This is just a brief and humble list of things that i would like Apple to consider for iTunes 8 in order to improve the application. If im lucky enough, at least item 1 on this list will become true, and that, would make me and several other people really happy :).

1. Support for HE-AAC Plus V2 Audio:
   This is one of the most modern audio codecs out there, with supporters going from 3GPP to Nero, you can get really good stereo audio quality and channel separation at bitrates as low as 48kbps, which is great for radio streams and podcasts.
   The following is a head by head comparison between an audio file encoded to MP3 with the LAME encoder at 192kbps at maximum quality, and the same file encoded with the 3GPP aacPlus encoder at 48kbps.

   MP3 audio sample encoded at 192kbps, total file size: 2.56 MB.

   [vidipress height="20" width="450" mode="http" filename="http://massanti.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/demo_mp3_192k.mp3" /]

   aacPlus v2 audio sample encoded at 48kbps, total file size: 0.66 MB.

   [vidipress height="20" width="450" mode="http" filename="http://massanti.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/demo_aacplus_48k.m4a" fs="no" /]

(more...)

Hi there, im writing this for anybody interested in how to identify fake copies of an incredibly good product like the Sony MDR-EX90 in-ear headphones.
The real thing is an amazing product that can easily compete with much more expensive offers like the JBL Reference 220 or the Etimotycs ER-6, but sadly, a lot of people is being scammed and is getting just a cheapo "made in tajikistan" imitation.

Here are some tips in order to avoid being scammed.

1) If it is too good to be true, then most chances are that it is not true:
Avoid cheap offers, the cheaper price you can find these headphones is around $60 or so, anything below that price line is for sure a ripoff.

2) Sony puts a lot of effort in packaging and branding of their products, you wont receive a Sony product in a cheap box, never EVER. If the packaging looks poor, the user manual is just a little piece of paper and there are no Sony rebates / offers inside the box, then again, most probably you were scammed.

3) The real headphones come packaged with the following accesories:

• 3 Pairs of silicon earbuds in different sizes (Small, Medium and Large)
• A good quality leather bag to store the headphones when you are not using them
• A proper user manual and warranty card
• A good quality box and overall packaging

Now, an image is better than a thousand words, i took the time to create a really simple to understand image showing the main ways to identify counterfeit MDR-EX90's, click on it to see it fullscreen.