Mp3 players and iPods
Thinking of Getting that New iPod Touch Free With a New MacBook? Think Again
Sep 2nd
Thinking of trying to use Apple’s back-to-school deal (which runs until NEXT Tuesday, September 7th) to snag that brand new iPod Touch or Nano for “free?” Think again. We were searching around Apple’s site to see what the deal was with the new iPods and the back-to-school deal, and sure enough, we found this little line on the deal’s Terms and Conditions page:
Please be advised that Apple announced new iPod models on September 1, 2010. These new iPod models are NOT ELIGIBLE for the Back to School promotion. Rebate claims submitted in conjunction with these new products will not be honored.
We can’t say we’re too surprised about this (I mean, it doesn’t make sense on a whole bunch of levels for Apple to put the new iPods into this deal), but yeah, if you want one of those new iPods you’re going to need to actually buy it.
Apple Unleashes New iPods and More at Fall Event– What You Need to Know
Sep 1st
Yeah, you’re gonna wanna read on.
We know today was going to be a big day for Apple, and boy did they not disappoint. Apple gave the pretty much the whole iPod line a refresh (except for the Classic which appears to be on its last legs)– and all look really, really nice. We got the whole round-up and breakdown of what you need to know about Apple’s Fall Event after the break, so read on!
Don’t Buy that New iPod Yet– Apple Holding a “Special Event” September 1st
Aug 25th
Remember how a couple of weeks ago we wrote about how Apple might be planning to release some new iPods soon? Well, get ready as they may be coming next week. Today Apple sent out invites (see the pic above) for yet another “special event” they’re hosting next week (September 1st), and as we can clearly see from the “Apple Guitar” this event (like all previous September Apple events) looks to be iPod and media related.
So what can we expect? New iPod Touches are pretty much all but confirmed, and there’s a ton of rumors going around about them packing those dual cameras for FaceTime as well as a Retina Display and Apple A4 processor like the iPhone 4. An update to the Apple TV is also gaining strong in the rumors, particularly that it will now be running its own custom version of iOS with no hard drive built-in (the current Apple TV has 160 GB built-in)– instead relying on an all new streaming music and video service for content (this is yet another item gaining a lot of strength on the rumor wire, with the talk being that Apple is releasing their own 99 cent movie and TV show rentals as well as some form of streaming music service from iTunes to your particular iDevice of choice).
What does all this mean to you? If you plan on buying a new MacBook for school and getting the free iPod you should probably hold off on it for just a few more days– as that deal runs until September 7th and this event is on the 1st. And if you’re going for a free iPod Touch you may as well get the latest and greatest right?
Remember to check back next Wednesday for our complete breakdown on whatever it is that Apple reveals.
New iPods on the Way in the Coming Weeks?
Aug 10th
iPod Touch 3rd generation– destined for a major update in the near future?
Need a new iPod for the upcoming year? Then unless you’re getting one with Apple’s “buy a MacBook get a free iPod” back-to-school deal you should probably wait a couple more weeks. Why? Well, history of course.
You see, every year since who knows when Apple has been updating their iPod line in early September, right around the time the back-to-school free iPod deal ends (which makes sense for Apple as they not only entice more people to buy a new MacBook, but at the same time also clear out stock for the new iPods). And this year’s annual iPod refresh looks to be no exception.
Last year around this time the rumors were flying about Apple adding cameras to the iPod Nano and iPod Touch– and as we all now know, the Nano got a camera but the Touch sadly did not (supposedly the drop of a camera was a last-minute scratch from the Touch, which would explain all the iPod Touch cases with holes in the back for cameras). So what is the latest talk about the next generation of Apple’s iconic iPod line? Read on!
More >
Zune HD Gets Some New Games and Apps… For FREE
Nov 13th
Project Gotham Racing on the Zune HD (Pic from Kotaku)
Remember back in our Zune HD review where we mentioned how the Zune HD will be getting some new free games and apps, like the hit Xbox 360 game Project Gotham Racing? Microsoft released a whole bunch of new games for the Zune HD including
- PGR: Ferrari Edition (which is like it’s Xbox sibling, giving you 12 Ferrari cars to race all over New York, London or Tokyo either in a 33 level Career mode or in online races aginst up to 3 other cars)
- Lucky Lanes Bowling, a bowling game where you can play either against the computer or up to 4 friends
- Piano app which simulates a virtual piano
- Vans Sk8: Pool Service, a skateboarding game where you aim to do the best tricks in 10 different events
- Checkers
- Audiosurf Tilt, a game where you pick a song from your music library on your Zune and then try to collect the colored blocks and avoid speed bumps along a custom roller coaster made for each song. Microsoft also said today that they soon will also have apps for Facebook and Twitter.
Yes, this is nowhere near the 100,000+ apps in the iTunes App Store, but Microsoft does deserve some credit– creating what looks to be some quality apps (specifically the PGR and Audiosurf games) that look to take full use of the high powered Nvidia Tegra chip inside the Zune to give some solid games all for the unbeatable price of FREE (though you do have to look at a brief ad while the game loads, something I’m more than happy to deal with if it means quality, free apps).
Now if only they’d open up a real App Store and give developers a chance to fully tap into that high powered Tegra chip (I mean check out this video of PGR and Audiosurf on the Zune from Engadget, who they say looked as sharp as a PSP game!), and we’d be all set.
Anyone out there with a Zune HD, you like your new games?
Full info on the apps can be found on the Zune site here.
Review: Microsoft Zune HD
Oct 2nd
The Zune HD
For the last week or so we were able to spend some good ‘ol time with Microsoft’s sweet new Zune HD. It really is a slick device– OLED multi-touch 3.3 inch touchscreen with amazing display (thanks to NVIDIA Tegra graphics), sleek design, thin aluminum casing, built in WiFi, and of course, the HD features of HD radio and the ability to play your videos in HD with the optional HD playback kit.
So if your looking for a new device and have to choose between say, this and the iPod touch 3rd gen, which should you go with? The answer, my friends, is after the break.
More >
Apple Event September 9th– I Wonder What We Should Expect
Sep 1st
Apple today announced that they’ll be holding an event on September 9th– and from the pic above, it looks to be music oriented. So don’t buy that new iPod just yet; waiting an extra week or so may turn out to be really smart. As in the past, Apple used the September event to show off new iPods, and with strong rumors floating around the web of new iPods– see our post here– we wouldn’t be surprised if they update the iPods again.
Just to briefly cover some of the other rumors of what Apple is expected to show off (remember– these are just rumors): new iPod Nano, Touch, and Classic with cameras (as we wrote about in that previous post– just now the rumors are that the Classic too will be getting a camera), iTunes 9 with some possible integration with sites like Facebook, Blu-Ray for Macs, among some other rumors. So while we wait to find out on September 9th what Apple really has planned, feel free to guess on what you think Apple will show off in the comments.
Oh, and don’t forget to check back on the 9th, as we’ll have everything covered here.
Pic from Engadget
New Info on the Zune HD
Aug 19th
The Zune HD
You’re also very interested in the Zune HD? Who could blame you — HD Radio, WiFi, AMAZING (yes, AMAZING) OLED screen, HD playback of videos, an awesome design and a bunch more features.
When we first wrote that post on the Zune HD we were very excited as this could really be Microsoft’s “iPod killer,” but were left wondering on its launch date and price, as well as details including battery, features and storage. Well have no more fear– Microsoft has finally let all the details out of the bag, and wow this thing looks even better to me than it did before.
Beginning with storage, the Zune HD, like its iPod Touch competitor, has either 16 or 32 GB depending on how much you want. Among the previously unmentioned features of this incredible machine, the web browser seems nearly on par with Safari, and I especially advise you check out CNET’s hands-on video and their positive comments here. And not only is there multi-touch, battery life on this bad boy is also insane: 33 hours of music, 8.5 hours of video, and only 3 hours to charge from your PC and 2 (yes, 2) hours to charge from an AC adapter! All that is way better than the iPod Touch in every way. There are also a host of color design options, as you can see from the above pic (right now you can only pre-order in the standard black, 16 GB version, or “platinum”– a 32 GB version, silver)!
On to the biggest news: the price and release. The 16 GB version will be coming in at $219.99 and the 32 GB version will be coming in at $289.99 when they launch on September 15th (a little under 1 month away). That’s $80 cheaper than the iPod Touch 16 GB and $110 (!) cheaper than the 32 GB iPod Touch. Wow is right.
Of course, just to be fair, Apple is said to be holding a big event sometime in the two weeks of September where they are rumored to be launching new iPods (possibly these), so if your looking for a new Mp3 player, you may wanna hold off for a month cause things are about to get really interesting.
You can pre-order the Zune HD here from the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart, and can check out the Zune HD for yourself at any of these Best Buy stores on August 22nd and 23rd.
New iPod Touch and iPod Nano Designs Leaked? Are Both Adding Cameras?
Jul 24th
The new iPod Nano? Check out the camera hole on the the lower left of the back of the case
So new pix are popping up online today of case mockups for upcoming iPod Nano’s and iPod Touches. These type of images seem to leak out around this time, as Apple usually updates their iPod line in September (like they did last year), right in time for the Back to School and the holiday shopping season. What’s really different about this year however, is that the pix seem to confirm some rumors that have been floating around the web for a while now– the iPod Nano and iPod Touch will be getting cameras.
Yes, your reading that right– digital cameras coming to the iPod Nano and iPod Touch. The pix (the iPod Nano one above and the iPod Touch below), are from Cult of Mac.com and come from numerous Chinese case manufacturers (which kinda would make sense as the manufacturers would need to get this type of info from Apple long ahead of time in order to make the cases ready for the inevitable launch. Also just another proof of this possibly being true– Apple recently placed an order for a whole boat load of camera parts which were said to be made for upcoming iPods).
Now how powerful these cameras are we don’t yet know (like how many megapixels they’ll have and if they will shoot video like the iPhone 3GS. If I had to guess, it’d be about 3 megapixels– like the 3GS– for both with the iPod Touch definitely getting video recording, and the Nano doubtful to get it, but I wouldn’t rule it completely out yet). There also should be bigger storage for both devices (probably doubling the current storage on all the models like they’ve done in previous years), and the Nano is said to be getting a slightly bigger screen (nothing significantly noticeable from what we could tell right now), and the iPod Touch might also be getting a mic.
The new iPod Touch? Note the camera hole in the middle of the case
Remember, this for now is just a rumor, and Apple obviously hasn’t confirmed anything yet, so take this as you wish. We’ll of course keep you up to date on all of this as soon as we hear more.
Info and pix from Cult of Mac.com– you can see a whole lotta more pix at their site as well.
Apple Contest to Download the 1 Billionth App
Apr 12th
We all know how popular the iPhone and iPod Touch are (unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year– in that case your excused 
), and how awesome it is to be able to download apps right to the device using the App Store. Well, for those of you who don’t believe how popular the iPhone and iPod Touch have become, just check this: Apple right now is running a contest for the person who downloads the BILLIONTH app. Yup, as we said in the title, thats BILLION with a B!
This is rather amazing, considering it’s been really under a year since the App Store launched (technically it came in July of ’08), but it gets even better for us users! Like what Apple did a couple of years ago when they were closing in on selling their 1 billionth iTunes song, they’re giving away a boatload of gear to the lucky soul who happens to download that 1 billionth app. What kinda gear you ask? Well, try a 17″ MacBook Pro; an iPod Touch 32GB; a $10,000 iTunes Gift Certificate (yes 10 GRAND– honestly, this is crazy!); and an Apple Time Capsule (basically a back up hard drive for your Mac or Windows PC that will automatically back up your hard drive using your wireless network). Total Retail Value of all the prizes? $13,746 (again– WOW!). You can follow the countdown to 1 billion apps at Apple’s site here.
Wanna know something even better? The app you download doesn’t necessarily need to be a paid app! You can just download a free one and you could win.
Listen, this won’t be easy to win, especially as they’re going at about a thousand apps every 10 or so seconds (at the time I’m writing this at least), but hey best of luck to ya!
