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Monday, April 13, 2009

Studio Spotlight: Bulletproof

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/Mefh_h2yYzk/studio-spotlight-bulletproof.html

Bulletproof is a firm in London that focuses on packaging, branding and shopper marketing. Take a look at their varied body of packaging design.

More after the jump.

New Shuffle Costs Apple $21.77 to Build [Apple]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/EoS2t1B6060/new-shuffle-costs-apple-2177-to-build

According to a new teardown report by iSuppli, the $79, third generation iPod shuffle costs Apple a total of $21.77 to build and box. Here's the cost per component:

Main Processing Chip (Samsung)
$5.98

4GB Flash Memory (Samsung)
$6

Lithium Ion Battery (Smallest iSuppli had ever seen)
$1.20

Various Capacitors and Resistors (Smallest iSupply had ever seen, a grain of salt a pop)
Less than a penny each

The prices of the headphones, body and case were unspecified, but apparently those components make up the other half of the shuffle's component cost to Apple. And with the build price at just 28% of the sale price, the shuffle should be Apple's most profitable iPod ever, even if iSuppli's report doesn't account for expenses like R&D. [BusinessWeek and image]

Carriers could be forced by EU to support VoIP services

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/13/carriers-could-be-forced-by-eu-to-support-voip-services/

We've seen it time and time again -- carriers using their power to strong-arm consumers into paying services that could very well be free. Over in Europe, the almighty EU is considering "binding guidelines" that could force wireless operators to allow VoIP services such as Skype to run over their cellular networks. It should be noted that all of this is still very preliminary at the moment, but if the Union can somehow force carriers to support these so-called "innovative services," we could see a very favorable (for consumers, anyway) domino effect. As it stands, each EU country has the ability to decide individually on how they deal with blocked internet services, but obviously an EU-wide mandate would seriously shake things up. Or cause unstoppable riots, one.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Cellphones