ipod

editor's notebook I have what, for a tech editor, is a shocking confession to make: I'm--gasp--not an early adopter. I can justify this in several admirable ways, but for now let's just say that I like to wait till bugs get sorted out and prices drop.

(I'm also not really comfortable with the idea of dumping perfectly workable gadgets for shiny and fashionable new gizmos; IMHO it's a waste, and is anything but thoughtful consumption. Plus, my Nokia handset absolutely oozes retro cool and will soon be a collector's item. They just don't make 'em like that anymore, folks.)

But I think, after x number of years of its being on the market, I may finally need to awake from my Rip van Winkle dreamworld and pony up for that revolutionary gadget known as the iPhone.

Why, just the other day, while lovingly gazing at the "city03.jpg" wallpaper on my trusty Nokia (I wish I could name-check the brilliant--but alas anonymous--designer of said wallpaper), I was thinking, "Gee, I'll bet prices have come down on the iPhone by now. Two hundred bucks for a phone? Give me a break."

Well, they have. And how. As gadget blog Electronista informs us, AT&T has dropped the price of a refurbished iPhone 3GS to a mere $9. Yes, that's right. An iPhone for less than the cost of seeing the latest Harry Potter flick at a theater (and less than a Netflix DVD-plus-streaming subscription--heel boys and girls, heel).

Now, I realize that "refurbished" isn't new, that 3GS isn't either, and that locking myself into a two-year iPhone deal with AT&T is one of the great tech-world experiences I should probably remain blissfully ignorant of. Still, nine bucks for an iPhone? There might be something to this unearly-adopter stance after all. … Read more

If references to unreleased iPads in the code of Apple's first iOS 5 developer beta weren't enough to whet your appetite for new devices, signs of a new iPod Touch have now been found as well.

A forum goer over at iFans has unearthed a reference to an "iPod4,2" in a property list file from the iOS 5 code. Such a model identifier does not exist in Apple's current lineup of devices, suggesting this has been included to support an unreleased iPod Touch.

What's interesting here is that these model identifiers, which tend … Read more

Apple will unveil its next model iPhone in September with a faster chip and a more advanced camera, Bloomberg said today, citing information from "people familiar with the plans."

Adding fuel to the latest fires about the next-generation iPhone, Bloomberg said the new phone will come equipped with an A5 processor, which Apple already added to the iPad 2 earlier in the year. Other reports have also pointed to the speedy, dual-core A5 as the chip that would power the new iPhone.

The next iPhone would also include an 8-megapixel camera, according to Bloomberg, a healthy leap from … Read more

Doodle Jump is a fun and addictive platform-jumping game with a cute, hand-scribbled aesthetic and a cleverly integrated leaderboard. Not surprising for such an addictive game, the interface couldn't be more simple: you keep jumping automatically, and you gently tilt the device to move left and right. As you move higher and higher up an infinitely scrolling, wraparound vertical screen, you jump onto an increasingly challenging arrangement of platforms--including moving blue platforms, crumbling brown platforms, white platforms that disappear after one jump, and platforms with jump-boosting springs and jet packs.

You have to tap the screen to shoot the … Read more

Please keep in mind that this post is based off of a beta version of iOS 5. Apple can (and often does) change the behavior of features before the latest OS hits consumers hands. If anything drastically changes in regards to this feature in iOS 5, we will be sure to update the post.

When Apple announced a new Notification Center with iOS 5, it also revealed that iOS 5 would come with a couple of widgets: weather and stocks. The widgets are active in the Notification Center, the same place you will find the rest of your app alerts on iOS 5.

iOS 5 has been released to developers, packed with 200 features new to the popular mobile platform. One of the features not discussed during the keynote was Shortcuts. Shortcuts allows you to make your own AutoText corrections for common phrases. We will show you how easy it is to use Shortcuts. Follow along!

… Read more

Back in 2009, we reviewed Altec Lansing's $300 Mix iMT800, a modern iPod/iPhone dock with the look and feel of an old-school, crank-it-till-your-ears-bleed boom box. Now Altec's updated that portable speaker system with some small tweaks and is shipping the new Mix iMT810.

In our review of the previous model, we said the design of Altec Lansing's Mix iMT800 "may not appeal to everyone, but its winning combination of good performance, lots of oomph, and portability makes it one of the best iPod speaker options out there."

While we haven't tested the new … Read more

OK, we've got a little bit of a special giveaway this week. T-Mobile is sponsoring the Crave giveaway in conjunction with its promotion for its "Truly Unlimited" $79.99 plan, which it's offering at that special price for a limited time.

In sponsoring the giveaway, T-Mobile challenged us to come up with a prize that costs less than $80 that people would be interested in winning (by "interested in winning," they challenged us to get at least 1500 entries for the prize).

Well, here we go then. For the T-Mobile Under $80 Challenge contest, … Read more

Opera Mini 6 (universal) was released earlier today for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, bringing this version of the alternative browser to iOS devices for the first time. We have had a chance to put the slimmed-down browser through its paces and think it offers several features that users will like. With the right tweaks, it may even become the favorite over Apple's Safari--if people are willing to give it a try.

The clean, elegant interface hides multiple useful features, with only five buttons to choose from, along with the address bar and search box. The main Opera menu … Read more

This morning, Opera announced the release of Opera Mini 6 for Apple's iOS devices, including iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad 2. Known for being an alternative Web browser with innovative features, Opera Mini 6 boasts faster page load times than other browsers even when on slower or crowded networks, thanks to compression and its proxy browser technology.

Available for the first time on iOS devices, Opera Mini 6 features an updated design optimized for iOS; smooth pinch-to-zoom and two-finger panning; support for the iPhone 4 Retina Display, iPad, and iPad 2 devices; sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and Opera's … Read more