Jul 06

Evidence mounts for iPods with cameras

Posted in: Apple, camera, ipod, iPod Nano, ipod touch, IpodTouch, nano, rumor, Today's Chili, touch

The iPod with camera is pretty much a given at this point in Apple’s evolutionary approach to its audio / video players. In fact, we’ve already seen iLounge’s confident rendering of an iPod nano with camera. Now we have the first cases with matching camera cut-outs (like that of the above) for the iPod nano in addition to an iPod touch case with similar cutouts passing through our tips box. This morning TechCrunch is claiming that a “massive number of camera modules” for iPods have been ordered per information provided by a source in Asia. Add it all up and we should see the announcement of a new iPod touch and iPod nano with photo / video recording sometime around September per Apple’s usual pattern.

[Via MacRumors, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Evidence mounts for iPods with cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 06

Leaked Case Designs May Predict Future iPod Cameras

Posted in: ipod, Media Players, rumors, Today's Chili

cases

Remember the iPhone Nano? It was a sure thing, based on designs of silicon cases leaked by a third party manufacturer. Oh, wait. No it wasn’t. The fire of speculation licked higher as the gasoline of rumor was sloshed and splattered around the internet, only to fizzle under the halon blanket of Apple’s silence.

Then again, you may remember the design of the iPhone 3G, itself leaked via a case design, although this time it was the actual molds that were the giveaway. These proved to be dead-on, revealing the curved back of the new handset.

So, take this latest story how you will, either choking it back with some hard-to-swallow skepticism or diving into the Kool-Aid flavored rumors as they lap the shores of credulity.

This time the silicone points to cameras in both the iPod Nano and a new iPod Touch (yes, cameras in iPods — yet another recycled rumor). The Touch case looks accurate enough, with a gap for both the lens and the Wi-Fi radio to peek through. Otherwise, the case designs of the iPods themselves do not vary.

We really don’t know where the truth lies. But we have a pretty good idea as to when it may lie: September, the traditional month for iPod updates. Expect analysts to begin “predicting” this soon.

Product page Touch [Uxsight via MacRumors]
Product page Nano [Nanocase]

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Jul 01

Sony’s newest remote control ships with a Z200iR compact music system (updated)

Posted in: ipod, ipod dock, IpodDock, remote control, RemoteControl, sony, Today's Chili

It’s not often that a remote control becomes the centerpiece of a product launch, but man, would you look at that. That’s the remote for Sony’s NAS-Z200iR, a WiFi-enabled shelf audio system with slot-loading CD and iPod dock. The Z200iR is DLNA-certified so it works with any DLNA device in your home including NAS boxes and of course, your PC or Mac. The re-chargeable remote features a 3.5-inch LCD display that gives you full control over sourced media including Internet radio, integrated AM/FM tuner, or devices connected via the Z200iR’s USB or audio-in ports. The sound comes courtesy of a pair of independent, 20-watt speaker enclosures with double neodymium magnets used to drive the bass. A simpler, WiFi-less CMT-Z100iR system will launch first in July with the Z200iR headed to Europe in mid September. Sorry, no prices announced so no joy.

Update: Ready for the pricing? The German press release has the Z200iR at €699. That’s nearly $1,000 for a compact sound system that sits on a shelf. Way to go Sony, way to go.

Gallery: Sony’s newest remote control ships with a Z200iR compact music system

[Thanks, Daniel O.]

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Sony’s newest remote control ships with a Z200iR compact music system (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 26

Lancer’s iJector is the $700 projector for your $200 iPhone

Posted in: iPhone, ipod, projector, Today's Chili

iJector is the $700 projector for your $200 iPhoneFor that $700 price quoted above you were probably hoping for some sort of impossibly small and stylish pico projector, able to consume your iPhone, beam its contents onto the nearest flat surface, and make everyone nearby say “Ooh.” Sadly the truth is not quite so charming, with Lancer Corporation’s iJector looking to be smallish but not particularly svelte — or stylish, for that matter. It sports the ubiquitous iPod dock on top that will accept a suite of Apple devices ranging from Gen 1 iPod nanos to iPhones running OS 3.0, and also has video input and output so that it can work with non-Apple devices, beaming a maximum 50-inch image at a disappointing 557 x 234 resolution. Did we mention that, at ¥64,800, it’s nearly $700? It is, and it’s shipping to Japan next month if for some reason you’re still interested.

[Via CoolestGadgets]

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Lancer’s iJector is the $700 projector for your $200 iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 16

Apple says iTunes syncing only for Apple devices, looks sternly at Palm

Posted in: Apple, ipod, itunes, palm, pre, sync, Today's Chili

Looks like Apple’s response to the Pre’s support for iTunes syncing is starting to take form — a snippy little note titled “About unsupported third-party digital media players” was just posted to the company’s support site. The money quote:

Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.

Here’s where it gets interesting: since the Pre identifies itself to iTunes as a bog-standard iPod, Apple would have to actively code in a USB node check to actually block syncing, which is just a little bit more aggressive than the “software changes over time” mentioned here. We’ll see if Apple decides to engage in a cat-and-mouse with a company now run by the former head of the iPod division — we’ve got a feeling this could get messy.

[Via Daring Fireball]

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Apple says iTunes syncing only for Apple devices, looks sternly at Palm originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 16

Study: iPhone Owners Are Older, Wealthier Than iPod Touch Users

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, ipod, ipod touch, marketing, Phones, research, study, Today's Chili

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Marketing research company ComScore recently conducted a survey highlighting socioeconomic differences between iPhone and iPod Touch users.

First spotted by Fortune 500’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt, the survey discovered the following about the general iPhone and iPod Touch population:

  • 70 percent are men
  • 50 percent surf the mobile web more than they read newspapers or magazines
  • More than 40 percent use mobile devices more often than their computers to browse the web
  • More than 40 percent spend more time on mobile web browsing than they do listening to the radio

But more interesting are the results illuminating what iPhone users and iPod Touch owners don’t have in common:

  • iPhone owners are older: 69 percent of iPod Touch users are between 13 to 24 years old; 74 percent of iPhone customers are older than 25
  • iPod Touch owners are less wealthy: 78 percent of iPhone users have a household income of $25,000 or more, compared with 66 percent of iPod Touch users
  • More iPhone owners are parents: 46 percent of iPhone users have children while only 28 percent of iPod Touch users do

And other more general observations:

  • iPod Touch owners are more likely to shop for cellphones (obviously), clothes, TVs and other electronics
  • iPhone owners are more likely to spend on traveling, financial services and real estate

Pretty neat, and the results make plenty of sense. I’m surprised iPod Touch owners shop for gadgets more than iPhone owners, though. I always thought the iPhone was a status symbol for spend-happy tech geeks — more so than the iPod Touch. Your thoughts?

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Photo: Steve Rhodes/Flickr


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Jun 12

Engadget’s recession antidote: win a Scosche passPORT Home Dock!

Posted in: contest, ipod, recession, Today's Chili

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got a Scosche passPORT Home Dock ready to give your old iPod docking device the ability to play nice with newer iPods and iPhones. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! Oh, and for those who miss out, coupon code ‘engadget’ will net you 20 percent through Google Checkout at Radius’ site.

Special thanks to Scosche for providing the gear!

The rules:

  • Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
  • You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
  • If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  • Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  • Winner will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Scosche passPORT Home Dock. Approximate retail value is $39.99.
  • If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
  • Entries can be submitted until Friday, June 12th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!

  • Full rules can be found here.

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Engadget’s recession antidote: win a Scosche passPORT Home Dock! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 06

Scosche tapSTICK adds hard buttons, purpose to new iPod shuffle

Posted in: ipod, Today's Chili

We appreciate Apple’s efforts to make the iPod shuffle into something that no one’s ever done before, but seriously, the no-buttons approach is sort of, um, annoying. Thankfully, the good guys and gals over at Scosche are totally in agreement, and thus, they’ve taken the time to develop the remarkable tapSTICK. Put simply, this 3rd-gen iPod shuffle case protects one’s player from the elements while adding hard buttons that simulate the commands on Apple’s own VoiceOver-friendly earbuds. The result? An MP3 player that’s not partial to lackluster white ‘buds, not to mention one that you can actually control with relative ease. Too bad it’ll cost you $29.99, but we suppose that’s the going rate these days to extinguish frustration. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Scosche tapSTICK adds hard buttons, purpose to new iPod shuffle

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Scosche tapSTICK adds hard buttons, purpose to new iPod shuffle originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 05

AITALK adapter adds voice control to your iPod nano

Posted in: ipod, iPod Nano, Today's Chili

Voice control accessories for the iPod aren’t an entirely new invention, but they’ve often been more expensive than the iPods themselves. While it’s still far from a bargain, this new $85 AITALK adapter for the iPod nano on display at Computex does seem to be one of the more affordable to date, and seemingly just as full-featured as the rest of the options out there. That includes the ability to speak artist and song names in addition to the usual player controls, and support for multiple languages (although it’s not clear exactly which ones). Unfortunately, there’s no word on a release ’round here just yet, but you can get a closer look at the device courtesy of our pals at Engadget Chinese by hitting up the read link below.

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AITALK adapter adds voice control to your iPod nano originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 05

Liveblog: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2009

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, ipod, LiveBlog, Mac, Notebooks, Phones, Today's Chili

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Check back here 10 a.m. Monday for Wired.com’s live coverage of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2009. Yours truly will be liveblogging the keynote, accompanied by staff writer Priya Ganapati and photographer Jon Snyder.

Prefer your news through Twitter? Priya will be tweeting juicy bits of the keynote on the Gadget Lab Twitter account. What are you waiting for? Follow us now!

Meanwhile, keep up with all our WWDC-related news. We’re anticipating an exciting Monday, aren’t you?

Photo: Adam Jackson/Flickr


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