The Gadget 411 – Gadget Reviews & Tech News

The iPod nano will now feature a built-in camera, as Apple updated its iPod line as part of a music-focused press event in San Francisco on Wednesday

The new iPod comes in 8GB and 16GB models, priced at $149 and $179, respectively. The music players now feature a video camera and microphone on the back of the device along with a built-in speaker. The nano can display video or sync it back to your computer for uploading to YouTube.

According to Apple CEO Steve Jobs—making his first public appearance at an Apple event since returning from a six-month medical leave—the company added the camera to the nano line to capitalize on the popularity of pocket-sized flash-based video cameras.

Get more details on the new iPod nano

The nano was just one of the changes Apple introduced to its iPod line on Wednesday. The company also cut the price on its entry-level 8GB iPod touch to $199; previously, that model sold for $229. In addition, Apple boosted the capacity on the touch to 64GB. The 32GB and 64GB models are now 50-percent faster and feature support for the Open GL|ES 2.0 graphics API.

Despite speculation that Apple might discontinue the iPod classic—the last remaining hard drive-based device in its iPod line—that model remains with an expanded capacity. The iPod classic now features 160GB of storage at the same price as before, $249.

As for the iPod shuffle, it comes in new colors. The 2GB and 4GB models sell for $59 and $79, respectively; a special edition 4GB model made of stainless steel costs $99.

iPod talk dominated the second half of Apple’s Wednesday event, but the company also had software news. A new version of the iTunes is now available, featuring Genius Mixes for creating recommended playlists of music and movies.

Other features in iTunes 9 include Home Sharing, which brings iTunes synchronization to up to five authorized computers and a new interface for managing iPhone and iPod touch applications. iTunes 9 also introduces a number of improvements to Apple’s online iTunes Store, including new artist pages with more visual material added.

Finally, Apple released a minor update to its iPhone software. iPhone 3.1 rolls out some bug fixes in addition to extending the Genius media-recommendation algorithm to recommend iPhone apps to users. The update also beefs up the iPhone OS’s ringtone capabilities.

Source : [MACWORLD]

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Technical difficulties could delay the camera-equipped iPods widely expected at the Apple event on Wednesday, according to sources cited by AppleInsider. The unnamed source says that Apple is facing problems with the production of new iPods, more exactly with the camera hardware.

apple ipod camera
Apple’s iPod family
Apple is expected to introduce camera-equipped iPods at the special event, although, as usual, Apple did not disclose any information about what will be unveiled. However, photos of third-party iPod touch and nano cases sporting a camera hole have been doing the rounds online for a few months now — which led us to believe that Apple is indeed putting cameras into iPods.

But according to a report from AppleInsider, not everything is rosy in Apple land, because the Cupertino company is having technical problems putting cameras into iPods. Hardmac carries a similar report, which suggests the problem lies with the iPod touch camera module. Both publications say that this could mean the new iPods won’t hit the market this September.

If all the speculation about photo-equipped iPods is true, then we will most likely see 3.2-megapixel-camera-fitted iPods — basically the same image sensors found in the current generation iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 3GS’s camera features autofocus and video recording capabilities, but no flash is present. The software on the 3GS can also trim movies captured with the phone’s camera and upload them on YouTube.

The iPod classic, Apple’s only remaining hard-drive based music player, is not expected to get a camera upgrade. On the contrary, rumors suggest that Apple will drop the hard-drive based iPods, in favor of an all-flash memory lineup, just like Microsoft is doing with its current line of Zune players.

Source [ PCWORLD]

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PRESS RELEASE: (Pictures below)

Samsung Rogue (Reviewed Here! ) <– Check out the review

The Samsung Rogue is a sleek messaging phone with a full touch display that provides an optimized messaging experience with a horizontal slide-out, four-row QWERTY keyboard, threaded messaging and one-touch access to popular social networking widgets, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Photobucket. The Samsung Rogue also features innovative speech capabilities powered by Nuance that allow customers to launch and control a variety of applications and services with simple voice commands as well as dictate text messages.

The Samsung Rogue will serve as the flagship phone for the company’s new data pricing option available to customers beginning today. The new data pricing gives Verizon Wireless customers more freedom to select how much data and the type of data they want to use. Samsung Rogue customers who want to check e-mail; surf the Web; and download applications, games or ringtones will be able to select either a 25 MB for $9.99 monthly access option or a 75 MB for $19.99 monthly access option to couple with their Nationwide plan.

Customers who want to watch full-length TV shows plus news, sports, weather and live entertainment video clips can also add Verizon Wireless’ new V CAST Video on Demand plan that gives customers access to unlimited basic video clips, ESPN MVP and unlimited megabytes for their V CAST Video usage for $10.00 monthly. The new V CAST Video on Demand plan replaces the $15.00 V CAST VPak. These changes will not impact existing customers.

Following are additional key features and specifications for the Samsung Rogue.

· Available in bronze/black color

· 3.1-inch ultra-brilliant touch screen

o Widescreen WVGA AMOLED (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen results in one of the brightest and clearest displays on a mobile phone in the United States

o Slide out horizontally to reveal a four-row QWERTY keypad

· Full HTML Web browsing capabilities with one-touch access to social networking sites via shortcut widgets

· Full messaging suite including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile Email and Corporate Email

· 3.0 megapixel camera with flash and video capture and on-device editing capabilities

· Supports Verizon Wireless services including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video, and Visual Voice Mail

· Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services, such as VZ NavigatorSM and Chaperone®, and more

· Pre-loaded games including “NEED FOR SPEED™ Undercover,” “Resident Evil: Degeneration,” and “Tetris® and Dice”

· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB (card purchased separately)

· File Viewer can view Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel®, Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Adobe® PDF documents stored on a memory card

Samsung Intensity

The Samsung Intensity is a feature-packed phone that offers customers a convenient way to stay connected to family, friends, and anyone else their thumbs can get a hold of through its full line of advanced messaging capabilities such as Mobile IM; text, picture and voice messaging with threaded messaging feature; Mobile Email; and the Mobile Web browser.

Following are additional key features and specifications for the Samsung Intensity.

· Available in a Charcoal Grey color in all sales channels and available in Flamingo Red online only at www.verizonwireless.com

· 2.1-inch display with horizontal slide-out four-row QWERTY keypad with dedicated Messaging key and Favorites key for easily texting and calling friends and family

· Mobile Web browser for Internet access

· Music player

· Full messaging capabilities including Mobile IM; Mobile Email; Chat; and text, picture, and voice messaging

· 1.3 megapixel camera with Night Shot, Self Timer, Multishot and Shutter Sound selection

· Compatible with PC client for V CAST Music with Rhapsody (over-the-air downloads are not supported on the Samsung Intensity)

· Voice commands such as Voice Dial, Menu Readout, Digital Dial Readout, TXT Message Readout, Call Announcement, My Verizon, and Help

· Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services, such as VZ NavigatorSM, and more

· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB (card purchased separately)

Price and availability:

· The Samsung Rogue is available today for $99.99 after a $100.00 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement, and the Samsung Intensity in Charcoal Grey is available today for $29.99 after a $50.00 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. The Samsung Intensity in Flamingo Red is available beginning today exclusively online at no charge with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate as a debit card that can be used anywhere debit cards are accepted.

· Customers can purchase the Samsung Rogue and Samsung Intensity in Charcoal Grey beginning today at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores or online at www.verizonwireless.com. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Check out more Samsung phone deals at the Phones4u website, where you can get the right phone for you at the right price.

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Hardly a surprise, but Sony got on stage today at GamesCom and confirmed what we’ve all known deep down in our hearts: the new, slimmer PS3 is really real. It’ll be out in the first week of September (September 1 in North America and Europe, September 3 for Japan), and will retail for $300 (or 300 Euro, or 29,980 Yen). It’s smaller and lighter, has a 120GB HDD, and packs “all the same features” of the regular PS3 while consuming 34 percent less power and taking up 32 percent less space. Existing PS3 SKUs have their prices dropped a hundie apiece tomorrow in anticipation, so be .

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The new 3.0 firmware will be released concurrently with the PS3 slim, which should provide a breath of fresh air for existing machines. Other new features of the PS3 slim include BRAVIA Sync, which allows you to control the PS3 XMB over HDMI through your BRAVIA TV remote, and System Standby to shut off the PS3 when the BRAVIA TV is off. Sony also claims this new machine will run more quietly than existing PS3 systems, which is good news for people who like to watch movies or have conversations in the general vicinity of their game console. There’s also a Vertical Stand, which will retail for $24. Not so awesome is Sony’s removal of the Install Other OS feature… farewell, Linux. We hardly knew thee.

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Sony’s next PSP update has been officially unveiled, priced and dated at E3.

The PSP Go will be a smaller, more compact handheld, with slide out controls and a smaller screen.

Internal flash memory of 16GB will replace the current PSP’s UMD drive, with a memory card slot included to enable upgrades and built-in WiFi to download new games from the PlayStation Network store.

The device, which will launch alongside Gran Turismo for the PSP, will be released on October 1 ( my birthday) for $249 (£150).

It was confirmed that the PSP 3000 will still go on sale and that all future titles will be released at both retail and via digital download.

The handheld was shown at yesterday’s Sony conference from E3 2009.Bluetooth Support

Thanks to DigitalSpy

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