Uber-nerds rejoice: the iPod Nano has been updated with sixteen new clock faces for your viewing pleasure. The device now also acts as a more accurate pedometer and does not require outside dongles to connect to Nike+ hardware.

The new devices are almost exactly the same as the previous version and they cost $129 for 8GB and $149 for 16B (previous versions costs $149 and $179.)

[Image credit: Engadget]

The iPod Nano may have something cool up its sleeve. This patent, discovered by PatentlyApple, describes a dynamic screensaver that will take cues from the outside environment, changing according to motion, light, and the colors around the device.

Because we suspect the new Nano will, in fact, have a camera, this patent would allow it to take cues from the outside – including odd cues like temperature and noise – to change the device’s screen saver. For example, if you were at a dance club with flashing lights, the screen saver would sync up with the lights and make you look like a super raver.

The patent itself is pretty boring, but the potential use cases are quite cool. I could imagine a screen turning purple when you wear a purple shirt or the screensaver lighting up when it hears music. Will it ever appear in a product? Probably not, but it’s nice to know it could.

A charming couple in Ottawa, Canada, Chrys and Dom Coballe, is making some handsome, if expensive, iPod Nano watch bands that pop out and even turn at an angle to offer multiple viewing angles. Although I think the hey day of the iPod Nano watch is over, they seem far too charming to just ignore.

The product, called the Deckster, is made of metal and leather and costs $125 to pre-order on Kickstarter-like CKIE. For $500 you can have dinner with the couple in Ottawa or Montreal or “Or an equally enjoyable Skype chat if you’re not nearby.” There’s no telling how wild things can get if you submit $1,000 or more.

Regardless, I’ve seen a lot of iPod Nano watch bands in my day and I’m not sure I’m amazed by any of them but this one looks acceptably solid and usable.

http://www.ckie.com/app/webroot/flash/player/youtubeplayer.swf

Product Page

Aw, heck, I’ll just tell you.

With iPod software update version 1.1 for iPod nano (6th generation), you will be able to:

Completely turn off the iPod, rather than just put the device to sleep.
Control music or radio playback using the Sleep/Wake button without having to look at the device.

COMPLETELY TURN OFF THE iPOD! WITH A BUTTON! But there’s more!

YOU CAN CONTROL MUSIC OR RADIO PLAYBACK WITH THE SLEEP/WAKE BUTTON! OMGBBQ!

Sure, you can’t install apps on the Nano or improve the clock so it works more like a wristwatch, but the 1.1 update adds more button controls. Today the Apple Update Overlords have been gracious to us, friends, and we must bow our heads in obsequience.

via Apple

The Hex Watch Band didn’t make it into our iPod Nano watch round up but by gum it should have been there, especially considering this truly magical example of videography provided by the company itself.

The band costs $29 and holds the Nano in a handsome rubber case. It’s really nothing special but this video, as we can plainly see, definitely is.

Well, regardless of my opinion, there’s a new watchband out there, and it doesn’t look half bad. If you’re partial to chunky, large, watchbands, this is the one for you. Made from leather, it’s available in either brown or black, with burnished brass looking hardware. The band will set you back about $43 each, but you’ll have to find a friend in Japan to send you one; they’re probably not going to be available in the US. They will be available in Japan sometime in January.

[via Technabob]

via GizChina

Of course, Apple tells us that it’s all about the touchscreen, and I’ll admit, I do like having my iPod Touch. But you have to ask yourself, is it really necessary to put a touchscreen on a device that small? The last generation nano functioned perfectly fine without a touchscreen, and sold quite well as I recall.

By skipping the camera and using cheaper forms of memory, Apple managed to save on both component pricing and manufacturing. Given that the kind of memory used in the nano has consistently dropped in price on a yearly basis, it’s not surprising that Apple chose to use NAND flash memory over other more expensive kinds.

[via TGDaily]

Just in time for Yom Kippur you can rend your clothes and wail at the new Incipio watch adapter for the iPod Nano. You slap the Nano into a tiny case, attached it to a $9.99 nylon bracelet, and you’re golden. The case costs $24 and will be available in October.

Trust me: don’t turn your Nano into a watch. Just get a nice Casio and let the Nano do its job as an MP3 player.

via Eng

Thoughts? I’ve added a little Twitter comment box below so start commenting. I think I’ll get a Touch for my mom so she can Facetime with us over Wi-Fi at home but the Nano kind of leaves me cold.

Twitter your comments with the hashtag #iGear for now.

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Never before has something so small held so many possibilities. The 1 GB Apple iPod nano holds up to 240 songs and will display full color album art and photos. It also handles Podcasts, Audiobooks, Games, clocks, contacts and calendars. All in an iPod that weighs less than a single CD case. Now that’s huge. At only .27 inches thin and 1.5 ounces, iPod nano packs a lot into its diminutive design. Get up to 14 hours of battery life and 1 full GB of storage. It also features a 1.5″ bright LCD screen, the Apple Click Wheel, and a Dock connector that fits an entire ecosystem of iPod accessories. With so many features like these, iPod nano can change the way you listen to music and more.

We just recently visited Japanese robot maker Vstone‘s flagship store in Akihabara for a detailed photo report. The company has now announced three mini humanoids, which are all part of their famous “Robovie” series of two-legged robots. Buyers can choose between a new Robovie-X model and two versions of Robovie-nano. Vstone is offering the three robots not as kits but as finished products.

The original version of Robovie-X was released back in February 2008, and Vstone sold a number of variations of X since. This version (“Robovie-X Complete Set”) stands 18cm tall, weighs 1.3kg and features a total of 17 joints in its body. Buyers can control the little guy (pictured on top) with a wireless remote control.

As the name suggests, Robovie-nano (pictured above) is X’s little brother. Nano is just 12cm tall and 575g heavy. Vstone started selling him in September last year. The company now offers a “controller version” (buyers get a wireless remote control) and a “special version” (Robovie-nano also comes with a gyroscope/accelerometer that’s also built into Robovie-X).

Robovie-X costs $1,450, while the Robovie-nano is priced at $800 (controller version) and $915 (special version). All three robots go on sale in mid-January. Upgrading Robovie-nano with a “grip set” so that he can old small objects (like the red ball seen above) will cost another $70.

Email Vstone directly if you’re interested in getting one of the robots but live outside Japan.

The processors range in speed from 1-2GHz and all feature an 800MHz frontside bus.

According to VIA’s press release:

“Based on the 64-bit superscalar ‘Isaiah’ architecture, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver the most compelling thin and light notebook computing experience with their rich HD entertainment capabilities, including support for flawless playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video, as well as low power consumption resulting in longer battery life.”

The new processors are currently available to system builders and are expected to show up in retail markets in the first quarter of next year, presumably to take on Intel’s upcoming line of PineTrail processors.

Here’s the full press release:

VIA Introduces New VIA Nano 3000 Series Processors

VIA’s fastest and most power efficient processors yet deliver richest mobile and all-in-one desktop computing experience

Taipei, Taiwan, 3 November 2009 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms,　today introduced its new VIA Nano 3000 Series processors, bringing enhanced digital media performance and lower power consumption to Windows 7 thin and light notebook and all-in-one desktop PC markets.

Based on the 64-bit superscalar ‘Isaiah’ architecture, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver the most compelling thin and light notebook computing experience with their rich HD entertainment capabilities, including support for flawless playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video, as well as low power consumption resulting in longer battery life.

With a host of advanced features including 64-bit support, advanced CPU virtualization technology, SSE4 for enhanced multimedia processing, and the industry-leading encryption and security capabilities integrated in the VIA PadLock™ Security Engine, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors also provide a secure, high-performance solution for emerging cloud-based computing environments.

“With the VIA Nano 3000 Series, we are launching our fastest and most power-efficient processors yet,” commented Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Coupled with our market-leading digital media chipsets, they enable the richest experience across a broad range of mobile and all-in-one system designs.”

VIA Nano 3000 Series
VIA Nano 3000 Series processors are built on the successful 64-bit, superscalar architecture that powers the VIA Nano 1000 Series and 2000 Series processors, which have been adopted by leading OEMs worldwide for a growing number of market-leading mini-note, small form factor desktop, and energy-efficient server designs.

Available at speeds from 1.0GHz to 2.0GHz, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver up to 20% higher performance using up to 20% less power than current VIA Nano processors and boast a number of new features including support for the SSE4 multimedia instruction set and VIA VT virtualization technology.

Fully compatible with all Microsoft operating systems, including the new Windows 7, as well as all popular Linux distributions, the VIA Nano 3000 Series processors use the NanoBGA2 package, making them pin-to-pin compatible with VIA Nano 1000 Series, VIA Nano 2000 Series, VIA C7, VIA C7-M and VIA Eden processors for easy upgrades of existing designs.

VIA Nano 3000 Series Availability
VIA Nano 3000 Series processor samples are currently available for OEMs and motherboard vendors, and will enter mass production in Q1 2010.

The iPod nano has become very popular with the gym crowd. It’s light, doesn’t skip, and is inexpensive enough that if it gets stolen, it’s not the end of the world. The bad news is, many gyms are banning the new version, due to the camera. Seems that recording devices in general are verboten in gym locker rooms, and something small and concealable like an iPod nano is exactly what they are trying to avoid.

So should Apple make a nano without a camera? The features of the new version make it perfect except for that pesky camera. Perhaps gyms could allow you to check your nano before you go into the locker room, and then pick it up on the way out. One word of warning, if you do smuggle your nano in, please don’t forget that there is ‘good naked’ and ‘bad naked’. Oh, and don’t buy the yellow one.

[via Slashgear]

This is it under direct light. I promise I’ll get more pictures soon.

The rendering seems at least plausible. There isn’t any large change between the current generation and this model. Cameras are cheap and small now so it doesn’t seem out of the question to stuff one in the nano somewhere. The placement, however, seems wonky. The screen size is better suited for widescreen playback and well, the plastic body should at least scratch less despite probably feeling cheap.

Only time will tell if this is the real thing. Chances are we will see more “leaks” and renderings before it is released anyway.

This little guy comes in two sizes: 4GB and 8GB. Both support upto 15Mb/s read and 6Mb/s write speeds, which doesn’t make these the fastest on the block, but the overall charm is enough to have us look the other way. Expect to pay either $22 for the 4GB or $33 for the 8GB.