We've taken a good look at the handy Buyer's Guide over at MacRumors and given you some background and our own recommendations for safe shopping. Enjoy, and try not to throw too many elbows out there. And don't worry! If you hate all things Apple, we've got you covered here.

iPod Shuffle

Whether a major revamp or a new selection of colors, Apple has updated Shuffle twice a year, like clockwork, every year since 2006. A new generation should debut in February, and given our issues with the current Shuffle's form factor it's probably best to hold out a few more months. Recommendation: WAIT

iPod Nano

This was just updated in September, the fourth year in a row that their only refresh has been in the fall. You should be fine to buy for now; expect new models to show up again in another nine months. Recommendation: BUY

iPod Classic

Same story as the Nano. You're fine for now, if you absolutely need 160GB of storage from a PMP. Since it's unlikely that you or anyone does, just get an Touch or (or even a Zune HD) instead. Recommendation: DON'T BUY, unless you somehow need to watch TV show made since 1995 on that teeny-tiny screen

iPhone

Even if it hadn't already been 200 days since the last update, there are also plenty of rumors out there about a 5MP camera coming in June. Hold off until then if you can. Recommendation: WAIT

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch has been on the same product cycle as the Classic and Nano since its 2007 debut, but the first generation model also received a memory upgrade five months after its initial release. The 5MP camera rumor applies here, as well, so it's best to see what happens. Recommendation: WAIT

Mac Mini

Apple's no-frills desktop just got a spec increase and added a server model in late October. It shouldn't be getting any more updates any time soon, which is a shame, because it's still not a very competitive product for the price. Check out the Acer AspireRevo R3610 as a more than viable alternative. Recommendation: DON'T BUY unless you insist on Apple, even when it flies in the face of all logic

Mac Pro

While it hasn't gotten an official refresh since March, Apple did just add a 3.33GHz Quad Core processor option on Dec. 4tth. There should still be another upgrade this spring worth waiting for, especially with rumors that the Mac Pro is about to get a Core i7-980X processor. Recommendation: WAIT

iMac

The iMac was updated at the same time as the Mini, but widely reported display problems make us cautious. Roll the dice if you want, but it's probably best to see if and when these issues are resolved. Which as of today, they're clearly still not. Recommendation: WAIT

Cinema Display

Apple added a 24" model in 2008, but the rest of the Cinema Display line hasn't seen a spec change since fall of 2006. There's no indication that new models are in the offing, so if you want that 30-inch screen you should be all right. Keep in mind, though, that the 27" iMac screen has 90% of the resolution of the 30-inch Cinema, making it a solid replacement once they get the bugs sorted out. Recommendation: CAUTIOUS BUY

MacBook

Apple's basic laptop model was just updated with multitouch, an LED display and a unibody form on October 20th, and it's not likely to be revamped again any time soon. If you'd prefer a more powerful notebook it might be worth waiting to see if the MacBook Pro gets a price drop in a few months. Recommendation: BUY, if you definitely don't want a MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro line gets a refresh every 200 days, on average, and we're just about there now. More importantly, there have been rumors that Apple's going to upgrade to Intel's new Core i5 and i7 processors as soon as early January. You can hold off until then, right? Recommendation: WAIT

MacBook Air

It's hard to say about the MacBook Air; it's a newer product, so there's less precedent to work with. We do know that the light-as-a-feather notebook last got an upgrade in June, and we can speculate Apple may wait until a ULV i5 or i7 processor is available before ushering in next-generation models. It's worth waiting to see if those processors get announced at CES next week. Recommendation: WAIT

The more three-dimensional interface is designed by The Astonishing Tribe, who also designed Android's UI, as well as interfaces for Sony Ericsson and pretty much every other phonemaker at one point or another.

The major thing here is a couple of new gestures: A squeeze gesture, which is detected by additional accelerometers, and a seamless touchpad embedded in the back, so you can scroll by stroking the back of the phone, where you're not hiding the screen. Tilt also gets a lot more play here, the idea being that you can more easily use it one-handed.

The phone's a concept, led by Synaptics and using hardware like their ClearPad 3000, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the basic concepts show up in phones from LG and others, since a lot of companies use Synaptics' tech in their phones.

UPDATE: Here's a slightly prettier video directly from TAT:

Synaptics Debuts FuseTM Next-Generation Mobile Phone Concept
Synaptics, Texas Instruments, Immersion, TheAlloy, and The Astonishing Tribe demonstrate collaborative design to drive the future of mobile interaction beyond the touchscreen

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – December 14, 2009 – Synaptics Incorporated (NASDAQ: SYNA), a leading developer of human interface solutions for mobile computing, communications, and entertainment devices, today introduced FuseTM, a collaborative mobile phone concept, demonstrating the future of user interaction for handsets. Integrating for the first time multiple interface technologies-including multi-touch capacitive sensing, haptic feedback, 3-D graphics, and force, grip, and proximity sensing-the Fuse concept phone showcases exciting new mobile device usage models. In addition, Fuse demonstrates to device manufacturers the value of ecosystem collaborations providing a model for designing multi- modal interfaces that will optimize the user experience on next-generation handheld device. Every step in the value chain affects and is affected by the end product. A truly collaborative approach takes advantage of each partner's unique contributions in benefiting the user.

Beyond Today's Touchscreen
Fuse extends the now-prevalent touchscreen-based user experience first unveiled in August 2006 with Synaptics' award-winning Onyx mobile concept. With Fuse's bold lineup of innovative interface technologies, Synaptics and partners tackle the difficulty of single- handed usage and the need to look at the screen-two key challenges faced by on-the-go users in current-generation touchscreen phones.
Fuse's innovative sensing technologies surrounding the entire device enable quick, intuitive, single-handed navigation. For example, grip sensing achieved via force and capacitive touch sensors on the sides of the phone allows the user to execute common controls such as pan and scroll. In addition to the novel side sensors, Fuse introduces for the first time, 2D navigation from the back of the phone. This feature offers yet another mode of effective and fun single-handed control without obstructing the display or enhanced usability, Fuse combines multiple sensory input and feedback technologies including active 3-D graphics and next-generation haptic effects.

"Consumers have many options when it comes to choosing a smartphone, and though many phones are loaded with applications to simplify one's life, they often accomplish just the opposite," said William Stofega, research manager for mobile device technology and trends at IDC. "Synaptics partnering with innovative industry leaders to deliver an intelligent concept device that has the consumers' lifestyles in mind will help showcase the true potential of the smartphone."

Collaborative Design
The Fuse mobile phone concept is the result of a unique collaboration between Synaptics and four global partners-TheAlloy, The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), Immersion, and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI). With human interface and digital lifestyle in mind, the Fuse design team created a stunning and functional user interface with innovative new modes of sensing input, and visual and haptic feedback.
Each partner provided valuable expertise and contributions to the project:
• TheAlloy led the user experience and overall product design efforts.
• TAT enabled the effective 3-D environment and lent their extensive user interface
software design skills.
• Immersion made possible the tactile feedback, ensuring an integrated and satisfying
experience.
• TI's OMAPTM 3630 processor provided the framework and platform to leverage the
enhanced multimedia, graphics and imaging features that consumers crave.

Additionally, Synaptics' ClearPadTM, NavPointTM, and TouchButtonsTM solutions are used in the Fuse mobile concept to offer unique capabilities-such as two-finger input, proximity sensing, grip sensing, text entry, and high-resolution finger input-providing precise pointing and navigation that can dramatically improve and enhance the user experience with a touchscreen.

Future handset innovation will rely on the relationship between technology design and designers to unlock the potential of mobile phones as an ideal computing platform. Fuse illustrates to OEMs the advances in Synaptics' sensing technologies and the collaborative effort that will inspire a new wave of multi-modal input design.

"The best touch experience requires the expertise and collaboration of ecosystem leaders to optimize what the user sees and feels," said Gopal Garg, senior vice president of Synaptics' handheld business unit and corporate marketing. "The improved sensory experience of Fuse will drive handset innovation to evolve, taking the current generation of touch-based interaction to the next level of human-device interaction."

"The Fuse project has demonstrated the power of multi-party collaboration to deliver experience-led innovation, said Gus Desbarats, chairman, TheAlloy. "Each partner within the Fuse project has helped to show the effect that leading-edge technology can deliver when applied with design thinking."

"Exceptional user experience differentiates the best designs," said Craig Vachon, senior vice president and general manager of Immersion's touch line of business. "Fuse exemplifies the power of collaboration and realizes what is possible by integrating innovative technology, including Immersion's next-generation TouchSense solutions. Working with these partners has been gratifying; Fuse is further validation that our haptics technology brings to life the power of touch and makes devices more intuitive, satisfying, and fun to use."

"Providing our technology in order to showcase user experience paradigms of next generation devices is one of the key ingredients that keep TAT ahead of the trends in mobile user interfaces", says Charlotta Falvin, chief executive officer of The Astonishing Tribe. "Realizing design ideas that push the limits of technology like the Fuse UI does is one of our passions."

"The world is changing, and so is the way people interact with their mobile devices. TI is excited to be a part of the innovative Fuse concept that reiterates the significant headway we're making to advance mobile user experiences," said Fred Cohen, director of worldwide ecosystem partners for Texas Instruments. "TI's OMAP platform works in sync with these other impressive technologies to bring big-screen, life-like capabilities to consumers' fingertips."

Jack Schulze and Timo Arnall made this stunning video by using a specially-made LED wand, long-exposure photography, some animation, and a metric ton of patience. I, on the other hand, will be using the next few moments, my eyes, and an ounce or two of amazement to appreciate the supposedly paranoia-inducing beauty of RFID. [PopSci]

In time for Windows 7's launch, HP will release three new TouchSmart all-in-ones. The 20-inch TouchSmart 300 and the 23-inch TouchSmart 600 (check out Mark's full review) both have infrared multitouch displays. The TouchSmart family PC solution that has been so popular in kitchens and living rooms, now has a business friendly twin. Yes, even business owners need the 23-inch TouchSmart 9100 which is anticpated to be used in store fronts and retail locations.

HP completes the multitouch family with its smaller and more portable 12-inch HP Tx2 laptop. Like the original, it has a capacitive screen with a convertible hinge. You can use both a finger and a pen on the screen. HP is also experimenting with a non-convertible touchscreen laptop and will offer the HP dv3 with a touchscreen in select markets.

The biggest update to the all-in-ones and the Tx2 laptop is the interface. HP continues to put its TouchSmart user interface on top of Windows 7 and it is one of the best I have seen. The new stuff comes in the way of applications; there are now loads of new third party applications, including Hulu, Twitter and Netflix. The interface is as smooth as a baby's bottom and the main set of tiles fan across the screen and you can easily flick to toggle them. Again, check out the full review of the TouchSmart 600 to get a glimpse of how it really works. HP may just have a method to its touch madness. [HP]

HP Unveils New Multitouch PCs and Display
Company debuts its first fully interactive, 42-inch, high-definition digital signage touch display

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2009 – Building upon its nearly 30-year history of touch innovation, HP today launched the next era of multitouch computing for consumers and businesses.

Among the new products, HP introduced three touch-enabled HP TouchSmart PCs and its first fully interactive, 42-inch diagonal, high-definition (HD) digital signage touch display, the HP LD4200tm.

"Since the launch of the first TouchSmart PC nearly three years ago, we've worked closely with a growing number of software companies and independent vendors to develop built-for-touch applications that give consumers and businesses rich interactive multimedia experiences," said James Mouton, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. "These collaborations have helped to make HP touch computing the most advanced touch experience in the market today."

New consumer HP TouchSmart PCs packed with exclusive touch applications
HP now offers a choice of 20- or 23-inch diagonal widescreen consumer HP TouchSmart PCs – the HP TouchSmart 300 and HP TouchSmart 600. Each features a sleek, award-winning design that integrates either a stunning HD-capable or HD widescreen display with a multitouch enabled screen.

Users can simply pinch, rotate, arc, flip, press or drag a finger across the screen of the PC to access information, entertainment and social networks in a natural, intuitive way. Though accompanied by a wireless keyboard and mouse, new 16:9 widescreen tiles make multimedia, social media and other applications a rich and engaging touch experience.

The new consumer HP TouchSmart PCs feature exclusive built-for-touch applications(1) including:
• Hulu Desktop to provide quick access to Hulu's vast library of hit TV shows, movies and video clips. Users can browse, search and watch their favorite comedies, dramas, sci-fi and web-original shows from nearly 200 leading content companies. Users with Hulu.com accounts also can access their queue, subscriptions and viewing history.
• A touch-enabled Netflix application delivers thousands of full-screen TV episodes and movies that are streamed from Netflix over the Internet. Using HP's signature fan view, Netflix members can instantly watch a move from their Instant Queue on the PC or remove a movie from their Queue via touch. Netflix members also can rent DVD and Blu-ray discs as well as edit and manage their Netflix accounts using the application. A two-week free Netflix trial is available to all TouchSmart users in the United States.
• Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging service, makes it easy to catch up with family, friends and colleagues with the touch of a finger.
• With Rhapsody as the engine, the new HP Music Store gives users streaming, on-demand access to 8 million songs delivered to the new TouchSmart PC. Customers who subscribe to Rhapsody can enjoy favorite artists, create playlists or just sit back and listen. Non-members can enjoy a free 14-day trial.
• Pandora Internet radio is now touch enabled for a free personalized music experience to find new music based on old and current favorites.
• TouchSmart RecipeBox lets aspiring chefs discover, explore and keep track of recipes saved from multiple websites and cook with a hands-free experience via voice commands.
• TouchSmart Live TV allows quick access for watching and recording live, local TV. Customers can set recordings in advance of their airing via an electronic programming guide.
• TouchSmart Canvas allows customers to organize their photos on a virtual canvas to quickly and easily create photo collages using touch to edit and rotate photos.
• TouchSmart Link allows the transfer of photos and images taken by a mobile device to the TouchSmart PC via Bluetooth® wireless technology.

Customers with previous TouchSmart PC models who upgrade to Windows 7 through the HP Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program will receive software with some of these new touch applications.

A new swivel stand and tilt webcam(1) increase users' ability to share and collaborate around the HP TouchSmart, which also can easily be wall mounted (with optional wall bracket accessory). All models meet ENERGY STAR® 5.0 requirements.

Some models of the HP TouchSmart 600 easily connect to gaming consoles, including Xbox, PlayStation and Wii, via HDMI or composite video ports.

World's first multitouch consumer notebooks now better than ever
For those whose active lives demand a device for note capture, entertainment, communication and robust computing that's easy to carry, the HP TouchSmart tx2 notebook PC delivers. The HP TouchSmart tx2 combines powerful computing with tablet PC capabilities and entertainment features in an attractive design light enough to go anywhere.

With multitouch support within HP MediaSmart, the HP TouchSmart tx2 is the first notebook PC for consumers that enables the use of two fingers to navigate HP's entertainment applications. The HP TouchSmart tx2 features most of the same touch applications as the HP TouchSmart PC as well as exclusive touch-enabled games and Corel® Painter Sketch Pad for creating digital art.

The HP TouchSmart tx2 weighs 4.65 pounds,(2) features a 12.1-inch diagonal WGXA HD HP LED widescreen integrated touch-screen convertible display, AMD Turion™ dual-core processors(3) and a glossy HP Imprint finish with titanium color "Reaction" pattern.

The convertible design with a twist hinge allows consumers to enjoy the HP TouchSmart tx2 in three modes: PC, display and tablet. With a rechargeable digital ink pen, users can turn the HP TouchSmart tx2 into a tablet PC to write, sketch, draw, take notes or graph right onto the screen – and then automatically convert handwriting into typed text.

Business HP TouchSmart drives new customer interactions, business models
The industry's only full-featured, all-in-one, multitouch-enabled business PC, the HP TouchSmart 9100 Business PC provides real-time information, videoconferencing capabilities(4) and multimedia features in a 23-inch diagonal full HD(5) widescreen display.

The HP business TouchSmart is enabling a more interactive, compelling customer experience at businesses such as bridal retailer Priscilla of Boston for luxury dress concierge service, St. Louis Oncology for medical filing, the NBA's Detroit Pistons for instant replays and food, and hotels such as Sheraton and Marriott to provide enhanced customer lobby experiences.

New business models are emerging with the HP TouchSmart 9100. Digital Aisle, an interactive shopper solutions company, is bringing "virtual sales assistants" to life using HP's interactive touch screens. The Digital Aisle's Virtual Bartender uses HP TouchSmart technology to help people plan parties, print and email recipes, and learn expert bartending tips. This interactive point-of-purchase tool has been deployed to independent and chain retailers across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

An array of new enhancements on the HP TouchSmart 9100 include:
• DVI output, enabling customers to connect to their full HD format displays and projectors
• Configure-to-order options designed to meet the needs of businesses, including a choice of genuine Microsoft Windows® 7 32-bit or 64-bit operating system,(6) processors, optical drives, hard drives, solid state drives, Kensington locks, HP Protect Tools and HP BIOS to enable USB ports and SATA device lock down, and retasking of button controls for custom kiosk configurations
• Optional wall mount adapter attaches the HP TouchSmart to a VESA wall mount or a VESA-compatible articulating arm
• U.S. Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliant – HP TouchSmart 9100 configure-to-order units comply with TAA requirements(7)
• Premium performance with a powerful Intel® Core™2 Duo processor,(8) Genuine Windows 7 Professional, up to eight gigabytes (GB) of memory,(9) up to a 500 GB hard drive or an optional 64 GB solid state drive,(10) and a trial version of Microsoft® Office(11)
• NVIDIA GeForce G200 integrated graphics or upgrade to NVIDIA GeForce GT230 discrete graphics using the Mobile Express Module (MXM) graphics slot
• New standard onsite warranty providing next-day(12) business servicing
• FireWire® output for quick and easy transfer of digital files, photos and videos from a wide variety of IEEE94-compatible peripheral devices
• Optional wireless keyboard and mouse
• Optional Blu-ray combo optical(13) disk drive

The HP TouchSmart for business is a space- and energy-saving portal for businesses. Its ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT® Silver registered design uses 55 percent less metal and 37 percent less plastic than standard PCs and monitors. With the easy-to-use HP Power Manager tool, companies also can configure their individual PC power settings to save energy without interfering with the PC's ability to perform.

Businesses shine with HP's first fully interactive, 42-inch, HD digital signage display
The HP LD4200tm is a 42-inch diagonal, sleek black digital signage built to fit in trendy indoor environments, such as kiosks, retail, point of sale, shopping malls, travel terminals, hotel lobbies, recreational venues, universities, stock exchanges and hospitals.

It features infrared technology, which recognizes multitouch gestures for onscreen interaction in 1,920 x 1,080 full HD native resolution to provide stunning views of video, graphics or text in both bright and dim lighting. In addition, an ultra-wide 178 x 178 degree viewing angle enables observation from almost any angle and, unlike TV screens, the HP LD4200tm is built to run 24/7 with low power usage while maintaining longevity. It also comes with a standard three-year limited warranty.

Pricing and availability
• The HP TouchSmart 300 starts at $899 and is expected to be available Nov. 1.
• The HP TouchSmart 600 starts at $1,049 and is expected available Oct. 22.
• The HP TouchSmart tx2 starts at $799 and is expected to be available Oct. 22.
• The HP TouchSmart 9100 starts at $1,299 and is expected to be available in December.
• The HP LD4200tm 42-inch widescreen LCD monitor starts at $2,799 and is expected to be available in December.

With it, Windows users will have available to them a jailbreak solution for OS 3.1.2 on all iPhone and iPod touch generations. Installation is pretty simple: Download and install the app on your PC, then plug in your device.

Update: There is a warning associated with this, so read on and take note:

WARNING: Even though the GeoHot jailbreak supports 3.1.2 do not update if you are on iPhone OS 3.0.1 or 3.0. You will lose your unlock. Use PwnageTool to safely update to 3.1 without performing a baseband update. If you really must have 3.1.2 then wait for the next version of PwnageTool. If you have already updated to 3.1 or 3.1.2 without using PwnageTool then you've lost the ability to unlock for the time being. You can now use BlackRa1n to at least regain your jailbreak :)

Update provided by iClarified and the comment section. Thanks! [On the iPhone via BGR]

The $69 Bamboo Touch is basically the product to add a multitouch trackpad to your laptop or desktop. The 5.0 x 3.5 inch surface is larger than the typical touchpad and supports all the typical gestures, including two finger zooming and scrolling. The Bamboo Pen costs the same amount and is, as you might expect, pen only. Then there is the $99 Bamboo Pen and Touch for the best of both worlds. And the $129 Bamboo Craft and $199 Bamboo Fun that are larger in size and are bundled with lots of software.

I am still most intrigued by the Bamboo Touch since I think everyone should have the goodness of a multitouch touchpad and the ability to two finger swipe all day long. The artistic folk, however, will have their eyes on the Pen and Touch combo.The new tablets work with both Mac and PCs (Win 7 support included) and are attached by a USB cord. [Wacom]

According to Phone Arena the LG VX8575 will have a 3.2MP camera and 3.5mm headset jack. I am still drooling over the longer BL40, the Chocolate Touch, eh not so much. [Phone Arena]

Booting the old touch took 31 seconds. The new touch takes 19. Loading a web page dropped from 34 seconds to 15. And most games teetered between loading 33% and 50% faster.

Despite Apple not reaching that 50% benchmark across the board, Macworld is still impressed because the "the new iPod touch feels much faster at any task you throw at it: applications launch (and quit) faster, Web pages load more quickly, processor-intensive games and programs perform better-you name it."

And the new touch should be faster. TUAW confirmed that this latest ipod to have a very similar ARM Cortex A8 processor as the quick iPhone 3GS, which is a surprise to absolutely no one. [Macworld and TUAW via The iPhone blog]

Those sites are claiming that there's enough space to fit an iPod nano camera in the iPod touch 3rd generation. This is their evidence:

That's ok. However, if you look at the guts of the iPod touch 2nd generation, you will find there's probably plenty of space to fit a nano camera too:

So Apple may be able to fit the iPod nano camera in the iPod touch third generation and the second generation. So?

The question is: Why the hell should they do that? Why should Apple include the lame 640 x 480 webcam of the nano—a camera that Apple doesn't allow to do still photos because they would look like crap—in a high end product like the iPod touch? Wouldn't people expect the same quality as the camera in the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS?

Like I already said in this analysis of the potential reasons, if there's no iPod nano camera inside the iPod touch, it is probably because the nano webcam sucks. Plain and simple. It just doesn't match the feature mix of the touch, and the standard set by the iPhone.

So no, I'm afraid there is no need to find mysterious conspiracies in this one, neither to justify failed rumormongering. In this case, Jobs points out perfectly valid reasons for the exclusion of the camera in the third generation touch, even if that fact sucks. It's a marketing decision on their part, not a technical one. He is not lying this time. You can crucify him for that, if you want. We already did.

I'm sure that, in time, they would include a camera in one of upgrade cycles, when they actually need it. But you can be sure that it will be a decent camera, and not the nano's. [iFixIt's iPod touch 2nd generation and 3rd generation teardown]

What is an ebook reader? It is your relaxation companion, the screen you will stare at when the laptop is closed and the TV is off. In that sense, the ability to provide tranquility must always trump the latest trick. Pack in touch screens, pack in SD card readers, search, dictionary, library-book borrowing. You can pack it all in, but never, ever at the cost of that primary role. With the $300 6" resistive-touchscreen Touch Edition, Sony fails to heed this simple agenda. With the super-simple $200 5" Pocket, Sony seems to be flaunting it.

Mind you, neither are Kindle killers, but they never were supposed to be. They are cheaper than Kindle, in a niche all by themselves. They represent Sony's third try at elusive ebook reader success, using its own bookstore and the necessary computer connection instead of pairing with a retail giant and a 3G wireless provider. Speaking of that, Sony takes on the now $300 Kindle with its $400 3G-capable Daily edition, which we hope to review in the coming months.

Touch Edition Up Close

The Touch, which I've been using primarily, has a lot of flaws but battery life isn't one of them: I charged it 11 days ago, and it's only now starting to die. The touch interface provides a relatively organic way to turn pages, though I always flick in the wrong direction. (You push your finger towards the next page, rather than flicking the current page back.) Update: You can set the turn motion to go either way. Thanks Weatherman!

When you tap words—with a fingernail or the included stylus—you get an instant dictionary definition, and a quick way to search an entire tome. The interface isn't going to win any awards, and the dictionary doesn't know a lot of words that it should, mainly past participles ("overheated") or gerunds ("deteriorating"). But if those were the only issues, I'd say jump in—it's a nice enough player priced well under the Kindle.

But the screen, oh God, the screen. Sony's problem with glare continues unabated, and because the soon-to-be-launched 3G-connected flagship Daily edition also has a touchscreen, the glare problem is likely to sink that as well.

Blinded By The Light

What do I mean by glare? I mean that, lying in bed, with just my reading light on, I can see the perfect out line of my face. Sure, I am handsome, but when I read a book, I expect to be staring only at words on the page, not my own lovely mug. In a well-lit room, the glare from all sides is positively frustrating, and it shifts with every minor adjustment of my hand.

More and more LCD screens on laptops come with glossy finishes, and that can be a pain when you're surrounded by natural light. However, LCD is back-lit. The light coming from within the screen combats the light bombarding it from outside, so you can still see a lot, and you can always jack up the brightness when you can't. E-Ink isn't backlit—that is its benefit. When done right, it looks like paper, with zero eye strain. But if you put a shiny membrane over that E-Ink, as Sony has done here, you get undefeatable glare—and eye strain galore.

Gimmicks Test Well

When I brought up this problem with Sony, they told me that touch was a huge selling point for focus groups. I can appreciate that, and can see how Sony thought this product "tested well," perhaps in a setting where people are not reading for hours (or days or weeks), but are just messing around with the neat-o gadget. Also, anyone who only has the experience of the Touch edition may not realize there's a whole world of glare-free ebook readers, from the Kindle to iRex's Digital Reader, which actually has a touchscreen. It's too bad Sony couldn't figure out (or buy) iRex's secret.

The people in the Touch focus groups should have been given a Pocket Reader too, as I was.

Pocket Edition Up Close

Literally pocketable and way cheaper, the Pocket is far more capable of delivering hours of peaceful reading. As you can see in the images, side by side, the screens couldn't be more different. It's not just relatively glare free, it has better contrast for even easier reading. The Pocket's problem is that it is barebones to an almost insulting degree: No search, no dictionary, no card reader, no nothin'.

I could actually live without all of those features save one: Search. Keyword searching is to future readers what leafing around is to current ones. Don't remember where you last saw the mysterious man in black? Do a quick search. The Pocket has bookmarks, so you can dog-ear the pages you want to remember, but search is about not having to remember—it's about hindsight, not foresight.

Reward for Patience

In the end, I can't recommend either device wholeheartedly, but I can tell you that if you plow through books fast and dirty, without jumping around a lot, you could do worse than drop $200 on the Pocket. It's simple, it's easy on the eyes, and for the time being, it's the cheapest ebook reader out there. Add to that this lending-library feature that hopefully launches soon, and you could get the first reasonably budget reader.

The pricing situation will change dramatically within 12 months, but maybe not by Christmas. The iRex and Plastic Logic news we hope to hear by then is all about 3G Kindle competitors, probably in the $300-$500 range. There's also this little thing about an Apple tablet that I can't seem to forget about. One thing is for sure, no matter who the competition is, Sony is going to have a rough holiday season if that Daily's screen is anything like the one on the Touch. [Touch Product Page; Pocket Product Page; Sony eBook Store]

Sony Touch Reader

Lots of features including one-tap dictionary, super-simple search, SD and MS card readers

$300 price too high for a device with no 3G

Glare glare glare glare glare... and did I mention the glare issue?

Sony Pocket Reader

Great compact size (actually fits in many pockets)

Its screen—unadulterated E-Ink—is as good as Kindle's

Currently the best list price for an ebook reader

No touch interface, which may bother feature hounds

No helpful search function, no dictionary, no SD card reader

The book I was reading is The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Lev happens to be an old friend of mine, but I'd recommend the book regardless, an R-rated post-Potter tale of a teenager's induction into a magical university, fast paced and full of great insider references not just to Rowling but Tolkien and CS Lewis as well.

The ah-ha moment comes once one compares the exposed internals of the just released iPod touch with the internals put on display back in mid-August. For all intents and purposes they are identical. Additionally, both of the internals differ, "convincingly," from the guts in the iPod touch second generation unit, notes MacRumors.

So we know the camera was there, then it wasn't. And we know there's plenty of room left in there for at least an iPod nano-level cam.

We also know sources said this week that a camera could pop back in there without warning.

Regardless, this is all a rather peculiar development, no matter how Apple tries to spin things. It leads me, at least, to believe the rumors that said something happened at the very last minute. I'd also wait on picking one up just yet if you're holding out hope for an iPod touch w/camera. [MacRumors]

According to their findings, the Broadcom BCM4329 chip does have support for 802.11n—a feature absent even in the iPhone 3GS. Needless to say, if you have an N router and are tired of slumming with a/b/g, this would be a big deal. The chip also supports FM transmission, meaning that software support down the line could allow users to stream music directly to car stereos without any extra hardware—although that possibility seems pretty remote. (The chip's Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and an FM receiver could be a Nike+ thing).

Supporting earlier rumors about the last minute omission of a camera in the touch, the guys at iFixit noted that Apple seemed to leave enough space for a camera at the top of the device—a 6mm x 6mm x 3mm space between the Broadcom chip and the wireless antenna that just might be able to hold the small camera now found in the nano. Of course, empty space doesn't mean that the camera can actually be integrated, or help you if have your heart set on the 3rd generation touch, but you can keep your fingers crossed that Apple will switch on the other features via a software update down the line. [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!

Q. You put a camcorder on the iPod Nano. Why not on the iPod Touch?

A. Originally, we weren't exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine. Because a lot of the games were free on the store. Customers started to tell us, "You don't know what you've got here - it's a great game machine, with the multitouch screen, the accelerometer, and so on."

We started to market it that way, and it just took off. And now what we really see is it's the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that's the big draw. So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199. We don't need to add new stuff - we need to get the price down where everyone can afford it.

So there you have it. Steve says that the reason for the iPod touch not having a camera is simple: People don't want a camera on their iPod touch. They just want a cheaper iPod touch, as a game machine, no cameras involved. There, done.

You know, like the Nintendo DSi.

But he may be right about what people don't want. Like when he said that nobody wanted video on a tiny screen, and then Apple released the iPod video a year later. Or when he said that people didn't want flash-based music players—as they always ended up in a drawer—and then the insanely great iPod shuffle arrived. Or when he argued that most people didn't want FM radio in digital media players, and... ah well, nevermind. [NYT]

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]

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

To be completely honest, I was terrified when I first opened this app up. I did not need to discover yet another scary thing about my state. Thankfully, it looks like Florida is fairly free from outbreaks of infectious diseases.

From playing around with the app though, I'm given the impression that neither Florida nor any other place will appear infection free for long because of the outbreak report function. Let's face it, given the fact that there's an option to report Sexually Transmitted Infections and that the report is quick and easy to submit is practically inviting people to report their former significant others' homes as outbreak sites. [HealthMap via Boston]

According to CNET, Vonage is currently beta testing the Mobile VoIP app and expects to announce availability soon. Reports say that Apple is working with Vonage to settle a few technical issues with the software which made us curious. There have been statements from AT&T in the past that Apple may not actively assist developers in building a VoIP app:

Both parties (AT&T and Apple) required assurances that the revenues from the AT&T voice plans available to iPhone customers would not be reduced by enabling VoIP calling functionality on the iPhone."

This sounds more like Apple may not assist in VoIP over 3G, so will the soon-to-be-released Vonage app allow for VoIP over wi-fi instead? We'll be waiting to see what happens, especially since "approved" doesn't exactly mean "available" just yet in this case. [CNET]

Apart from the touchscreen and remote, the Logitech Squeezebox Touch comes with SD card slot, Ethernet, digital optical, digital coaxial, and analog stereo ports, as well as light, temperature, and proximity sensors. [Heise—In German via i4u]