via Boy Genius Reports

Ready for round 2, ladies and gents? A tipster just dropped a new handful of iTunes 9 screenshots in our inbox and while their authenticity cannot be confirmed, they’re certainly worth mentioning. Earlier this month we scooped a whole bunch of info surrounding the imminent release of iTunes 9 and this new round of screenshots, allegedly of an early iTunes 9 beta, may help support some of the info we exclusively detailed. The first notable feature depicted in the new shots is the Facebook integration…

Read the whole article via Boy Genius Report

Mac OS X only: Free application SweetFM is a dual-purpose iTunes and Last.fm controller complete with keyboard shortcuts, remote control support, and more. Oh, and did we mention it also saves your favorite Last.fm tracks directly to your iTunes library?

Previously a $29 application, SweetFM is now a free and open source project that anyone can enjoy.

The application can control either iTunes or Last.fm playback, and the excellent built-in shortcuts include integration with the media keys on your Mac keyboard. Probably its most interesting feature, though, is the option to export favorite songs, favorite playlists, or even every single track you listen to, directly to your iTunes library. We’re not sure how Last.fm would feel about that feature, but users will probably like it—a lot.

SweetFM is a free, open-source application, Mac OS X only.

SweetFM [via TUAW]

SweetFM Download Page [Google Code]

via SweetFM Brings LastFM to Your Desktop, Saves Songs to iTunes – Last.fm – Lifehacker.

We just confirmed it on our own machines: iTunes 8.2.1 breaks Pre syncing. Apple warned that they may cut off the sync, and Palm said it would be a direct blow to their users. Direct Blow, she is a’here. Updated

Obviously if you’re a Pre user you should not update to the latest iTunes. Not, at least, until Palm strikes back with some kind of firmware update to enable syncing again. It’s not like 8.2.1 has all that many new features either, so you don’t really need to update. [Pre Thinking]

Update: Here’s Palm’s official statement:

Palm’s media sync works with iTunes 8.2. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we can consider.

Update 2: Here’s Apple’s official statement to Businessweek:

iTunes 8.2.1 is a free software update that provides a number of important bug fixes. It also disables devices falsely pretending to be iPods, including the Palm Pre. As we’ve said before, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players.

via Confirmed: iTunes 8.2.1 Breaks Pre Syncing – Palm pre itunes sync – Gizmodo. By Jason Chen