Rumorville: New Zunes and iPods Arriving this Year

We haven't heard any good rumors for a while here at DAPreview, but there's a few out there that deserve our attention. First up is Microsoft's debut DAP, the Zune. Here's some of the latest information to supposedly leak out of Microsoft's runny faucet:

Zune Rumors

• "Watermelon Red" Zune arriving soon (to go with that Pink one) - It is said to come with sports content customized for your favorite team (podcasts, etc...)
• Zune 2.0 will be released later this year and will be slimmer than the original, and with a larger hard drive
• A Flash Zune Player is also in the works and will be approximately "3 x 1.25 x 0.25 inches" and have a screen that encompasses 75% of the front.

I'm more confident about the red zune than by the new players coming out. That information was incidentally given to a Zune Scene editor by an unknowing Microsoft worker who happens to be working in their Zune department. Rumors often have some far-fetched story to go with them, and this is no different.

A new iPod or two every year is nothing surprising. Neither are the rumors and/or predictions on what they might be. I'm reporting on these few today because they come from a Citigroup analyst (Richard Gardner), and not some "anonymous" person. Here's what Gardner says is coming:

Apple Rumors

• 12 or 16GB iPod Nano's priced at $249
• A 6th Gen iPod that uses the same touch-screen interface as the iPhone(also at $249)

I think a higher capacity Nano, and a large screen iPod are inevitable. Since that analyst doesn't really say anything we haven't heard before, here's my predictions: 4GB Shuffle in Black, 120GB Touch Screen iPod with a virtual click wheel, A Limited Edition Beatles iPod with their entire library included. Now it's your turn; let's make this a rumorpalooza!

Mousetrap Game Brought to Life

I remember how bad I wanted the board game Mousetrap when I was a kid. My parents never let me have it because I was notoriously messy when it came to anything that had more than one part, and still messy even then.

Oh how I recall the look of glee on the kids faces in the commercials as they tried to catch that wily mouse in all sorts of devious traps. Alas I never got my copy of the game. It seems that an artist also has a hankering for Mousetrap since he has created a full size version of the game.

There is no giant red mouse here to catch, rather the device drops a large safe on whatever you place below it. I for one would like to see some of the weird USB gadgets around here from Thanko and SolidAlliance squashed. The sculpture will be on display at the Maker Faire held May 19th and 20th at San Mateo Fairgrounds. Story and image via OhGizmo

How to make $2500 from a blog post

Ever wonder how you can make a quick buck? If you are a blogger there are services out there that will pay you to do reviews on a specific website and today Shoemoney just did one on HarpzOn.com for $2500.

I personally have never seen anyone pay $2500 for a blog post, so I decided to do a quick interview with Shoemoney.

Question: How many inquires have you received at the $2500 rate?
Answer: I have gotten tapped 4 times to do paid reviews by ReviewMe.

Question: So far it seems you have only done 1 paid review, why did you turn down those other 3 inquires?
Answer: Basically I turn down anything that is not related to making money online, affiliate marketing... For instance, of the 3 I turned down 2 were for travel websites and 1 was an insurance site.

Question: Do you think $2500 is worth it?
Answer: I think this is more of a question for the person purchasing the review. Eventually I blog about most great products and sites related to mine but if you are looking for a faster track then buying your way on my site could possibly be a great deal for you. It's kind of like with search engines, yes with SEO you have a chance to someday show up at the top for a keyword but for a price they will sell you exposure.

Question: How much of that $2500 do you get?
Answer: To be honest I do not know. I just did my first paid review. I will tell you I have no special deal with ReviewMe so whatever there normal revshare is, that is what I will get.

Question: How did you get a review on shoemoney.com to be worth $2500 in ReviewMe, doesn't it stop at $250?
Answer: It's just what my page was valued at by ReviewMe. I see some in there for $750 so I know it goes higher.

You heard it hear first, Shoemoney made $2500 on a blog post. What is a blog post on your blog worth to someone?

How to Write the Right Title for Digg

Yes it's true, content is king. If your content is great, if your service is unparalleled and your product truly novel, nothing will stand in its way, right? Well not entirely. If you are to truly take advantage of all socially driven sites have to offer, you need to focus on presentation. How you present yourself can take you long way, and here's how to do it right.

"Instead, to increase your chances of getting on Digg's homepage, try coming up with something unique and funny but don't forget to make sure it's still related to the article."

So how do you create the perfect title?

While we can ignore words like "Wii", "Google", "Apple", Linux", "Microsoft", "Mac", "PS3", "iTunes", "Windows", "Nintendo", "Digg", "iPod", the rest of the words give us an interesting insight into how to present yourself and into what exactly this particular community is looking for.

The words "new", "first", and "top" tell us that you have to be the first one to do something and do it well.

The word "launch" tells us that your chances of getting the attention you are looking for are higher on launch day. People like trying out new things, and being the first ones to give it a spin. Just keep in mind that if you're expecting to get Dugg on the launch day, make sure you can handle it.

The word "how" shows that the community likes to be told how to do something and do it well. If you are in the market of instructional writing, this one is for you.

The word "web" is quite obviously a sign that a web-based or web-related service is more tuned to the interests of the crowd.

The words "pictures" and "video" tell us that it is often better to use these mediums to present information in a quicker and more appealing way than just paragraphs upon paragraphs of text.

And lastly, the word "free" is self-explanatory. Just keep in mind that free is a tactic, not a business model.

So the next time you're launching a service, or a stroke of literary genius strikes you, don't forget to keep the above-mentioned words in mind (as long as they are applicable).

The Top 10 Underrated Web 2.0 Sites

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Daily Post Of Interest

I have found a new and interesting blog , where you can find a lots of interesting sites. They find sites that can interest you , and they compare it with others in order to get you an advantage. I recommend this blog , because it can help you finding what you need. As you will see , they also have my blog , www.digitpedia.com reviewed. Take a look at it at their site : http://dailyblogpost.com/

Technorati and it’s Top Searches

You can tell a lot about the world just by looking at the Top 10 searches on Technorati for today March 1st, 2007.

1. Antonella Barba - The Americon Idol has been in the news for some recent nude shots, as well as fake oral shots. You perverts won’t find any images or links here.
2. Studivz - It is a digital poetry album. Obviously some people like poetry right after their nudity.
3. Myspace - Apparently in the news for blocking all sorts of 3rd party widgets from Myspace. Frankly I just don’t get how they got so popular. It is a good place to market your garage band I hear.
4. Gmail - Recently out of private beta into public beta. Techies like this email aplication.
5. Joost - Everybody wants an invite. Me too send it to me at contact [at] everybodygoto [dot] com

6. Dell - The linux community was pressuring them to pre-install Linux on dell shipped computers.

7. YouTube - You’ll never hear the end of it.
8. Ning- Still doesn’t work for me.
9. American Idol - See No.1
10. Tammy NYP - Perverts again.

So basically a bunch of tech guys who want to watch Antonella Barba and Tammy NYP pictures/videos on their Linux powered Dell computers who would then use Gmail to email them, or upload it to YouTube, post on their MySpace and maybe get Joost to host the images/videos as well.

What a world!