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iPhone firmware 2.1 detailed

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Software,

During this morning’s Apple event, Steve Jobs let us in on a few of the details of the upcoming iPhone 2.1 software update. In giving the details, Steve also admitted to the faults that have been pointed out consistently since the iPhone 2.0 software launched. What can we look forward to when 2.1 is released this Friday for the iPhone? How does fewer dropped calls, major improvements in battery life, faster backups, and no crashing apps sound? Yeah, we thought so. Now to wait for Friday to see if the promises prove to be true. Fingers crossed!

EDIT: iPhone 2.1 has been released!

iTunes 8 now available, HD TV shows, NBC is back, Genius recommendations

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Movies, Music, PC / Laptop, Software,

iTunes 8 was announced this morning as part of the whole Let’s Rock Apple announcement festivities, and there were a few nice pieces of news. First, NBC is back on iTunes with shows like The Office, 30 Rock, and Ballestar Galactics. What’s more, though, is that iTunes will now be selling TV shows in high definition. Aside from the feeling that I know my wallet is about to be drained, this is a very welcome addition. My only hope is that they allow those of us who have purchased shows in SD to “upgrade” to the HD versions at a discount. It’s only fair, right?

In other news, Apple has added “Genius” to iTunes - that being a recommendation engine that looks at the track you are listening to, and recommends other tracks in the iTunes store that it believes you would like. In addition, Genius can also create truly customized playlists on the fly, again, just by sampling what you are listening to. It will pull other songs from your iTunes library that it believes would complement your selection, without any work to be done on your part. We must admit, it looks slick. Speaking of which, they’ve also included a new visualizer, which is just off the hook. You’ve gotta see it to believe it.

iTunes 8 is available now.

iPod touch gets updated, Genius playlists, Nike+ built-in

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Movies, Music, Portable Audio / Video,

Apple is improving the iPod touch with a thinner stainless steel case, hardware volume controls, a built-in speaker, and a Nike+ receiver (you’ll need to puchase a Nike+ kit to take advantage of that one.) Battery life is now at 36 hours for music, which translates to around six hours for video. The new Genius feature will be included, alongside the App Store. They’ve also redone the casing, which is now a thinner stainless steel, and we’ve even got actual hardware volume control buttons. The new iPod touch is available now - 8GB for $229, 16GB for $299, and 32GB for $399. You can pick on up from the Apple Store Online now.

Apple Introduces In-Ear Headphones

Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Accessories, Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video,

Apple announced new in-ear headphones that contain two high-performance drivers, a woofer and tweeter, built-in. The price might be high at $79, but it may well be worth it, especially if you have a discerning ear. The three pairs of changeable is a nice inclusion since all ears are created differently and you’ll be able to find just the right fit, unlike that last in-ear that Apple made a while back. Another nifty feature here is the “control capsule”, which includes a microphone, volume adjustment, and music/video playback control. Oddly, despite the microphone, these don’t seem to be compatible with the iPhone - Apple says the mic is great for voice notes though. In that case, we should all run out and get these! They’ll be available in October.

What? You don’t want to pay a high price for the Apple logo? I mean, comfort?

iPod classic gets bumped to 120GB

Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Storage,

As part of this morning’s Let’s Rock event, Apple announced that the iPod classic was going to be available in one model from here on out, that being 120GB. While that is down from the 160GB model that was available previously, it is also up from the 80GB version that most people were buying. In case you didn’t know, that amount of space gives you the ability to save 30,000 songs. 30,000! Does anyone really have the time to do download, and listen to, that many songs? If so, I’d like to meet him (or, more appropriately, her) - on second thought, maybe I don’t. In either case, this will be the only version of the classic iPod moving forward and it will retail for a cool $249. You can order one now at the Apple Store Online.

Let’s Rock: Apple event planned for September 9

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors,

Well, what do you know? Looks like that Apple event that Kevin Rose speculated about a couple of weeks ago is finally official. This morning, Apple sent out notification of their next event, titled “Let’s Rock”, is set for September 9th. Now, looking at the graphic, we think it is pretty clear that this one is going to be focused on iPods. Apple is notorious for refreshing their portable media player line in September (heck, last September was when the iPod touch was announced) for the whole back-to-school and holiday vibe.

While we expect to see new models across the board, word on the street is that the iPod nano and iPod touch will be the ones to pay attention to this time around. That is, unless, you are like me and have tons of media that you want with you at all times. If that is you, then you are with me in hoping we see something akin to a 250GB iPod classic. Aside from that, though, some surprises would be nice. I know I’ve been asking for it for years now, and this probably isn’t the appropriate place to announce it, but I sure as heck would just love it if Apple would also give us a new Cinema Display. Could happen, right? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

iPhone Pwnage Tool 2.0.3 now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks, Software,

For those of you out there who can’t live without a jailbroken iPhone, we venture to guess that you’ll be happy to hear that PwnageTool 2.0.3 is now available, thanks to the continuing hard work of the iPhone Dev Team. This new version features a few new features:

Updated Installer.app to beta 6
Support for iPhone and iPod touch firmware 2.0.2 5C1
Adds .de localization for those who read German

If you are already running an older version, you can update right from within PwnageTool, otherwise hit the link below to download the latest version.

Actors Stand in for Polish iPhone Purchasers

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds,

iPhone While many camped out in the U.S. for a chance to be one of the first grab the sacred iPhone, there might have been a slight hesitancy on the part of Poland to do likewise. So, according to their largest mobile carrier Orange, actors were paid to stand in line.

“We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone,” a spokesperson said. Their thinking is that buyers there may not have sufficient funding to splurge on the expensive device. There were none paid to hang at the T-Mobile Era stores, however.

Speck SeeThru iPhone 3G Hard Shell

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Portable Audio / Video,

SeeThru Case Speck has announced that they now shipping their SeeThru iPhone 3G hard shells. The cases have rubber, no-slip grippers in its two piece, snap together design. Remove the bottom only for docking or use it as a stand for viewing photos or video. Like their other cases, there is access to controls, sensors, and ports. Available in Amethyst Purple, Rose Quartz Pink, Garnet Red, Diamond Clear, or Obsidian Black for $29.95 on their site or in Apple stores.

(Thanks, Jen)

Apple grants all MobileMe subscribers a 60-day extension

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Internet, Software,

We know that Apple‘s MobileMe service has been off to a rocky start, but we are just glad that the company realizes it as well. Since the launch, people have had trouble with syncing, have lost email, and have discovered that this whole “push” thing wasn’t really as “pushy” as Apple made it out to be when they gave us a look at the product back at MacWorld.

Originally, Apple gave all subscribers a 30-day extension to compensate for all the issues, as well as a written apology. Since then, things have gotten a little better, but are still in no way seamless. Because of this, Apple has just decided to grant another extension, and this one is twice as long as the original. If you were a MobileMe subscriber as of 12:00 AM PDT on August 19, you get an additional 60 days tacked on to the end of your subscription. Even better, if you were taking a free trial of the service as of that time, you get 60 days added on to your trial. Apparently, Apple doesn’t want you to not sign up due to the kinks they are trying to work out. Good for them.

Hit the Read link below for the full details on the extension, and the eligibility requirements around it.

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