The new iPod touch is out. It has a new design: chrome rim, with a tapered back similar to the iPhone, but thinner. It now includes external volume controls as well. It also has Nike+ integrated with no transmitter needed (you still need the in-shoe transmitter, but it has an RFID receiver built-in) as well as on-the-fly genius playlist creation, all included in the new iPhone 2.1 software. It also comes with new prices, available today: $229 for the 8GB, $299 for the 16GB, and $399 for the 32GB. That's $100 cheaper than before. Here are all the features:

• 3.5-inch display.
• Volume controls.
• Accelerometer.
• 802.11 b/g wireless.
• Built-in speaker.

But the most important things are:

• The Nike+ is now built-in, with a matching application and without the need of transmitter with the in-shoe RF transmitter on sale separately (as it always has been) for $19. It doesn't require a receiver however, as it comes with it built-in. Looks like the leaked shots.

• The Genius playlist. There's an atom icon up, below the play/pause icon on the Now Playing screen. If you click it, it will create a Genius Playlist of songs that you may like based on the currently playing song.

Apple Introduces New iPod touch

The Funnest iPod Ever - Perfect for Music, Movies & Games

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today introduced the second generation iPod(R) touch featuring an amazingly thin contoured metal design, a gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch(TM) user interface. iPod touch, now available for just $229 for the 8GB model, is perfect for playing music, movies and games, with millions of songs, thousands of Hollywood movies and hundreds of games available on the iTunes(R) Store.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080909/AQTU545)

"iPod touch is the funnest iPod we've ever created," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Users can listen to millions of songs, watch thousands of Hollywood movies and now, thanks to the App Store, download and play hundreds of great games on their iPod touch."

The new iPod touch is smaller and lighter than the original, with a sleek new design that features a contoured metal enclosure with integrated volume control buttons and a brilliant 3.5-inch widescreen glass display. With its rounded edges, flush display and curved, more compact design, the new iPod touch is more comfortable to hold and more portable than ever.

iPod touch users can choose from hundreds of exciting game titles such as "Spore Origins" and "Scrabble" from Electronic Arts, and "Real Football 2009" from Gameloft available on iTunes or directly through the App Store application on the iPod touch. The revolutionary App Store works over Wi-Fi, enabling users to browse, purchase and wirelessly download applications directly onto their iPod touch and start using them instantly. The App Store features an incredible array of applications in a wide variety of categories, including games, travel, entertainment, social networking, sports and much more.

iPod touch works seamlessly with iTunes so you can import, manage, and then easily auto-sync your favorite content. With up to 36 hours of music playback or six hours of video playback on a single charge, the new iPod touch is the ultra-portable way to enjoy your favorite music, TV shows, movies and games on the go. The 32GB model holds up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video; the 16GB model holds up to 3,500 songs, 20,000 photos or 20 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos and 10 hours of video.*

The new iPod touch works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on the go. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later.

The new iPod touch also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19 US) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with the new iPod touch to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

The iPod is the world's most popular family of digital music players with over 160 million sold. Apple's incredible new lineup includes the iPod shuffle in four vivid new colors starting at just $49; the iPod classic in one slimline model with 50 percent more capacity for the same great price — 120GB of storage for just $249; the fourth generation iPod nano featuring a gorgeous curved metal and curved glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors starting at $149; and the second generation iPod touch now starting at just $229. iPod owners can choose from a vast ecosystem of accessories with over 5,000 products made specifically for the iPod including speaker systems, fitness accessories, fashionable cases and iPod connectivity available in over 90 percent of new car models sold in the US.

Pricing & Availability

The new iPod touch is available immediately for a suggested price of $229 (US) for the 8GB model, $299 (US) for the 16GB and $399 (US) for the 32 GB model through the Apple Store(R) (http://www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod touch requires a Mac(R) with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS(R) X v10.4.10 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 8. Existing iPod touch users can update to the latest 2.1 software for just $9.95 to add the new Genius feature. iPod touch owners who already have the 2.0 software get the 2.1 software update for free. Simply download the latest version of iTunes onto your Mac or PC, and purchase the 2.1 software update via iTunes.

*Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes; and video capacity is based on H.264 1.5-Mbps video at 640-by-480 resolution.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

ElectraTherm's Waste Heat Generators recover heat from various sources without any specialized electronics or hard-to-maintain components. By boiling water up to 200°F, the generator can produce from 25kW to 1MW of fuel-free, emission-free electricity.

About 50% of all fuel burned by industrial sources becomes "waste heat." Though businesses can try to use fuel as efficiently as possible, nearly seven quadrillion Btu of waste heat still escapes to do nothing but warm the atmosphere. But ElectraTherm says that its products, if used widely, could recover the equivalent electric output of 92 500MW gas-fired power plants.

The company says that the university will recoup its purchase cost in three to four years, with electricity costing about three to four cents per kwH during that time. After the payback period, the cost per kWH will drop to less than a penny. If only ElectraTherm's machines could be hooked up to the hot air our politicians will spew come election day, then all our nation's energy problems would be solved. [Electratherm via Cnet]

The FBI is expected to step-up the initiative in January 2008, when it will award a 10-year contract to a company that will assist with the construction of the database, named the Next Generation Identification system. Further, employers will be able to request information regarding their employees is retained, which will mean the system will have a dual function for forensic and identification purposes. We are thinking it's not such a hot idea; having everyone's info all in one place, with a dual purpose, just seems like a bad idea to us. How do you guys feel bout it? [Reuters]

This is just a gimmick to get more customers, since all the electricity generated in a year by these only adds up to $183, whereas the installation cost was $15,000. Still, kinda cool if they knock off some of the membership fees for participants. That would get rid of one of about six excuses we have not to work out. – Jason Chen

Gym powered by clients [Uber Gizmo]

The Kameleon Generation 3 by One For All is a sexy, universal, uberbacklit remote that will not only control your DVD player, but dim your lights before the movie starts.

The remote can switch/dim 256 lights, and can be programmed so that one button plays the DVD player and dims the lights at the same time. Your friends will simultaneously never see it coming and pity you for loving your home theatre more than your wife/children/them. No details yet on what other infrastructure your home will need for the effect. Expect to pay about $90 for this handheld lighting grid. – Mark Wilson

One for All [via techdigest]