Apple has reportedly been working on this new interface since day one, even though publicly claiming that Snow Leopard would be more about performance and stability enhancements than sweeping feature changes. Even so AppleInsider claims that an upcoming 10.6 developer beta could feature a new UI codnamed “marble.”

Apparently it would be sleeker than the current look, and there’s some speculation that the new scrollbars in iTunes and iPhoto offer a glimpse into the future, along with the mockup of the new QuickTime X player above.

This is a pretty neat application. It allows iPhone users to plant a virtual tree from their phone while simultaneously activating the planting of a real tree. Originally showcased at TED, the app is now available to the masses on iTunes.

The real trees are planted by the Conservation Fund, and they will begin with the restoration of a vulnerable wildlife habitat along the Gulf Coast. It’s sponsored by Ecolife Apparel, makers of cotton “green” underwear, and was developed by iPhactory.

Apple’s latest announcement gets high-def movie purchases to the iTunes Store. HD TV shows were already available to buy, but HD movies were rental-only. Until now anyway. HD movies will cost you $19.99, and though it isn’t known for sure yet, they’re likely the same H.264 compressed 720p quality.

Purchases will come with both an HD file and an iPod/iPhone-ready SD file and Apple says that HD rentals will now be on the store within 30 days of retail release.

I like going to the movies and typically when I go it’s a last minute thing while I am out running around with the wife and finding movie times is a priority. I have an app that I use frequently for finding show times that leaves a bit to be desired. Often it doesn’t list all the movies showing at my local theater and show times are wrong.

Fandango has a new application that promises more accuracy and allows you to buy tickets for the movie you want right on your phone. The app is available free on iTunes right now and offers movie times for 16,000 screens around the country. In addition to movie times, the app shows trailers for films and fan ratings for movies.

Teac has announced its first HD radio device, in the form of the TEAC HD-1. The iPod docking system comes equipped with HD Radio technology for a superior audio experience and compelling new content through HD Radio programming.

You can use the TEAC HD-1 with your iTunes collection via its iTunes Tagging capability. Some other features include a remote control, dual alarm clock with snooze button, five equalizer presets, and an iPod/iPhone charger. You can purchase the Teac HD-1 HD Radio at select Costco stores around the US for $129.99 each.

Rumors continue to swirl around whatever(if anything) Apple is building. Reports are that Apple has ordered 10-inch touchscreens from Taiwan. That part is looking more like fact. So the question is, will those screens end up in a netbook?

Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times has a slightly different and interesting theory about the device. He thinks it might be an ebook. Which makes more sense as the only real competitor they would have is Amazon.

If your iPod is out of room and you don’t want to do the necessary surgery on it yourself to upgrade the hard drive, some pros are now ready to do it for you. Rapid Repair just announced the first 240GB iPod upgrade, which is available for all original iPod Video models.

They can replace your hard drive with a Toshiba MK2431GAH 240GB 8-mm hard drive, which gives your old iPod double the current iPod classic’s space. Apparently, they’ll do it for the iPod Classic and Zune 2G too. There’s no price listed yet, but since they’ll charge you $189.99 for a 120GB Samsung SpinPoint N2 hard drive, you can do the math.

Having music in each room of your house is a great feature for music fans and fans of home automation. Many of the music servers that offer multi-room audio allow you to listen to different tracks and sources in each room.

CasaTools has announced its latest multi-room music server called the CasaTunes XL music Server. The system allows you to play music from multiple sources like your PC, iTunes, iPhone, AM/FM tuner and more. Each room can listen to their own songs and different sources.

Let’s say you still have a huge library of cassette tapes for some reason. Maybe you just hate to part with them. Maybe you’re cheap and treat yard sales like your own private iTunes. Whatever. Here’s a quick way to digitize those old tapes into MP3 formats.

It’s the TapeLink from Alesis. The recorder will do more then just make a copy. It will virtually remove all hissing or other abnormalities in sound quality and convert them to MP3’s. Just plug it into the USB cable on your Mac or PC and you’re good to go. The bundled EZ Tape Converter makes transfer easy and convenient. The files can then be retrieved via USB on your computer to store on any device you want.

Sound Blaster for iTunes from Creative Labs likes to party and aims to spread the music around. It will wirelessly stream your music to any room in your home where you have a Creative Wireless Receiver connected to speakers. It will also work with the new GigaWorks T20W speakers, which have the receiver built-in.

The Sound Blaster for iTunes transmitter plugs into your USB port and will fill your home with sound for $99. The Creative Wireless Receivers will run you $69.99. If you choose to use the GigaWorks T20Ws the price is $129.99. The Sound Blaster transmitter will be available this Spring.

Apple recently announced that it was doing away with it’s unfair DRM copy protection. Awesome news. Going one step further, the company is giving anyone who’s ever bought songs on iTunes the ability to upgrade their music to DRM-free versions. For a fee of course. There is a catch. As Wilson Rothman over at Gizmodo discovered, you have to upgrade all of them at once.

That really sucks, because if you’ve been at it for awhile just downloading away over the years, you have a problem. Costs can easily be in the hundreds of dollars. There is no way to upgrade your titles individually. Things like this are why some of us don’t use the service. They’re going to make you pay again for songs you already bought? Nice one Apple.

Iomega is taking the tradeshow road this week to unveil a new network storage solution for media files being showcased in the living room. It is called the Home Media Network Hard Drive and pricing starts around $160.

The Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive, available in 500GB and 1TB storage sizes, is designed to act as both backup server and also media hub. It supports iTunes and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified devices, allowing it to save, store and stream audio, video and photos to a wide array of home consumer electronics.

Time to stuff some reader’s stockings with $20 worth of iTunes, which beats coal. Congratulations to the winners of our Energizer/Pandora iTunes giveaway, who are all listed below. It’s a win for me too, since I don’t have to actually climb down any chimneys and eat all of your cookies. Click through to see if you’ve been a good boy or girl this year.

Digital music is available in many forms. You can buy digital albums and tracks form music stores like iTunes or you can subscribe to services that allow you to download all the music you want and keep it as long as you pay the monthly fee.

Slacker is yet another alternative where you choose the tracks you want to listen to and create your own streaming radio station customized to your tastes. Slacker announced a new service called Radio Plus. Radio Plus costs $3.99 per month and offers features not previously available on Slacker.

Energizer has partnered with Pandora Radio to create a brand new message board that caters to passionate users of the Pandora community. Many of you are faithful users of Pandora, so I don’t need to tell you how awesome the popular internet radio site is. The new message board is a place where users can share tips on how they use Pandora as well as be a part of posts by up and coming artists and discussions on all kinds of musical subjects.

The message board just launched and since the subject here is music, Energizer, Pandora and Slipperybrick want to help stuff your stocking with some extra music. We’re giving away TEN $20 iTunes vouchers.