iPod

Apple executive e-mail explains new iPod's missing light sensor

For those wondering why Apple did not include an ambient light sensor in its latest iPod Touch, a purported e-mail exchange between a top executive and a customer -- ahem -- shines some light on the subject.

Apple news site iDownloadBlog posts what it says is a back and forth between Apple Marketing Chief Phil Schiller and a customer talking about the lack of a sensor in Apple's recently released fifth-generation iPod model.

According to Schiller's message, which remains unconfirmed, the device is "just too thin" to fit one:

The ambient light sensor does just what … Read more

iOS 6 jailbreak gets full, built-in support for Cydia store

A hacking group has updated its iOS jailbreak, Redsn0w, with full support for an unauthorized app store and the ability to re-restore a device to an older version of Apple's mobile operating system.

The updated Redsn0w jailbreak hit the Web yesterday, enabling iOS 6 users to get full access to the third-party application store Cydia. Previously, Redsn0w users were forced to install Cydia manually. Now, they will find the app marketplace -- which includes programs that are not authorized for Apple's official App Store -- built in.

The hacking group, which calls itself the iPhone Dev-Team, announced its iOS 6 jailbreak less than a day after the latest Apple operating system launched … Read more

Word games you may not know about for smartphones

Most games on my iPhone keep my interest for awhile, but then they enter a state of sitting on my home screen until I remember to revisit them. If they sit long enough, I'll delete them knowing I can always redownload if the urge strikes me. But there is one category of games I never stop playing.

When I get a moment, I'm always catching up with word games on my iPhone. I constantly have a Scrabble (iOS|Android) game going along with both Scramble with Friends (iOS|Android) and Words with Friends (iOS|Android). When I have … Read more

Friday Poll: Do you still carry a dedicated MP3 player?

With Apple's new round of iPods comes a fresh round of questions about the usefulness of dedicated MP3 players. Smartphones these days can all hold a decent amount of MP3s and we carry them with us wherever we go. Do we need a portable device just for music?

The excitement surrounding new iPods is a fraction of that surrounding new iPhones, but Apple keeps dutifully updating the line with new colors, shapes, and capabilities. There are still plenty of other MP3 players from other brands available, too.

I have an old-generation iPod Touch that sits in an alarm clock … Read more

iPod Touch tough to repair

Apple's latest iPod Touch is pretty tough to repair, iFixit said amid its teardown of the device that also showed some differences from the iPhone 5.

The site gave the fifth-generation iPod a ranking of 3 on a repairability scale of 10, with 10 being the easiest. It noted it's difficult to open the case, but it's not impossible, and the battery is flanked by notches that makes it fairly easy to remove.

However, the volume buttons, microphone, LED flash, and power button are connected with one ribbon cable. To repair one component would require replacing the … Read more

Apple tries to prove it's colorful in new iPod ad

The people at Apple do feel pain.

They might seem confident, arrogant even, on the outside. But inside, they just want to be loved like the rest of us.

So when Nokia suggested last week that Apple users were miserable, depressive colorless souls, you can imagine the tears that flowed in Cupertino.

I can only imagine, therefore, that the new iPod ads that Apple released today -- and currently gracing the Oakland A's latest attempt at redemption -- are an attempt to redress a grievous stylistic slight.

Here are lovely large-screened iPod Touches positively rejoicing in their colorfulness.

They'… Read more

Apple ships mic-less EarPods with new iPod Touch

Whenever Apple brings out a new iPod Touch, the specs never quite measure up to the latest iPhone's, though the Touch is a good deal lighter and thinner. In the case of the new fifth-generation iPod Touch, you get an A5 processor instead of an A6 and the camera isn't as good as the iPhone 5's camera (though it has improved quite a bit).

Alas, iPod Touch buyers should also note that while Apple has included its new EarPods, they're missing a small but important feature: the inline remote with integrated microphone found on the iPhone … Read more

iPods arrive while waiting for iPad Mini

Tuesday's CNET Update is in the mood for Tropical Skittles:

The colorful new iPod Touch and iPod Nano are now shipping. The newest members of the Apple clan have made their way to CNET, and you can check out our unboxing video here. The new Touch starts at $300 with 32GB of memory. Like its iPhone 5 cousin, the Touch sports a larger screen and works with Siri. It also comes in tropical shades of pink, yellow and blue, as well as light gray, slate and bright red for (Product) red. The new Nano is $150 and comes in … Read more

Apple now shipping new iPod Touch

Those of you who ordered Apple's new iPod Touch may soon see one at your doorstep.

Apple seems to have just started shipping the latest iPod Touch to buyers today. A notice received by a Gigaom writer in Pennsylvania cited October 9 as the ship date from China and October 15 as the estimated delivery date.

The new iPod Touch was unveiled last month at Apple's iPhone 5 launch event. But the company never revealed a specific availability date for the Touch as it did for the new iPhone. Apple's online store still lists October as the "available to ship" date. … Read more