comedy. They charge for most content but everything is DRM free. Pretty nifty!
Cruxy and Songbird at People With Ideas

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Here’s a transcript of an interview with Songbird Founder Rob Lord. There’s also an audio recording of the interview. There’s a lot of stuff that’s been covered before, but there’s also a couple new questions and answers.

Interview with Rob Lord, Founder Songbird - CenterNetworks - News, Reviews, Insights and Interviews

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Songbird has already made it to TV, appearing on episode 4 of Shark season 1. I’ve never seen or heard of Shark, but I think it’s cool Songbird’s getting the exposure. Maybe someday I’ll see it on Nickelodeon or the Cartoon channel:)

TV Appearances | Songbirdnest.com

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Wired has a blog on Songbird. Overall, the post is very positive, saying “I think the hype is justified.”

Listening Post

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San Francisco based Soundflavor has released a music recommendation application, Soundflavor DJ 1.0, for iTunes on Windows.

The application has three main features. The first will find songs in your library similar to the ones you’re currently playing. Second, it can create playlists based on sound, style, or era. Lastly, it recommends new songs from stores that are similar to songs in your library.

Music Manager For iTunes On Windows - E-business & Business Technology News by TechWeb

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