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Talk about an online news fiasco. It was reported a couple of days ago by Financial Times, that Apple was in talks with major record labels to bring an “all-you-can-download” plan to iPod buyers. The plan would come bundled with iPod hardware, which would cost more, but no subscription fee would be necessary. A certain premium would then be paid by Apple to the record labels, so everyone would be happy, right?

Well it’s come out now, according to BusinessWeek, that all the rumors appear to be false. BusinessWeek claims that the idea of an unlimited download service has only be mentioned, and no concrete plan has been laid out. According to BusinessWeek, Apple reps, and music label reps all denied comment.

So the question comes down to, is who do you believe? Well to throw even more fuel to the fire, CEO of eMusic has come out with his opinion through his blog on the supposed unlimited download plan, “Apple’s reported plan to bundle unlimited iTunes music store access with iPods could bring antitrust allegations similar to those faced by Microsoft for its bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows, according to David Pakman, CEO of iTunes competitor eMusic”

Whatever the truth is, this kind of press can’t be good for Apple. If their reps had just come out and denied the claim, or said that the idea had been thought about, but not doing it, then all would be peachy. But pleading the fifth more times than not in the consumer courtroom means that you’re guilty. So only time will tell as to which rumor turns out to be true.

So what do you all think of the situation? Feel free to leave your thoughts

It was reported by FreeMacBlog, that it looked like it would be awhile before Flash support would reach the iPhone. It looks as though this report could turn out to be wrong. In our defense, even Jobs said he didn’t know when Flash support would be available.

It looks as though, the wait wont be as long as originally anticipated. Anyone who has been anxiously waiting for Flash support, can thank the SDK for the good news. Adobe has announced that it plans to use the SDK to make a Flash client for the iPhone.

Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe explains the reasoning behind the decision, “We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone,” the Adobe head noted. “We have evaluated [the SDK] and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves.”

One minor glitch with this setup, is that Flash had to run as an independent program. Apple doesn’t allow third-part programs to run as plug-ins, so Flash is going to have to run separate from the browser.

Today Apple released their newest version of the internet browser, Safari 3.1. With their new version, Apple boasts faster loading speeds, and a sleek user-interface (anyone surprised?).

Apple promises faster load times than both Internet Explorer and Firefox. They also report that their javascript performance, outperforms other browsers as well.

Safari 3.1 will also use a bookmark system, akin to the interface of iTunes. Your search window, and bookmark window will all be accessible without going into any other menus. You will also be able to import all of your bookmarks on your other browsers, if you decide to make the switch.

Are you visiting some sites, that you don’t want your mom, wife, or anyone else to know about? Well, then Safari offers “private browsing”, which will stop the browser from storing cookies, history, or Google history.

For your free download, visit Apple.com. The browser is available for both Mac and PC.

Today, Apple announced the release of it’s wireless networking hub, “Airport Express”. A quick glance at the Airport Express and you might mistake it for the power block for the MacBook charger, but this thing is definitely a Wifi device.

The AirPort Express can handle up to 10 users through it’s wireless network. You can use the AirPort Express to connect to the internet, or setup your home or small business as a cohesive network.

Probably its’ most “cool” feature is the program AirTunes that works with AirPort Express. With AirTunes, you can take the AirPort Express and plug audio cables from it to any speaker setup. Then AirTunes can then send your music library through the Airport Express and the music through the speakers.

The AirPort Express, will not only work with Mac equipment but allow PC users to be used as well. So for all your people rich enough to own a Mac and PC, the AirPort Express will work with both of your setups.

So with all of these features, and networking powers, probably the most impressive feature of the AirPort Express is its’ size. You can hold it easily in the palm of your hand, use it at any electrical outlet. The AirPort Express currently retails for $99 and can be bought from the Apple Store.

(Photo Credit: Apple.com)

The iPhone landed in Ireland just in time, as St. Patrick’s Day is next Monday. Austria along with Ireland will now have iPhone available to them as well. For Austria, T-Mobile will be carrying the iPhone for all interested parties. For all of you Irish visitors to FreeMacBlog, if you visit O2’s site, they are offering free shipping on iPhone purchases.

(Photo Credit: O2online.ie)

A patent application from Apple was made public today, which looks to be a patent for DVR.

Perusing through the patent, a couple of key ideas jump out. First, would be the ability to tune into live shows, and record, or rewind and pause on Apple TV. Another key element of the patent, would be the ability to hook up your iPod or iPhone. Once hooked up, Apple TV could detect the shows on your media device, and be able to select future recordings using that method. Once recorded, the shows then could be sent to your device for portable viewing.

As of now there has been no official announcement from Apple. But patents aren’t just made without reason, so this is something to definitely look forward to. Let’s just hope it comes sooner rather than later