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Apple introduced the anticipated fourth-generation iPod nano. The model is said to combine the best of the second-generation player’s shape with the large screen and video playback of the third-generation model but is even thinner and adds an enhanced, accelerometer-driven interface that rotates the on-screen interface; this improves the use of Cover Flow and even photo browsing, Apple says. Users can even shake the player to shuffle tracks similar to SanDisk’s Sansa Shaker. The new software also automatically builds in voice recording and has a context-sensitive menu that appears just by holding the center button.

Apple claims the same 24 hours of audio and four hours of video as with the third-generation player, but also a more environmentally-friendly device with an aluminum exterior, arsenic-free glass and toxin-free internals. It’s the “cleanest iPod ever,” Apple chief Steve Jobs says.

The nano will ship in an 8GB model for $149 and a 16GB version for $199; nine colors will be available and include more exotic colors such as orange and yellow. Most models should be available by the weekend, though the 16GB may be delayed to early next week.

Apple is also introducing new high-end earphones with a built-in play/pause control that works similar to the iPhone’s: double-clicking skips to the next track, while three clicks skip backwards. The optional earbuds cost $79 and come with three different fits for different ears.

Additionally, Apple has also announced a slightly upgraded iPod classic; the company is scrapping the 160GB model and now just offers a single 120GB model in silver or black. It will sell for $249 and should be available in a similar timeframe.

source: ipodnn.com

Apple has finally scheduled a date for its long-awaited September publicity event, according to reports. The company has issued invitations to select members of the public, pointing to a gathering at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, starting at 10AM on September 9th. The invitation also deliberately mimics the Now Playing screens of iPod nanos and classics, suggesting that the event will concentrate heavily on iPods, as anticipated. New models are rumored to include a fourth-generation Nano, and revised iPod touches, possibly dropped in price to remain competitive with the iPhone 3G. Analysts have also expected Apple to introduce redesigned Pro and basic MacBooks however, as their essential designs have remained unchanged for years.

source: ipodnn.com

SwitchEasy has introduced Colors for iPhone 3G, featuring 10 different colors and a new ‘jelly bean’ home button. The new cases feature silicone construction with a home button cover and a hard-resin ‘jelly-bean’ styling; it has a raised, thick shape, and in some colors features a contrasting color scheme. Each unit also includes protectors for the iPhone’s data-port connector and headphone jack. The Colors for iPhone 3G cases are available now for $15 (at press-time, the website incorrectly lists the price as $25, until listing $15 on the order-now screen). The cases are available several “designer” colors: Milk, Bleu, Truffle, Fuchsia, Viola, Turquoise and Citrus — all featuring similar color-schemed jelly bean home buttons.

The Stealth (black) scheme features a high-contrast red home button, the Crimson has a white button with red etching and the Mican features a yellow body with orange home button scheme. Each case comes with a pair of anti-static screen guards, a micro-fiber wipe, a screen guard squeegee applicator, a headphone jack protector and a data-port connector protector.

source: macnn.com

Research in Motion and its BlackBerry smartphones on the verge of falling out of favor at AT&T in exchange for the iPhone, says an investment note from Credit Suisse’s Kulbinder Garcha. The analyst notes that RIM’s share of smartphone sales at AT&T, which have crested at 70 percent in June, are unlikely to remain at such high levels and instead are more likely to drop as AT&T shifts the brunt of its promotion to the iPhone 3G. The touchscreen phone remains a strong seller three weeks after launch and has already seen AT&T agree to heavy subsidies to help push its sales where BlackBerry devices are strictly in line prices at other competitors. While not committing to a definitive estimate for the scale of the decline, Garcha believes the loss of marketing effort will be tangible enough to ultimately cost RIM its overall influence and hardware sales, even with the expected high-profile launch of the touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder in the fall and a sales boost forecast to give RIM 55 percent of smartphone sales at Verizon.

About 25 to 30 percent of RIM’s phone sales hinge on AT&T, the analyst says. RIM’s BlackBerry Bold smartphone has already been touted as a carrier exclusive in the US but caters more to the Canadian firm’s traditional office worker audience than the Thunder, which lacks the BlackBerry’s signature QWERTY keyboard.

The company is also thought to be a victim both of a limited market and of itself. While growing rapidly, the smartphone industry is said to be growing relatively slowly, expanding by a relatively modest 64 percent in 2009, and will face shrinking profit margins on its devices as it faces price cuts or else rising product costs in order to stay competitive.

source: electronista.com

Apple is now offering limited compensation in the wake of the difficult MobileMe launch, according to announcement. The company admits that the transition from .Mac was “a lot rockier than we [Apple] had hoped,” and notes that “within the next few weeks,” it will extend select MobileMe subscriptions by 30 days. At present several important MobileMe functions are non-functional, including groups, webmail, and the HomePage website creation utility.

To be eligible for the extension, people must either have had a .Mac subscription as of July 9th, or created a MobileMe account on or before July 15th at 7PM PDT. Apple is reminding these groups to ignore any e-mails suggesting an imminent renewal deadline; extensions will be applied before accounts expire, and even people whose accounts expired between the 9th and the 15th will be given reactivated subscriptions. If a person is in the middle of a MobileMe trial, the trial period will be lengthened.

source: macnn.com

EA games has announced that it is bringing a number of titles to the iPhone. Reporting from the EA press conference at E3, Joystiq notes that EA will utilize the accelerometer in a newly announced Spore title for the iPhone, allowing full creature control. The company will offer full touch-support in Tetris and also make Scrabble WiFi compatible, allowing multi-player scrabble games from the iPhone. Sudoku, Tetris and Scrabble are already available at the iPhone App Store, while Spore Origins (a mini version of the bacteria stage of Spore, complete with a creature creator) is expected in the near future. There are also plans at EA to port popular titles such as Tiger Woods and Need for Speed to the iPhone.

Tetris ($10 at the App Store) offers 15 levels, a magic mode and marathon mode, with touch support, and drag, flick and poke actions, among others. Scrabble offers the classic board game on the iPhone, with zoom and drag-and-drop tiles, for $10. It allows players to work against the computer or utilize Wi-Fi for multi-player games. Sodoku offers 10,000 grids with five difficulty levels. It is available for $8.

source: macnn.com

Over 10 million downloads have been made from the newly-launched iTunes App Store, according to Apple. The company also notes that the amount of software has already increased since the store’s Thursday debut, from approximately 500 apps to over 800. Of these, some 90 percent are said to be less than $10, including 200 free ones like AIM and Remote. The company has not so far identified how many downloads to date have been of free software, or what categories are the most popular.

Reports meanwhile suggest that some developers are deliberately altering the names of applicationsiTune to gain rank at the App Store. By placing a space or a symbol such as a quotation mark in front their title, it is believed that companies can force apps to the front of the alphabetical listings, increasing visibility. One of the worst offenders is said to be Jirbo, whose Jirbo Break and Jirbo Avatar are even listed ahead of titles like 105 Classics and AIM.

source: ipodnn.com

Over 1 million iPhone 3Gs have already been sold, Apple claims. The figure is based on data from all 21 countries in which the 3G launched on Friday, including countries like the US, Canada, Japan and England. The millionth phone is said to have been sold sometime on Sunday. “iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend,” reads a PR statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world.”

The officially tally echoes Friday predictions by RBC analyst Mike Abramsky, who successfully guessed the 1 million total. Falling short of the mark were analysts with Piper Jaffray, who — based on Friday sales at Apple and AT&T stores in New York and Minneapolis — predicted weekend sales of about 425,000. Of 283 people surveyed, 66 percent were buying the 16GB model, a decrease from the 91 percent who bought the original high-capacity model (8GB) during the 2007 launch. 38 percent of those getting a 3G said they were upgrading from an earlier iPhone. Based even on its premature estimates, Piper believes that Apple will sell 4.1 million 3Gs by the end of this quarter.

source: macnn.com

With users finding ways to upgrade their original iPhones to iPhone 2.0, Apple yesterday began touting its iPod touch v2.0 software; although the iTunes Store was off-line, users can purchase the upgrade for their Touch for $9.95. The software update brings push email with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, contact search, multiple calendars, a scientific calculator, improved Mail attachment viewing, better email management (including bcc for emails), and user-selectable accounts for replying to email as well as updated language, dictionary, and keyboard support (English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish).

source: macnn.com

In tandem with the release of iTunes 7.7, Apple has formally launched both its MobileMe online service and the iTunes App Store. The former is a dramatic revision of .Mac, emphasizing content sync between computers, handhelds and the web; push e-mail is also integrated. Existing .Mac subscribers can sign in at me.com with their old usernames and passwords, but some are reporting slow access, likely due to a large influx of visitors. Others are reporting prompts from Apple to install the “OS X Update for MobileMe,” though this has not yet appeared via Software Update.

The App Store is not currently highlighted on the iTunes US storefront, but can be accessed by enabling “Applications” in the General tab under Preferences, and then clicking “Get More Applications” when the appropriate Library view is selected. Available software covers a variety of categories, from social networking apps such as AIM and Twitterific through programs for finance, navigation, news and gaming. Many titles are free, but a number cost anywhere between 99 cents and $20.

source: ipodnn.com