0 Apple warns of near-term iPod shortages

Apple has issued an advisement bulletin to select resellers suggesting that the company is beginning to ramp down production of current-generation iPod models, according to AppleInsider.

In the advisement, Apple “strongly suggested” that resellers either bring in or place immediate orders for approximately four weeks worth of their top selling iPod models, noting that supplies of the devices would start to become extremely limited within the next week.

Apple traditionally holds an iPod-focused special event in the September-October timeframe to announce new iPod models; this report is consistent with the belief that the company is planning to hold a similar event again this year.

Detail: Apple warns of near-term iPod shortages

0 Firmware Hints New iPod Touch?

Besides hints of turn-by-turn GPS directions, the beta 2.1 firmware also reportedly contains references to an unreleased iPod Touch known as "iPod2,1", according to iPhoneAtlas.

The current iPod Touch carries a model designation of "iPod1,1". iPhone readers may remember that the original iPhone is known as "iPhone1,1" while the iPhone 3G is known as "iPhone1,2". It should be noted that these model numbers don't appear to change for storage differences alone.

The original iPhone saw 4GB, 8GB and 16GB sizes but shared the same model number. Only when the iPhone 3G introduced new features, such as a GPS and 3G chipset, did the model number increment.

This would suggest the "iPod2,1" model will carry new features and not simply represent a storage increase to the current iPod Touch. Apple's iPod Touch is currently offered in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes and has not been feature-upgraded since it's initial launch in September 2007. Apple did, however, add the 32GB model in February.

Detail: Firmware Hints New iPod Touch?

0 NetNewsWire for iPod touch and iPhone 3G

NetNewsWire for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch is a free native application based on the award winning RSS feed reader for Mac. NetNewsWire for iPod Touch (iPhone 3G) provides you with a lightweight, easy application for keeping up with feeds on the go and it syncs with NewsGator’s suite of RSS readers, including NetNewsWire for Macintosh, FeedDemon, Inbox, and NewsGator Online. RSS is the fastest and most efficient way to read your favorite news and with NetNewsWire for iPhone you can access feeds wherever you are.

The product features are:
-Access to RSS feeds from your iPhone 3G or iPod Touch.
-iPhone-native user interface.
-Synchronization with NewsGator’s suite of RSS readers, including NetNewsWire for Macintosh, FeedDemon, Inbox, and NewsGator Online.
-Centralized access to your feed list along with an indicator of how many unread news items are associated with each feed.
-Simple view of the titles of each unread news item for faster and easier skimming of content.
-User-friendly news item viewing pane that provides the item’s title, publisher, publish date, author and post.
-One-click access to view news items in Safari.
-"Next Unread" button, which goes from story to story with a quick tap of a single button.
-Clipping capabilities for saving items for later viewing or syncing with the desktop and browser-based RSS readers.

















Once you’ve configured your feeds, launching NetNewsWire on the iPhone 3G displays a list of those feeds, along with the number of unread articles in each feed. (The current version of NetNewsWire for iPhone, 1.0.7, shows only feeds with unread articles; earlier versions showed all feeds. A setting to choose your preferred approach would be a nice addition.)

In the screenshot here, you can see that some feeds are grouped under headings; if you have feeds organized in folders on the Mac version of NetNewsWire, as I do, such groupings are synced to the iPhone version.

If you’re online—via either WiFi or a mobile network—the program will connect to the Internet to check for new articles and to sync the status (read/unread) of articles. You can see the total number of unread articles at the bottom-left of the screen, as well as on the app's icon on your iPhone's Home screen. This check/sync process happens each time you launch NetNewsWire, as long as the previous check/sync occurred more than five minutes before.

Tap on a feed to view a list of articles in that feed, sorted by date with newest articles at the top; unread articles are displayed with blue type, read articles with gray. Tap an article title to view the article summary and any information about the article provided by the feed. (One limitation here: if an article summary includes an image, NetNewsWire doesn't scale the image down to fit the screen; you must manually scroll around to see all of the image.)

You can quickly move to the next unread article summary by tapping the Next Unread button. Alternatively, if you want to view the full article, tap on its title on the summary screen. Unlike many other iPhone apps, NetNewsWire doesn’t use Safari to view a Web page; it provides its own Web-browser screen, so you don’t have to switch back and forth between NetNewsWire and Safari. However, while this screen lets you double-tap or “unpinch” to zoom in on a Web page, it doesn’t support rotation, so you can't view pages in landscape mode.

Detail: NetNewsWire for iPod touch and iPhone 3G

0 Refurbished iPod touch starting at $199

Apple is currently offering special pricing on certified refurbished 8GB and 16GB iPod touch units.

Listed as having the current software release, the refurbished 8GB model, which previously sold for $249, is now being offered for $199, while refurbished 16GB models are now priced at $299. Refurbished 32GB units sell for $429.

For more information visit Apple Certified Refurbished iPod touch

Detail: Refurbished iPod touch starting at $199

0 Apple releases iPod touch firmware 1.1.5

Apple has released firmware version 1.1.5 for the iPod touch. The new software is meant as an update for iPod touch users who choose not to purchase the $9.99 iPhone 2.0 Software Update for the iPod touch.

According to Mac Rumors, early reports indicate that the firmware provides no new features, but may improve the speed and stability of existing applications. iPod touch firmware 1.1.5 is available now as a free update through iTunes.

Detail: Apple releases iPod touch firmware 1.1.5

0 iPod Touch 2.0 Firmware Upgrade

Apple has updated their iPod Touch App Store page with a link to the iTunes Stores for iPod Touch owners to upgrade to the 2.0 Firmware. The $9.95 upgrade brings all of the 2.0 Firmware features to the iPod Touch.

For iPod Touch owners who never upgraded to the previous January pay update, Apple announced that the latest $9.95 update includes the January update as well.

On June 9, 2008, Apple announced the iPhone 2.0 Software Update for iPod touch which includes all features previously included in the January Software Upgrade, the App Store, and much more (also on June 9, the iPod touch January Software Upgrade was also removed from the store). For information about iPhone 2.0 software, visit http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/appstore.

New Features:
Push Email with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
Email — also contacts and calendar — can now be pushed instantly to your iPod touch.

Updated Language and Keyboard Support
Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish.

International keyboard and dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canada), German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Finnish, Norwegian,Swedish, Korean (no dictionary), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish.

Contacts Search
Find people faster by tapping a name, address, or other data into a new search field.

Multiple Calendars
Have a calendar for work, a calendar for home, and more. And manage them all with a touch.

Scientific Calculator
Rotate to landscape view for solving complex science, math, and programming problems.

Improved Mail Attachment Viewing
View more types of attachments, including iWork and PowerPoint files. And save photos emailed to you in your library.

New Mail Management Features
Delete and move groups of email messages, reply from a different account, and send with BCC.

Wait. There’s more.
Get the iPhone 2.0 Software Update for iPod touch, and you also get the new features added in the January ’08 update. Google Maps, Mail, Weather, Web Clips, a customizable Home screen and more.

Detail: iPod Touch 2.0 Firmware Upgrade

0 Apple releases iTunes 7.7

Apple has released iTunes 7.7, the latest update to its digital media management application.

iTunes 7.7 features support for the iPhone 3G and iPhone Software 2.0, the App Store and related applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, including Apple’s new Remote application that allows for iPhone or iPod touch control of iTunes playback, iPhone support for Nike+, and more.

iTunes 7.7 is available now through Apple’s Software Update application, or as a free download from apple.com/itunes.

Detail: Apple releases iTunes 7.7

0 Google Talk for iPhone and iPod touch

Google has just released in the US a new version of Google Talk designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch browsers.

In addition to sending your friends Gmail messages from your iPhone, you can now chat with them while you're on the move, too! In your iPhone browser, just go to www.google.com/talk, sign in and start chatting. That's it.

Google Talk runs entirely in the browser so there's no need to download or install anything.

There are some differences from using Google Talk on your computer. For instance, in order to receive instant messages with Google Talk on your iPhone, the application needs to be open in your Safari browser. When you navigate away to another browser window or application, your status will be changed to "unavailable" and your Google Talk session will be restarted when you return.

Other than that, Google have tried to keep the design as faithful to the desktop experience as possible, so it should be familiar to you. You can select from a quicklist of the people you contact most, search your contacts, and manage multiple conversations. You'll never have to miss out on the latest gossip or updates from friends just because you're away from a computer.

Detail: Google Talk for iPhone and iPod touch