Archives For ipod shuffle

More rolling than rockin’

October 4, 2009 — Leave a comment

stevejobs-9sept2Well to most, the event at the Yerba Buena Center (see it here on “iTunes”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=59936574&id=275834665) was more Roll than Rocking but there were still plenty to be excited about. Top on the list is probably seeing Steve Jobs back on the stage where he belongs, slightly more gaunt looking than before, less energetic sounding, but still sounding sane and pretty much enthusiastic about what the people in Apple are producing. The standing ovation he got from the predominantly media-centric audience, shows though they were the ones out for blood whenever Apple weren’t forthcoming, they were still glad to see Jobs back at the forefront of Apple. At the same time, Jobs was not forgetting how and who helped him get here, taking the time to thank the gentleman who’s generosity at death that allow Jobs to get the liver and to encourage more to be involved in organ-donation program.

But we know, the event is not just about Steve Jobs. There were still the Rock and Rolling to present. In a nutshell, what we got at the end of the event was the new iTunes 9.0, iPhone 3.1 OS update, improved iPod touch with lower price and higher capacity, iPod nano with camera, increased capacity for iPod classic and new headphone options for the iPod shuffle.

Contrary to popular opinions and rumors prior to the event, we did not get an iPod touch that can go on par with the iPhone 3GS by having a camera, instead it appears on the iPod nano. According to Steve Jobs, the reason was that Apple is marketing the iPod touch as a “gaming machine”:http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/in-qa-steve-jobs-snipes-at-amazon-and-praises-ice-cream/ and keeping it affordable was a higher priority than having the camera. However, the iPod touch might still “have a camera”:http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPod-touch-3rd-Generation/1158/1 in its next update, combine that with its social networking ability, that will definitely challenge the market space of those handheld mini cameras like the Flip or Creative Vado. Apple keeps the 8GB model but lowers the price to S$308, with new models having 32GB (S$468) and 64GB (S$628) capacity and these two also included improved hardware that pushes the speed similarly to the iPhone 3GS and support for “OpenGL|ES 2.0″:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGL which will improved graphics and video playback. These are all available now from the “Apple Online Store”:http://www.s2d6.com/x/?x=c&z=s&v=1956519&k=iheartapple.

09ipod_fam

Speaking of the iPod nanos, rumors of it having a camera began a long while back and finally we get to see it in action. At 30 frames per second, 640 by 480 pixels resolutions, it is not comparable to the Flips or the Vados in the market but in a small package like the iPod nano, it definitely becomes a handy gadget to capture moments with video and audio. Though it comes with pre-built effects, it unfortunately doesn’t allow editing on the fly like the iPhone. Plus with no connectivity, Apple lost a good chance to beat the crap out of handheld video cameras like how they did to smartphones with the iPhone. Surprisingly Apple threw in a FM radio receiver but with a twist. They added a Tivo-like feature that allows you to pause live radio and then resume playing from where you stopped. It also has enough buffer for you to rewind as far back as 15 minutes before resuming to the radio. Lastly they also put VoiceOver from the iPod shuffle and for the fitness geeks, it also has a Pedometer that tracks how many steps you take while you walk with the iPod nano.

[ad#ipod-family]

The iPod nano is available now at the “Apple Online Store”:http://www.s2d6.com/x/?x=c&z=s&v=1956517&k=iheartapple for S$228 for the 8GB to S$288 for the 16GB, with two colours – Yellow and the (Product) Red version exclusive only from the Online Store.

Last but not least, the smallest in the family – iPod shuffle – also had a makeover. Starting at a new low price of S$88 for the 2GB model to S$118 for the 4GB model, the iPod shuffle now comes in five great colors – silver, black, pink, blue and green – and a special “polished stainless steel, 4GB”:http://www.s2d6.com/x/?x=c&z=s&v=1956518&k=iheartapple version available exclusively from the Apple Online Store. Apple has also worked closely with more 3rd party manufacturers to create headphones and headphone adapters with built-in controls, allowing more alternatives for customers.

On the software side, iTunes 9.0 was released with new features like the iTunes LP, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes, a redesigned iTunes Store interface and improved syncing features. iTunes 9 also “improved its file organisation”:http://zachholman.com/post/184377959/coolest-itunes-9-feature, giving better sub-folders to store your music, videos and applications separately under a new iTunes Media folder.

itunes9-new

When you plug in your iPhone or your iPod, you can sync music by genre or artists instead of generating Smart Playlists. Probably something Apple should have done back in iTunes 2.0. But better late than never. iTunes 9.0 also work closely with the rest of iLife suite – syncing photos by album, faces or events or movies with multiple criteria. A much wanted feature that was included is the built-in iPhone apps organiser that lets you arrange your apps between screens. You can drag and drop apps like how you do it on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Another feature which I liked most is “Home Sharing”:http://www.apple.com/itunes/whats-new/#home-sharing, especially if you plan or are using a Mac to be your media center. With Home Sharing, you can authorise five Macs in your home that lets you import music and video between those Macs easily. So what it did was it released much needed hard disk space from my MacBook Pro and only keep those music I want to listen to in there, with the rest in my Mac mini. Whenever I want more tunes, I just need to start Home Sharing and drag and drop songs I want.

iTunes LP, is basically a digital album with inserts and additional media included – like videos, liner notes, lyrics and more information about the artist and band. But hey, if we can’t get to the iTunes Store to purchase music, this is basically useless. Humbug. But if you want more details – do check out “a closer look at iTunes LP by Jay Robinson”:http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/.

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iTunes 8.1 is out

March 13, 2009 — Leave a comment

Apple has released “iTunes 8.1″:http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ for all earlier today, with a bunch of enhancements and new features right after releasing the iPod shuffle previously.

The list includes:

  • Supports syncing with iPod shuffle (3rd generation).
  • Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ.
  • Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows.
  • Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs.
  • Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods.
  • Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus.
  • Includes many accessibility improvements.
  • Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls.

To support the new song requests feature for iTunes DJ, you will also need to update the Remote app (“iTunes link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284417350&mt=8) on your iPhone/iPod Touch. You will also need to configure your iTunes to allow your friends to link to your iTunes via WIFI network.

itunes-dj-settings

On your iPhone, when you start the updated Remote App, you will see the Welcome message from the iTunes owner plus an option to link to that library, from which you can request songs to be added to the iTunes DJ playlist.

Another improvements with iTunes 8.1 is in its performance. Starting up, updating of songs meta data are much faster, especially if you have a big collection of music. A look at the iTunes Library Database file in my iTunes folder, showed that the file has lost much weight – from 9.4Mb to a slim 1.7Mb, which probably improved iTunes’ performance.

There’s much to like about this latest version of Apple’s iTunes, the heart of Apple’s mobile business. Let us know if there are other good improvements or something irky that bugs you.

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Doing the shuffle – earphones remote control instructions

March 12, 2009 — Leave a comment

remote-shuffle

Apple has put up a page in its “Support section”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3458 describing the various combinations of button pressing to work the new “iPod shuffle”:/2009/03/ipod-shuffle-slimmer-smaller-smoother/.

Getting the various combinations of double or triple clicks and/or hold the center buttons will probably be a frustrating experience in the beginning. Remembering them will probably another story.

Do bookmark that page if you are going to be a new iPod shuffle owner.

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iPod shuffle – slimmer, smaller, smoother

March 12, 2009 — Leave a comment

new iPod shuffleApple just released the new “iPod shuffle”:http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle which spots a new slimmer and smaller design, with a bigger capacity – 4GB. To keep the size small, when the iPod shuffle was released back in 2005, Apple took away the screen, leaving only a circular control panel, same with the second generation introduced a year later.

h4. Where are the buttons?

This time, Apple even took away the controls. Leaving it with just a smooth anodized aluminum case with a stainless steel clip. There is only a switch to OFF it or to switch between shuffle or straight mode. To control the iPod shuffle, you will need the Apple ear buds that comes with a “remote control”:http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/features.html#overlay-controls that allows you to control the volume, navigate the music and activate the new “VoiceOver”:http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/voiceover.html feature.

h4. “Hello you are listening to …”

In a nutshell, the VoiceOver feature will tell you the information about your song or “playlists”:http://www.apple.com/105/media/us/ipoditunes/shuffle/2009/audio/apple-ipodshuffle-voiceover-english-20090311.mov#MultiplePlaylists so you have an idea “who is singing what”:http://www.apple.com/105/media/us/ipoditunes/shuffle/2009/audio/apple-ipodshuffle-voiceover-artist_and_song_name-20090311.mov#ArtistAndSongName. However, as the VoiceOver content are generated in iTunes as you sync, and not on the fly, though small, it will eat up a small percentage of the 4GB space you have in the iPod shuffle. But at least you won’t be “blind” to what you are listening to.

h4. Tied down by Apple’s earbuds.

Which brings me back to the remote control found on the earbuds. The remote control is a wonderful feature to bring in, but to have it together with Apple’s earbuds makes it a sore point for those who find that Apple’s earbuds aren’t the best out there. Another alternative would be Apple’s own “In-Ear Headphones”:http://store.apple.com/sg/product/MA850G/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Ng&mco=MjE0NDg0NQ that costs S$128. -At this point in time, we are not sure whether the iPod shuffle will work with 3rd party earphones that comes with remote, like the Creative EP-630i or those from Shure or Sennheiser.- (update) Seems that yes you can “use 3rd party remotes adapters”:http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/03/the_new_ipod_sh.html which probably means it works with current 3rd party earphones with the remote though most of them are single button remotes and are not able to control volume. So if your Apple earphones get damaged or lost, you are kinda screwed.

Apple should come up with a remote control that ends with a 3.5mm audio connector that can work with all iPods and iPhones which will allow consumers to choose what kind of earphones that want to use, without losing the control.

h4. Is it right for you?

Yes if you like to have something smaller than your house key to play your favorite tunes and don’t mind using Apple’s earbuds. It would have been a great choice for those who exercises in the gym or runs with its small size. However, again the issue with Apple’s earbuds or for that matter, most 3rd party ear phones that comes with remote, are not the best for exercising, it will probably turn-off a majority of potential buyers.

At S$128 a piece, the new iPod shuffle is available in either Silver or Black and comes with 4GB of space. It will shipped within 3-5 working days and is available now at the “Apple Store”:http://store.apple.com/sg/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_shuffle?mco=MTE2NTU. In the mean time, you can “watch the guided tour here”:http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/includes/overlay_guidedtour.html#guidedtour-features.

The second generation iPod shuffle is still “available”:http://store.apple.com/sg/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_shuffle_2gen?mco=OTQwMjA at the Apple Store at S$78 a piece, but only the 1GB model is available.

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