The corn fields of Nebraska are at the heart of these new plant-based iPhone 4 cases. Bioserie cases are offered in six colors (including two shades of green) and unlike most plastic cases, it can be recycled or industrially composted. These cases are 100% made from plants, namely Ingeo biopolymer — boiled down that’s a

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Corny or Cool? iPhone Covers from Plants

MPEG Surround Support May Come to iTunes – It’s not in the bag, but Ars is reporting on it, so it must be more than the usual rumor chaff. They’re a class act, right? Anyways, they’re reporting that support for MPEG Surround, which has been around for quite some time, might finally make it to iTunes via official means. Nebraska State Senate Goes a Little Air Crazy, Budget Wild – Well, they didn’t agree unanimously about it, but Nebraska state senators will have around 70 brand new MacBook Airs to play with thanks to a recent equipment purchase. At least one naysayer felt they were spending too much. Response: But they’re just so cool! IR Control Via Your iPhone – One thing I miss about my Palm Pilot is NoviiRemote, the app which allowed me to hide and forget about my thousands of remote controls. The iPhone can’t do the same thing, since it doesn’t have IR. But now it does, via an IR widget and app developed by University of Toronto students

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Daily Apple: Surrounded, Nebraska, Psystar & Songsmith

MPEG Surround Support May Come to iTunes – It’s not in the bag, but Ars is reporting on it, so it must be more than the usual rumor chaff. They’re a class act, right? Anyways, they’re reporting that support for MPEG Surround, which has been around for quite some time, might finally make it to iTunes via official means. Nebraska State Senate Goes a Little Air Crazy, Budget Wild – Well, they didn’t agree unanimously about it, but Nebraska state senators will have around 70 brand new MacBook Airs to play with thanks to a recent equipment purchase. At least one naysayer felt they were spending too much. Response: But they’re just so cool! IR Control Via Your iPhone – One thing I miss about my Palm Pilot is NoviiRemote, the app which allowed me to hide and forget about my thousands of remote controls. The iPhone can’t do the same thing, since it doesn’t have IR. But now it does, via an IR widget and app developed by University of Toronto students. Way to go hometown team! Cost of New MacBook Pro Battery Replacement Revealed – Not too steep, when you consider how much it costs just to buy current replaceable batteries. Don’t like the exchange rate for CDN $, though

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Daily Apple: Surrounded, Nebraska, Psystar & Songsmith

Crime is ugly. But it’s hard not to crack a smile at an enterprising thief who bought iPods, then returned the packages weighted down with rocks. The thief took the empty Apple boxes back and exchanged them for four Zunes at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Nebraska. Police believe the culprit used heat to reseal the plastic packaging. The iPods were put back on shelves, a customer who bought the iPod box without the MP3 device alerted the store. Authorities warned that other stores in the area may have been hit by the same bait-and-switch scam. Photo used under Creative Commons license, thanks to Dan Taylor on Flickr Via Sioux City Journal

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iPod Bait-And-Switch Thefts Rock Wal-Mart

Section: Mac + Computers , Laptops , MacBook Air With the state of the economy the way that it is, one might wish to believe that government agencies and groups would be cutting down on extra expenses. However, this isn’t so when it comes to our State Senators. According to the Omaha World-Herald , they have purchased 70 new MacBook Airs at a price of $1,524 each, or a total price of $106,680. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if I got my own new MacBook Air for free, I would be ecstatic. However, Tony Fulton of Lincoln, Nebraska isn’t all cheers about this. He believes the Legislature could have easily purchased less expensive laptops that would be able to do what they needed for just a fraction of the cost. He does realize, though, that the “… decision was made with proper authority,“ and although he doesn’t like it, he will “… accept it.“ Can we get a case from the defense

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State Senator receives MacBook Air, gets mad

Some Nebraska state senators will go back to work with new MacBook Airs. The government paid a discount price of $1,524 each for 70 laptops (49 of them go to lawmakers, the rest to staff), causing some to complain about expenses for “designer” computers: Senator Tony Fulton of Lincoln questioned the purchase saying the Legislature could have managed with less than “ designer laptops ,” particularly during these tough economic times, according to the Omaha World Herald (The story didn’t specify which model was purchased.) The state might have been able to buy laptops for $400 to $500 each, said Fulton, an engineer. “The decision was made with proper authority, and I’ll accept it,” he said, “but I don’t like it.” A handful of other laptop models, in prices ranging from $1,100 to $2,200 were reviewed before deciding for the MacBook Airs. The Macs replace four-year-old Fujitsu Lifebook laptops. Former State Sen. Pat Engel of South Sioux City was Executive Board chairman when it approved the laptop purchase last year. “I think you can always buy something cheaper, but you get what you pay for,” said Engel.

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Do Senators Need MacBook Airs?