drm

Zamzar Converts Your Files

~ randyaa ~ 2 Comments

Zamzar LogoA few days ago a friend asked me how to embed YouTube videos into a powerpoint presentation. I assumed it wasn’t possible but I went searching anyway. I didn’t come away with a miracle but I did come away with a new tool for my arsenal. Zamzar will convert any that you either upload or send it a URL to. Zamzar is also smart enough to convert embedded items such as YouTube and MetaCafe videos. They have a whole slew of other sites that are supported in a similar fashion. Don’t think Zamzar is just for videos though. Oh no, they support word processing conversion, compression type conversions, image conversions, video conversions and music conversions.

Zamzar is your one stop shop to convert your files.

The way it works is really quite simple and eloquent. You fill out the from on their main page (shown below), click ‘convert’ and wait for the E-mail. The E-mail will contain a link to the downloadable converted file(accessible by anyone who has the link, so feel free to forward it to friends or whatever).

Zamzar Convert Form

Be careful the converted file is only available for 24hrs. That’s probably how they keep their costs low. If you’re interested in storing your converted files on their system, they do have pay plans available with pricing for just about everyone.

Disclaimer: Like everything these days, the service is in ‘Beta’ and as such it might come with a few bugs. I also know the site has some pop-up ads so don’t turn off your pop-up blocker.

Apple admits to thievery

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

AppleOn Monday Apple came out with the following statement:

many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed

Isn’t this just admitting guilt? If you updated your iPhone post-modification and it ceased working nobody would question it, you screwed something up during modification and the latest update is affected. Apple doesn’t have to accommodate modifiers because their warranty is voided as soon as they (according to apple’s iPhone contract) use the device for something it was not initially intended. By openly saying that an update may brick the device Apple is saying

Whether you bought it or not that device is ours. You can only do with it what we want.

This philosophy makes perfect sense if Apple was charging rent for the iPhone but they’re not. They charge a single flat rate fee for the DEVICE not the service it provides. Once you pay for an item regardless of what it is, that item is yours to do with what you wish. The only right Apple has in the case that you modify it from its original purchase is not to honor their original warranty. They have no right to intentionally stop the device from operating because they think you’re doing something you shouldn’t be.

We don’t live in Minority Report. We can’t be charged with crimes we haven’t committed yet. Just because the phone itself is modified, or unlocked as the term may be, does not in and of itself mean we’re doing anything wrong. We could have unlocked the phone simply because we don’t like the idea of our every move and feature being dictated by the super-companies of the world. And how about innovation? Innovation is born of change. If we can’t change what we have then nothing new will ever be created.

Once we start down the road of implementing a DRM for real world objects there is no end in sight. Can Ford take back the brand new Ford 500 you bought just because you installed an after-market stereo system? What if you add a patio to your house? Nobody would put up with these scenarios so why are we putting up with this from Apple?

The latest iPhone development coupled with the fact that Apple charges more for its DRM free music than anyone else and their recent debacle over ring tones just makes me realize how truly evil Apple is regardless of how awesome their products are.