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Onkyo's E713 all-in-one PC is the space station to your starfaring iPod
Okay, now this is just getting ridiculous. We know Onkyo has a long history of building iPod docks, but to see the company build an entire all-in-one PC around the feature is a little much, especially when -- once again -- the iPhone isn't invited to the party. No, when the E713 series ships in Japan next month at or around the ¥99,880 (about $1100) price point, it will include up to a Core i5-650 processor, 4GB of RAM, a digital TV tuner, Blu-ray drive, 1TB hard drive and loads of ports behind that 23-inch, 1920 x 1080 LCD screen, but a slide-out iPod classic / nano / touch dock that apparently can't accommodate the iPhone's portly frame. That's discrimination, right there -- or at least we'll keep on telling ourselves that, since we're all out of sour grapes.
The greatest Apple product leaks of all time
There's been much buzz these past couple of days around the leaked images and videos of the 4th generation iPhone. Despite the current hubbub, secrecy is at the heart of the Apple ethos, and it serves two primary purposes: to protect trade secrets, and to create a buzz. When products leak, it's like finding out about your own surprise party. Most of the fun is gone. Hell hath no fury like Steve Jobs finding out about leaked Apple products. Over the past decade, Steve has had many reasons to unleash his anger about leaked products; let's take a look at the rogue's gallery.
Sorry your iPod nano got so scratched five years ago, here's your $37.50
Hey, remember five years ago when the first-gen iPod nano came out and everyone in the world (literally) was sad because it scratched so easily? And then Walt Mossberg was sad, too? And then, inevitably, there was a class-action lawsuit filed, even though the lead plaintiff was like, "no, really guys, I'm cool?" No? Well shake off those cobwebs and get ready to party in a moderate way, because your check for $37.50 is in the mail. Yep, that's all individual consumers get in the settlement, which first started processing claims in December -- we're guessing the plaintiff's attorneys managed to score themselves a little more than that, because they worked so hard defending our interests. But hey -- one thirteenth of an iPad ain't so bad, right? And you wonder why we rarely cover class-action lawsuits. [Thanks, Phil]
Hack: The iPod serial library enables homebrew remote controls
Warning: If you are baffled by people who think dismantling technology is fun, and completely fail to understand the excitement of building robots to battle other robots, this post may not be for you. Just so you know. On the Make: magazine blog, they recently posted a piece about the evolution of a project. It was an iPod remote from last year that has gone from a "start and stop" only device to a full featured remote. It is a lovely piece of tech, powered by Arduino hardware. Arduinos are open-source circuit boards and software you can use to develop interfaces with all sorts of electronics. I remember reading the first post about this remote last fall and being interested in where he would take this project, mostly because I love seeing what people do with Altoids tins. I have to admit hooking one up to a giant "Easy" button for my car never really occurred to me, though. I really like the idea of building my own remote; partly so I can say I did it, but also because it would be a nicer way to get my iPod or iPhone (depending) working nicely with my car stereo. Honestly I only understand about half of what he's talking about in this article, but I'm good at following instructions and I am reasonably handy with a soldering iron, so this doesn't look completely unreasonable. If I do end up building one I'll be sure to post all about it for you. In the meantime, have you built an unholy alliance between your Roomba and your iMac, or any other variety of Mac Tech Mashup? Tell me about it, I'd love to see what you all can do! Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/finsprings/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Apple serves up 10 billionth iTune, smiles all the way to the bank
Whether you love it or loathe it, there is now no way to deny the spectacular success of Apple's iTunes Store. The proprietary digital media player, organizer and salesperson has just now recorded its 10 billionth song download, marking a truly unique achievement in the still nascent world of digital distribution. Congratulations to Apple, whose response has been to thank you all for spending so much cash and making El Steve look like the techno pied piper. Hit the source link to find out what the most downloaded songs of "all time" were... you might not be surprised by the top three, but you should definitely be horrified.
Win a limited edition set of Beatles MusicSkins from TUAW
Although you still can't get your Beatles fix through the iTunes Store, Apple Corps has made a license agreement with MusicSkins, the maker of music-related vinyl skin products for electronic devices. As a result, you can now purchase Beatles personal device skins featuring the Beatles logo and cover art from "Abbey Road," "Yellow Submarine," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Rubber Soul," "Let It Be," "With the Beatles," and "Hard Day's Night." We have something completely different we'd like to give away to one lucky TUAW reader -- a limited edition (one of only 250) Beatles Album Jacket set with MusicSkins for the iPhone (2G, 3G, 3GS), iPod touch (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation), iPod nano (5th Generation), and iPod Classic (80GB, 160GB). This features the full set of album cover art from the Beatles, and there are two MusicSkins for each of the iPod / iPhone types noted. If you don't have all of the devices, you can give some away to your friends as gifts! To enter this special giveaway, just leave a comment below with the name of your favorite Beatle (and no, Pete Best, Stu Sutcliffe, and Brian Epstein don't count). Here are the details of the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment with the name of your favorite Beatle -- John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, or Ringo Starr The comment must be left before Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: One Limited Edition set of MusicSkins featuring The Beatles (Value: US$120.00) Click Here for complete Official Rules. Good luck!
Screen Grabs: DJ Roomba mixes business with pleasure on Parks and Recreation
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. An automated vacuum cleaner that pumps out rap while tidying your mess? Call us crazy, but this very well may be the most intelligent thing the United States government has ever done.
Second-generation Blue Microphones Mikey announced, uses free app
The audio wizards at Blue Microphones have wowed Mac and iPod fans with their Snowball, Snowflake, and Mikey microphones. Now, just before the start of CES 2010, Blue has announced the US$99.99 second generation Mikey Portable Recorder for iPod and iPhone. While the new Mikey hasn't yet achieved iPhone certification, it promises to be a powerful professional recording solution for iPhone owners when it arrives in the spring. Mikey still features two Blue mic capsules for pro-quality stereo recording, but now has improved acoustic circuitry for better recordings of loud events such as concerts. The new Mikey also has a 3.5mm line input for those times that you want to plug in a sound source like a guitar or mixer. There's also a USB pass-through connection for charging and syncing. A newly designed case makes Mikey usable with most iPhone cases, and the mic can be adjusted to seven fixed positions within a 230-degree range for optimum positioning. But wait, there's more! Blue is also throwing in a soft carrying pouch for Mikey, along with a headphone extension cable for playback monitoring with the iPod touch and nano. Blue has also put a high-fidelity field recording app for iPhone and iPod touch into the App Store. Blue FiRe [Free, iTunes Link] has been out for a few months and is optimized for the second generation Mikey. The combination of the high-quality mic and free software produces a complete mobile recording experience. Expect to see the new Mikey at Apple Stores, Guitar Center, and Amazon.com this spring. [via Engadget]
H2O Audio case turns your iPod nano 5G into underwater camcorder
Bank account not mighty enough to handle an underwater EOS 5D Mark II? Fret not, 'cause H2O Audio just made underwater Terminator captures a reality for a comparative pittance. Said outfit has been cranking out waterproof shells for Apple's cash cows for awhile now, but the latest one is of particular interest due to the iPod nano 5G's integrated video recorder. The $79.99 case enables you to capture video clips while under the sea, and considering the multitude of wild and wacky scene modes, we'd say next summer just got a lot more interesting. Just ask that dude up there if you don't believe us.
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXLVI: MP3/AVI/MP4 Player has 'stylish designer style' courtesy of Apple
It doesn't get much better than this, folks. If KIRF is an art form this right here is your Mona Lisa, your Starry Night, your... painting with that dude screaming on a wharf. You know the one. Anyway, this is about the best iPod Nano knockoff we've ever seen, cloning that flat, proprietary connector and sporting a UI that would make the most ardent of Apple fanboys look twice. It has a camera on the back like the 5G, but trumps the Nano with support for a predictably wide suite of file formats and a price of just $33.25. A bargain, so long as you don't mind the measly 2GB of storage and the nagging sense of guilt that comes with buying a fake -- even if it is a spectacularly good one. [Thanks, Larry]
iTunes tagging comes to London iPod nano owners: a European first
Hard to believe it but iTunes tagging has finally arrived in Europe. Well, Great Britain. The UK? Fine, England. Ok, ok, to those parts of London where you can tune into Absolute Radio 105.8FM -- the only European station to have inked a deal with Seattle-based Jump2Go (developer of the tech) and Britain's own Unique Interactive. Owners of the new iPod nano with built-in FM radio can now tag songs they're listening to for later purchase from the iTunes store when docked. Video demonstration after the break for you London newbs.
How-to: get music, videos, and photos off your iPod or iPhone
To think, it's been over five years since we last tackled how to get music off your iPod, as opposed to the other way around. Back then, the classic model had only recently added the infamous click wheel (while still rocking the monochrome screen, mind you), iPod nano was still called the mini, and viewing photos was a brand new feature worthy of having its own line. It's time to take another look at how to transfer media of all sorts -- audio, video, and pictures -- from a variety of iPods and iPhones back to your Windows or Mac OS X machine. Jump to: Windows | OS X
Apple quietly updates the 5th Generation iPod nano to 1.0.2
This week Apple issued an update to the iPod nano, bringing it to version 1.0.2. Fixes and additions include: Fixed audiobook playbook setting so Normal, Slower, Faster, works for audio podcasts Resolved issue where Genius Mixes did not work when using the Nike+ Sport Kit Accessibility setting for Mono Audio in now working Fixed bug so VoiceOver menu items are no longer skipped when using headphone + and - volume buttons to navigate As always, you can download this update by clicking on the "Check for Update" button in iTunes when you connect your iPod nano to your computer.
iPhone and iPod touch radio app with iTunes store integration on the horizon?
We know what you're thinking, how dare that new iPod nano have features your premium iPhone and iPod touch handhelds don't? Well, if this 9 to 5 Mac rumor has any merit, Apple is right there with you and has a solution in the works. According to said whispers, a Radio app is in the works to capitalize on the recent models' latent FM tuner. It'll either be standalone or integrated into the iPod app, and either way it'll be able to work in the background while you browse other, not so fortunate apps. The apparent cause for delay is work on a feature that'll identify the songs and link you to the appropriate iTunes page for purchase. As always, this is just a rumor, so do yourself a favor and try not to dwell on it too much, k?
iMovie 8.0.5 available for your downloading pleasure in Software Update
It looks like another day with another update from Apple. This time, iMovie has been updated to version 8.0.5. This updates fixes some minor issues, as well as improve compatibility with the 5th generation iPod nano and some camcorders These fixes include: Improved compatibility with camcorders using the iFrame video format Improved compatibility with importing video captured on the iPod nano Fixed problems with resizing the iMovie window during playback This update available and recommended for all users of iMovie '09, it's around 36MB, and it's available through Software Update or the Apple Support Downloads page.Thanks Mike for the tip!
The Engadget Show - 001: Jon Rubinstein, Bit Shifter, iPod event, Moto CLIQ, N900
Well it's finally, really happened. The very first Engadget Show is done and ready for your viewing pleasure. First up, Josh sits down with Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein for an in-depth discussion, then Nilay and Paul join the fray for a dissection of recent news -- including the recent Apple iPod event, the Motorola CLIQ, and a hands-on look at an early version of the as-yet-unreleased Nokia N900! We're still getting our T's crossed and I's dotted for the Zune and iTunes subscriptions, but you can download the full HD video below -- or just sit back and watch the streaming file up above. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Special guest: Jon Rubinstein Produced and directed by: Chad Mumm Music by: Bit Shifter Visuals by: Paris and outpt Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 001 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 001 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 001 (Extra small - 319MB) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. HD torrent: http://nixil.net/engadget_show_001.torrent
Hands-on with the new iPod nano, part 2
Our planned look at the camera feature on the iPod nano got delayed by a household medical emergency, as described in one of our nano example videos above. It did give me a bit more time to go a little more hands on with the nano video camera, and the end result is satisfactory. You're not going to buy this nano for the camera; it's just a bonus feature. Will it be the deal breaker over buying a nano versus another iPod, an iPhone or even a Flip? It all depends what you want out of it. The video above was shot indoors using the nano. It was actually my fourth attempt at taking an indoor video because if you want any luck with the nano's camera, you've got to have decent lighting. This shot was my first attempt with the camera, and you can see the difference the lighting made. As mentioned during the keynote, Apple is looking to take on Flip mino with the new nano. As such, we decided to see not only how the nano compares to the Flip, but also to an iPhone 3GS. Continue on reading to see how these shots turned out.
MovieWedge beanbag keeps your iPhone upright, costs ten bucks
You know, 2009 is turning into a banner year for pillow-assisted gadgetry. Not only has Philips introduced the CushionSpeaker, but we've just been hepped to a similar idea for the portable media set, an iPhone / Zune / etcetera stand called the MovieWedge. If you've ever wanted to spend $9.95 on a bean bag, now's your chance, kids -- this guy's shaped like a pyramid, constructed out of micro-suede (perfect for wiping your display free of fingerprints) and who knows? It may free you from the tyranny of having to hold your iPhone upright on long plane rides. But one thing it won't free you from? The shame of spending ten bucks on a beanbag. Peep 'er in the gallery below. [Via PhoneMag]
Switched On: The iPod touch and the big picture
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. In a New York Times interview of Steve Jobs conducted by Engadget columnist aspirant David Pogue, Apple's CEO suggested that the company did not include a camera on the iPod touch because the company was now marketing the iPod touch as a game machine and that a camera was not germane to such a device. "We don't need to add new stuff," said Jobs. But why is adding a digital camera any less germane to the portable game device of the iPod touch than it is to adding it to the media player of the iPod nano? Or, if price is an issue, why not exclude it only on the entry-level model? The iPod touch market will soon be large enough to support such diversity. And if the iPod touch is indeed being marketed as a gaming console and a low-cost point of entry to the app store, excluding a camera disrupts the continuity of the touch/iPhone platform, while the iPod imaging message is now more muddled: If you're buying the iPhone 3G, you can capture stills but not video, while the "lower-end" iPod nano offers video capture but not stills, the iPod touch offers neither, and only the iPhone 3GS offers both.
iFixit tears apart the 5th Generation iPod nano...nicely
The pioneers at iFixit are at it again, this time exploring the Loop's newest, coolest gadget -- the iPod nano. According to their measurements, this iPod is as thin as it could possibly be, and more densely packed than any previous Apple device. I work on iPods at my day job, but I'm afraid to start working on this one because there is very little wasted space and LOTS of glue. Here are some facts worth highlighting: The iPod nano uses flash memory manufactured by Toshiba. Apple would not be able to put a larger camera into it without reducing the footprint of other components. It uses the same style speaker as the iPod touch. The sound exits through the dock connector. The display has 17.5% more real estate than the 4th Generation iPod nano. Read on for the nitty gritty, "I want to tear it apart" information...
