7. Capacitive Touch Screen Gloves

Terrific if you live in a colder climate, one thing you quickly learn in such an environment is that your hands need covered. And that’s not always conducive with touch screens. Better yet, you can get extra schmaltzy and pull the “cold hands / warm heart” gambit. And these are especially good for either front as they’re made with touch screen fibers in the fingers, allowing you to not only wear the gloves, but also interact with the touch screen. Best of all, they’re only $15.99 out at ThinkGeek.

6. Ballistic iPhone 4S Case

If your lady has an iPhone 4S, you know she’s put a lot of cash into it, and a lot of hard work just to get one. What better way to say “I care about the things you care about” than giving her one of the best multi-layer protection setups yet in the Ballistic iPhone 4S case? While the sentiment is certainly there, there’s no denying that a Ballistic case will do a nice job protecting your lady’s iPhone against drops and weather conditions, so it’s worth adding to the shopping list.

5. Kindle Fire

This one works delightfully on several levels. Is she a reader? It handles ebooks smoothly. Does she like mobile computing? This is a light-grade tablet. Or do you just want to get sappy? Tell her she Kindles that Fire in your heart and watch the misty-eye effect kick in. A Kindle Fire’s got just about every possible facet of gift-giving awesome you could want in your Valentine’s Day, so take advantage of the sheer array of possibilities!

4. A MP3 Player Mix Tape

This is a concept that’s steadily coming into vogue, and the perfect example of absolute customization. See, these days, MP3 players aren’t pricey. Some of them even serve double duty as USB sticks. And when you pre-fill them with your songs of choice, easily had at any of a variety of music sites, it only gets better. Couple a good shopping value together with the opportunity to make an emotional impact and that spells a smart move in the making.

3. Membership to your MMO of choice

A video game for Valentine’s Day? The hell you say!  It’s not so outlandish as you might think, as it’s been discovered that ladies like video gaming as much as guys do…okay, maybe not as much, but the numbers are closer than you’d think, and for different reasons. See, for many of the ladies, gaming is an opportunity for a social experience. And an MMO is a great opportunity for gaming to get social. Plus, it’s a game that she doesn’t have to stand around and watch you play–rather, she can play too. And if she’s playing right along side you, that’s a much, much different story.

2. Dave Barry’s A Complete Guide To Guys

Guys, we are not an open book to the ladies. In fact, much of our way of life confuses them about as much as theirs confuses us. And if you’ve ever wanted to make an impression, what better way than to hand over a complete guide to us? And let’s face it, guys, if you’ve read Dave Barry’s book, you know it’s not only funny, but it’s also disturbingly accurate. Everything from a description to our responses to the appearance of other guys in a public restroom to our relative confusion over the concept of relationships in general, Barry provides all the details you could ever want to know. And what better way to say “I love and trust you” than to hand over a primer to our most universal secrets? There’s only one way better that I can think of, and that way is…

1. 3D Chocolate Printer

A 3D printer is an impressive enough gadget by itself. It takes plastic, or resin, or even powdered metal and creates three dimensional representations of objects. With a 3D printer, you can actually create most anything you want, as long as you have the necessary instructions for it. And now, there’s currently research going on–this one might take a while to get to you–into 3D printers that use chocolate. And with that, you’ll be able to custom make anything out of chocolate. Anything. The possibilities stretch out before you, as anything you can think to make a chocolate replica of could be done with something like this.

And so, there you have it; seven great possibilities, both now and in the future, for great gifts for Valentine’s Day. Special thanks to our friends out at ThinkGeek, who dropped us a line on special Valentine’s Day gifts for the geek in your life. And for those who think this list may be a bit skewed, fear not: I consulted actual females in the list’s construction, who found it for the most part worthwhile, but acknowledged that the actual mileage on these gifts will vary.

And of course, for every one I managed to include, there are several others that I missed. So help out your fellow gadget buffs down in the comments section; what hits have you had as far as Valentine’s Day gift giving goes? What gifts have fallen short of the mark? No matter what your experience has been, head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

all pics copyright their owners.

Now the Wall Street Journal has it that Google is working on a home entertainment system whose main feature will be to stream wireless music, quite probably from the company’s Google Music service:

Google’s entertainment device, in development for several years, is expected to be unveiled later this year, people familiar with the matter said.

It’s unclear which retailers would sell the entertainment device, which would stream music from Google’s online music-storage service and pipe it wirelessly to Google-designed speakers or other Web-connected devices in people’s homes, according to these people. In the future, such a device could potentially stream other forms of digital media such as video, one of these people said.

We’re certainly surprised to hear that Google is interested in manufacturing such a product and we can’t but wonder what would motivate the company to develop it. Such a device could be controlled by mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, although it’s not known yet whether they must be Android devices. But there are no details regarding its specs and features and we should be looking at some spectacular characteristics to convince users to buy one. And there’s no indication the device will be based on Android either.

What’s also puzzling is that the device will not stream, at first, movies or TV shows, which is quite a strange decision.  And while Apple is expected to make around 17 billion in the first year alone from its rumored iTV product, the home-audio hardware business is valued at $8 billion per year, so Google won’t make a lot of cash off it, at least not initially.

Not to mention that the music business is largely dominated by Apple as the company has quite an important MP3 market share and a significant iOS customer base, also devices that can download and stream music from iTunes. And chances are that quite a few iPod and iOS device owners already own an iPod and/or iOS device dock that helps them transform the device into a home entertainment system.

So why is Google so interested in creating a Google-branded home entertainment device. Is it part of the company’s future Android@Home Android-based automated home vision? Will you purchase such a music-only entertainment device?

The Jambox Big, which made a brief appearance out in the FCC’s hands, is set to be an upgrade–in most senses of the term–of the original Jambox. It offers up a 3.5 mm audio jack, ensuring it will work with most any device that uses 3.5 mm headphones, which includes a wide variety of devices starting with iPods and iPhones, and going outward through a litany of names and offerings.

It’s said to include a 60 inch USB cable for extra connectivity options, and it puts all this in a package measuring a surprisingly hefty 10.1 inches by 3.2 inches by 3.7 inches, and weighing 2.7 pounds with a battery life of right around 12 hours on a single charge, which is up from the original Jambox’s ten hour life. It will also come in your choice of colors: Red Dot or Graphite Hex.

Oddly, perhaps the most important details of all like speaker wattage is as yet unclear, but based on current reports, this may only be the start of the lineup from the folks at Jawbone, who may well be working other versions of this one. Also unavailable across several reports so far is pricing and release dates, which makes some sense in that the product itself hasn’t even been officially announced yet.

I’m somewhat in favor of soundbars and other such speaker augmentations for portable gear, especially when they have batteries, as it will allow for use in areas you wouldn’t otherwise expect. If you haven’t yet tried showering to music, I wholeheartedly recommend the practice, and battery-powered speakers and portable gear makes the idea much less dangerous than it could be.

But what do you guys think here? Figure that the Jambox Big could put a big punch in portable music? Or do you think that the Jambox Big should add one key word after its name: “Mistake”? No matter what your stance on this one, head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think of the Jambox Big!

Back in May 2011 we heard that the new iPod nano will dump the clip and instead feature a camera, but that never happened. Instead, Apple went for minor updates for its iPod nano and iPod touch lines last year, deciding not to launch new products during the “Let’s talk iPhone” event. But things could be different this year, at least if the images below shows an actual Apple product.

As you can see in the picture, we’re looking at an iPod nano that still has the clip, but also packs a camera, a feature that some iPod nano users will enjoy. However, don’t expect extraordinary camera features from such a device. We’re probably looking at a 1.3-megapixel or 2-megapixel shooter here, as Apple is apparently working with different prototypes at the moment. M.I.C. Gadget reports:

According to our factory sources, Apple have problems with the lens aperture for the next-gen iPod nano, the iris is not functioning correctly to allow the advantages of the low aperture to be utilized. Every shot was overexposed. Apple intends to correct its mistake, but the problem still exists in this prototype that is manufactured two months ago. What’s more, a 2-megapixel camera was tested, but it was unsatisfactory — the photos look washed-out and flat. The good news is… this 2-month-old prototype is close to final product, the UI is done.

Previous iPod nano generations used to come with cameras on board, so it wouldn’t be that surprising to see Apple toying with the idea again. After all, most mobile devices out there have some sort of camera, so why not put one inside the upcoming iPod nano too?

As for availability dates, the publication is suggesting that Apple will launch the new nano at some point in the first or second quarter of 2012, which is highly unusual for Apple’s product release cycles. Would you buy an iPod nano 7G with a camera on board?

Images via Apple.pro

We all remember that the iPhone 3G running iOS 4 wasn’t offering the most pleasant iOS experience, therefore we can’t blame Apple for deciding that those devices should only run iOS 3.1.3 / iOS 4.x. Luckily for owners of such devices there now exists a custom iOS 3.1.3 version called Whited00r that packs some iOS 5.0 features to bring your old iOS device back to life. And all that is possible without a jailbreak – although these old devices are also jailbreakable and a jailbreak is built-in the custom software.

Naturally, the custom iOS version is not supported by Apple, and I’m pretty sure the company would not agree with Team Whited00r and their work, but old iPhone and iPod touch users could be interested in trying it out. All they have to do is install Whited00r on their devices – a process very similar to reinstalling their current iOS build – and they’ll enjoy various iOS 5 features including multitasking, home screen background, app folders, reminders, iCloud support, video recording, improved Safari mobile Newsstand and others.

Whited00r removes software limitations, enabling some of the hidden features of these devices and offers a built-in jailbreak, Cydia support, access to carrier unlock and an alternative App Store. In other words, Whited00r has everything it needs to annoy Apple, but at least some users will be happy to hear that their iOS experience is about to be significantly improved without upgrading their hardware.

Naturally, just like with any non-official iOS build or jailbreak and/or unlocking solutions, we’re not advising you to install Whited00r on your older iOS devices. But if you do, then make sure you backup everything beforehand. If you end up not liking it you could always roll back to the default iOS version that you currently have installed on your iOS device.

Though, we should clarify that this method appears to have been discovered by accident. Not to mention, while Siri is technically installed on the device, the functionality is not even close to what it is on an iPhone 4S. That being said, it is being reported that the user managed to get Siri on his iPod touch by using a backup file from an iPhone 4S. According to the details being provided at this point;

“This iPod was restored from an iPhone 4S backup, and somehow the Siri files came along with it. While this iPod is jailbroken, it contains no 3rd party Siri tweaks or hacks to enable Siri.”

And thankfully there is also a short video to go along with the details. Of course, the catch with this installation — while the files are on the iPod touch, there is little that can be done as the device requires a connection to the Apple servers to make the magic of Siri work.

Specifically, it was noted that “Siri as itself doesn’t connect to Apple’s servers, but it’s reported that Siri dictation works just fine.” As you will see in the video, launching Siri gets you little more than the standard messages saying that Siri is not working. For those who have not seen those before, they go as follows;

“I’m really sorry about this, but I can’t take any requests right now. Please try again in a little while.”

“There’s something wrong, and I can’t answer your questions right now. Please try again in a little while.”

That all being said, this does seem like an interesting way to get things going. We also cannot help but wonder if this would be a good jumping off point for those with a little more knowledge. You know, sort of a jump start of getting Siri running fully on devices other than the iPhone 4S.

Also worth noting, this user also apparently managed to get Siri installed on his Verizon branded iPhone 4 using this same method. But alas, that saw the same end result as with the iPod touch. Now, with all of this Siri talk, maybe this guy who actually has a 4S can think of a good reason to start using it. I have to say, I love my 4S but have hardly ever used Siri and I cannot help but think I am not alone in that respect.

The RDH-GTK33iP is a substantial piece of hardware that fits into a relatively small space, an important fact to consider in light of the other fact that this sucker’s putting out an impressive 420 watts of sound power. Naturally, being geared toward the iPod (and of course, the iPhone by extension), it’s got an onboard 30 pin dock connector port, as well as a USB port for a memory stick or other device, including, naturally, the Sony Walkman. It also offers dual tweeters, six inch woofers, and a design geared to flatten frequency response.

And even better, the dock’s speakers boast a set of lights that will pulse in rhythm with the song selected in a variety of different colors, making this a complete all in one package of sound and sight that will no doubt have every teenage boy out there desperate to get his hands on one of these just to show off to his friends. Doubtless plenty of other people will be interested as well–it’s certainly got my attention.

The down side here is that neither price nor availability were announced for the RDH-GTK33iP, so we don’t know where they’ll hit or how much they’ll cost when they do, but still, this should be one to watch…or at least one to listen to.

So what do you guys think of these? Figure that they’ll be part of a lot of people’s sound systems? Or do you figure that most people already have their iPod dock of choice and likely won’t leave for flashing lights? No matter what you think, the comments section is waiting for you below, and we’d love to hear what you think about the RDH-GTK33iP dock from Sony!

Seeing things out of Apple at the show is kind of a crap shoot, but Apple-based peripherals, now, that’s a whole different matter. And the Tango TT is going to give you a whole lot of extra spark by offering up a flexible 30 pin dock connector, which means you’ll be able to plug your devices in in your choice of landscape or portrait mode. It also includes a sliding support for the back connection, which in turn will allow you to slide your charging device into a variety of different angles. This is important, because like I said in the headline above, this is going to be both versatile (surprisingly so, even!) and app-driven.

The Tango TT has a built-in hardware app which you can get access to from the Apple App Store that will allow you to use the Tango TT along with your iPad as a digital photo frame, letting you show off your pictures in slideshow form on that impressively sharp, clear, and large tablet display. Better still, you’ll be able to get hands on a remote app that will let you remotely control the combination to act as a music player, down to play, pause, and advance among tracks.

This is going to be available for you to pick up sometime in summer this year, assuming the schedule holds, so you’ll be able to start figuring out just where you want your combination charger and digital photo frame maker when it comes out. Though XtremeMac is remaining oddly quiet about pricing just yet, which is kind of strange, but still.

So what do you guys think here? Anyone planning to lay hands on an XtremeMac Tango TT when it makes its appearance next summer? Or is your current charging method doing just fine for you? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section and tell us all about it!

The Kanex Sydnee is basically a small device complete with four USB ports receiving a constant 2.1 A of power, allowing you to plug in up to four different iOS devices so that they can charge up. Pretty good by itself, but then it tops things off by offering a cable management system so as not to get those four devices all tangled up in their own cables, as well as a fast charging function that helps protect against power surges, as well as putting charge back into the devices as rapidly as possible.

You’ll be able to pick up a Sydnee by March, as they want this out on shelves by the end of the first quarter of 2012. They’ll be available in your choice of snow or onyx, which aren’t exactly standard colors for devices (seriously, when’s the last time you heard of a device being available in “snow” or “onyx”?), but should still ingratiate themselves nicely into any decor while still putting that crucial charge under your iOS gear, and you’ll be able to get them for $149.99.

There are plenty of these kinds of devices out there, from multi-charging platforms to charging hutches (I once saw one from World Market, where you could basically put a power strip inside a wood hutch and hook it all into one outlet–it looked pretty sweet, especially if you had a lot of mobile devices to recharge), so the Kanex Sydnee is likely going to have to compete on price to get much of anywhere when it finally makes its appearance by the end of this year.

So I’ll open up the floor for you guys–anyone think the Kanex Sydnee will do brisk business when it makes its appearance? Or do you think this one will get swallowed up by the various competing models out there? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section and fill us in!

The NuForce NE-600X earbuds offer up 11 mm drivers with 16 Ohm impedance and a frequency response starting at 20 Hz and going clear to 20 kHz, so you’ll get a pretty impressive range from ultra-low bass going clear up to impressively high treble. They connect by a very simple standard 3.5 mm headphone jack and weigh a meager 12.5 grams, but still give you 43.3 inches (around three and a half feet) of cord to connect with.  You can get these in your choice of red, lime green, and black for a surprisingly inexpensive $24.95.

Meanwhile, those wanting a little more out of their headphones can step up to the NuForce NE-770X earbuds, which will step up to an 8mm drive with 16 Ohm impedance, a comparable frequency response range to the NE-600X, and a slightly longer cord giving you fully four and a half feet to work with. You’ll also get three sets of ear tips so you can at least somewhat custom fit them to your needs, and an acoustically inert polycarbonate construction to make sure the sound is obscured as little as possible by acoustic issues in the earbuds’ construction itself. These, meanwhile, will come in your choice of carbon, ice, and sky, and a pair will set you back fully $49.

Not a bad set of earbuds if you’re looking for a new pair; performance should be slightly better from the 770X but it may take a real audiophile to determine the actual differences in sound quality. Seems from here that the 600X would be the better buy of the two, though it’s easy to disagree on that one.

And that’s why we have a comments section, you know. Am I off base here? Do you think the doubled price on the 770X represents the better value? No matter what you think, head on down and tell us what’s on your mind!

Lucky bags (also called fukubukuro, thanks to Wikipedia for that one), basically, allow retailers to throw together a bag of stuff, usually at random from whatever they have in stock, and offer it up for sale, generally at a discount. So while you don’t know specifically what will be in your lucky bag, you’ll get a good mix of products, and you’ll get said mix likely for a little less than you would have paid for it ordinarily. Some lucky bags contain really, really deep discounting–some lucky bags can contain big-ticket items, part of what keeps people coming in for them (some eBay auctions work on this principle)–and that can get people very interested.

Apple, meanwhile, offered up a standard mix of items–an iPod Touch in the eight gig variety, headphones, cases and the like–though they did offer, in a few backs, MacBook Air laptops and iPad 2 tablets. In fact, the lucky bags at the Fukuoka Tenjin Apple store (one of seven in Apple’s Japanese retail portfolio, at last report) was so well-received that there was a line around the block to lay hands on one, despite the fact that they were charging 33,000 yen apiece, which is roughly $428 US.

This isn’t the first time Apple’s gone in with the lucky bag concept, either; reportedly, the San Francisco store busted out the lucky bags for their big opening back in 2004, offering up $250 bags containing a variety of devices and software.

A pretty clever idea, I’d say, and one I’d certainly like to see more retailers around here try. It is kind of fun to wonder just what, exactly, will be in your lucky bag, a little post-Christmas surprise, but considering that people probably spent most of their cash on Christmas, a New Year’s lucky bag may not go over so well. A first day of summer lucky bag, now, that might have some takers.

But what do you guys think? Would you go to the store and buy a random bag for any amount, filled with some kind of stuff from your favorite retailer? Or do you want to know what you’re buying when you want to buy it? Either way, we look forward to hearing from you, and the comments section below is just the place to do it!

Well, the super smart TFTS readers may not get confused, but attempted flattery aside, we could see the potential for confusion so this post is aimed at that and that alone — making sure none of the TFTS readers get ripped off. To begin with, the fake Spotify app is not Spotify. In short, it will not let your stream your favorite Spotify tracks. According to the description for this app, it is used to “access to all new songs,trailors,lyrics new techs and news all in a same place in a single touch .to enjoy and entertain.”

And yes, the poor grammar and spelling issues come direct from the description of the app. The app is published by khanamish (who also happens to have two other available apps) and sits at version 1.0.0.0. We should also point out that this app uses data services, owner identity and phone identity.

Moving past that, the real-deal Spotify app is free to download, released by Spotify Ltd and sitting at version 1.1.0.0. The real-deal Spotify app is also tan in color with green text (once installed on your phone).

You can see the difference in the above image, the fake Spotify app is (on the left and) priced at $0.99 and the real Spotify app is (on the right and) free. And lastly, just to make this 100 percent clear, the fake Spotify app can be found by clicking here, while the real Spotify app can be found by clicking here.

With that, lets kick this off with the price, the SiriusXM Lynx portable radio is $249.99. Not to mention, that is a near $250 that still requires a monthly subscription to SiriusXM. But monthly subscriptions aside, lets get into the features that come with the Lynx.

Just to begin with, the SiriusXM Lynx is sporting a 3.5 inch (800 x 480) multi-touch capable display, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, microSD card slot, 1200 mAh battery and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The radio measures in at 4.4 x 2.5 x 0.44 inches, weighs in at 4.8 ounces and ships with a USB cable, travel charger, cleaning cloth and soft carry pouch.

And interestingly enough, the SiriusXM Lynx is “based” on Android and also updateable using the available Wi-Fi connectivity. Some of the key features of the Lynx include;

• Listen to SiriusXM Internet Radio anywhere there’s Wi-Fi or enjoy the coast to coast coverage of Satellite Radio using accessory home and vehicle docking kits
• Enjoy new SiriusXM Xtra Channels-20+ channels of additional music, sports, entertainment and SiriusXM Latino, a collection of 12 Spanish language channels
• Pause, rewind and replay what you’re listening to on live SiriusXM Satellite & Internet Radio, using the Replay feature
• Find out about every channel and every show currently being broadcast up to 7 days into the future with the SiriusXM Show Finder
• Store up to 25 of your favorite channels for easy, one-touch tuning
• Stream to your Bluetooth stereo speakers, headphones vehicle stereo or the LH1 Home Kit
• Easily access every powerful, flexible feature using the high-definition, touch-screen display
• Using the new Spectrum Tuning mode, you can quickly tune to any channel
• Channel List Tuning mode lets you select a channel by channel number, name or category in an easy to view list
• Custom sort and filter options allows you to customize your channel tuning experience.
• Use the Direct Tune keypad to enter a channel number and tune immediately to your desired channel.
• Bring your personal music library with you – Lynx is microSDHC ready
• Parental Controls lets you lock mature content channels you do not want others to access without your permission.
• Built-in Application Tour explains all the key functions of the application to help you get started
• Share your SXM entertainment with others using the built-in speaker
• Enjoy hours of your favorite entertainment on a single battery charge

In addition to the radio itself, SiriusXM also has an available home kit and car kit. These kits are dubbed the Lynx LV1 Vehicle Kit and the Lynx LH1 Home Kit and are each selling for $69.99. And lastly, the Lynx portable radio can be purchased direct from Sirius as well as with Crutchfield. Otherwise, it was noted that the Lynx will be “available soon at retail stores nationwide.”

Why are people using iOS 3.1.3 when iOS 5 is out? I can think of three different reasons, although two of them are very similar:

1) Original iPhones, iPhone 3Gs and iPod touch 1st and 2nd generation are not compatible with iOS 5, and some of these devices have problems running even iOS 4.
2) iPhone 3G users would rather stay at iOS 3.1.3 rather than moving to iOS 4 – I know I did – therefore we’re looking at a different variation of reason #1
3) Certain users would rather stay at iOS 3.1.3 even on different devices to use a certain T-Mobile network, wink, wink. That may be the case for some iPhone 3GS users – see the image below.

In fact it was an iPhone 3GS user that opened a new topic on the Apple Support Communities entitled “App download buttons not working” with the following first post that describes the issue:

iPhone 3GS.

Whenever I go into a specific app in the app store, none of the buttons work properly.

1) clicking on the price no longer downloads the app,
2) the ratings button does nothing,
3) the ‘tell a friend’ and ‘git this app’ buttons jump back to the top of the app window,
4) pictures usually don’t show up. They usually appear as five gray rectangular boxes with white borders (though in one app one too-large-for-the-window picture shows up (see pic),
5) the ‘app support’ button still goes to the developer’s website.
6) the ‘top in-app purchases’ banner is just text now.

Has anyone experienced this?

He also provided the image above, in which you can clearly see that he’s a T-Mobile iPhone customer, which explains his iOS choice.

Why did the error occur? It appears it’s Apple’s fault as something in one of its recent updates triggered the problem. But the company has apparently fixed the issue, while keeping quiet about it. Users won’t have to do anything to enjoy everything getting back to normal – just head over to the App Store app and start downloading. Some pundits quickly rushed to point the obvious issue here, the fragmentation problem that also exists in the iOS ecosystem, and considered this to be the real issue here, when in fact it isn’t. While fragmentation exists, Apple won’t shoot itself in the foot and keep paying customers using iOS 3.1.3 out of the App Store, as the store holds plenty of apps that are iOS 3.1.3 compatible for users to still enjoy.

That being said, it looks like things may have changed up a little bit. But first, a bit about the recall. First, and speaking as a participant — the process is moving rather slowly. I saw the recall news on the 12th and filled out my request on the 13th of November. From that point, my claim was in and I was waiting on a shipping box to arrive from Apple. That box arrived, but not until the middle of December. Yup, I waited a month for the box.

Needless to say, my iPod nano has been packed and shipped to Apple. At present, my repair status is still sitting in the “diagnosis pending” phase, although I already know the outcome — a repaired model. Except, it now looks like Apple is not sending out first-generation models.

According to some recently surfaced reports, Apple appears to be sending out sixth-generation models instead. One report coming from the MacRumors forums states that;

Just received our replacement today – Fedex truck pulled up late in the evening. Inside was our replacement for our 1st gen ipod nano that was sent into Apple 1 month ago.

It’s a 6th generation ipod nano, serial number shows that warranty has expired. Not sure if that means that it’s a refurbished model or if it’s a brand new model and they’ve deactivated the warranty. It’s silver.

Given that, it looks like I have roughly a few more weeks to wait before my iPod returns. Personally it would be nice to get a newer model, but either way — it will be nice to not have to worry about any battery issues. Or more to the point — it will be nice to have an iPod with a fresh battery.

As to the delays in the recall process and the arrival of the sixth-generation models — at this point nothing confirming either way from Apple, however speculation suggests that Apple was running low on first-generation inventory and is shipping the newer models to speed up the process.

We’re even less surprised to hear that an iPod Shuffle 4G signed by Steve Jobs is currently selling on eBay for around $26,000 with five days to go until the auction ends. The price has been going up and it will probably continue to climb even more in the coming days.

The owner apparently has two such boxes, autographed by the legendary Apple leader, one being auctioned on eBay and one on-loan “to one of the nation’s university galleries, featured in an [sic] Technology exhibit (until early 2012).”

Here’s the unedited story describing how the iPod Shuffles got signed by Steve Jobs in the first place, as posted on the auction page:

Background on how this iPod came to be autographed: As part of a “innovators of tomorrow” program, myself and a 3 of my colleagues were invited to attend an in-house Apple event. Before hand, we received complimentary Apple products, including an iPod Shuffle and iTunes credits. As usual, the topics covered touched base on were a number of Apple’s latest innovations, as well as a sneak peak to future plans. After the conference, we were given the opportunity to talk with Steve himself about the shift in technology to more companion-oriented devices. As the discussion wrapped up, one person in our group asked if Steve would mind signing our iPods. As the conversation went: “I hear you’re not really one to give autographs, but I just gotta ask….will you sign my iPod? It’s fine if you don’t want to. I’m not normally one to even ask for autographs”. Steve: *chuckling* “it’s quite alright. You heard that about me?? well I wouldn’t say that I don’t like giving autographs, I guess I was never comfortable with the idea solely taking credit for something, which is to me what an autograph might imply. To be honest, I think I’m the last person who should sign something. A writer signing a book I can understand, but I think if anybody within our company should sign something, it should be members from our R&D team and all the others responsible for product innovation. It’s unfortunate that they all can’t receive the same level recognition. But I suppose it’s easier this way though??….you would need a pretty big iPod to fit all those signatures”. He was very candid and very down to earth. To my knowledge, we were the only ones lucky enough to get Steve’s ever-so-rare signature.

In case you were wondering, the iPod Shuffle’s box has never been opened, and I doubt the buyer will want to actually use the device inside the transparent case that has the signature of Apple’s co-founder and former CEO. Will you bid for this particular eBay product?

Update: It looks like the auction has been pulled with no explanation.

Turns out that it was a very good idea for Apple to open up the iTunes Match service. In fact, according to reports, it was a sufficiently good idea that a whole lot of people signed up. Too many. While the service was already reporting some problems with login data–user names and passwords–getting glitched, the problem only got worse when the sheer number of interested parties got onboard.

So far, the affected countries involved in the temporary halting of new memberships are Canada and the UK, and it’s worth noting that, reportedly, the US also had a similar temporary halt when they rolled out the service there as well.

iTunes Match, meanwhile, is a subscription service that allows users to pay a $24.99 subscription fee for one year, and then “match” their personal music collections against the massive iTunes Music Store catalog and re-download those songs on any device, regardless of from where those songs were downloaded previously. Naturally, such a move allowing for easy transporting of songs from one device to another got a whole lot of people interested, and thus the signups went fast and furious up until the events of today.

It’s impressive to see that the service was that well-received, though perhaps Apple might have done better to do an even more gradual rollout than the gradual rollout of about 16 hours ago. Still, once they get all the bugs ironed out, it’s clear this is going to be an absolute blockbuster for Apple.

So what about you guys? Anyone have a hard time signing up for iTunes Match? Anyone going to stay out of it altogether until they get the whole thing patched up? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section below and tell us what’s on your mind!

Apple launched iTunes Match in the U.S. this November, amid excitement by music lovers who can now sync their music on different devices even with just a single online purchase or CD rip. Apple has also rolled out the service in Brazil and other Latin American countries just earlier this week. Now, the service is rolling out to two more continents.

iTunes Match is now rolling out in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the rest of Europe. Users have reported gaining access to the service, although it’s still a partial roll-out at this time, suggesting that release was premature or perhaps a glitch in Apple’s cloud services. Still, we have pricing details available.

In the UK, iTuens match is priced at 21.99 GBP for one year. The service costs 24.99 Euro in other parts of the region. iTunes Match costs A$ 34.99 in Australia. These are more expensive than the U.S. $24.99 price by about US$10 equivalent, although Apple offers the same U.S. price in Latin American countries.

However, users have reported that the service does nothing at this point. Apple processes orders and accepts payments, although iTunes Match still does not sync music.

To activate the service, users will need to login to iTunes, tap on the account name to open the account information screen. Users are advised to hold off on signing up for subscriptions, though, given that it’s still useless at this point. Still, with Apple already processing signups from users in these regions, a worldwide launch is likely to come soon enough.

Sony’s Music Unlimited service is, essentially, an online music store you can access from a variety of sources–previous access points included Blu-ray players and televisions–and while it requires subscription to use, it offers up complete access to the Sony music library, which is at last report measured at over ten million tracks. You’ll also get most of the standard services here like playlist creation, and of course, channels in which music is separated by genre. You’ll have your choice of plans to which you can subscribe, from the basic plan at $3.99 a month that gives you radio channels and cloud storage for music you currently have, but the premium plan at $9.99 a month opens up the floodgates and gives you access to the full library.

Of course, there’s something of a down side here, and it’s in the connectivity used to gain access to the service from your Walkman. First, you’ll have to install an application called “Music Unlimited Transfer”, and then plug your Walkman into a computer running Windows. And then, you’ll be able to essentially sync your Walkman to the results of the web client for later use offline.

This process looks cumbersome to say the least, and considering that smartphones and the iPod, just to name two, will let you get your music wirelessly with the software currently on board them, it’s hard to see why anyone would really want the Walkman way of doing things. But then, for those who don’t want cell phone contracts or an Apple product, a Walkman would be a comparatively simple (at least as far as the bills go) way to get large quantities of music from the Internet to your ears.

So what do you guys think about this one? Figure the process is too cumbersome for your liking? Or do you like the idea of pay as you go music just fine? No matter what you think, tell us all about it in the comments section below!

Any time you can actually fit the word “Nuke” into a product name, especially for what amounts to a speaker system, you’d better be talking about some killer specs, and thankfully, we’ve got those. You see that pic up above? You see how I’ve circled the iPod in red so you can actually spot it? That’s the kind of scale we’re talking about here. It measures eight feet by four feet, and weighs a monstrous 700 pounds. This is almost half a ton of speaker. And just in case you thought it was just a little speaker in a big cabinet, fear not, as this has a reported output of 10,000 watts of sound.

Of course, just looking at the thing–and its accompanying specs–begs several questions, like just what you’re supposed to do with this behemoth. Getting it into most any room would probably be a tough call, and even if you could fit it into a room, the sheer amount of sound involved would probably blast you out of the room you got it in in the first place. Sure, maybe if you were looking for a set of speakers that could be heard throughout, say, an airplane hangar or a factory floor–or possibly across town–then the Behringer iNuke Boom might well fit the bill.

There’s even pricing out for this one, but it will set you back fully $29,999.99, so I don’t look for sales on this one to be too brisk. Hopefully we’ll hear more about this one when it hits the CES floor this January.

But what do you guys think about this one? Overkill on an epic scale? Or just what you need to make Friday night complete? The comments section is just waiting for you, so head on down and tell us what you think about the Behringer iNuke Boom!

In a media event in New York, Spotify has unveiled its “new direction” for the media streaming service going forward. Early speculators have said that Spotify is likely to relaunch its service as a music platform, which would be ideal, given its recent partnership with Facebook at the f8 conference. And from the sentiments of Spotify CEO Daniel Ek at the Spotify event, it seems specualtions were accurate.

Spotify has launched an API that app developers can access using  HTML5 and JavaScript. With the API, various mobile, web and desktop apps can essentially play music from Spotify, which makes the service a music platform that other developers can build on.

With the new API, users can access streaming music from Spotify via apps like Last.fm, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, Songkick, the Guardian and others.

A new version of the Spotify client has also been launched, which includes content curation features, in which Rolling Stone will be releasing new playlists every day. The new Spotify client also has an app finder that lets users search for new apps that will build on the Spotify platform.

Spotify says the service has reduced music piracy in some European regions (particularly Sweden) by as much as 25%. The service currently has 10 million users, 2.5 million of which are paying subscribers. The service offers a tiered scheme, in which free users can access streaming music on the web, while paid subscribers can access their music from mobile apps and while offline. Spotify currently offers 15 million songs and adds 20,000 tracks per day.

Spotify’s subscription-based service is certainly a big difference from Apple’s iTunes store, which sells music per-track. But by offering a free service alongside a premium one, will Spotify rise up to be a dominant player in the subscription music industry, well ahead of Google Music and even iTunes Match?

As you may very well know, Apple did not announce new iPod models this year during the “Let’s talk iPhone” event. The company briefly reminded the audience they existed and lowered the prices for some iPod nano and iPod touch versions while introducing a white iPod touch model.

That white iPod touch stars in the new TV ad launched by Apple entitled “Share the Fun.” The commercial is catered to the young audience, and in the 30-second clip we can easily spot a few of the most important features the iPod touch 4G has to offer: iMessage, Game Center and FaceTime.

With iMessage, the iPod touch is turned into an instant messaging tool that works with other iDevices running iOS 5 or later. iPod touch owners can send and receive instant messages to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners free of charge – well technically they still have to pay for the Wi-Fi connection that’s required for iMessage to work.

FaceTime brings video calling to the iPod touch, over Wi-Fi, and again, it’s free of charge. The video chatting technology works on devices running iOS 4 or later but also on Mac OS X computers. Other apps also support video calling and instant messaging but FaceTime and iMessage are native iOS apps found on the iPod touch right out of the box.

Then there’s the new and improved Game Center, which will let you battle your friends in all sorts of multiplayer games and iOS 5 Twitter integration to help you brag with your latest scores.

Ultimately the iPod touch is a media machine and the ad briefly shows us the music app, although we can’t ignore the fact that for the whole duration of the commercial there’s no voice over but music – again, probably meant to stress the fact this iPod touch still packs 1,000 songs, or slightly more, in your pocket.

Spotify, and similar services like Rdio, MOG, Simfy and Napster, might find themselves losing access to a big part of their current music libraries. STHoldings, a distributor representing 238 music labels, has felt disturbed by a recent NPD Group and NARM study that says subscription services discourage consumers from purchasing albums and individual music tracks separately. The group has actually issued a strongly-worded statement that said they are doing this in the best interests of their labels.

As a distributor we have to do what is best for our labels. The majority of which do not want their music on such services because of the poor revenues and the detrimental affect on sales. Add to that the feeling that their music loses its specialness by its exploitation as a low value/free commodity. Quoting one of our labels, ‘Let’s keep the music special, f**k Spotify.’

Note that we edited out the expletives.

Spotify has argued that artists do receive substantial revenues from the streaming service, and says more than $150 million has been distributed to rights holders — which include labels, song writers and artists. However, computing for music royalties and revenue from a streaming service is said to be very complicated and difficult, and the sentiment against Spotify seems to have stemmed from confusion with how revenues are paid out. This isn’t helped by the fact that Spotify is very secretive with its royalty discussions.

Subscription services offer cheaper access to music for consumers, who only need to pay a flat fee per month for streaming and mobile access. Most services offer ad-supported and free access from limited devices (such as desktop-only). But with music labels pulling out their content, does this signal that the end is near for the subscription-based business models? Will users have to stick with paying for music on a per-track basis? How about Google Music, which has recently launched, and with the support of the bigger music labels?

Essentially, the Google Music Store–though that’s not a finalized name for it as yet–is set to land with all four of the major record studios in tow, so you’ll get the fullest possible range of available songs for your online consumption. Better still, individual song pricing seems to be on par with iTunes from the newest screenshots, and since all the big studios seem to be in on the game, there will also be plenty of artists to select from as well, giving you a nice substantial array of songs to pick from. You’ll also get a whole lot of information thrown in about bands and songs and the like, and for those of you who can’t get enough free stuff, stick around, as the Google Music Store looks to institute what it’s calling the Free Song Of The Day program, in which every day yields a new free song for you to download.

Already plenty of speculation has been spawned around this ahead of its formal introduction on Wednesday, including questions like “how do I get my band’s big number onto the Free Song Of The Day list” and “what kind of revenue sharing for the actual artists as opposed to the record companies are we talking about”, and they’re all good points, with hopefully equally good answers to follow.

Still though, as interesting an idea as this looks, will it be able to compete with the already well-entrenched iTunes and Amazon? Or will Google Music turn out more like Google TV? No matter what you think about this one, we definitely want to hear from you, so head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

The iPod Nano was one of Steve Jobs’ “and one more thing …” items during one of his keynote presentations. The first generation iPod nano was received with wide acclaim, and had been one of Apple’s bestsellers in 2005. However, a few incidents of overheating and even burning has led Apple to investigate, and the findings (after six years) were that users should discontinue use, and sign up for a replacement with Apple using an online replacement form.

You will need to key in your iPod nano’s serial number for Apple to determine if it’s part of the recall. Apple says Nano owners will need to wait about six weeks for a replacement. If you have a personalized unit, though, the new one will not be engraved.

The iPod nano has actually undergone recalls before, but now Apple is including the U.S. in the list of eligible countries. iPod nano owners from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are likewise eligible for a new iPod.

Apple says they have traced the source of the overheating batteries to a single supplier. No word on which particular iPod model Apple will be replacing the defective Nano units, though, but it’s likely to be the current, equivalent model.

Do you have an iPod nano? Is it still running after all these years? Maybe your nano will get a new lease on life with this new recall.

Apple has sent a note to iOS developers, saying cloud-based iTunes libraries will be wiped out this November 12, in anticipation for the actual launch of the cloud-based service. In the update, developers testing the service have been advised to turn off iTunes Match on their computers and iOS devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Apple TV.

As we prepare for the launch of iTunes Match, we will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday, November 12th at 10 AM PST.

Please turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn off iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn off iTunes Match. On your Apple TV, please choose Music > Turn off iTunes Match.

The songs on your computer should not be affected. As always, please backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer.

Apple has not announced an exact launch date for iTunes Match, although the wording of the announcement —  ”as we prepare for the launch …” — is indicative that this will be coming sometime soon.

iTunes Match is Apple’s music syncing service, which uploads all your music to the cloud, regardless of whether these are bought from iTunes or ripped from CDs. The technology does not require the uploading of all the actual files, as Apple will match music signature with existing libraries, and store their own copies of your songs on their servers. As such, users can enjoy even higher-quality versions of music, and have these played on any compatible computer or iOS device.

The service has initially been made available in beta for iOS developers, and Apple seems to be gearing for the eventual launch for all iOS and Mac OS X users. With Apple working on securing rights to music in other countries, as well, the service might also be made available to iTunes users worldwide.

Basically, the patent allows for a device called a Speaker Clip, a fairly simple device that looks like a normal jacket clip, but includes a built-in flat panel speaker, that is said to be able to do most anything from give the device audible feedback to allowing for direct listening to the stuff stored on the device without need for headphones. What’s more, some even figure that the speaker could ultimately be piezoelectric, meaning it wouldn’t need extra juice from the iPod it’s attached to to operate, which would keep the iPod in question’s battery power running high.

Of course, this patent was filed in May of 2010, which makes it something of a mixed possibility as to whether or not it will ever see the light of day. The thing about it is, it’s not like it’s a difficult item to make, by the look of it, but the question is rather one of whether or not Apple will want to put the necessary resources into developing for a product that may or may not be, ultimately, doomed when measured against its more powerful cousins.

Still though, it’s an interesting idea, and a great way to add a little extra punch to an MP3 player. In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing something like this developed in general–could be a help to add a little extra volume to smartphones of all stripe, possibly even a good way to augment a hands-free kit.

But what do you guys think here? Will the Speaker Clip see the light of day? Or will these succumb to the march of progress that may take the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle with them? No matter what you think, we always like hearing from you, and the comments section below is just waiting for you to come along and fill us in!

The BPI, the U.K.’s equivalent of the RIAA, has formally requested the country’s largest internet service provider, BT, to block access to The Pirate Bay. Reports say that BPI has threatened to seek a court order if BT does not voluntarily comply with its request. BPI, along with other organizations that represent creative industries, are banking on a recent court order blocking BT users from accessing Newzbin2 as precedent.

BT has issued a formal response, saying the ISP will cannot block web sites arbitrarily and without a court order, and is currently focused on implementing the blocking of Newzbin2. Sources believe, though, that courts are likely to side with the music industry groups in this case.

But even if The Pirate Bay were blocked from BT and other ISPs in the U.K., torrent file transfers are de-centralized, by design. As such, The Pirate Bay only hosts the .torrent files, but not the actual music and media files. This means that users can still exchange music and multimedia for as long as other users are still running their own BitTorrent clients.

Will clamping down on The Pirate Bay and other Torrent download sites help in reducing piracy?

The XtremeMac’s Luna Voyager II offers up most of what you’d expect in a setup like this, with a dock for your iOS gear that also gives you access to control functions from it once you get an accompanying app for it via the App Store. The dock is also case-friendly, so you don’t need to go disarming the case to dock it in the Luna Voyager II, and then recase it to go. You’ll also get a digital FM radio tuner–no more trying to line up that analog bar if you still have one of the old clock radios–as well as a brightness control system and a line-in jack in case your MP3 device of choice doesn’t happen to have its I at the front of the name.

And if you’re inclined to pick one of these up, you’ll be able to do so at $69.99 out at the XtremeMac site.

It’s a pretty decent price, though admittedly, you’ll more likely than not find yourself only using this a couple times a day. But then, they’re pretty important times of day, so you really want something reliable on hand to make sure you get out of bed when you’re supposed to.

What do you guys think of this? Would you drop $70 on a Luna Voyager II? Or do you think you can do better with a much simpler model you can’t necessary customize with your own music? Either way, we want to hear from you, so head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

Apple is launching its latest Apple Store app update on November 3, the update comes with several important features. First, there’s the self-checkout mechanism we earlier wrote about. With this system, you can simply take a photo of the in-shelf item (or barcode) you want to buy, tap “purchase” on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and pay using the credit card associated with your iTunes account.

But apart from this, you can actually use your iOS device to order an item that is not stocked on the shelf, and you will be able to get your item within 12 minutes. That’s probably less time than having to ask a store sales clerk to get an item for you from their stockroom and lining up to pay. You can also order items online and have these shipped to the nearest Apple retail store. BGR has some details, and here’s how the system works:

• Customers who order an in-stock product can get their order in about 12 minutes after completing the purchase. This includes 3 minutes of the order being processed and sent to the right retail store, 2 minutes of the store staff retrieving the items from the stockroom, and a 7-minute grace period for employees to get the products sorted and packaged.
• Custom-configured machines, engraved items, out-of-stock items or accessories not in stock will have to be assigned a pick-up date. Customers will get a push notification once their item is available at their preferred retail store, after which said customer can pick up the order 12 minutes after receiving the push notification.
• Customers who make their purchase through the Apple Store app will be given priority over other customers in the store.
• Items ordered online can be returned through retail stores.

Apple reportedly expects a 30% increase in retail store sales from their new program, and the company will be attributing sales to the respective stores where items are delivered and retrieved, which will help with job opportunities, since retail store hiring is based on sales. The new site-to-store program will only be available in the U.S. initially, although the self-checkout option will be available at all Apple retail stores worldwide.

Apple has recently announced that the Apple Lossless Audio Codec — or ALAC — is now released under the Apache license, and is now avaialble for developers to build on, and that derivative works can be distributed and redistributed with our without the same licensing terms. With the open-sourcing of ALAC, developers can now build apps that run audio files encoded in this lossless format.

Previously, only iTunes on Mac OS X and all of Apple’s portable devices (iPods, iPads, iPhones) support the format, which reduces file sizes to 40 to 60% of their original size without any discernable loss in audio quality or fidelity. This is simliar to the open-source Free and Lossless Audio Compression (FLAC) popular among audiophiles. However, FLAC does not work on iTunes, and devices like the iPod, iPad and iPhone cannot play back FLAC files.

The open-sourcing of ALAC opens up the possibility of playing ALAC-compressed audio on non-Apple hardware. This also gives audiophiles the ability to save their lossless audio on Apple devices, which makes it easier to share lossless audio among users with Apple iDevices.

The ALAC project includes alacconvert, a command-line utility that can read and write data from and to WAV and CAF files, as well as media files used by portable devices like MP3 and M4A.

Apple was in a precarious position in 2001, as was the rest of the technology industry. The company was barely breaking even, and analysts wondered if it was smart for a computer company to enter into an entirely different market — music and media players.

Even back in 1999, Steve Jobs was said to have discovered a latent potential application for speedy wired transfers that FireWire offered, amid the slow USB 1.1 transfers that made loading media into media players made for Windows difficult. The rise of illegal MP3 downloads also opened up possibilities — Internet-downloaded music was seen as the future of music distribution, and Apple wanted to create a legal industry around this trend.

During this time, Apple acquired SoundJam MP and hired its creators to work on an Apple-branded digital music app. The company also assigned VP for hardware Jon Rubenstein to head up development of the company’s own music player, which will address the need for a digital media player that was not like others currently in the market, which Steve Jobs called “crap.”

Rubenstein hired Tony Fadell, who formerly worked on WindowsCE-based PDAs, to work on a new secret project, by Apple. His six-week contract turned into a long-term employment deal after he successfully presented three mock-ups of the media player to Apple executives. The eventual design would be a mix of one of Fadell’s prototypes (which was a “surprise” mockup hidden underneath one of Steve Jobs’ decorative bamboo bowls) and one of senior VP for marketing Phil Schiller’s own designs, with a clickwheel.

In designing the iPod, Apple wanted the device to “just work,” without a complicated user interface. The clickwheel was meant to address the difficulty of navigating through thousands of tracks, which would otherwise require a lot of key presses. The lack of a removable battery and even an on/off switch added to the “magic” that surrounded the iPod.

The iPod team only had six months to produce the device, to meet the target holiday season launch. Fadell then outsourced some of the component work, and hired a few engineers from his own startup, Fuse Systems. The team almost didn’t make it, as the events of 9/11 made air travel difficult. Fortunately, engineers who were bringing in iPod prototypes from Taiwan made it just in time, prior to the nationwide air travel shutdown.

The rest, as they say, is history. Steve Jobs announced the first iPod on October 23, 2011 and the company started shipping November that year. Today, Apple is no longer just a computer company, having dropped the “Compter” from its corporate name. The iPod is perhaps one of the predecessors of the post-PC era where iPhones, iPads and other similar devices dominate. And Apple, meanwhile, is now the world’s biggest music retailer. What started out as a risky gamble has turned into one of the technology industry’s success stories.

Consider how heavily miniaturized device components have become. These days, opening your smartphone is not as easy as unscrewing and unclipping a few corners of the cover. Devices are now sealed for durability, strength and stability, but this also makes it difficult to do internal repairs and upgrades when needed.

Apple apparently wants to make it easier for its technicians to repair iPhones, iPads and iPods with a new design for its casings, as published by the USPTO and shared by Patently Apple. The patent application involves locking the device cover into place by a combination of sliding, twisting, and latching. The means of removing and replacing the covers is not necessarily as easy as popping open an old-school cellphone, but it will make it easier for technicians to open and lock the cover securely without sacrificing the device’s strength and stability.

Of course, the figures cited are an embodiment of the technology, and Apple’s design will likely involve more sophisticated and miniaturized versions of these designs if and when these make it to future iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch models. But as opening and closing of device housings become easier, will this also mean that more and more third parties and hackers will be able to replace batteries, upgrade components and otherwise tinker with their devices’ innards?

That being said, those interested in the app will be able to download it directly from the Spotify website. The page that contains the download link can be found here, and otherwise, the app is only officially supported on a handful of devices.

According to the details coming from Spotify, the app will run on the Bold 9780, Bold 9700, Curve 9300, Bold 9000 and the Curve 8520. Furthermore, these handsets are all the GSM models as the “CDMA-network phones and the Torch 9800 are not yet compatible. As for unofficially supported devices, according to the comments in the posting on the Spotify blog, the app will also run on the Bold 9900. As for the features of the app, those come as follows;

• Million of songs available instantly on your Blackberry.
• Offline playlists – listen to music with no mobile connection and avoid using your data allowance
• Create and sync playlists
• Star your favourite tracks
• Search tracks, artists, album
• Browse “What’s new” and “Top tracks”
• Scrobble tracks to Last.fm
• Receive music from friends via the inbox

Spotify for BlackBerry requires a Spotify Premium subscription which will set you back $9.99 per month. And lastly, while the user reports are pretty minimal at this point, there was some mention as to the app not always remembering your username and login after you close the app and then relaunch. Of course, if that is one of the only issues, then this “first preview” sounds fairly well done.

That being said, those who listen to (or watch) podcasts and have multiple iOS devices may want to listen up for this one. The Instacast app has recently been updated and this update should make things easier if you find yourself starting a podcast on one device and then moving to another to finish.

The Instacast app goes to version 1.4 and although this update is for iOS 5, the app remains compatible with devices running iOS 4.1 or later. Anyway, according to the details provided, this latest update for Instacast brings a few things. Two of the bigger items listed is the compatibility with iOS 5 and iCloud synchronization. And breaking that second part down a bit further and we learn that it will cover syncing of the following;

• Podcast subscriptions
• Subscription priorities
• Played markers
• Starred markers
• Currently playing episode
• Current playback position

In addition, some of the other changes include;

• Improves multiple selection for to be cached episodes
• Improves video playback
• Adds Now Playing info to lock screen
• Does not auto-clear starred episodes anymore

And for those not familiar with or not using the Instacast app, it remains priced at $1.99. That all being said, while this sync between multiple devices is super nice to see — I cannot help but think that it would have been much much nicer had the app also been released as universal with proper (non-2x) support for the iPad. But maybe that is still somethings that the folks behind the app have in the works.

Google’s Music Beta app has long been available to Android users, although the main limitation is that you need to upload your own music — whether ripped from CDs or legally bought as MP3 digital music elsewhere. Google has actually been working on signing the major music labels since 2010, as reported by our Chris Smith. But not reaching a definitive deal the company decided to launch the service as a music locker, which is more akin to competitor Amazon’s Cloud Player, rather than the iTunes Store.

Google is reportedly close to making a deal with at least one of the four major music labels. In particular Citigroup-owned EMI, which distributes music from artists like Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, and Gorillaz, is keen on selling music through Google. Google is likewise discussing a potential partnership with the three other major groups — Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group — although EMI is the only company that’s currently close to a deal.

Labels have expressed concerns that music locker services like Amazon’s and Google’s can be used to upload and store pirated music. “We want to make sure the locker doesn’t become a bastion of piracy,” says a senior music industry executive.

In contrast, Apple signed the major music labels even before it launched the iTunes Store back in 2003 (known back then as the iTunes Music Store). Labels were initially reluctant, worrying that users might illegally distribute the music. But Apple’s service has since become the biggest music retailer, giving the company the power to negotiate deals and even dictate prices. And so Apple was likewise able to get licenses for iTunes Match ahead of launch. The service lets users can synchronize their music collections to the cloud without the need to re-upload each digital file.

Google was earlier able to get into deals with music labels in licensing music use in YouTube videos. But the Google Music deal is an altogether different setup, because Google will actually be selling digital music that will either reside in its servers or on users’ devices. With these piracy issues, will Google be able to sign music labels in time for launch?

The nano teardown revealed the device has almost the same internal components, albeit there’s a better processor inside and a different memory provider, but that’s hardly groundbreaking.

We don’t have a teardown yet for the new iPod touch 5G model, but then again, there is no real iPod touch 5G out there. Starting today Apple will also sell a white iPod touch flavor which is similar to the black iPod touch 4G model, except for the color. We don’t expect to see any changes inside the device once it gets its own teardown treatment.

Maybe that’s understandable since Apple’s iPod business is no longer bringing it in the same cash it used to. The company is focusing more on the iPhone and iPad lines, as those kind of devices are flying off the shelves. And both of them can also offer the same features found on the iPod touch.

The iPod touch however is the cheaper alternative for those people that want the iOS experience while shopping on a limited budget. In such cases a subsidized iPhone or a new iPad may not be an option. Apple has lowered the prices for its iPod touch models as follows:

• $199 – 8GB iPod touch
• $299 – 32GB iPod touch
• $399 – 64GB iPod touch

What the iPod touch can’t offer yet is 3G functionality. Various rumors preceding the “Let’s talk iPhone” event suggested the iPod touch 5G will come with 3G data support, but Apple never announced such a product causing quite a stir among potential iPod touch buyers that would have welcomed the added connectivity option on the portable media player.

Now that the dust has settled over such rumors one thing is certain, Apple stores stock the same iPod touch model as they did before last Tuesday, although the existing stock is probably running iOS 5 right out of the box. The only real difference is that now there’s also a white version of it.

Will you buy an iPod touch or will you get an iPhone instead?

The device runs on Android, so you have access to the Android Market for your app needs. But as its name implies, it only has WiFi connection, and no 3G – not really fitting for those who want and need constant connection on the go.

The devices run on a 1GHz processor, with the 5-inch version having 3.2 rear camera as well as a front-facing VGA camera. The 3.6-inch version, on the other hand, has a 2 megapixel shooter as well as a front-facing one. Both devices support a wide array of codecs, and their storage capacities can be expanded with the help of microSD cards.

The 5-inch Samsung Galaxy WiFi is now available for approximately $300 for the one with 8GB storage capacity and $350 for the 16GB one. The 3.2-inch version, on the other hand, costs $230 for the one with 8GB storage capacity and around $260 for the one with 16GB.

The device is currently listed as being in stock, showing an expected shipping date of October 11th (as in today) and is priced at $269.99. And for those who may have missed (or forgotten since February was several months back), the Samsung Galaxy Player is an Android PMP. Think an Android smartphone without the phone, sort of like the iPod touch to the iPhone.

Anyway, the Galaxy Player features break down as follows;

• 5.0 inch WVGA (800 x 480) TFT LCD
• 1GHz S5P-C111 Processor
• 3.2 megapixel rear facing camera
• VGA quality front facing camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 3.0
• USB 2.0
• microSD card slot
• 2500 mAh battery with a life of up to 60 hours for music and 8 hours for video
• Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread

Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Player measures in at 3.08 x 5.56 x 0.47 inches with a weight of 6.42 ounces. In addition, the Galaxy Player supports 720p HD video playback and comes with goodies to include a built-in microphone and a speaker. In other words, while this is not a phone, it can still be used as a VoIP device with apps such as Skype. And yes, that means that the Samsung Galaxy Player comes complete with access to the Android Market for all your app needs.

All said and done, if you are OK with having a Wi-Fi only device and not having a regular phone and always-on cellular connection, then the Galaxy Player seems like a good option to consider — especially for those who may have been eying the iPod touch but prefer to go Android.

Of course, those who saw that bit likely saw how the news was quickly downplayed calling the move a mistake and suggesting that no official statement was made. Needless to say, things seems a bit back and forth at that time. And well, since then there was another confirmation of the death of the Zune as well as at least one confirmation by way of Twitter.

That all being said, it seemed like the story was set straight — the Zune hardware was dead. And just in case anyone had any further doubt as to the fate of the Zune HD, the latest confirmation of the end came by way of the most recent Windows Phone Radio podcast where at just past the 12 minute park we heard this;

“we’re not going to be making the Zune HD any more, which is a bummer”

But on the positive side, those with a Zune will still be able to get support for their device and it will still be covered under the same warranty. Not to mention, the Zune Pass subscription will live on, though, things have changed a bit and the service is now down to $9.99 per month (down from $14.99 per month) but no longer includes the 10 free MP3 downloads.

Bottom line here, the Zune HD is dead. And while some will say that it has been dead for quite some time, this guy has to disagree. Well, in part. The Zune may not have had huge traction, certainly not what the iPod has seen, but as someone who had a Zune 80 and later a Zune HD along with a Zune Pass — the service was really nice.