How bout dem Apples?

Apple, believe it or not, is back at it...

[Note: See the pics in the yellow and orange iPods? Yeah...I'll be blogging about them at a later date...]

Behold, the fourth generation iPod nano. As you can see, it's now in 9 [count 'em] nine colors: Roy G. Bip [violet is subbed with pink], plus silver and black. If you were to ask me which is my favorite at the moment, I'd say the silver, simply because the black wheel makes it look bad-ass. But I digress...

The 4G iPod nano's design borrows slightly from the previous models, combining the slender design of the 2G with the widescreen from the 3G, only it's actually skinnier than the 2G, and rotates the 2 in. widescreen [think portrait instead of landscape]. The outside is composed entirely of aluminum and glass, and is fashioned into an ovoid shape. See below:

Of course, those of you with throwback nano's would be compelled to hate. After all, there's no discernible difference between the old and the new, right?

*ahem*

Did I mention that this is first iPod nano to include an accelerometer?
Simply by rotating the iPod, as you would with an iPhone or iPod Touch, the screen re-orients itself, allowing you to more appropriately indulge in movies, photos and games:

Also, the accelerometer will introduce a new level of play in the games, allowing you to control elements by rotating the iPod. And shaking your iPod while listening to music automatically randomizes your playlist.

Apple has discontinued the 80- and 160GB iPod Classic 6G in favor of a 120GB version. Same design, though.



New iPod Touch. As you can see, a chrome finish has been added, making look more like the iPhone. Apple has also added external volume buttons and an external speaker, after complaints from techies worldwide.


Finally, iTunes 8. Not many changes, but changes nonetheless...

One of changes is a revamp of the visualizations. Still the same purpose, visual scapes that pulsate in sync with the music, but the graphics are sexier, faster, more captivating. For those who find the new visualizations unfavorable [or CPU intensive], the classic visualizer is still included.

The Browser View option has been replaced by Grid View, allowing you to view your albums, movies, games, ringtones, etc, in...well, a grid. Basically, it's a widescape version of the Cover Flow View.

Last but far from least, the Genius playlist feature. By selecting a song, and clicking the Genius Button, iTunes searches your collection and comes up with 25, 50, 75, or 100 songs that reflect similar sounds and tastes. It also give you the option to save the playlist, and shows matching songs from the iTunes Store in a sidebar [above right]. I tried this feature with three different genres: electronica, R&B, and rock, and found it to work quite well, at times suggesting songs that I didn't even know I owned, and had never heard before, but still found to my liking. [The plight of having a 138 GB collection.] The Genius feature is also included on the iPod nano 4G and iPod Touch 2G.

To be able to completely reinvent the portable music industry on a yearly basis can't be an easy feat, but Apple certainly makes it appear so. And with ideas like these, one can only wonder what they'll drop next year.

Oh, photos and info c/o Apple.

That's all, bipeds.

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