Pocket camcorders (AKA mini cams or budget cams, or sometimes Flip cams after the pioneer of the category) are simple gadgets. They've got one job to do: Shoot watchable video, often for uploading to streaming video sites. They're also very close to the end of their lifespan, with perhaps only a year or so left before smartphones make them obsolete, but right now they're the easiest and cheapest way to take quick and dirty video. I tested seven of these diminutive camcorders, or more accurately six camcorders and one capable PMP, in five categories: Outdoor, indoor, low light, macro, and sound.

The criteria for judging fell mostly to smoothness of video during motion, image sharpness, noise, and color reproduction. Specs like storage capacity, screen size and battery life are mostly the same across the board, although overall, compared to last year, this crop of mini cams are faster and stronger, with beefed up memory and HD sensors. All save the iPod Nano take 720p video (or better) and add HDMI ports and more memory to accommodate the higher-quality footage. Yet I wasn't really all that thrilled with any of the camcorders—the bar for these cams is so low you could trip over it, and several of them actually did. Battery life was disappointing across the board, as none could break two hours of filming. Anyway, on to the results!

Results

Choosing between the Kodak Zi8, Flip Mino HD and Flip Ultra HD is tricky. The Zi8 is unreliable, but when it's good it's unbelievably good; the Mino HD is diminutive, solid and stylish, but overpriced and with lousy touch controls; and the Ultra HD is a reliably good shooter with a low price and the best controls of all, but physically unappealing (read: fat as hell). In my opinion, you should never judge a book by its obese cover, so the champion is...the Flip Ultra HD!

Flip Ultra HD: First Place

Flip's Ultra HD is the best overall choice. It's one of the cheapest cams around (at $150, it's $70 less than it's younger brother, the Mino HD), but it tied for the highest score in our lineup, and it features nice tactile controls that I much prefer to the sleeker Mino HD's touch-sensitive exercise in frustration. Unfortunately, the Dom DeLuise HD is upsettingly fat—about twice as thick as the Mino HD, but even that doesn't really get across how truly large it feels in the hand. It's not particularly heavy, but it is by a long shot the thickest pocket cam here. On the plus side, that girth hides a useful battery—Flip includes a rechargeable pack, but the John Candy HD can also use two AA batteries, which is great since pocket cams have generally abysmal battery life (usually about an hour, though of course they're often rated for double or triple that). Replaceable, cheap batteries are really nice, but some will have to decide whether the William Howard Taft HD's girth is worth that feature. Given its price, I think it is.

Video quality is just fine, above average if not particularly impressive on every test, and it, like the Mino HD, is extremely user-friendly. Although that simplicity yields less flexibility and a barebones feature set compared to the Kodak Zi8, it's a good distillation of the aims of pocket camcorders, and its 100% tactile controls are a welcome change from the Mino HD. If you're not superficial, it's a very smart buy.

Flip Mino HD: Second Place

Flip's Mino HD is the best-looking and best-feeling camcorder I tried. Its aluminum body feels solid and expensive, which might be because it is—at $230, it's the priciest camcorder I tested. But I wouldn't be surprised if it sells the best, even though it's not the greatest deal, because it looks (and is) simple, cute, and functional. I won't rehash my review, except to say that I hate those goddamn touch buttons more and more every time I use the Mino HD. They're incredibly sensitive and I guarantee that you will accidentally trigger the playback function more times than you can count.

Besides that, it's totally serviceable: It did well on all of my tests, it's thoughtfully designed and stupid-easy to use. But it's definitely overpriced, and I have a hard time recommending it over its physically awkward yet substantially cheaper older brother, the Ultra HD, just for its looks.

Kodak Zi8: Third Place

Wider and taller than the Flip Ultra HD, though not nearly as fat, the Zi8 packs a 1080p sensor and the largest and best screen of the bunch. The controls are easy and tactile and aside from flimsy-feeling plastic covers over the ports (one of mine already fell off), the hardware is high-quality. The Zi8 snagged the bronze medal, because while its highs were higher than either of the Flips, its lows were lower—and given how focused and simple this type of gadget is, reliability is worth more than flashing moments of greatness.

The Zi8 absolutely rocked in two of my tests, outdoor and macro, with perfect color reproduction and excellent clarity, and it even takes pretty decent still photos (think point-and-shoot circa 2006 quality). But the conditions need to be just right to get the most out of this guy—I first tried it in 1080p mode (neither of the Flips can break 720p) and while picture quality was amazing, scenes with lots of motion were pretty jerky to the point of being distracting. But even in 720p, it was still head-and-shoulders above the competition—but only in outdoor and macro testing. In the indoor test it proved to have difficulty focusing on objects closer than 10 feet but farther than 2 feet away, and low light shooting was distinctly tinted red and a bit dark. It wasn't unusable in any test (unlike the similarly uneven Creative Vado HD) and at $180 it's fairly priced, so I'd still recommend it—but you and I are likely to be more forgiving of the Zi8's flaws than, say, your mom, who just wants a camera that works pretty well all the time. For her, go for a Flip.

The Rest

The Creative Vado HD scored pretty high, only a point lower than the bronze medalist Kodak Zi8, but while its design is fairly middle-of-the-road (albeit nice and teeny), its abilities were all over the place. It was one of the worst in standard daytime shooting (it has a hard time with sunlight, a serious problem for a pocket cam) and macro, but was the best at indoor, and while its low light video was a little dark, it was the clearest and smoothest of the lot. It also, likely due to Creative's background in stellar-sounding PMPs and sound cards, boasts excellent sound quality. At $150, it's very fairly priced, but I can't recommend a camcorder that mangles sunlight the way the Vado does.

Apple's iPod Nano is the only "camcorder" in this roundup to peak at VGA resolution, and aside from a surprisingly strong macro performance, it shows. It turned vibrant colors dull and lifeless, washed out detail and made everything seem darker than it was. It can't compete with the Zi8s and Flips of the world, but it's still usable and incredibly priced at $150/$180 for 8GB/16GB—if you've got a Nano already, you probably won't need a dedicated cam. Convergence killed the video star, I guess.

The JVC Picsio GC-FM1 sucked. It's spectacularly ugly (think Ed Hardy-inspired) and cheap-feeling, with a confusing button layout (unforgivable in a pocket cam) and a high price ($200, or $178 at Amazon). Besides all that, it scored poorly in every one of our tests. Avoid.

And finally, the worst—Aiptek's PenCam HD. I wanted to like it, I really did—it's got a tongue-depressor-like design and came with a sweet tripod that attaches to a bicycle's handlebars—but it bombed in almost every one of my tests. The 1.1-inch screen is nearly unusable and battery life barely topped 40 minutes, so it's definitely the loser here.

Here's a giant gallery of all 28 videos I took.

Don Nguyen assisted with this Battlemodo.

Apple Issues Update for Current-Gen iPod Nano

Apple quietly issued a firmware update for its newest, video-taking iPod Nano, and it's pretty minor but does fix a few problems. Audio podcasts can now be played back in Normal, Slow or Fast modes, and a few random bugs were patched (Nike+ integration, mono audio, VoiceOver). It's in Remainders because it really is a minor update—we wouldn't even bother with it except the Nano is such a ridiculously huge seller. [TUAW]

Barnes & Noble Giftcards Won't Buy Ebooks, Screwing Some Nook Pre-Orderers

Apparently Barnes & Noble's giftcards will buy you everything B&N sells—except ebooks. It's an inexplicable and irritating omission, but what makes it really rankle is that nobody seems to know about it, even those who work at the stores. Check out this story:

My wife and kids pre-ordered a nook for my birthday at our local B&N. The sales person also sold her a $100 gift card to "get my eBook collection started." When I tried to purchase a few books, I found out that gift cards can't be used on eBooks.

What a dick move! We're going to assume ignorance on B&N's part, but this is sloppy stuff, especially given our proximity to the holidays—their giftcards are incredibly popular and this will not be an isolated incident. Get it together, B&N. [Consumerist]

Dell Mini 3 Officially Launched in China

The Android-running Dell Mini 3 smartphone officially began its launch sequence today. It's been shipped out to sellers in China today, for release later this month, with a Brazil release to follow later this year. In early 2010 it should hit AT&T and Verizon—we'll see if we care by then. It's a noticeably low-key release, considering it's the first handheld in years from Dell, but it ends up in Remainders due to its current China-only status. [Electronista]

Palm Stock Skyrockets After Nokia Takeover Rumor

Palm stock skyrocketed today, with trading over 15 times heavier than normal, due to an odd rumor that Nokia would be buying the company. It doesn't really make any sense to us—Nokia is really unlikely to be purchasing a competitor to its Symbian line, and buying the beleaguered Palm would be a weird way to try to make gains in the US market. This one plops into Remainders because it's both unlikely and mere financial news, which isn't really that exciting. [Electronista]

The GP 400N is nice since it slides back in while not in use, but you do have to charge it separately with a mini USB connection. You get twelve hours of playback on one charge. No real pricing info available yet. [GP-EL via Craziest Gadgets via Geeky Gadgets]

Update: Reader Dan found that they're shipping for $30 (+ shipping) and will come in blue, black, red and silver. Thanks Dan!

The hardware capability for FM radio does exists in some models—the current iPod touch and iPhone 3GS have FM transmitters, and the 2nd-gen iPod touch also has a chip that's capable of receiving FM signals, though it uses it for Nike+ stuff (so if there is a radio app, maybe it'll just be for current-gen models).

It'd make sense to add more software parity across the line, but who knows—no date given for when we might actually see this FM radio app. [9to5Mac}

The victim was an 18-year-old schoolgirl. Glad the dude at least stuck to the age limit, but it doesn't quite make it any better. And also, as you saw in our review, the Nano isn't that good of an upskirt camera. It may have an "infrared" filter, but that's not a real filter, and it doesn't actually help a camera that doesn't do low-light very well perform low-light any better. What you need is something with a flash, preferably infrared, so you can...wait...I shouldn't reveal all these tips. [Kobe via Fucked Gaijin via Feer via The Awl via T3]

The Life Time Fitness just restricted the Nano from not just locker rooms, but from workout areas too. You can listen to music on your Nano, of course, it's just that you can't use it as a recording device. Hold and stare at your player too long and the woman on the elliptical might give you a hard time about what you're staring at.

All perfectly natural, but it's something we'll see more of once we get gadgets that play music as well as take video. [Twin Cities via Apple Insider]

This new Nano—the 5th generation—comes in the same 8GB/16GB sizes as the last one (and the one before that, actually), though it costs slightly less than the original price of the 4th generation Nano (which was $150/$200). The $20 price drop is nice, but we'd have preferred a capacity bump with the same price. Correction: This section originally compared the 5G Nano's price to the very recently discounted 4G Nano's price( $130/$150)—but as that price was only in effect for a couple days, it's more accurate to compare the 5G price to the 4G's launch price. Sorry for the confusion.

Body

The new Nano has the same body as the 4th generation, but there are definite changes afoot. The screen takes a bump from 2 inches to 2.2 inches—a jump that may sound tiny but is surprisingly substantial. If you're used to the old 2-inch screen you'll definitely notice and appreciate the extra space for navigation. The resolution goes from 240x320 to the oddball 240x376. Though wider when viewed lengthwise, the new screen still isn't 16x9; even widescreen videos will be slightly letterboxed due to the unconventional size. Aside from the added real estate, it's also noticeably brighter and sharper than the previous model. It may still be too small to watch a two-hour movie on, but it's a pleasure to use for everything else, including shorter video clips.

Unfortunately, that larger screen comes with a caveat: The click wheel is even smaller than earlier Nanos. If you found the previous Nano's click wheel slightly thinner and harder to hit than you prefer, this will be even worse. If you had no problems before, then the slight decrease in size shouldn't affect you much. I personally found it too small, and my thumb sometimes hit the area around the controls instead of the control itself. This is especially true when the Nano is docked.

The anodized aluminum finish is also a little different—there's an added step in the process that makes it shinier and brighter than the previous generation's comparatively subdued matte finish. Oddly enough, it actually feels slightly lighter than the last model, though no less solid—this is an extremely durable player. It doesn't bend under pressure from any angle and a nerve-wracking fall onto a hardwood floor had no adverse effects. However, I found that sharp metal objects like keys will leave scratches, while the previous matte Nano showed no scratches under similar abuse. One bit of bad news: People who hated the sharp corners of the last Nano will have to put up with them for at least another year.

Features

Did I mention Apple crammed a bunch of new features into the iPod Nano 5G? And that the most notable—and most thoroughly leaked—is a video camera? Here's the rundown:

Video Camera
The big selling point of this Nano is that the video camera theoretically puts it in a position to compete with the Flip, Creative's Vado, and Kodak's Zi6 and Zi8. Steve Jobs said so himself. But is it true? Well, yes—and no.

Like the Flip-class cameras, there's no optical zoom, and it can't take still shots (very few of these new camcorders can). Also, there's no on-device editing, just the option to delete what you shot. It too has video output, but only if you buy the right cable.

But the Nano is limited to VGA resolution—640x480—far less than that of current HD pocket cams which hover in the same sub-$180 price range. Casual videos meant for YouTube may not need more than VGA, and Apple sort of makes up for it by adding creative video filters, similar to those found in iChat and Photo Booth. These aren't just for fun, they tend to cover up the limitations of the video itself. On the other hand, if you're shooting your baby's first steps, or anything meaningful, no matter how short, you might end up regretting that you didn't shoot in HD.

That being said, it's a remarkably high-quality camera, as good as standard-def pocket cams like the Flip Mino (which I used in the comparisons below).

When you hold the Nano, you discover that the lens is placed in an awkward location—the lower right corner of the device's back. You can rotate it and the accelerometer will adjust, so it can actually be held in any way you choose, but the natural motion is to turn it 90 degrees counterclockwise (so the screen is on the left and the click wheel on the right), which leaves your fingers right in the lens's way. You get used to it, though. It's annoying but not a dealbreaker.

In video-camera mode, you can bring up those creative filters—cyborg, security camera, film grain, tunnel vision and more—by holding down the center button. They fit right in with the idea of the Nano as a quick-and-dirty camcorder: You wouldn't want your serious short film to have a red, pulsing cyborg filter, but it's really fun for 30-second clips. Speaking of which, the only limit on video length seems to be the remaining memory in the Nano itself.

Here are a couple comparison clips. This first is low-light, notoriously difficult for any budget camcorder to capture.

The Flip is far better here: You can actually make out the features of my kitchen with some certainty, and while it's blurry it's still watchable.

The Nano's low-light video is pretty much pitch black until I hit a patch of light, and it's extremely jerky. I should add that the kitchen wasn't really that dark, but it looks like that tiny sensor is just no good for situations with less light.

This pair of clips is to demonstrate macro. The Nano is actually a little better than the Flip here, with a sharper closeup picture, although color reproduction is a little more accurate on the Flip. Still, closeup shots are difficult and I'm really impressed with the Nano's clarity here. Here's the Flip:

And here's the Nano.

This last series is what most people will likely use the Nano's camera for: Shooting with a decent amount of light, natural or artificial. It's not quite as good here as the Flip—notice the tearing in the video as I pan, and again, color reproduction is a little darker and muddier than the actual object. But given that the Nano's camera is a tiny little lens crammed into an already-tiny music and video player that you may be intent on buying anyway, I'm really pleased and a little surprised at how well it performs.

This is the Flip:

And this is the Nano:

The microphone does a pretty good job at picking up sound. Speech is totally audible and it's sensitive enough to pick up a fairly quiet conversation 10 feet away. Wind shear can get really noisy, unfortunately, but unless it's incredibly windy it shouldn't be much of a problem.

So is the Nano better than a standard-def Flip? No, it's not: Besides poor low-light performance, the straight video quality is slightly inferior and there are no features like digital zoom (which some people like). This is a PMP with a camera, not a camera that plays music. But should Flip be worried? Absolutely. If you have a Flip already, you may not be swayed to purchase the Nano because of its video, but if you buy the Nano, you don't really need a Flip—and Apple's going to sell boatloads of these Nanos for reasons other than video camera anyway. Speaking of which...

FM Radio
Defiantly coming dead last to the FM radio party, Apple finally bestowed an iPod with a real FM radio, not some costly optional accessory. Why did Apple cave? Every single other mp3 player since about 2001 has had this. Your guess is as good as mine. The addition was announced without fanfare or explanation at the Nano's unveiling, and the tuner itself doesn't bring any new features like HD Radio, but it does come in with a suite of features proving, at least, that this wasn't an afterthought.

The radio gets excellent reception, though you have to use your headphones—not just Apple's white earbuds; I used my Shures—as the antenna. There's support for RDS data (station name and song title). That song title data can be used to tag favorite songs so that you can, well, buy them later on iTunes. The coolest radio feature is "Live Pause." You can pause a program for up to 15 minutes, and it caches it to memory. It's really nice addition, and you can even fast forward through the cached content, though you can't truly record and save radio.

Built-In Speaker
That's right, there's a teeny little speaker on the bottom of the new Nano. It's not particularly loud or high quality, but it's damn impressive that Apple could cram it into such a thin player. It's definitely audible in quiet rooms, although you'd probably want to use it for spoken word or video rather than music, as songs tend to get washed out and distorted. Still, I have a feeling I'll take advantage of the speaker even more than the video camera—there was one on the Samsung P3 and it proved extremely useful for those times when you want to share a quick video, or don't feel like plugging in earbuds.

Pedometer
It works, mostly, though it's not a substitute for Nike+. Even Apple says you can't use it for running. I tested five sets of exactly ten steps, and it registered the correct amount twice, but it also registered nine steps twice and thirteen steps once. It'll probably even out for longer walks, but you will never get perfect accuracy. It's still kind of fun, though: Turns out my nearest coffee shop is only 278 steps away from my bedroom, and I burned 14 calories getting there.

Voice Recorder
Using the built-in mic, you can record little voice memos. Sound quality is okay, but very limited by distance. I tested from different distances and found that while about one foot away from the mic, talking at a normal conversational volume (as in an interview or quick voice memo situation), sound quality was very audible and clear. From five feet back at the same volume, it was still clear but soft enough that the volume had to be upped quite a bit. From ten feet back it was still clear but only after I plugged it into my stereo and cranked the volume. When recording very loud music from a bit of a distance (sorry, neighbors!), the volume was fine but the recording came out way too distorted to be worth listening to. It looks like the recorder would be a good tool for memos or lectures, but forget about recording concerts with the Nano.

The Verdict

The iPod Nano is the best-selling MP3 player of all time, and this new model should keep that record alive. It's still an incredibly small and thin player with intuitive navigation and popular software, priced competitively. The new features are really nice—the video camera is good in a pinch, enough to supplant standard-def pocket cams—and the bigger, brighter screen makes navigating through the added options.

The video camera is a major feature addition, but this Nano is still an incremental upgrade. Apple hasn't changed the capacity or price in years—does it really not make sense to release a 32GB version? The 8GB version, only $30 cheaper than the 16GB, seems undesirable and outdated. But at this point what else could Apple add to the Nano? I'm just surprised everything they have added actually fits.

The iPod Touch and other full-featured touchscreen players like the Zune HD and Sony X-Series are the big attention-grabbers these days, and the Nano will surely be left behind as dedicated media players yield to convergence. The steady price and capacity of the Nano and the dropping price and skyrocketing capacity and functionality of the Touch signals the sea change better than anything: Soon the Touch will be top seller, and the Nano will slip into being a niche product for people who really prefer small form factors. There is much speculation that the Nano got the video camera—and the Touch did not—in order to slow this inevitable decline.

So the big question: Should you buy the Nano? Yes, if you want an easy-to-use, slick, full-featured and small PMP. No, if you just want an 8GB vessel for your MP3s.

If you're in the market for both a PMP and a cheap pocket camcorder, it's definitely a "yes." But think it over. If you've got last year's Nano and you have an interest in decent video quality, better to spend the money on a Kodak Zi8 (or the newly discounted Zi6). Or just wait for the iPod Touch to get a camera—now that's an upgrade. The camera alone isn't worth $150 or $180 if you've already got every other feature—maybe that's the reason Jobs himself said it was "free."

Retains stylish and durable form factor, with bigger and better screen

Camera is surprisingly good and really fun

Price is very tempting considering camera addition

Design, battery life and UI are unchanged, but still good

Capped at 16GB capacity

[Complete Coverage of Apple's Only Rock and Roll Product Launch]

Head to iFixIt for the rest of the autopsy. [iFixIt]

7:12 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Man it's early. About 3 hours left to go. More expect more updates from now until then, as usual.

7:20 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Schiller NEEDS to do today's presentation with the I am T-Pain app.

7:53 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Sitting on public transportation is a lot like sitting on the toilet. Reading makes the time go by faster, but eventually you're going to get hit in the face with the smell of urine. If you're lucky it'll just be the smell.

7:57 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
What does everyone think about the Palm Pixi? I like it. Even if it's slightly less powerful than the Pre, the size and the better keyboard make up for the losses, somewhat.

8:01 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
If Apple's inevitable tablet has ebook reading functionality I will personally shake the hand of everyone who worked on that team. Having to switch back and forth between reading a book on the kindle and reading a website on a laptop makes me feel like I'm getting a workout, sure, but if I wanted to exercise I wouldn't have thrown out all those 24 hour fitness fliers.

8:09 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Oh and I probably wouldn't personally shake their hands–I'd send an intern to do it. Gotta watch out for that piggy flu.

8:14 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
I'm wondering what "rock" songs will be playing before the event starts today, seeing as it's a "rock" theme. Rock Lobster? Schoolhouse Rock? Rachmaninoff?

8:18 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
I think sitting down on a train while someone is standing right in front of you is one of the few times where you can stare intently into a person's crotch without other people hassling you about it.

8:18 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

8:20 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:
OH HELLO! Good morning. Dan Nosowitz, Apple liveblog virgin, and I are at the Yerba Buena center downtown. Nothing starts for 1 hour and 40 minutes but we thought we'd get here early.

8:21 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Nice of you to qualify that last statement with "Apple liveblog."

8:22 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
There's someone pointing a video camera at me right now. Little does he know I'm just catching up on last night's celebrity gossip.

8:23 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:
Just waiting for Jason to get here. Wonder how traffic is coming from the east bay…probably bad, as usual.

8:30 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:
Everyone's talking about iPods but I think it makes sense to see new iTunes today, too. I mean, that's no revelation but I did notice when reviewing snow leopard that iTunes was not rewritten in 64-bits. One of the few apps still native to os x in 32 bits.

8:33 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
Everyone thinks Apple's going to add a camera onto the Nano and Touch but, especially for the Nano, I think it's kind of a dumb idea. Maybe it's just me but I don't need another crappy camera in my life.

8:40 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:
Hey Guys, turning off the live blog poll for for now. I'll let you know when its back on, so you can vote on the news. You can do it by clicking on the love/hate buttons, as many times as you want–it'll count each vote and chart it with the rest of the votes from other readers–or hit H or L keys while focused on the flash widget. But that's later. Oh, also, I forgot what the event is called "Only Rock and Roll", not Let's Rock. I get these damn events confused now.

8:41 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
I'd love to see a major iTunes refresh. Maybe we could finally get a "play next" function, like Winamp's had since about the last Ice Age.

8:49 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
On Apple event mornings I like to try to guess which indie band Apple's going to feature. My bet/hope for today: Discovery. You know, just indie enough to be hip but not so much they'll be scary to old folks.

8:50 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There's a crew of 20 old people with swords around the corner.

8:53 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

its cold but sunny. The crowd is dressed in suits, generally.

8:54 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
Brian and I are liveblogging in sunglasses, because 1) we're cool rebels and 2) the sun hurts our frail blogger eyes.

8:58 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
That treadmill shelf for laptops really works. I walked three blocks and was not winded.

9:01 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Someone asked me if there are going to be any surprises. I think it's going to be Grey's Anatomy in space. (The seven of you who got that joke are high fiving yourselves now.)

9:02 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
My press pass says "9.09.09″ but if I look down at it it looks like "06.06.6," THE MARK OF THE BEAST. What are you trying to tell me, Apple?

9:13 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The usual people are here–analysts, media and other people who I don't recognize. Bald count stands at about 8.

9:13 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:

9:15 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
Catering update: Apple's spread of fruits and breads is totally pedestrian. Does this have an implication for the event to come? Discuss. At length.

9:16 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Wilson Rothman:

9:17 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
40 minutes left. Greg Grunberg is here, and I hope I spelled his name right. Nice guy, and looks exactly like he does on TV. It's like the makeup department said "meh" and moved on.

9:20 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
Every time I see the tagline "It's Only Rock and Roll" I start humming Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." Please tell me I'm not the only one.

9:20 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
I don't know why, but someone is eating a banana and it is hilarious to me.

9:22 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There is a 13-year-old boy here. I hope for his sale he doesn't do like I did when I was 13 and get inappropriate erections.

9:22 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Wilson Rothman:

9:26 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Think about the person in your life that doesn't have an iPod already. Think about the last time he or she offered to pay for dinner. YOU CAN'T CAN YOU?!

9:27 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Wilson Rothman:

9:30 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Oh and if you want to follow us on Twitter, our names are on the masthead on the main Gizmodo.com page. And mine is @diskopo .

9:32 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
I want to display my Zune in a prominent place so everyone knows my commitment to objective journalism (and to buying shit on Woot).

9:34 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Wilson Rothman:

9:35 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
What are your 3 predictions for announcements today? Mine are iPods, iPods and more iPods. But also a new version of iTunes that forces your musical tastes upon Twitter and facebook.

9:40 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Wilson Rothman:

9:47 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Wilson Rothman:

9:48 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

9:49 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
We're inside. People are scrambling for seats, and I'm hungry.

9:50 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
First three songs: Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," The Who's "Baba O'Reilly" and Green Day's "When I Come Around." Didn't Apple used to be cool?

9:51 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Thanks to the guys at Hypermac for their awesome external batteries. Saves us a lot of battery switching/worrying.

9:53 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Eight minutes left. Put your phones on vibrate and tell your coworkers you're going to be in a meeting.

9:54 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Eric Schmidt is here, despite having been kicked off the Apple board. It's like attending your old high school's prom after you were expelled for vandalism and sent to the other high school under the bridge.

9:55 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Definitely "rock" songs playing today. No Coldplay or John Mayer. The rift between Mayer and Apple has never been bigger. Please, someone just apologize already.

9:56 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Dan Nosowitz:
I guess they're doing different decades with the music, since Hendrix is playing now. Super boring stuff though. If Steve wants to borrow my Zune I can show him some good tunes.

9:57 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:
Hey, I'm having some image difficulty, but we'll be back in a minute, before things start.

9:58 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Nevermind, that was just a bad transition. Another song's up now.

10:00 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The Stones are playing.

10:01 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:01 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The lights are dimming, and something is happening soon. Get ready.

10:02 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Steve Jobs is on stage and is getting a standing ovation.

10:02 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:02 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Applause, applause, sustained applause.

10:03 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"I'm very happy to be here with you all. As some of you might know, I had a liver transplant." He said he now has the liver of a 20 year old who died in a car crash, and he thanks him for his generosity.

10:03 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Steve also wants to thank everyone in the Apple community for the "heartfelt support", and thank Tim Cook and all the other execs at Apple.

10:04 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Steve's voice seems a little bit softer than we remember, a little bit of a hoarse whisper, but all in all he seems able-bodied (if still skinny).

10:05 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
He's going to have Phil Schiller join him for part of the presentation. In 2+ years, Apple's sold 30 million iPhones.

10:05 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"One of the reasons for that is the remarkable app store." They have more than 75,000 apps, and users have downloaded 1.8 billion apps. That does not include updates (obviously).

10:06 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"Today we have something new for iPhone and iPod Touch owners." It's iPhone 3.1.

10:06 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Now, Genius makes application suggestions based on the apps you own in order–just like Genius for iTunes music.

10:09 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The second thing is ringtones to the iTunes store. They have 30,000 ringtones from the majors, and will be $1.29.

10:09 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:09 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
iTunes is the number one music retailer in the world. They've sold 8.5 billion songs, and there are 100 million accounts in iTunes. This leads up to iTunes 9.

10:10 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Something else new: Genius mixes–Genius applied to another area. 54 billion songs submitted and analyzed since the Genius feature launched.

10:10 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:11 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Genius mixes is a Genius DJ playing songs from your library that it thinks will go well together. iTunes will make 12 by default, and all you have to do is click on one and it'll start playing indefinitely.

10:12 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Also new: improved syncing. So when you sync now you can sync these playlists, but you can now also select genres or artists directly from the Music sync tab.

10:12 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:12 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
This applies to Photos as well, selecting Events, people as well as albums that you've already set up.

10:13 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Or movies, syncing the most recent movies or something, and always having one movie.

10:13 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
What's even better is better app syncing for the iPhone, allowing you to manage pages and app locations on iTunes directly.

10:13 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
New "home sharing" in iTunes lets you copy songs, movies and TV shows among the 5 authorized computers in your house.

10:13 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:14 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Now you can drag songs from other libraries into YOUR library and it will copy it.

10:15 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Also, a redesigned iTunes store that's better looking (but not all that different from what you've seen before). It's "cleaner", says Steve, but it doesn't seem like a huge jump.

10:15 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Lastly, iTunes LP.

10:16 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
For iTunes LP, it'll include videos, liner notes, credits and other customized content that you used to get when you bought LPs in the past, except now it's digital.

10:16 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:17 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
And now, Jeff Robin comes up for a demo of iTunes 9.

10:18 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
First he's going to show App Organization (the rearranging of your apps on iTunes). Click on Applications and you'll get all the apps and pages. You can click and drag apps from one page to another, or deselect apps from the left hand side and not sync them. You can also drag multiple items at once.

10:18 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:18 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:23 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
First he's going to show App Organization (the rearranging of your apps on iTunes). Click on Applications and you'll get all the apps and pages. You can click and drag apps from one page to another, or deselect apps from the left hand side and not sync them. You can also drag multiple items at once.

10:23 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Double-clicking an app on the left-hand side will take you directly to the page that it's on. There's search (type in the name and it'll show the app), and page rearranging, meaning you can move whole pages up or down the queue.

10:23 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Next, home sharing. You can view other people's libraries, as you can now, and just select and drag songs to your library. It'll disappear from the list of other people's libraries if you select to only show "items not in my library."

He's demoing the iTunes store now, and all pages have been redesigned to match the new style. There are also quick-view popups for albums, allowing you to see the entire album from wherever you are, instead of having to go into the album page.

Oh and Facebook/Twitter sharing: you can now click on content and share links directly to them from the store.

10:24 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
As for iTunes LP, you can flip through photos and individual songs, which displays lyrics directly in iTunes for you to Karaoke along with.

10:26 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There can also be custom interviews (in video) that comes with the iTunes LP purchases.

10:26 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:26 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:26 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There are iTunes Extras for movies as well, giving you extra features (think DVD extras) but more interactive. And different.

10:27 AM ON Sep 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:27 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
iTunes demo over. Steve Jobs is coming back on stage.

10:27 AM ON Sep 9 2009
Jason Chen:
iTunes 9 is available today.

10:28 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Now, the iPod. Phil Schiller is coming up and taking over.

10:28 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:28 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Apple's sold 225 million iPods to date.

10:28 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
I think our server troubles are over? Let's hope!

10:29 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
As for Marketshare, iPod's got 73.8%, Sandisk has 7.2%, and Microsoft has around 1%. The rest is "other".

10:29 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:29 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The fastest growing iPod is the iPod Touch.

10:30 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:30 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Apple's sold 20 million iPod touches. Add that to the iPhone number and you'll get a big number of devices that can run your apps.

10:30 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:
Hey, we disabled the poll. Looks like you guys really liked clicking on it. Caused some problems with the servers.

10:31 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Phil is going over the talking points of the iPod Touch; the same things you already know. It runs apps, playing music and watching video.

10:32 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:32 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
You can also use Genius Mixes (the feature introduced in iTunes 9) on the iPod Touch, with the songs you've already loaded onto there.

10:33 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:33 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Phil, the consummate salesman, is going through the features of the iPod Touch as if it hasn't been available for 2 years now.

10:33 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:34 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"Not everybody's computer fits in your pocket", Phil says, as he points to a photo of a dude shoving a Dell laptop into his ass pocket.

10:35 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:35 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Phil is comparing games on the PSP to the DS, saying they have no multitouch and that they're expensive. You even have to GO TO A STORE TO BUY A GAME. Nobody ever says Phil doesn't have the balls to say things like this on stage with a straight face.

10:36 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:36 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:36 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Here's an image of the comparison between the amount of iPhone games vs. the amount of PSP and DS games. Misleading graph if anything, seeing as the amount of games doesn't indicate that they are all GOOD games.

10:37 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:37 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
And now a montage of games from various iPod Touch Action Titles.

10:38 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Phil's inviting up Ubisoft to demo Assassin's Creed. It's NOT Jade Raymond, unfortunately.

10:39 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Assassin's Creed 2 is being demoed now. It's a sidescrolling game, and has some pretty decent graphics.

10:39 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:39 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
You can even put your face into the wanted posters with the camera. Does this mean that the iPod Touch is getting a camera??

10:39 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:40 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Ubisoft is releasing this app on the same day as the Assassin's Creed game for consoles.

10:40 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Ubisoft is releasing this app on the same day as the Assassin's Creed game for consoles.

10:40 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:41 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Their latest game mixes music and racing.

10:41 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Next up, Tapulous, which makes Tap Tap Revenge.

10:42 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:43 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Riddim Ribbon is their latest game, making you a "DJ". You're "racing" down a track by tilting the phone, and you can choose different remixes of the current song you're on. You can flick the phone up to jump and add custom sounds. The guy playing the game is really into it.

10:43 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
After you're done playing the game you'll have made your own "mix" of the song, which you can share.

10:43 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:44 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Next is Gameloft. They're shipping 35 gaming titles in the App Store right now, with 20 million downloads.

10:44 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:44 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Nova, a first person shooter, puts you into the shoes of a space marine. SPACE MARINE, how come nobody's come up with this before?

10:45 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The HUD looks a lot like Halo, and it feels quite a bit like Halo.

10:45 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:45 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:45 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
You use the left side of the screen for the analog stick, and the right side to shoot. Plus the middle for changing weapons.

10:46 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There will be multiplayer over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

10:46 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Last is EA.

10:47 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:47 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Here's a game that's been around "for over 20 years." It's Madden, which has been announced already, and looks like PlayStation 1 graphics.

10:48 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:48 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:49 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The analog stick controls motion, just like the normal Madden, and John Madden gives super obvious advice, again, just like the normal Madden.

10:49 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"Usually the team that makes the least mistakes will win the game," declares Madden.

10:49 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Need For Speed Shift, Command and Conquer and NBA Live are also coming to the App Store.

10:50 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Phil says the iPod Touch is the "most affordable gateway to the App Store," which is true.

10:51 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Phil says "$199 is a magic price point in the iPod market." So, they're lowering the iPod Touch price to $199 for the 8GB version.

10:52 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
The 32GB will be $299 and 64GB will be $399.

10:52 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:52 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Also, the $299 and $399 versions of the iPod Touch will be 50% faster, and run OpenGL ES 2.0–the same as the iPhone 3GS.

10:53 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:53 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
So, the 8GB version is running the older processor and the 32 and 64GB are running the newer one.

10:54 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There's an iPod Touch ad showing off multiplayer by having multiple people play at the same time, showing off interactions.

10:54 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:54 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Next up is the iPod Classic. Today, there's a 120GB version for $249. They're going to raise the size to 160GB for the same $249.

10:54 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B.Lam:

10:54 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Then, the iPod Shuffle.

10:55 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:55 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:55 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Customers wanted to "expand" the range of headphones that work for the iPod Shuffle, which include Beats by Dre.

10:56 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:57 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:57 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
What's new? New colors that's what. Black, silver, pink, green and blue. A lower price of $59 for 2GB, in addition to the $79 at 4GB.

10:57 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
All these ship today.

10:57 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There's also a $99 special 4GB model made of polished steel. Special Edition.

10:57 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
And here's Steve again.

10:57 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:58 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
One more thing…

10:58 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
A video camera?

10:58 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:58 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
My guess is a camera on the iPod Touch. But we'll see in a second.

10:59 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:59 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
He's comparing a Flip at $149 with 4GB of memory. "So what are we gonna do?" They're going to use an 8GB model, and it will be "free". Yep, it's going to be on the iPod Nano. There's a camera and a microphone.

10:59 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

10:59 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There will be a speaker as well, for playback.

11:00 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:00 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:01 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"So how good is it?" Steve shows a demo video shot with the Nano.

11:01 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
He's making us watch the same lame video twice.

11:01 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:02 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:02 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Apple's sold 100 million iPod nanos to make it the "most popular music player in the world." They're adding voiceover, a genius mix feature, and FM radio.

11:03 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Also, a pedometer and a voice recorder. You can sync the pedometer directly to Nike+ as well, to keep track of your steps.

11:03 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam

11:03 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:03 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
And, new colors. "We've finally figured out how to do colors that are unimaginably beautiful. They're polished anodized aluminum."

11:03 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
There are two models. 8GB for $149 and 16GB for $179. They're available today.

11:04 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:04 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Here's an ad for it.

11:04 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
We're turning off live refresh, so you'll have to click refresh to get new updates. Please, refresh!

11:05 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:05 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:05 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Now the obligatory Environmental Checklist. Arsenic, BFR, Mercury, PVC-free.

11:06 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
That's not it, Steve has some more to say.

11:06 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
"Like you, we love music. There's no better way to remind us all than to have a live performance. We are really lucky today that Norah Jones is joining us." Norah Jones yay!

11:06 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:07 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Norah Jones is coming up on stage, and she looks Norah Jonesey. Very nice.

11:07 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:08 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:08 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Not only is she a great singer, she was good in the Wong Kar Wai movie as well. The movie itself wasn't all that fantastic, but SHE was good in it.

11:09 AM ON SEP 9 2009
B. Lam:

11:10 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
My knee hurts like a mofo from sitting so long. I am officially an old man.

11:11 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Here's a new song that they're going to release this November.

11:13 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Here's a new song that they're going to release this November.

11:14 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
So to recap, no real new "designs" in any of the iPods, but there are some lower prices and new features. No camera for the iPod Touch, but there is one for the Nano.

11:14 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Steve Jobs is coming back on stage to thank Norah Jones.

11:15 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
I feel like he's gonna say "Goodnight everybody, stay tuned for Craig Ferguson."

11:16 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Steve thanks everyone for coming, and Brian, Dan and I thank you all for reading!

11:16 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
You guys really loved pushing that button so much that it crashed our machines, so we'll make sure to put more button-handling in there for next time. October, maybe? There's always the tablet.

11:17 AM ON SEP 9 2009
Jason Chen:
Time to get some hands-on with the new iPods. See you all soon on the main Gizmodo page. BYE!

• iTunes 9: Everything You Need To Know

• iPod Nano 5th Gen Review

• More on new iPod Nano: Full Story, Hands On and First Video Samples

• iPod Touch Update--and What It Is Missing (Spoiler: A Camera)

• New Colors, Sizes for iPod Shuffle and Classic

• The Best Surprise of All: Steve Jobs' return to the stage; here's the video

Missing anything? Here's the full coverage of Apple's Only Rock and Roll event.

We found out that the camera's unfortunate placement (on the lower left of the back, if you're holding it normally) is due to there not being enough space to cram it in under the screen. The accelerometer adjusts if you want to hold it some other way, but the natural position for taking video is made harder by the location of the lens.

Why can't the Nano take still photography? Let's hear it from Steve Jobs himself, via the New York Times:

The sensors for doing video are fairly thin. The sensors for doing a still camera, at much higher pixel resolution - and we'd really like to have autofocus - they are just way too thick to ever fit inside the Nano.

This is the "cyborg" filter. Very geeky and cool, and matches perfectly with the tunes we were blasting (it's LP by Discovery, for the record). Notice that you can actually hear the click of the button right as the video stops.

The scratchy film-strip filter is great for arty shots of the back of Brian Lam's head.

This one's a security-cam type filter that makes these innocent passersby seem suspicious.

This is the normal setting (no filter) on a bright and sunny San Francisco day. You can see that the colors are a little washed out, there's a bit of visual tearing as I pan and due to the awkward placement of the lens itself, my finger blocks part of the shot.

These next two are for comparison. This one is taken by the Nano, a simple rotating panoramic with differing light and a lot of color. The next is the exact same video, but taken with a Flip Mino.

This is the Flip. The color reproduction is definitely better on the Flip (most notably in those flowers outside the window), and the video is noticeably sharper as well. But all in all, it's not a huge difference, which is very much to the Nano's credit.

Low light, predictably, is not the Nano's strong suit. It's serviceable, and obviously pocket camcorders like the Flip and Vado aren't all that much better, but you're going to want to have some decent lighting when using the Nano's camera.

Closeups are also a weak point for the Nano—its 640x480 resolution, with no macro mode, is just not detailed enough to pick up the nuances of this gold sparkly thing on Brian's bookshelf. But like the low light shows, if you're looking for the Nano to have amazing video capabilities, you probably haven't noticed that it's actually a super thin mp3 player and not an HD camcorder.

X-ray mode is actually cool and glosses over some of the Nano's lack of detail, not that it's particularly practical.

This is thermal mode, so you can tell that Brian and Lisa are red-hot. Literally.

Tunnel vision is another filter brought over from Photo Booth. It's one of my favorites, so I'm glad to see it on the Nano.

I'll admit, the UI performance is impressive. The loading animation scales at a very high framerate, and then four video filters can be previewed at once—in real time. Sure, X-ray and Cyborg footage is too hokey for most of us to ever actually shoot with, but Apple's certainly made the experience painless enough...you know, other than on your eyes.

Here's the new iPod Nano. The paint is less matte, more shiny. The corners seem less sharp (a previous complaint of mine). But physically, it's about the same. The differences are inside.

The camera hole is on the bottom left of the face, so you end up putting your fingers over the lens and mic a lot if you're right handed. Slightly annoying.

The video recording is a capable 640x480, and there are 16 or so video effects you can overlay in real time onto your video. There's no zooming or editing, so this is barebones, but for quick video that you can take when you need it, it's pretty decent. Note: It does not take still photos.

Its pedometer functionality works as you'd expect. Same with the voice recorder—they're both straightforward, and the voice recorder is basically the same one you've seen on the iPhone.

The FM radio has the same problem that small devices have with radio in that you need to have your headphones in to get reception. Not a huge deal with the Nano, since you're going to always have your headphones in anyway. But we didn't get a chance to test FM reception since there were no headphones available.

All in all it feels exactly like the old Nano, except with new features—which is the point. So yeah, the polished/glossy finish looks very nice, and the new features like voiceover are useful if you're into that.

Have a look at our video, plus the full details.

• Video camera (640x480)
• NO STILL CAMERA
• Integrated mic
• Integrated speaker
• FM Radio!!!!! That you can pause!! And iTunes tag!
• One-click YouTube uploads (through your computer)
• Voice Over like Shuffle
• Pedometer with Nike+ syncing online
• Voice Recorder
• 2.2-inch screen that's .2 inches larger than last model

Starting today, the 8GB nano will cost $150 while the 16GB comes in at $180. (So why buy the 8?) What's the biggest surprise here? The camera we knew about. But the radio? The video support? The total lack of still camera support? I do have to admit, however, if it's this or a Flip, the nano is certainly more tempting.

Apple Introduces New iPod nano With Built-in Video Camera

World's Most Popular Music Player Now Available in Nine Brilliant Colors

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today introduced the new iPod nano®, adding a video camera, mic and speaker to the world's most popular music player. Music lovers can now shoot video wherever they are, view it on their iPod nano and use their computers to easily transfer their videos to YouTube. The new iPod nano features an ultra-thin and sleek design with a larger 2.2-inch color display and gorgeous polished aluminum and glass enclosure. iPod nano also features a built-in FM radio with live pause and iTunes® Tagging, as well as a built-in pedometer. The new iPod nano is available today in an 8GB model for $149 and a 16GB model for $179, and comes in nine brilliant colors including silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, (PRODUCT) RED and pink.

"iPod nano is the world's most popular music player with over 100 million sold," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "And now we've added a video camera to its incredibly thin design, without any additional cost to the user."

iPod nano features a larger 2.2-inch display for easier navigating, enjoying album art, or shooting and viewing video clips. iPod nano is ultra-portable so users can shoot video wherever they are, in either portrait or landscape. iPod nano customers can share videos instantly with friends using its display and speaker, or sync with a Mac® or PC and share them on YouTube, MobileMe(TM), Facebook or via email.* iPod nano can even shoot videos with fun real-time effects such as Thermal, Film Grain, Kaleido and X-Ray.

iPod nano now has a built-in FM radio with live pause and iTunes Tagging. Live pause lets iPod nano users pause and resume playing their favorite FM radio shows. iTunes Tagging is great when users hear a song they like, they can simply tag it, and then preview and purchase that song when they sync to iTunes.** iPod nano also features Genius Mixes, which automatically creates up to 12 endless mixes of songs from your iTunes library that go great together.

iPod nano is also now an even better workout companion with the new built-in pedometer. iPod nano can keep track of your steps taken and calories burned, helping you meet your short and long-term fitness goals.

iPod nano provides up to 24 hours of music playback or five hours of video playback on a single charge. The 8GB model holds up to 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos, eight hours of video and seven hours of captured video; and the 16GB model holds up to 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos, 16 hours of video and 14 hours of captured video.***

iPod® is the world's most popular family of digital music players with over 220 million sold. Apple's new holiday lineup includes iPod shuffle® in five great colors starting at just $59; iPod classic® in a new 160GB model holding up to 40,000 songs for $249; the new iPod nano with a video camera available in nine brilliant polished aluminum colors starting at $149; and the revolutionary iPod touch® now starting at the breakthrough price of just $199.

Pricing & Availability

The new iPod nano is available immediately for a suggested price of $149 (US) for the 8GB model and $179 (US) for the 16GB model in silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange and pink through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The 8GB and 16GB iPod nano in yellow and (PRODUCT) RED are available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) and Apple's retail stores. iPod nano requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes 9; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 9.

*MobileMe is available to persons 13 and older. Annual membership fee and Internet access required. Terms apply.

**Currently available only in the US on radio stations that support iTunes Tagging.

***Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See 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.

MC027LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - SILVER
MC031LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - BLACK
MC034LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - PURPLE
MC037LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - BLUE
MC040LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - GREEN
MC043LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - YELLOW
MC046LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - ORANGE
MC049LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - RED
MC050LL/A - IPOD NANO 8GB - PINK
MC060LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - SILVER
MC062LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - BLACK
MC064LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - PURPLE
MC066LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - BLUE
MC068LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - GREEN
MC070LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - YELLOW
MC072LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - ORANGE
MC074LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - RED
MC075LL/A - IPOD NANO 16GB - PINK
MC293LL/A - IPOD CLASSIC 160GB - SILVER
MC297LL/A - IPOD CLASSIC 160GB - BLACK
MC306LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 2GB - SILVER
MC307LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 4GB - GREEN
MC323LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 2GB - BLACK
MC328LL/A- IPOD SHUFFLE 4GB - BLUE
MC331LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 4GB - PINK
MC381LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 2GB - GREEN
MC384LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 2GB - BLUE
MC387LL/A - IPOD SHUFFLE 2GB - PINK

The good news of iPod classic lovers: It's still alive at 160GB. And the shuffles come in colors now. Wheeee! Or something like that. Tune in to our liveblog. We are there already!

[AppleInsider]

No spec information is listed, but the case (with a hole for a camera) looks believable, even if the iPods don't. And that's the news, if the cases are legit, then hopefully we'll get cameras as expected. We'll find out at 10am PST/1PM EST. [Cygnett via Crave Asia]

Unfortunately there aren't any pictures, but we can surmise two things from this. First, there will almost definitely be new iPods of both varieties tomorrow. This is possibly the worst-kept secret, ever.

Second, these iPods will be sufficiently different from prior models such that they require different cases. I mean, accessory makers will take any excuse to make a new line of accessories, but neither the Nano or the Touch are due for any massive structural changes, so the most obvious reason for new shells would be holes for a camera and mic. At any rate, we'll be at the event tomorrow—I just hope there's something left to announce by then. [Best Buy via Pocket Lint]

Most likely

• New iPod touch: All iPod models have been discontinued in the stock databases, so new units are a given, even if they arrive to the shops later than expected. The only question is the feature set. Would it have a new camera? Looks very likely, as new cases pop absolutely everywhere. New storage capacities? It is a very strong possibility. A new processor, once again leapfrogging the iPhone? Perhaps new materials? We will see about that.

• New iPod nano: Like the iPod touch, the nano will see an update, adding a camera to it. We still don't know if anything physical will change, but it's not likely, looking at the multiple cases.

• New album features: This one was confirmed by the record labels—although Apple always has the last word on what goes into each release. It seems they have been jointly developing new interactive features to encourage the purchase of full albums. The project is called Cocktail, and it's aimed to "reproduce the album experience." It may be new glorified PDF-like documents, or some interactive stuff. I don't know about you, but if it's something I can't touch, I can't get no satisfaction.

Likely

• New iPhone OS update: Knowing that a new iPod touch is coming, and about the new features in Cocktail, a new iPhone OS 3.1 update will probably be a must too.

• The end of the classic iPod: Looking at the sinking sales of the big honky tonk iPods, this may be their end, hopefully getting replaced by a 64GB iPod touch. As much as I loved it—had every single model until the iPhone came—it's time to leave them in the memory motel.

Unlikely

• Apple tablet: We had high hopes for this one, but unless Apple decides to pull a rabbit out of their magic hat at the last second, it looks like the the fabled Apple tablet is not going to happen this time. You can't always get what you want, but you can get what you need.

• Beatles remastered: As much as I want this to happen—and even while tomorrow The Beatles Remastered box sets will be released—I don't think the Beatles on iTunes is on the cards. This rumor comes again and again, every single year, and it never gets realized. This year, look at the invitation. There is no way that Apple would have used the Rolling Stones if the Beatles were coming to the iTunes Music Store. In fact, if sounds like Steve's way of saying: "Fuck it, we need no bloody Beatles, innit?"

The One More Thing

• You know us and our sympathy for the devil: We are all still holding our breaths to see Steve back in the show and tell game. If he doesn't, we are going to pass out. So let's spend the day together, Mr. Jobs.

Photo by Brad Immanuel