New iPod Nano 4G from Apple - launched today

Just gathering my thoughts and the details of the new iPod Nano, just launched today, Tuesday 9th September 2008. Available today in an 8GB capacity or 16GB by the end of the week.

Size and Weight
Height: 3.6 inches (90.7 mm)
Width: 1.5 inches (38.7 mm)
Depth: 0.24 inch (6.2 mm)
Weight: 1.3 ounces (36.8 grams)
Display 2-inch (diagonal) color LCD with LED backlight
320 by 240 pixels at 204 ppi
Up to 24 hours music playback
Up to 4 hours video playback

This looks like a worthwhile upgrade, with the 8GB costing £109 and the 16GB costing just £149.
The accelerometer is pretty neat too, so when you flip the Nano onto its side, the screen display rotates too. Shame that they didn't push the technology one step further by doing something with the click wheel. As you can see, the controls are not orientated correctly when you are viewing something in widescreen.

The colour line-up is very nice. Silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink. This is a nice selection and nice to see no special edition with a premium price. What really amazes me is the size of this thing. When you take into account that it is just over 6mm thin, with those sexy tapered edges. The device practically disappears when viewed from the side. Also, pictured here, I really like the silver colour, with contrasting click wheel... this one might just get my money. The difficult decision is on the pricing, £149 for a 16GB Nano or add £20 for the entry level 8GB iPod touch? What would you do?

New iPod Nano 4G - LED lit Click Wheel

I was just looking at these mockups by Miguel Suárez and came to the conclusion/prediction that this could well be a possibility. However, take a look at the click wheel. What happens when the user turns this new Nano on its side to watch a video. My prediction is that the click wheel will be a smoked black (in this case) or a semi-translcent finish. The menu, play/pause, and skip symbols will be tiny OLED screens being the fascia and light up according to which way you are holding the device.

If this is how Apple design the new Nano, they certainly win my vote.

Geekanoids News Video #003 - 8th Sept 2008

It gives me great pleasure to bring you the third installment of Geekanoids News. This weekly roundup shares the news that has really excited me over the past week. Kevin does it again, "Let's Rock" with Apple tomorrow my prediction, nice picture from San Francisco, Zune (what!), and some exciting Adobe news. Remember to join me again tomorrow (Tuesday) evening for some extra special news coverage.

Geekanoids News Video #002

The second installment of Geekanoids News. This weekly roundup brings you details of what has caught my attention over the last week. New software for iPhone, something special at the Regent Street Apple Store, an iPhone contender and a brilliant product for MacBook Pro owners... enjoy.

Proporta acknowledge new iPod Nano Rumour with discounts

We all now know that a new iPod Nano could well be just around the corner. Well, case manufacturer Proporta have sent me details of discounts on their existing range of Nano cases, acknowledging the rumours too. Head on over to their website where you can pick up 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Nano cases at a massive 50% discount.

Kevin Rose spills beans on new iPods

Kevin Rose of Digg fame has posted an interesting entry and video on his blog. Telling us of his insider information, revealing a new iPod Nano in a curved and tall/skinny form. Plus all of the iPod line-up dropping in price. All this plug a juicy snippet on Mac OS 10.5.6. Check out the video for full details below and visit Kevin's blog here. It is nice to see him doing posts like this, thanks dude.

Apple post another new ad, but ssssh don't tell!

Wow, yet another new advert out of the Apple HQ... and this one is probably a favourite of mine from their newest releases. 'Off the Air' introduces viewers to the fact that if you are switching from a PC to a Mac, Apple will help you transfer your files across... cool! Check out the new advert here.

Three new Apple Adverts... Calming Teas

Apple have three new adverts today, as part of their 'Get a Mac' series. Things kick off with 'Pizza Box' which is kinda funny, moving on to 'Throne' and then my favourite of the trio 'Calming Teas'. You would have thought that the humour would be wearing a little thin on this format. Not so, Apple deliver the message with their usual pizazz, I suggest you check the new ads out here.

Apple give 30 day free extension for MobileMe problems

Well, you certainly can't say that Apple don't value their customers. They acknowledge that the MobileMe roll-out did not go quite as smoothly as planned. They also tell us that their use of the word 'push' was not exactly as users had expected. As a goodwill gesture, they have given all MobileMe subscribers a FREE 30 day extension to the service.

Text below;
We have recently completed the transition from .Mac to MobileMe. Unfortunately, it was a lot rockier than we had hoped.
Although core services such as Mail, iDisk, Sync, Back to My Mac, and Gallery went relatively smoothly, the new MobileMe web applications had lots of problems initially. Fortunately we have worked through those problems and the web apps are now up and running.
Another snag we have run into is our use of the word "push" in describing everything under the MobileMe umbrella. While all email, contact or calendar changes on the iPhone and the web apps are immediately synced to and from the MobileMe "cloud," changes made on a PC or Mac take up to 15 minutes to sync with the cloud and your other devices. So even though things are indeed instantly pushed to and from your iPhone and the web apps today, we are going to stop using the word "push" until it is near-instant on PCs and Macs, too.
We want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge. Your extension will be reflected in your account settings within the next few weeks.
We hope you enjoy your new suite of web applications at me.com, in addition to keeping your iPhone and iPod touch wirelessly in sync with these new web applications and your Mac or PC.
Thank you,
The MobileMe Team

iPhone 3G update : thanks Apple Store Bluewater

A very quick update for you all. Having driven back down to Apple Store Bluewater today, I am a happy bunny. Just 30 minutes later and I was out of the store with my iPhone 3G. A big shout out to Nick, thanks so much for doing the VMWare goodness on my contract and getting the iPhone into my hands so quickly. It makes a lot of difference when you are served with a smile, by someone who is genuinely interested that you have a great Apple experience.

Rather than rush my review for you, I have left my iPhone sealed until tomorrow. Hopefully, by about midday, you will be able to see a very special video review of my new baby. It'll be worth waiting for... believe me.

iPhone 3G Speeds - 2G Queue - no iPhone for UK

Please excuse the rather strange title, but I would love to share my experience with you today... one that was shared by thousands. It purely reflects my personal experience, not my opinion of the product... the new iPhone that I have yet to get my hands on.

So, my iPhone was ordered from O2 just over two weeks ago. Yes, I know it was first come first served, but when I was in the store there were supposedly six 16GB versions in stock and four people ahead of me, so no problem. Then when I sat to do my paperwork, oh no, they had sold the last 16GB version. Well, an 8GB one would not do, and whilst the salesperson was very apologetic, they did not really seem that bothered. The customer experience at O2 is nowhere near that of an Apple Store, so it is a shame they tarnished my experience.

I then headed on down to take some more photos at the Apple Store in Bluewater. Mid-morning and about twenty people in front of me, there were problems. Aparently the O2 servers that allows Apple to activate the sim cards was down. Perhaps it runs on Windows, if only O2 would listen to Steve Jobs ! An hour or two passed, and although it was a long wait the guys and gals there were great. They served up cappucinos and hot chocolates from the local Starbucks. Then lunchtime came around and they were waiting on O2 to call them to do things over the phone. That call did not happen for a long time, so an Apple provided prawn sandwich found my hunger satisfied, but no sign of my iPhone. Around 4pm I really had to leave, at which time they had sold just three iPhones. What an absolute mess. As I write this I am trying to ring them to ask if they actually put on aside for me, along with my £15 complimentary iTunes voucher.

Well, the good news is that the Apple Store seem to have plenty of stock and some more customers have been lucky and got their sims activated and are now enjoying using the device. From what I saw whilst at the store, the device is very sleek, with the curved glossy back being very comfortable to hold. The screen also seemed very bright and crisp, although I did not side-by-side comparison.

A big thank you to all those smiles at the Apple Store Bluewater. Although I came away empty handed, you made the day bearable, although the caffeine shots have left me a bit wide-eyed.