Blockbuster Scales Back 'Total Access'

When I talked how Blockbuster may be closing their doors soon, people (some from this very blog) felt that this might have been an over reaction on my part and by the tech analyst from CNet who wrote the article. Well hot on the heals of that story, Blockbuster has cut back on their Total Access plan. This is the on-line plan that allowed customers to rent movies on-line, and return the mailed movies to a near-by Blockbuster for a new movie.

The problem is that it cost Blockbuster big bucks to do this, hence the changes to the program. Now it will cost an extra $7 more a month for the unlimited in-store returns, in addition they plan on cutting in half all TV and in store advertising for the program. This doesn't sound like a company ready to compete in the digital world, in fact, it sounds like they're going backwards.

This company is going the way of the dodo bird.

Blockbuster dials back on Total Access after mail-order bloodbath [ArsTechnica via G4TV]

Downgrade Unbricks Most iphones

We if you fell victim to the iTunes iphone bricking of 1.1.1, most likely you're thinking you're S.O.L. Well that might not be the case, thanks to the "iPhone Elite" hacking team which came up with a way to downgrade the 1.1.1 brick.

The 19-step fix will drop the iphone back to the 1.0.2 version of iTunes, but it really requires you to know what you're doing. Of course if your iphone is bricked, I guess you really don't have anything to lose.

[G4TV]

Customer Ringtones On iphone For Free

Many iphone owners were pissed to find out that Apple was charging .99 cents to cut up MP3 songs into ringtones. Well a blogger has figured out a way to make it happen, at the great price of free. It requires iTunes 7.4 and you must convert MP3 files to AAC, which iTunes will do. Check it out below:

gryphondwb's method:

1. To add a ringtone to your iPhone, using Windows Explorer or the Finder just duplicate and rename any AAC file to be "M4R", then double-click on it. This file will be added to your iTunes library automatically.
2. Now, click on your iPhone in iTunes, and go to the ringtone section. You should now see your new ringtone. If you want to be sure about the sync, feel free to click "selected ringtones" and check off the file explicitly, though this shouldn't be required.
3. Now SYNC your phone. You're Done!

Not bad.

iPhone / iTunes - How to Add Ringtones for Free [gryphondwb's Xanga via G4TV]

Teen Trades Hacked iphone For 350Z, iphones

You have got to be kidding about this story.

A teen who hacked and iphone for use on all networks traded said iphone for... money?

No!

This kid got a 350Z and 3 new 8GB iphones for the hacked iphone. The kid said on his blog "Terry Daidone, the founder of Certicell contacted me this morning, and offered to make a trade for the iPhone. I traded it for a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones."

Man, I need to take some coding classes or something!!!!

US teen trades hacked iPhone for Nissan 350Z [The Register via G4TV]

AT&T To iphone Unlockers: You Better Not!!!

AT&T has threatened to use their henchmen (lawyers) to keep UniquePhones (the people who unlocked the SIM card for the iphone) from selling their software. The software would allow iphone owners to use other carriers other than AT&T. And it would also allow the use of the iphone overseas even before the iphone is officially released. As you can imagine, AT&T isn't so happy about that.

So what do you do if you're AT&T?

Get the lawyers warmed up baby!!!!

So UniquePhones has delayed the release of their software indefinitely, while they figure out what to do if they are legally denied the right to sell it.

[Engadget]

RIAA Takes On Disabled Woman: Gets Sued

A woman in Beaverton, Oregon has filed a federal lawsuit against the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The RIAA accused her of illegally downloading music and violating copyright laws. The lawsuit that Tanya J. Andersen, 44 filed alleges that the RIAA used “abusive legal tactics, threats and illegal spying" against her and her 10 year old daughter.

This disabled single mother claims that she received a letter in 2005 from a Los Angeles law firm, she contacted the Settlement Support Center as directed. She informed them that she hadn't downloaded any illegal music, but was told that she must pay $4000-$5000 or she would be ruined financially. She even told them they could inspect her computer.

RIAA refused to drop the lawsuit even after their own experts said that the computer wasn't used for that purpose. Anderson states that they threatened to interrogate her 10 year old daughter, and went so far as to have a woman pose as her grandmother and contact her school about her attendance.

The lawsuit was finally dropped.

I'm not a huge fan of lawsuits, but I hope she takes the pants on this one!!!

Read the entire mess after the jump. [Oregonlive.com via G4TV]