Yamaha's ruggedized PDX-11 iPod speaker dock lets you blast beats beyond your block for $100

If its past offerings have been any indicator, Yamaha's no stranger to pumping out attractive speaker docks for iDevices. Not surprisingly, the company's managed to pour that design sense into its latest ruggedized portable system, the PDX-11. This octagonal unit features a 4-inch woofer and a 3/8-inch tweeter that can be powered by six AA-batteries, allowing for up to eight hours of on-the-go sound. Up top, you'll find a 30-pin connection base for your iPhone or iPod, and there's also a 3.5mm jack around back to play nice with other PMPs.

Notably, the speaker's metal carry handle and grill should keep it ready for a mild amount of city-slicking abuse -- and in a choice of blue, white, green or black, we'd imagine it'll look extra fresh doing so. To sweeten the deal further, a remote is included for extra control options. If you're ready to take your tunes to the outdoors, the PDX-11 is available now for a block rockin' hundred bucks. You'll find full details at the source link below.

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Skull MP3 Player II makes for good Halloween decorations

If you’re planning on holding a Halloween party in your house, why not keep to theme of things and pump scary music through the Skull MP3 Player II by Brando? For those who follow Brando’s products, the Skull MP3 Player II is the successor to the Skull MP3 Player, which featured a more futuristic look with its light-up eyes and everything.
The Skull MP3 Player II however looks more retro/vintage, and should look pretty good amongst the rest of your Halloween decorations. It features a USB port and an SD card slot, and will be able to read both MP3 and WMA audio files directly off your USB devices or SD(HC)/MMC memory card.
For those who prefer the selection from their MP3 players, not to worry as the Skull MP3 Player II will also sport a 3.5mm stereo audio connector, which will basically allow you to connect your MP3 player, smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer to it. For those interested, the Skull MP3 Player II will set you back $43 and will be available from Brando’s website.

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Siri hacked to work on iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S on October 4, Siri was seen as the new iDevice's biggest selling point and a major carrot to encourage iPhone 4 owners to upgrade. Although Siri originally appeared in the App Store in early 2010 before being acquired by Apple, the assumption was that the new version integrated into iOS 5 relied on the faster processor found in the iPhone 4S for Siri to work her voice recognition magic. Developer Steven Troughton-Smith and Grant Paul have proven that is not the case by not only getting Siri working on an iPhone 4, but also an iPod touch 4G.
Having previously succeeded in porting the Siri interface and some iPhone 4S code onto a jailbroken iPhone 4, Troughton-Smith and Paul have now managed to get the Siri port to communicate with Apple's servers to provide full Siri voice command functionality. The pair accomplished their feat by using software authentication tokens from a jailbroken iPhone 4S to trick Apple's servers into thinking an iPhone 4 and an iPod touch 4G were actually an iPhone 4S.
The only feature Troughton-Smith and Paul were unable to implement was the "raise to speak" feature that sees Siri activated when the phone is raised to your ear. This is apparently due to the fact that the feature relies on the new gyroscope found in the 4S.
In an interview with 9to5mac, Troughton-Smith says he has no plans to make Siri available for non-supported devices through the release of a specific jailbreak tool on Cydia or other jailbreak stores. While he admits others will likely do so, he is cautious of opening himself up to legal action by modifying and distributing files taken from an iPhone 4S. It won't stop him continuing his work, however, as he now plans to see whether he can make Siri run on an iPhone 3GS.
Whether this prompts Apple to make Siri available for devices other than the iPhone 4S remains to be seen. It can't make the argument that Siri requires the faster processor found in the 4S and Troughton-Smith and Paul aren't the only ones working on a way to get Siri onto unsupported devices.
In Apple's defense, Siri on the iPhone 4S is a beta release - sure, one that garnered a lot of attention and presumably played a part in the iPhone 4S being the company's most successful iPhone launch yet - but a beta release nonetheless. This means there's still a chance that Apple will bring some Siri love to owners of other devices once Siri has proven itself on the 4S. We'll just have to wait and see and hold our cynicism in check until then.

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How to Buy an MP3 Player

Even though many of us have ditched our MP3 players in favor of cell phones or tablets that can play our digital music, the dedicated portable media player (PMP) market does still exist. It might not feel like it, though, since Apple's iPod line has evolved dramatically in the ten years since its inception, and enjoys the lion's share of that ever-shrinking market. If you're dead-set on an Apple player, this iPod comparison can help you pick the right one. But an iPod isn't an automatic choice for everyone, and there are still some worthy competitors to consider. Whether you live in the iTunes ecosystem or not, this article will help you choose your ideal PMP.
Capacity: Flash Memory or Hard Drive?
While there are few models available these days, hard-disk-based players offer the highest storage capacities. They're ideal if you want to carry all of your media in your pocket, or if you want your player to double as an external hard drive. Most people don't need that much storage, however, and hard-disk players have a serious disadvantage: They're far more fragile than their flash-memory-based counterparts. While Apple still currently offers the iPod line in hard-disk and flash-memory flavors, most other companies have phased out hard-disk devices altogether, though you might still find an older Archos or Creative player from a third-party online retailer. The largest, major-brand flash players available currently top out at 64GB, and have been stuck there for a couple of years, but if they advance to 128GB, it will likely kill the hard-drive player altogether. If you're looking for maximum capacity right now, your best (and possibly only) bet is the 160GB Apple iPod classic.
Design and User Interface
It's not all about how much music or video you can tote, it's about toting the actual device itself. What are you going to use it for? If you want to work out with your player, it's best to look for a smaller model that you can strap to your arm or clip to your shirt. Also, you probably want a more durable player to exercise with. The iPod touch, with its sprawling glass screen, might not survive a drop on the pavement during your morning run. Controls are important, too: Do you want to put some music on your device and just listen? The tiny iPod shuffle will do the trick, offering minimal physical controls and no screen. Or do you want to be able to see what's playing and visually move around the user interface? Then you need a player with a display.
Screen Size and ResolutionIf you plan on watching movies or TV shows, keep in mind that not all players with screens handle video, most notably the iPod nano, which has a tiny one-inch display that only shows album art. If a device does support video, screen size is important. The 3.5-inch 960-by-640-pixel Retina display on the latest iPod touch is stunning—but it's not the only beauty on the block. The Zune HD, which has been discontinued by Microsoft but is still available widely available online, features a super-sharp 3.3-inch 480-by-272 OLED touch screen. Archos players also generally have big, beautiful displays, but as many manufacturers concede to Apple's iPod touch in the premium PMP market, fewer competitors remain, and the focus seems to be shifting instead toward tablets.
File Support
If you own a lot of protected content—be it audio or video—you'll want to make sure the file types you have will work with the player you choose. If you opt for an iPod, you don't have a lot of choice, but there are also file formats common to, ahem, some "sharing" sites that won't play on every device—such as XViD for video, or the audiophile favorite, FLAC, for audio. If you're counting on loading a device up with FLAC files, you'll want to make sure your device actually supports it first. (iPods don't support FLAC, so you'll need to either go a with a different player or first convert your files with a program like XLD.)

Special FeaturesMany MP3 players do a lot more than just play music. The Sony W Series Walkman, for example, builds the player into a pair of high-quality, gym-friendly earphones. The SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip integrates Rhapsody support. And the iPod touch, with its excellent built-in apps and access to another 500,000+ third-party apps and games is basically a mini-computer that happens to play music. Just keep in mind that more features tends to mean a higher price tag, which leads us to...
...The Most Important Part: Price
One feature everyone wants? Affordability. While some players will cost you an arm and a leg (the 64GB iPod touch isn't cheap at $400), inexpensive options abound. And if you do some smart online shopping, you can score a real bargain—even on a discontinued, but perfectly useable, player.
Before you buy an MP3 player, check out our recent reviews. And to amp up your listening experience, ditch those bundled earbuds, and read the Ultimate Headphone Buying Guide.

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Sony: We're phasing out feature phones

Sony has revealed that it is to phase out feature phones and concentrate on smartphones in the future. The Japanese giant has very recently announced its acquisition of the Ericsson part of Sony Ericsson, and with the buy out, effect more change than a simple rebranding exercise.
One revelation is that the company will ditch production of feature phones, such as the W995 and, nigh-on, the entire Walkman range of handsets. Speaking at the company's press conference called to announced the merger, Sony's president and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, revealed all: "We're phasing out feature phones," he said.
Ericsson’s president and CEO, Hans Vestberg, confirmed: "First of all, Sony Ericsson has gone through a big transformation. They will take the decision they need to make for the company to succeed. And I guess it's a question for the company more than for us.
"The answer is 'yes' from the management," he added.
So, it seems as if the new Sony mobile phone brand will be concentrating on Android solely. Or will it?
When asked whether the new arm would consider buying webOS, Sir Howard Stringer replied, "Never say never". Hmmmm...
What do you think of the merger and the news that the company will cease feature phone production? And should it buy webOS? Let us know in the comments below...

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Which iPod is Right for You?

It's been ten years since the first iPod hit the scene, with its 5GB hard drive, monochrome display, mechanical scroll wheel, and Mac-only software. Compare that with the current line of players, and it's clear: The iPod has come a long way, baby. Especially when you consider how much the MP3 player market has shrunk in that decade. Apple clearly dominates, and each year, the pool of contenders gets smaller and smaller. The latest casualty: The excellent Zune HD, which Microsoft discontinued earlier this month. Microsoft is instead concentrating its efforts on its mobile phone business. Its Windows Phone 7 handsets integrate Zune features.
Even Apple is of the same mind. Every iPhone and iPad comes with a built-in iPod, and it seems that the company is focusing on those segements of its business. As a result, the stand-alone iPod MP3 player line saw very few updates this year. The most notable change: The top-of-the-line iPod touch got a lower price and an upgrade to iOS 5, Apple's latest mobile OS, which brings a host of new features including iCloud wireless syncing. Oh, and now it comes in white in addition to the standard black.
The iPod nano also dropped in price and gained some very modest interface changes.  The middle-sibling player shrunk to the size of a couple of postage stamps last year, and it lost its video capture and playback abilities along the way. There's no more room for a click wheel, so you navigate the nano via its 1.54-inch touch screen, swiping to move between screens, and rotating a finger to switch the display's rotation. The icons are bigger with this year's updates, but you still can't pinch to zoom, like you can on the iPod touch or an iPhone, though. The addition of a clip to the back of the nano (like you'll find on the even-smaller shuffle), along with its integrated Nike+ fitness features, seem to say that Apple is targeting the workout crowd here.
This has left an interesting hole in the iPod lineup: Now, if you want to watch and record video on your iPod, you'll need to cough up at least $199 for an 8GB iPod touch. The lower-end iPod shuffle stays the same, with minimal controls and no screen, while the unassuming iPod classic remains unchanged with its spacious 160GB hard drive and click wheel controls. It also supports video playback, but not video capture, for $249.

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Apple iPod fathers create 'world's first learning thermostat'

At Apple (AAPL), Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers led teams that created the iPod and iPhone, displaying a knack for transforming the utilitarian and functional into sexy and desirable.

Now the two former Apple engineers hope to perform a similar alchemy with a device even more banal than a cellphone or music player -- that beige lump of plastic on the wall called a thermostat. After more than a year in an Apple-like shroud of secrecy, their Palo Alto startup, Nest, emerged from stealth Tuesday to announce a product that Fadell and Rogers hope will be so irresistibly cool that consumers will actually flock to save energy.
For starters, the $249 Nest Learning Thermostat isn't plastic, but a circular brushed stainless steel device, with a rotating outer control ring somewhat reminiscent of the iPod's control wheel. It's attractive and compelling to touch, and can connect to the Internet through a home Wi-Fi system, allowing it to be controlled by iPhone or Android smartphone apps.
The thermostat "learns" your household habits through a combination of sensors, machine learning, and cloud computing, meaning that if you typically get up at 7 a.m. and turn up the heat, before lowering it when you leave for work, the thermostat will soon learn to mimic that routine automatically.
What Nest says is the world's first "learning thermostat" has the onboard computing power of an iPhone. When users pick a setting that uses less energy, a green leaf icon pops up in the display -- a sort of reward for good energy behavior.
But what hooked Google (GOOG) Ventures, which provided funding along with venture capital giant Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Al Gore's Generation Investment Management, is that however humble and ugly, the thermostat is the epicenter of home energy consumption. About one-third of annual U.S. residential electrical consumption, and 86 percent of residential fuel oil use, is used for heating, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. An additional 21 percent of residential electricity use goes to cooling homes.
"If you could have one of these in every living room in America, you could save the U.S. 3 percent of its energy consumption, and that would be a profound impact," said Erik Charlton, Nest's chief of sales and marketing.
While programmable thermostats have been around since the 1970s, Nest's founders say no one has done anything revolutionary to improve them for decades.
Google Ventures managing partner Bill Maris remembers his dubious initial reaction to the idea of financing a thermostat. He's now on Nest's board.
"I thought, 'I like the team; I love Tony's background,' " Maris said. "Then you hear it's a new generation of thermostat, and I kind of became skeptical. I was like, 'What can we do here that's interesting?' But then when you see the product ... you touch it, you feel it, and you say, 'This is something new and I want that in my house.' "
Nest says its learning thermostat can cut home heating and cooling use by an average 30 percent over a standard thermostat.
Fadell, Nest's co-founder and CEO, was an adviser to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Then Fadell quit Apple in early 2010, wanting to make a thermostat that would be beautiful as well as functional. As with Apple products, design was crucial.
"You can buy a beautiful refrigerator; you can buy a beautiful stove; you can buy a beautiful vacuum cleaner, but you can't buy a beautiful thermostat," Charlton said.
Nest started in a Palo Alto garage about 18 months ago, before quietly taking offices in a Palo Alto shopping center. Explaining Fadell's zest for secrecy -- Maris said he was forbidden from uttering the word "Nest" over the past year -- Charlton said, "We wanted a focus on the product and the team. Tony said, 'Let's not go out and talk to people; let's just build a great product.' "
At Apple, Fadell led the teams that developed the first generations of the iPod and iPhone, and is generally credited with the idea of linking a digital music player with an online music store -- the concept that became Apple's iPod and iTunes. Rogers, Nest's other co-founder, oversaw iPod software development from concept to production. The Nest team also includes Yoky Matsuoka, the vice president of technology, a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient who was formerly Google's head of innovation.
The Nest thermostat is expected to go on sale in November at Best Buy and at nest.com, and has been in tests over the past year. But Silicon Valley's climate had been a problem.
"We've got a big problem," Charlton remembers an engineer saying at one point. "Guys, we need some weather."
Prototypes were quickly dispatched to Florida, Texas and New York, where weather extremes provided a better test.

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Yamaha MCR-332 and MCR-232 Mini Audio Systems with iPod Dock

Yamaha introduced the MCR-332 and MCR-232 PianoCraft micro component systems that deliver full-size component quality stereo sound from just about any source, including Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad portable music players, USB devices, as well as from their built-in CD players and AM/FM tuners.

The centerpiece of both systems is the CRX-332 CD/receiver featuring an alluring aluminum hairline design and a Yamaha-developed digital amp providing smooth, unforced output to 2-way bass reflex speakers. A built-in, top-panel iPod/iPhone dock offers more precise sound reproduction from Apple mobile devices via a fully digital connection that takes advantage of the CRX-332's superior DAC during playback. In addition, a USB port provides compatibility with MP3 players and flash drives, while a subwoofer port and AUX-in terminals enable easy system expansion with additional components. The result is stunning sound from a compact, versatile and stylish package.


Yamaha MCR-232

The MCR-332 and MCR-232 systems both provide remarkably proficient 2-way bass reflex speakers with deep cabinets supported by three legs. This design prevents external vibrations from affecting sound reproduction and delivers resonant bass and rich midrange with exceptionally good imaging.

Conceived from its musical instrument manufacturing expertise, Yamaha integrates its proprietary Vibration Control Cabinet Structure (VCCS) technology that incorporates strategically placed pieces of composite material within each speaker to further reduce vibration-related distortion. A luxurious, piano-like finish provides a sophisticated look that is perfect in any setting--from the office or living room, to the bedroom or yacht.


Yamaha MCR-332

Both systems offer large-size, screw type speaker terminals that ensure a reliable high quality connection. The MCR-332 speakers also offer banana clip connections, an unusual high-end feature for micro component systems, for additional connection reliability over time. The MCR-332 and MCR-232 systems' speakers have elegantly designed removable speaker grills.

Price and Availability
Each system is available now and comes with an updated remote control featuring enhanced design and functionality. The CRX-332 also will be sold separately at select retailers as part of alternate systems with other components.

• Yamaha MCR-332 → $399.95
• Yamaha MCR-232 → $349.95
• Yamaha CRX-332 CD/receiver only → $299.95

Yamaha CRX-332

source : http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/new/695915.html

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Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman review

Sony Ericsson hasn’t had much luck when it comes to Android smartphones, and while their handsets tend to look nice on the outside, they rarely make the grade inside. In fact, for the longest time, Sony Ericsson phone owners had to wait for Android 2.2 Froyo to be released, with many of the older models still being stuck on Eclair even until today. I am glad to report that this is not the case with one of their more recent releases, the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.
Running on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread right out of the box, you are greeted with a green theme – the packaging is minimal, and there is no styrofoam (yay!) to speak of. The bare basics are there – a charger, a product sheet, a pair of headphones, all crammed into a soy-ink printed box.

Before I begin, here is how I use the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman – I turn on my 3G connection round the clock, check emails via Gmail, surf the net using the native browser for around 10 minutes each day, receive and reply on average two to three SMSes, and talk for around 10 minutes. Having said that, this kind of usage pattern managed to eke out around 16 to 18 hours of battery life each day, so depending on your pattern, your mileage might vary.
Being relatively small sized compared to other more powerful smartphones, the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman comes with a rather diminutive 3.2” screen size that maxes out at 480 x 320 resolution – not the most impressive, but at least it is functional. I am quite surprised that there is no light sensor, so you will need to manually adjust your device’s screen brightness depending on the situation. There is a dedicated Walkman button on the opposite end of the power button, giving you quick access to the handset’s Walkman functions with but a single press of the button. Being a Walkman-centric phone, you can be sure that Sony Ericsson lives up to their reputation as the Walkman app works well enough for you to organize your collection of digital music. I would recommend getting a large capacity microSD memory card – the phone’s 320MB of internal memory is not going to be enough from the start, so it makes sense to stash all your favorite music on an external card.
The camera works decently in brightly lighted conditions as with what other decent camera phones would do, and you got to give it to Sony Ericsson for including an external shutter button that makes it infinitely easier to shoot self-portraits if you want a 5-megapixel shot – otherwise, there is always the front-facing VGA camera to fall back on.
Call quality proved to be decent at all times, although there is the issue of dropped calls from time to time. That is most probably the carrier’s fault, so it really depends on who you’re subscribing to, and the area where you live as it is different for everyone.
In conclusion, this is a decent enough handset if you are not looking for something extravagant. Functional, cheap, and hardy-looking. Does it fit your list of preferences? I would say that if you are so used to other user interfaces such as HTC Sense or Samsung TouchWiz, then you should give this a miss as going back to a stock Android user interface is going to leave you frustrated from the get go.

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Apple's iPod Turns 10

Apple’s iPod, which transformed the way music is sold and distributed and revolutionized the consumer electronics industry, turned 10 on Sunday.

Known largely for its computers until then, Apple introduced the first iPod on Oct. 23, 2001, moving the company into a new era in which it would develop ever sleeker handheld devices, including the iPhone and the iPad.

After releasing Windows versions of both the iPod in 2002 and the iTunes online store in 2003, the floodgates were opened for Apple’s consumer success. As Macworld points out, it was at that point that Apple became more than a niche computer maker with a cool little device. It was propelled into an iconic brand that became known across the globe for making the best music player on the market.

“From Apple’s revenues to design influence to the fundamental business and distribution models that glue the industry together, the iPod started it all,” writes CultofMac’s Mike Elgan.

The iPod also changed the music industry.

Remember when you’d have to buy an entire album for more than $10 just to get one song? The iTunes store changed all that when it let people buy and download to their iPods individual songs for less than $1. Today the amount of content Apple sells there in addition to music -- movies, TV shows, apps, books and more -- is a massive asset for the company and one that propels people to continue buying its devices in droves.

The industry quickly followed suit.

Amazon now also has a wealth of online content in addition to the books the company started with and is increasingly using devices to get people buying it. Note the Kindle Fire, for example. It also doesn’t come as a surprise that Google may be opening a music store to compete with Amazon and Apple.

And ever since people began walking around with Apple’s white earbuds in place, the entire consumer electronics industry has reacted. Countless accessories have been made for the iPod line, including some really wacky ones.

Originally, the now ubiquitous entertainment device was a 5GB music player that only worked with the Mac operating system and used a FireWire connection instead of a USB cable to update songs and charge the battery. After many iterations, today the iPod line includes the iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod touch, the iPod Nano and the tiny iPod Shuffle.

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The Evolution of the iPod [PICS]

Since its debut in 2001, the Apple iPod has evolved from the seminal white box with a mechanical scroll wheel to, ultimately, a sleek touchscreen multimedia device.
Over the years the various versions of the iPod have gotten smaller/larger and more colorful, they've lost buttons and gained them, have added cameras, speakers, radio, accelerometers and more. The only thing that hasn't changed appears to be the enduring popularity of the devices.
[More from Mashable: 3 FTC Cases That Could Affect Your Mobile App]
Join us on a look back through the last 10 years of the iPod. Let us know in the comments below which models you've owned -- and which were your favorites.
Thumbnail image courtesy of 37prime
[More from Mashable: 10 Seriously Addictive iPhone Strategy Games]
This story originally published on Mashable here.

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Happy 10th birthday to the iPod - the little machine that changed our lives

When the late Steve Jobs was handed the iPod prototype, he told his engineers it was too big. They said it was as small as it could be, that there was all kinds of technology to fit in that couldn’t be shrunk.

Apple’s chief executive paused and then, so the story goes, dropped the iPod in a fishtank. He pointed to the bubbles coming from the gadget and told the engineers that if there was air in it there was space in it. “Make it smaller,” he ordered.

The story is apocryphal but believable, given Jobs’s perfectionism. When Apple finally launched the iPod, 10 years ago this week, it changed how we listen to music, revolutionising the music industry and transforming Apple.

Let the music play and play: Steve Jobs and the first generation of the iPod

The iPod was not the first MP3 player but it was the first to get the technology so right it became a mass-market product. Rival machines were bigger and heavier or stored less music, took longer to transfer songs or had poor battery life. The iPod could store 1,000 songs, had a 10-hour battery life and enabled you to transfer lots of songs from your computer quickly. All of this in a device the size of a pack of cards.

Apple decided to build a music player in early 2001, and Steve Jobs asked Jon Rubinstein, head of hardware engineering, to look into it. In January that year Apple introduced iTunes, its music program for Macs. A month later, Rubinstein was shown a 1.8-inch hard drive during a visit to Toshiba in Japan.
“They said they didn’t know what to do with it. Maybe put it in a small notebook,” Rubinstein said later. “I went back to Steve and I said, 'I know how to do this.’ He said, 'Go for it.’”
The only drawback was time: Jobs wanted the iPod to be available that Christmas. A team of 30 began working long hours on Project P-68. Jonathan Ive, the British-born designer who has worked at Apple since 1992, said: “Like everyone else, I knocked myself out, not so much because it was a challenge – which it was – but because I wanted to have one.”
Ive oversaw every detail, but input came from across the team: the idea for the scroll-wheel control system came from Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of marketing; the name came from Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who said the player reminded him of the escape pods on the spaceship in the film 2001. Underpinning it all were Jobs’s demands for simplicity and elegance. He stressed how important it was that any song could be reached in three clicks or fewer. “If ever there was a product that catalysed Apple’s reason for being, it’s this,” Jobs said after the iPod was released.
But the reaction was not wholly positive. At $399, it was too expensive, said critics; others thought the iPod lacked substance. At first, it worked only with Apple’s Mac computers, though in 2002, a Windows-compatible iPod was released. A year later came the iTunes Music Store and a Windows version of iTunes.
“That’s when it all started coming together. Sales of the iPod went through the roof,” says Feargal Sharkey, chief executive of UK Music, the body that represents the British music industry. Apple sold its millionth iPod in June 2003 and the two millionth six months later. At the end of 2004, it had sold 10 million.
By the middle of the decade, the white iPod earbuds were everywhere (ironically, they were the weakest feature). Apple’s adverts were everywhere, too – dancing silhouettes against bright backgrounds, clasping their iPods – and the message was clear: your music with you, all the time.
As sales grew, so did the iPod range: an iPod Mini, a screen-free Shuffle and the iPod Touch. To date, more than 300 million iPods have been bought.
Sales have started to fall, though, as more people carry their music on smartphones, which is why the iPod Touch is not just a music player but a games machine, web browser and communications device. Meanwhile, Apple, Google and Amazon have launched services that let you store music on internet “cloud” servers to be downloaded to whatever device you have. The iPod’s significance has waned but we haven’t lost that desire to carry our music with us.
“Ten years on, the most important thing is that it still has all my favourite tunes on it,” says Sharkey.

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Apple iPod touch (2011)

In 2010, Apple's fourth-generation iPod touch got two cameras—one for shooting HD videos and photos, one for FaceTime chats. In 2011, the changes to the iPod touch are all based on the new iOS 5, which brings with it iMessage, iCloud, notifications, and Game Center enhancements. Physically, the player is unchanged, except now it's offered in white. The high-res Retina display remains crisp, colorful, and highly responsive to touch. Since the iPod nano ($129, 3 stars) no longer supports video, the 8GB touch is the least-expensive video-playing iPod, starting at $199 direct—a $30 price drop from 2010. The other two models remain $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB). Despite the hefty price, the iPod touch is still, by far, the best portable media player you can buy—and it retains our Editors' Choice.
Design
There's a new white model, which is white on the front face and mirrored on the back, but the touch retains its 2010 dimensions: 4.4 by 2.3 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and 3.6 ounces. Apple's custom A4 chip powers the device, and the super-sharp Retina display remains 3.5 diagonal inches and 960-by-640 pixels (at 326 pixels per inch). The touch's left-hand panel houses two Volume buttons. A headphone jack, a speaker, and a 30-pin connector for USB computer syncing are on the bottom of the player. The Power button sits up top, and the Home button remains below the display on the front panel. There are two camera lenses—one toward the top of the display, and one on the back, in the top left corner, which is accompanied by a mic. The mirrored back panel is excellent for checking your teeth on the sly, but it picks up fingerprints very easily.

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Specifications

Storage Capacity (as Tested)

32 GB

Player Type

Portable Media Player

Radio

Optional

Music Playback Formats

AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, Audible, MP3, WAV, Protected AAC

Photo Formats

BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, PNG, GIF

Video Formats

MPEG4, H.264

Audio Battery Life

47 hours 25 min

Dimensions

4.4 x 2.3 x 0.3 inches

Weight

3.5 oz

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In the box, you'll find a Quick Start Guide, a proprietary USB cable for connecting the touch to your computer, and a pair of Apple signature earbuds. It's a good idea to upgrade those bass-deprived, ill-fitting earbuds to earphones, and our Ultimate Guide to Headphones is a good place to start your search for the right pair.
User Interface
With the inclusion of iOS 5, the iPod touch now becomes a messaging device. It can also use the new iCloud function, which features iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, and Documents in the Cloud, so you can share content wirelessly between your computer, your iPod touch, your iPhone, and your iPad. Another useful new feature is Notifications, which works with just about any relevant app to keep you informed about updates and friends' responses. For more about what iOS 5 can do, check out PCMag's full review, or read on here to discover some of the nuances that improve the iPod touch's performance.
Audio and Video
Navigating the music menus on the iPod touch is completely intuitive. First off, there are so many ways to do it—using CoverFlow, searching Artist or Song, or perusing playlists. Apple has made everything fast and easy—scroll song or artist lists by dragging a finger or skip ahead to a letter on the scrollable alphabet on the right side of the screen. The Now Playing view is a showcase for album art, and you can play music while you surf the Web, view photos, or even play games.
By itself, the iPod touch is a fine audio device—plug in a pair of good-quality headphones and you won't be disappointed with the frequency range and overall audio quality. To my continuing disappointment, Apple still offers its stock, subpar earbuds. Audiophiles listening to Lossless tracks on the touch will be best served by leaving the EQ off. The settings Apple provides are presets; there's still no user-customizable EQ. Extra features like Shake to Shuffle, Volume Limit, and Sound Check can all be enabled or disabled easily.
The iTunes Store can be accessed via Wi-Fi for on-the-spot music and video purchases. Video looks fantastic on the Retina display. YouTube and Netflix will not look as sharp as video purchased from the iTunes Store, of course, but the speed with which video can be cued up without stuttering is impressive. Again, this is dependent on the strength of your Wi-Fi signal.
The touch integrates Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, though 802.11n only operates on the 2.4GHz band. Nike+ iPod support is also included for those who want to use the touch to help keep in shape.
CameraThe rear-facing camera records video in HD (720p), up to 30fps, capturing audio through the rear panel mic. Still photos max out at 960 by 720 pixels. This amounts to less than a megapixel, and compared with the iPhone 4S ($199.99-$399.99, 4.5 stars) and its 8-megapixel rear camera, the quality in images is stark. (See the slideshow for a side-by-side comparison.) The front-facing camera, intended for FaceTime video chat, offers lower resolutions: VGA-quality for photos and videos, again, up to 30fps.
Camera operation couldn't be more intuitive. An onscreen slide control toggles between still and video camera modes, and an icon in the lower left takes you to your gallery, where you can peruse your photos and videos. Video footage plays back onscreen with a scroll tool that shows a thumbnail timeline of your footage, making skipping to a certain spot easy. You can trim your footage on the player by dragging your finder over the thumbnail timeline of the footage and selecting segments to cut.
Capturing video is achieved by pressing the red Record button onscreen when in video camera mode, and tapping it again to end recording. The screen acts as your viewfinder and everything moves along in real time without stuttering. Low-light situations will make for some noisy footage, but in well-lit scenarios, the touch's video looks colorful and crisp. Uploading your video to YouTube or sending it as an email attachment, provided you have a Wi-Fi connection, is made easy with a button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen that walks you through a streamlined process to do either.
Unlike the iPhone 4S's camera, the iPod touch's has no flash, which makes low-light—particularly back-lit—scenarios rather challenging. You get 5x digital zoom for photos, which is activated by moving the slider on the screen above the on-screen shutter button, but zooming in creates noticeable artifacts. Landscape shots in adequate lighting look decent for a camera built into a player, and well-lit portraits look sharper than you'd expect, provided you don't zoom in too far. Like videos, photos can be sent out immediately via email, or you can assign a photo to be your new wallpaper or a friend's contact photo, all by pressing the lower left-hand button when viewing your image.
iMessage and FaceTime
iOS 5 brings iMessage to the iPod touch. If you use an iPhone, the difference between an iMessage and a text message is pretty much undetectable—they appear the same in your Messages app. However, iMessage uses Wi-Fi rather than a carrier's signal, which means that Wi-Fi devices, like the iPod touch, are invited to the party. Not invited: Devices not running iOS 5. Still, any friends of yours with an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad can now be sent virtual texts via iMessage—all you need is a wireless signal. This means you can send them photo and video straight from your iPod touch, too.
FaceTime still works quite well—images are fairly crisp and clear, aided by the smaller screen, and it's easy to understand what your chat partner is saying. Of course, this is contingent on your Wi-Fi signal being strong, but in ideal scenarios, it's not much different than video chatting on a laptop. However, Google Talk has a bit of an advantage over FaceTime, in that it works across multiple operating systems. You can, for instance, chat on Google Talk between a Motorola Xoom ($599, 3.5 stars) and an Apple laptop; FaceTime, like iMessage, only works between iOS devices and some Apple computers. But what began as a portable media player with no camera now has video chat and virtual text messaging capabilities—even with its iOS 5-only limitations, that is quite impressive.
Gaming and AppsIn 2010, Apple introduced Game Center, a feature that encourages you to find a friend—either someone you know or a stranger with an iPod touch or an iPhone—to play real-time games. Your success (or failure) earns you a ranking you can use for bragging rights or to seek out opponents with similar skill levels. With iOS 5, Game Center gets a few new features, like the ability to purchase new games from within the app and add photos to your profile.
Meanwhile, the App Store, which is accessed via Wi-Fi, is loaded with single-player, accelerometer-driven games like Zombie Highway, that look fantastic on the Retina display. There are more than 500,000 apps with a range far too wide to detail here. If you're familiar with the iPhone or iPod touches past, you know the possibilities are endless.
Web, Email, and Notifications
Surfing in Safari on the iPod touch is a great experience.  Now that the Zune HD (4.5 stars), which was also a strong Internet device, is officially a relic, the iPod touch offers the strongest Web experience on any device this size that isn't a mobile phone. Still, there are some annoyances. Given Apple's stance on Flash support, you shouldn't expect it on any iPod or iPhone anytime soon, and that's the single advantage competing mobile browsers can offer.
Email remains easy to customize and use—AOL, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Microsoft Exchange, and mobileMe remain options in the mail section, where you can also add an iCloud account. Multiple accounts can be synced via Exchange.
With the new notifications features in iOS 5, email notifications appear on-screen, as well as app notifications—say, when your opponent makes a new play or a friend comments on your Facebook post. Notifications appear on the Lock screen (Alerts), at the top of the home screen (Banners), just over the app's icon (Badges), and you can choose between various combinations of the three for each app—or to turn them off completely.
Battery Life and Conclusions
Apple rates the battery life for the iPod touch at an impressive 40 hours for audio and seven hours for video. We ran three different battery rundown tests. With Wi-Fi on, and the screen illuminated (meaning Auto-Lock is disabled) and audio playing, we got a reasonable four hours and 25 minutes. With Wi-Fi off and the screen going dark (Auto-Lock set to one minute), we got a great result: 47 hours and 25 minutes. For video playback with the screen brightness at maximum and with no Wi-Fi on, we got one hour and 41 minutes—not enough time to watch a full movie, in most cases.
There are very few devices left that you can actually compare directly with the iPod touch, though both Sony and Samsung have announced, but not yet shipped Android-based PMPs. Many manufacturers have thrown in the towel and are taking on slightly less daunting targets, like the iPod nano or the iPod shuffle ($49, 3.5 stars), or are focusing on tablets instead. The only real problem with the touch is its high price—especially if you want a decent amount of storage. But with an entry point of $199, you do get a camera, HD video recording, messaging and video chat, a music and video player, portable gaming, the Web, email, and apps all in one slick, pocket-size package. It was true when it first debuted, and even more so now: No other portable media player can compete with the iPod touch.

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Griffin Travel Speaker for iPhone review

The iPhone and iPod Touch's speakers are fine for playing the odd game, but they're woefully inadequate for watching videos or listening to music, especially if you're a couple of feet away.

There are scores of speaker docks around, but few as simple as Griffin's Travel Speaker. It's powered by the iPhone or iPod Touch, so requires no batteries or mains power. There's even a useful miniUSB port so you can charge and sync your device while it's in the dock, and two flip-out feet for stability.

The stereo speakers are roughly equal in quality to most laptop speakers, so there's enough volume but no bass to speak of. Volume is controlled by two buttons on top of the right-hand speaker - the dock takes control away from the device itself. It isn't much use for videos as the iPod sits upright, but for music and podcasts in a tent or hotel room, it's a hassle-free dock.

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Who let the iHogs out?

Home Entertainment company Speakal has brought its very own piggy to market in the shape of the iHog iPod/iPhone docking station speaker system, which allows you to take your music out into the great outdoors.

iPhone and iPod users can go the whole hog and listen to their favourite tunes using this cute pink or white piggy (a black and a black-and-white model will be available soon), which is bound to be a hit with kids and teenagers (and a fair few adults we reckon). It follows on from the release of the smaller and non-portable iPig a couple of years ago.
This universal cradle can hold all iPods and iPhones, and can be taken outside, whether in the farmyard or garden, thanks to its own lithium rechargeable battery, which offers power to drive your porker for up to 10 hours, while also charging up your mobile device.
On the sound front, this little piggy promises to deliver 360 degree of sound from two tweeters, two sound diffusers and a downring 20 Watt subwoofer. The super amplification stereo system, with optimized airflow, offers frequencies from 50Hz to 2KHz for a total output of 28+ Watts, which should fill up any room (or pigsty for that matter).
We’re used to seeing a volume rocker or key on most devices these days, but to alter the volume of music on the iHog, you just push the hog’s ears to turn sound up or down, while touching its head will let you stop, pause or skip tracks. A remote control is also included.
The system can also be connected to a TV, games console or any other music source to amplify the sound.
“After two consecutive years of great success for the smaller iPig, Speakal is excited to launch the most powerful speaker system yet – the iHog,” said David Solomon, CEO, Speakal. “For everyone who enjoyed their iPig at home, now you can take the fun outdoors anytime, with the new portable music companion.”
And if you’re the one who brings home the bacon, you’ll be forking (or should that be porking?) out a pretty pricey £80 for some piggy-shaped tunes this Christmas.

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iPhones sales could beat the iPod this holiday quarter

Summary: Could there be more iPhones under the Christmas tree this year than iPods?

How many iPhones do you think Apple will sell during the holiday quarter? A lot. OK, but that’s not a number.
Kevin Dede, an analyst with Brigante Advisors, pulls out a crystal ball and predicts that the number of iPhones that Apple will sell over the coming quarter could be as high as 24 million.

“Positive device reviews in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Boy Genius Report all of which noted the better-than-expected performance of Siri, Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant (a working manifestation of artificial intelligence), and in concert with record setting pre-orders (separately, bolstered by broader distribution, of course) leave us confident that today’s 4S release should be met with fanfare typical of new Apple product,” Kevin Dede, an analyst with Brigante Advisors, wrote in a note to investors Friday.

That 24 million number is significant. Why? Because it tops, by a significant amount, the number of iPods that Apple sells during a typical holiday quarter. Here’s some data for you, I’ve highlighted the holiday quarters:

Can Apple pull this off 24 million sales? Well, it’s not as big of an achievement as you might think because Apple shifted over 20 million iPhones last quarter. Here’s some more data for you:

For completeness, here are how many Macs Apple sells per quarter:

Bottom line, I think that Apple might be able to sell more than 24 million … perhaps breaking the 25 million figure. Apple’s not managed to sell 25 million of anything in a quarter before, but it could be Apple’s lucky quarter.
The takeaway …

• The appeal of the iPod has been diminishing for years now, and Apple knows this.
• Moving the iPhone launch to October pushes it into the holiday quarter
• A new iPhone just in time for the festive spending jamboree is likely to be on a lot of people’s wishlists

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Apple iPod touch

Apple iPod touch : Apple announce great new features and a more affordable price for the Apple iPod touch. The Apple iPod touch will be available in new black and white models starting at just $199, including Apple’s new iOS 5 and iCloud services. Apple iPod touch is the best selling iPod ever, and with iOS 5 and iCloud it is better than ever. The new Apple iPod touch includes iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 200 new features including iMessage, Game Center, Notifications and Wi-Fi Syncing to iTunes. iMessage brings the functionality of iPhone messaging to your Apple iPod touch, so you can easily send text messages, photos, videos and contact information to an individual or group on other


Apple iPod touch works with iCloud
Apple iPod touch also works with iCloud, Apple’s breakthrough set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other Apple devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.


App Store on the Apple iPod touch
With the App Store on the Apple iPod touch, users have access to the world’s largest and best collection of over 500,000 apps, including over 100,000 game and entertainment titles. Customers also have the iTunes Store at their fingertips, giving them instant access to the world’s largest catalog of over 20 million songs, 85,000 TV shows and 14,000 movies to purchase and download directly to their Apple iPod touch.


Apple iPod touch price
Apple iPod touch with iOS 5 and iCloud will be available October 12 in black and white for a suggested price of :
• Apple iPod touch 8GB model : $199 (US)
• Apple iPod touch 32GB model : $299 (US)
• Apple iPod touch 64GB model : $399 (US)


Apple iPod touch compatibility
Apple iPod touch requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later and iTunes 10 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 10.5 or later. Apple iOS 5 will also be available as a free software update for Apple iPod touch (third and fourth generations) customers allowing them to experience the amazing new features including iMessage, Game Center, Notifications and Wi-Fi Syncing to iTunes.


Apple iPod prices
Apple iPod is the world’s most popular family of music players. Apple’s holiday lineup includes iPod shuffle for just $49; iPod nano with Multi-Touch starting at just $129; iPod touch available in black or white, including iOS 5 and iCloud, starting at just $199; and iPod classic in a 160GB model for $249.

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iPod Touch an Indispensable Tool in My Life

To salute Steve Jobs' imprint on the technological world, Yahoo! News asked readers and contributors to briefly write about their favorite Apple device or technology. To share yours, sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network.
Over the years, I have owned many Apple products but my favorite is still the iPod Touch. I use mine every day. It goes everywhere with me.
My iPod Touch was $399 when I bought it brand new in the 64GB storage version as a birthday present to myself. Usually I feel guilty spending so much on myself but I wanted one for so long and for so many different uses. It was much more than an MP3 player -- like previous versions of the iPod my kids and I had owned.
I use it every day for taking pictures and sharing them on social media sites, updating Facebook, Twitter and other social media, following news headlines, managing my calendar and alerts, scrolling news headlines for my job and even writing notes or draft articles.
It has become an indispensable tool in my life.

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Week in Apple: pre-iPhone-event edition

Apple's fall media event is now official, while the fate of the iPod classic (and iPod shuffle) has been thrown into question. Those were just a couple of the headlines in our top Apple news for the week, which also included a hands-on with VMware Fusion 4, a couple new trojans targeting the Mac, and a mysterious new development within Xcode. Read on for the roundup:
Why Apple is ready to kill off the iPod classic: The classic iPod design and functionality has been around for nearly 10 years now, and new rumors claim that Apple is planning to kill off two of its four music player offerings. Ars explains why the decision makes sense, with a bonus reader poll.
Apple sends invites for October 2011 event: "Let's talk iPhone": The rumor mill can rest for now, as Apple has now confirmed its October media event by sending invitations to the press. On October 4, Apple's new CEO Tim Cook plans to "talk about iPhone."
Samsung lawsuits against Apple over 3G patents could backfire: Samsung is making no bones about its intention intensify its legal fight with Apple, accusing the company of "free riding" on its patented wireless technologies. However, its strategy of using FRAND-encumbered, "standards essential" patents may not be on the firmest legal ground.
Thunderbolt Display packs almost enough hardware to be an iMac: Apple's Thunderbolt Display has so much hardware to support its array of ports that it's very nearly an iMac.
VMware Fusion 4 hands-on: Lion, Windows 7, Windows 8, and more: VMware Fusion 4 is optimized for Mac OS X Lion, integrating with Launchpad and Mission Control, and allowing users to run extra copies of Lion in virtual machines. In this hands-on piece, we examine Fusion's ability to run Windows 7, Windows 8, Ubuntu, and Lion itself.
Mac trojan poses as PDF to open botnet backdoor: A new trojan targets Mac users by masking itself with a PDF while it opens a backdoor into the user's computer. This trojan isn't taking over the world quite yet, though.
Support for quad-core ARM CPU shows up in Apple's Xcode, but why?: Developers can now target quad-core ARM processors with Apple's Xcode tool chain, even though the processor doesn't currently ship in any Apple products. What could it mean?
Tutorial: OS X automation with MacRuby and the Scripting Bridge: Although AppleScript can be a powerful automation tool, limitations detract from its usefulness as a general-purpose scripting tool. Fortunately, you can get the best of both worlds by tapping into the Cocoa Scripting Bridge with MacRuby. In this tutorial, we show you how.
Mac trojan pretends to be Flash Player Installer to get in the door: Yet another new Mac trojan has made its way into the wild, though it may end up tricking more Mac users than the last one. Masquerading as as Flash installer, this trojan reports your Mac's details back to a remote server.
Judge shreds, dismisses iPhone privacy class-action: A federal judge has dismissed a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple and some advertising networks over data collection that allegedly took place without the users' "consent or knowledge."
Have a great weekend everyone!

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iPod touch 5G features chosen by you

You wouldn’t think there would be a new iPod touch 5G at the Apple event in two days, especially considering Apple named the invites with “iPhone” and not “iPod”. So we know for sure they want to talk about the iPhone 5/4S, but what about other products and services like iCloud, and a new iPod device?
We spoke about rumors of a new touchscreen home key back in April of this year, and the possibility of a white 5th generation iPod touch appearing at Tuesday’s press conference with just a few changes, although is this what the users want? We looked at the feedback from PR readers and it seems most of you would like an upgrade and have voiced your opinions on what iPod Touch 5G features are needed.
Some of you made a few predictions for the next iPod, which include the device being smaller this year and featuring an A5 processor with increased RAM, and 1080p video recording. One of the most wanted features is “3G”, although some people quickly point out this will help Apple lose sales of the iPhone.
So no matter how crazy some of the wanted features are, these are the ones you asked for so far: 3G Internet, a larger display, 8PM camera, a faster processor, 4G, ability to make free phone calls, free Internet access, a cheaper price, FM radio like on the Nano, and more battery life when using video. It seems that a lot of people want all that they expect on the iPhone 5, but without the phone.
When do you think Apple will release the iPod touch 5G? And are any features missing from what’s mentioned above, which you want?

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