Hasta La Gadget!

At its event in San Francisco a few weeks back, Apple had more up its sleeve than just an aluminum-clad smartphone. In the latest issue of our weekly, we put both the new iPod nano and iPod touch through their paces to find out how they fare against their elder siblings. If a duo of PMP reviews doesn’t snag your attention, we also throw down the review gauntlet on Wacom’s Cintiq 24HD touch and this year’s slimmed-down PlayStation 3. Eyes-On peeks at an ultrathin ultrabook, Weekly Stat examines emoticon use and Time Machines tallies up some more gadget history. The week’s end is mere hours away and the usual download links that follow can help you settle in for a bit of leisurely gadget reading.

Distro Issue 62 PDF
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Distro in the Google Play Store
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Distro Issue 62 arrives with Apple’s iPod duo, a superslim PS3 and Wacom’s multi-touch display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it comes to buying new electronic equipment, ease of repair could be one of the factors that some take into consideration before making a decision. That being said, the folks at iFixit have gotten their hands on Apple’s new iPod nano and gave it the teardown treatment. In the process they have discovered that there are several components within the iPod nano which will make it pretty tricky to repair, especially for the end-user who might not be familiar with their way around soldering kits and electronic components.

These issues come from the fact that the battery is glued in place, while essential components such as the Lightning cable socket and volume rocker have been soldered to the motherboard. Considering that the Lightning socket is accessed frequently to charge the device and to transfer media, and that the volume rocker is used often to adjust the volume, it is not a stretch of the imagination to think that these are some of the more often used components. In turn this means that they could be more prone to wear and tear and if they are soldered directly onto the motherboard, then this might prove tricky not just to repair, but also to replace. In any case for the full teardown, head on over to iFixit’s website for the details.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon Kindle Fire HD gets the teardown treatment, New iPod nano unveiled with larger display and Lightning connector,

Apple announced a completely-redesigned iPod Nano last month during its iPhone 5 event where the company also launched a new iPod Touch. We already saw iFixit’s complete teardown of the new iPod Touch and the iPhone 5, so naturally it’s now the new iPod Nano’s turn up on the chopping block. And since the iPod Nano is so…nano-like, it doesn’t take long for the explorers at iFixit to dismantle the thing.

The new iPod Nano has a teeny-tiny 2.5-inch screen, so it almost looks like mini iPod Touch of sorts. Unlike most other Apple devices, the new iPod Nano is fairly easy to break into, requiring only a Phillips screwdriver and a wedge to take off the front display which reveals the innards of the device.

The display itself and the digitizer are not fused together, which would make repairing either components way less stressful. However, unlike the iPod Touch, the battery is adhered to the back of the display assembly and the wires are soldered to the logic board. There’s a convenient pull tab for the battery, but the adhesive turned out to be much too strong for a simple pull.

It’s not all fun and games, though. Apple ended up soldering a bunch of parts to the logic board, including the battery (as previously mentioned), Lightning connector, button cable, and headphone jack. iFixit gave it a repairability score of 5/10, which is better than the new iPod Touch, but it’s still not an easy task.

New iPod Nano gets complete teardown is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Tearing down a device the size of an iPod nano is definitely not for the faint of heart (or shaky of hand), but none of that deters iFixit, who just tackled Apple’s latest pint-sized player. We called it the best nano so far, but if the tiny iPod with newfound Nike+ functionality calls it quits, can you do something about it yourself, or will it need to be binned or go back to the repair depot? iFixit is torn on the device, saying that it’s easy to take apart and replace the LCD or digitizer glass, but that the battery is glued solidly to the chassis, and other important parts like the Lightning connector are soldered together. That makes the replacement of those components nigh-on impossible, resulting in a repairability score of 5/10 for the device — not that we’d be brave enough to crack it open ourselves.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Apple

iPod nano hits iFixit’s dissection slab, rated so-so on the repairability scale originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has launched its new ad campaign for the latest iPod line, kicking off with a catchy thirty second commercial called “Bounce” showing the 5th-gen iPod touch and the 7th-gen iPod nano. The clip shows the two new iPods – and their unchanged shuffle sibling – being suitably enthusiastic about music, keeping to Apple’s now-traditional theme of a more playful and less educational attitude to commercials for the media player range.

The two new iPods were unveiled alongside the iPhone 5 last month, with the new iPod touch having the same 4-inch display as the latest iPhone, along with a new 5-megapixel camera. It’s also the first touch to be available in multiple colors.

As for the iPod nano, that’s undergone another significant design change, growing a larger touchscreen and regaining video playback support. It also has a new UI, though it’s still not running the full version of iOS as on the iPod touch and iPhone.

Shipments of iPod touch preorders began earlier this week, and ours is already on the test bench – you can find some of our first impressions here. Online orders are still listed as being delivered sometime in October.

Apple goes Bounce with new iPod ad is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.