In the past few months, have you felt like something’s missing? Apple’s new Fall release strategy has made it seem like someone just knocked Christmas right off the calendar, and so of course we’re all thinking: “You’ve made me wait, Apple — this better blow my mind.”

Well, have hope for the iPhone 5 because apparently the next-gen iPod touch isn’t much to get excited about. According to sources from MacRumors as well as separately leaked info from a Concord Securities analyst, many of the hardware changes we’ll be seeing on the long-anticipated iPhone 5 won’t be showing up on the next iPod touch.

We’ve been expecting (based of course on rumors, speculation, and minor leaks) that the iPhone 5 may perhaps be a bit wider, with a larger edge-to-edge display, a thinner body, and an 8-megapixel shooter. The sources claim that none of this will carry over to the iPod touch, but instead the next-gen device will come out in a white model as well as black. The sources also said that an oleophobic coating would be added to the display to keep it smudge-free, along with an enhanced ambient light sensor.

The sources expect the next-gen PMP to be announced alongside the iPhone 5, which we expect to go down on October 4. Past that, the next iPod touch should be pretty similar to its predecessor, which begs the question: What’s going to happen to the iPod touch line?

Standard Apple procedure has always been to launch their latest and greatest iPhone in the Summer, with the next-gen iPod touch following along in the Fall. With rumors that this generation might not get the full makeover, and the dual-launch strategy being imminent, it’s possible that Apple is slowing things down with the iPod touch. Though sales aren’t bad per se, the iPod touch isn’t flying off shelves like it used to.

If you’re using Skype for iOS on your iPhone or iPod touch, consider yourself warned: a cross-site scripting vulnerability looms in the “Chat Message” window in version 3.0.1 and earlier versions.

The hole allows attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code that runs when a victim views a chat message, enabling theft of information, including a user’s address book (see video below).

Skype says it is aware of the security issue, and had issued the following statement:

“We are working hard to fix this reported issue in our next planned release which we hope to roll out imminently. In the meantime we always recommend people exercise caution in only accepting friend requests from people they know and practice common sense internet security as always.”

The non-patronizing first sentence would have been sufficient, Skype.

AppSec Consulting security researcher Phil Purviance, who also made the video below, writes:

Executing arbitrary Javascript code is one thing, but I found that Skype also improperly defines the URI scheme used by the built-in webkit browser for Skype. Usually you will see the scheme set to something like, “about:blank” or “skype-randomtoken”, but in this case it is actually set to “file://”. This gives an attacker access to the users file system, and an attacker can access any file that the application itself would be able to access.

File system access is partially mitigated by the iOS Application sandbox that Apple has implemented, preventing an attacker from accessing certain sensitive files. However, every iOS application has access to the users AddressBook, and Skype is no exception.

On Twitter, Purviance says he reported the XSS vulnerability to Skype nearly a month ago.

Let’s hope a fix follows shortly now that he’s gotten media attention.

It’s almost that time of year again, friends. New movies are terrible, kids are sucking down popsicles, and my office is like a moist toaster oven. It’s nearly back to school time!

That means in our trivial world that it’s time for new gadgets and the Internet rumor mill is lining up quite a big show from Apple. It’s always this way. The rumors state Apple will do no less than reverse the rotation of the Earth and then Steve Jobs simply introduces a new high-speed interface. But let’s dance anyway.

A few rumors broke weeks back concerning new Mac Pros and Mac Minis. They stated that Apple was going to release new desktops powered by Intel’s latest CPUs of the Sandy Bridge variety. 9to5mac sort of confirmed that at least new Mac Pros are on their way and posted what they claim to be the SKUs. Unsurprisingly after the Xserver’s retirement, the new SKUs talk of a Mac Pro Server, which will likely feature a rack mountable case.

9to5mac also posted SKUs for what are supposed to be new 11- and 13-inch MacBook Airs. These models, if they really do exist, are likely also powered by Sandy Bridge architecture, which mean second generation Core CPUs and probably even Thunderbolt connectivity. Then just today, a new rumor hit that places a backlit keyboard in the MacBook Air. [image via zanoii]

Of course the new Mac Pros and MacBook Airs will rock the latest OS X release. Lion is set to debut this month although Apple has yet to announce the exact date. We’re expecting July 14, but what do we know?

There’s no word on a refreshed Mac Mini but the time frame is right for a new model. The current model debuted last June with a Core 2 Duo CPU; Apple still sells the year-old model. (Fun fact: Search for Core 2 Duo on BestBuy.com and seven out of the nine computers still using the Core 2 Duo are from Apple) Apple will likely bring its whole desktop line to the latest architecture relatively soon and that includes the low-cost Mac Mini.

The Back To School releases might also include a 3G-enabled iPod touch. A rumor broke last week that stated the fifth generation touch will feature a swapable SIM card for data services — like an iPad. The thought is that users will be able to use the iPod with VoIP and streaming services. The same rumor stated that the new model was going to drop this September, but it might come sooner. [Mock-up via iPhoneDownloadBlog]

This time of year is big for computer makers and even more so for slow but steady companies like Apple. The computers released in the second and third quarter are the systems that will carry them through the lucrative fourth quarter. Expect big things.

[via 9to5Mac]

http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMjUwMjI5MjI4/v.swf
The $80 docking case takes an iPod touch and adds a bunch of fun features. There’s 3G calling and web browsing, an FM radio, 2-device WiFi hotspot, and a vibrating ringer — all on an iPod touch. No word if this device will hit the US shores but it’s certainly possible as Sprint sells the first generation. But moreover these devices clearly show that Chinese manufacturers are capable of doing more than just operating photocopiers.

Since yesterday, developers have been tweeting and messaging about huge spikes in downloads of their apps on Christmas. How huge? Just look at the chart in this post. We’re talking two to three times normal numbers. That particular graph came thanks to data from MixPanel, a Y Combinator startup that specializes in iOS analytics. We’ve since confirmed with the company that on the apps they track, they’re seeing the same “2-3x in app download/sales across the board.”

This data point coincides with others, such as Tap Tap Revenge 4, a game for the iPhone/iPod touch, which is seeing download traffic 2x what it was last Christmas, according to Business Insider. Meanwhile, the site All Facebook looked at the data for Facebook’s iPhone app and also found a massive surge on Christmas. In fact, the app added some 1.6 million users in just the three days around Christmas. By comparison, Facebook for Android added some 900,000 users in the same span.

So what does all of this mean? Clearly that a lot of people got new iOS devices for the holidays and went on massive downloading binges. Apple will officially announce their holiday earnings on January 18. Expect a “boom” or two.

Well this is potentially huge. A Nielsen survey says that more kids this holiday season are interested in iOS devices than traditional consoles. You know what this means: time to throw your PS3s and Xbox 360s into the village pyre.

The results were thus:

31 percent of kids 6 to 12-year-olds want an iPad, while 29 percent want an iPod touch.

Meanwhile, only 12 percent want a 360 and 21 percent want a PS3.

This probably isn’t too surprising, being that the Xbox 360 is already 5-years-old, and the PS3 is 4-years-old. They’re not exactly shiny and new anymore, whereas the iPad still is. In fact, one other survey found that the iPad tops consumers’ holiday wish lists this year.

The all-new Mikey is the perfect tool for mobile recording. Featuring two custom-tuned Blue capsules for stereo recording, a line-input, USB pass through and a stylish updated 230-degree rotating design. Mikey’s three gain settings allow for a versatile recording experience for everything from a loud concert to a whisper. Record lectures, voice notes, live music, interviews, and more. Mikey also comes with its own soft carrying pouch for convenient storage and protection while on the go. Mikey turns your iPod into the coolest mobile recording device around!

It costs a mere $79.95 online and is available now.

Here’s the thing. It does 720p video — that’s 1280×720 pixels. But then, for stills, it can only do 960×720. I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t make any sense. Apple is fudging the numbers one way or the other, and you’re being cheated out of a good number of pixels.

Yes, I realize this is nitpicking. But the fact that Apple would take this liberty without explaining it bothers me.

Look, either the sensor is capable of 960×720, or it’s capable of 720p. If it’s only capable of the lower resolution, then Apple is upscaling the image to get 720p, which is basically lying about their image quality. That’s why I’d rather believe that it’s otherwise, and the sensor is capable of 720p. If that’s the case, though, the sensor is likely capable of several times that resolution for stills; it’s just the way these things are set up, their data throughputs, image processors, and so on — if it can do 1280×720 pixels 30 times per second, it usually has enough sensor data to put together a couple megapixels. So why the 960×720?

Unfortunately, there’s no answer. But really, this sensor should be capable of far more. At the very least, 1280×720.

I’ve contacted Apple about this several times, but have gotten no response, a response in itself which I think justifies this little rant. It also seems as though such a limitation, if indeed on is placed on the camera, would have been detected by hackers and code spelunkers by now. All I know is the resolution discrepancy has been bothering the imaging technology pedant in me for a good couple months now.

I’ve been using VLC for iPad, and while I’ve come across some interesting bugs (mainly related to audio), it seems to work quite well. The app will only work with a 3GS or better iPhone, though, or an equivalent-generation iPod touch, and they say that 720p videos may not play smoothly due to hardware limitations. Not a big deal, I think. SD files look pretty decent.

[via Gadget Lab]

Not happy with the stock iPod touch’s stock look? Alrighty, head over to Colorware and order up one of its custom painted models, which now includes the latest iPod touch model.

Of course like the rest of Colorware’s services, it comes with a premium price tag. It’s $150 if you provide your own iPod touch or $380 if purchased through Colorware. But the service is top-notch and the color combos are nearly endless. Still, it can be argued that a color case can provide nearly as much customization for a tiny fraction of the price. But it’s your money. Spend it how you see fit. [Colorware]

It’s October 1, which means that you’re average American think Oktoberfest has started. Not true: Munich’s Oktoberfest begins in mid to late September and lasts through October. A minor technicality if all you’re looking to do is celebrate the holiday best known for, well, bier and busen. In any event, there’s a handy iOS App that was just released that can help New York City folk find Oktoberfest beer gardens. It’s called Beer Gardens NYC [iTunes link], and it works quite well.

What does it do? It has some 50 city beer gardens organized by borough, price range, and beer selection and price. Fancy a Berliner Wieser? Then make your way to the Lederhosen German Wurst & Bierhaus in the West Village. Or perhaps you want a Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Weisse? The Radegast Hall & Biergarten on N 3rd Street in Brooklyn is where you’ll want to go.

Maps, photos, and directions are provided, as you might expect.

And of course, the App doesn’t all of a sudden stop working once Oktoberfest ends on the 4th. Nope, many of the beer gardens in New York City are open year-round (or at least close to it), so once November rolls around you’ll still be able to use the App effectively.

Beer Gardens NYC can be downloaded from the App Store right now, and it’s only $1.99.

Pretty neat little App here.

So here’s an honest question: how do you guys go about looking for and buying an iPhone/iPad/iPod touch case? Do you go to device-specific sites (like iLounge) and look up case reviews? Troll message boards? Search on Amazon for “iphone case”? Or do you go to Wal-Mart (or wherever), go to the iPhone aisle, and pick up the first thing you see, and for the cheapest price available?

I only bring this up because I was just alerted to these Moleskin covers for the iPhone and iPad. They look spiffy enough, and certainly err on the “professional” side on the looks departure. They’re not Justin Bieber cases, that is.

The cases do one thing that’s sorta interesting, in that they combine a case with a notebook of sorts, giving you a couple of pages of blank paper.

So, a nice-looking Moleskin case: black cover, suede interior, you know the deal.

They’re not available yet, but you can hop on Amazon‘s little e-mail alerts to knew when they go on sale (and for how much).

Microsoft has released an updated Bing for Mobile iPhone and iPod Touch app.

The updated app brings with it new features for the mobile versions of Bing Travel and Maps.

For the former service, you can now go to the ‘Travel’ tab from your iPhone or iPod touch’s browser and find deals from your home airport and special promotions. Using the interactive Deals calendar, you can see when good prices are available.

Also new is flight search, which lets you look up fares and flight times and utilize the Price Predictor Bing provides to desktop users to know when users would be best of to buy their airfares. The app also comes with a Bing Travel flight status feature to enable users to check if their flight is on time when on the go.

In addition, Microsoft says it has completely redesigned the mapping experience from the ground up for the upgraded mobile app. That means a bigger font size corresponding to larger roads, added neighborhood labels so one can easily identify and convey locations in cities and easy switching between map and list view.

The backdrop was also enhanced, which means information on the map such as traffic details, business listings, pushpins, labels, etc. could “pop”.

Also new in Maps for Bing for Mobile iPhone and iPod touch: ‘What’s Nearby’ with enhanced map and labels so you can “fly” through a neighborhood and quickly find a local listing.

Last time Bing for Mobile had gotten an update was last June, when the app got social search and visual scanning features.

Well, considering 256MB is more than enough to run pretty much everything out there, I don’t think we’re going to see much in the way of serious performance differences here. Probably it would help with multitasking, handling video in the iMovie app, and browsing large web pages and galleries. But most of the time things should be dandy.

The screen is also slightly worse on the iPod touch, which is something we’ve seen before. I’ll wait until more professional comparisons are done before making a big deal out of that.

We’re still waiting to hear a legitimate reason for limiting the rear camera to 960×720 stills, though.

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.

twitstat.badge.init({
badge_container: “twitstat_badge_684″,
title: “iGear Talk”,
keywords: “#iGear”,
max: 10,
border_color: “#434343″,
header_background: “#434343″,
header_font_color: “#ffffff”,
content_background_color: “#e1e1e1″,
content_font_color: “#333333″,
link_color: “#307ace”,
width: 370
});

I remember my first iPod very well. Shockingly, I was a little late to the party, waiting until the fourth generation iPod (now called the “iPod classic”) in 2004 to join the revolution. And I only bought one because I was planning to drive out to California (from Ohio) and I wanted enough music storage to last me the entire trip. I remember unboxing it and thinking: “wow, I can store all my music on this tiny device?”

Today, six years later, I still have that old iPod. But I no longer consider it “tiny.” In fact, it’s more of a “brick” both in size and weight. It held 40 gigabytes of my music on its miniature hard drive platters. Today, the latest high-end iPod touch holds 24 more gigabytes and is a sliver of the size and a fraction of the weight. And it plays music for 28 more consecutive hours. Oh, and it has a color screen. One you can touch. One you can multi-touch.

With the unveiling of its new iPod line last week, Apple has made it very clear what the future is: touch. The iPod classic, while still around, wasn’t updated at all for the first time in nine years. At the other end of the spectrum, the iPod shuffle underwent a return to form — literally — as in, its form factor is now the same as it was two generations ago.

These are now the last two remaining iPods without touch screen integration. And both are clearly moving out to the pasture.

That’s not to say the shuffle is dying yet. It still fills an important niche for Apple — the cheap niche. At $49, it is by far the cheapest iPod available — by $100. But it’s clear that if it was feasible, Apple would put a touch-screen in this device too. Amazingly, it’s now almost the exact same size as the iPod nano (more on that in a bit), the major difference is the lack of a screen. Instead, the shuffle focuses on its VoiceOver capabilities (the carry-over from the last generation, which fully relied on them).

But again, this iPod refresh, which Apple CEO Steve Jobs called their biggest one yet, clearly points to the future of the line — and really, the future of Apple in general: touch.

The two big updates in the iPod lines this time around are the iPod nano and the iPod touch. First, let’s talk about the nano.

The iPod nano

The previous version of the nano was nice with its elongated form factor. That said, every time I used one, I had to fight the urge to touch its screen to navigate through it. Finally, I can do that. And just as the way Apple killed off the need for a physical keyboard with the iPhone’s touchscreen, here, they’ve killed off the need for the old standard click wheel. As such, they’ve been able to make the nano much, much smaller.

As I noted above, it’s crazy but the nano is now almost the same size as the shuffle. It’s now the same square form factor, just a bit bigger. And it’s a good thing it’s a little bigger because Apple needs the room to squeeze four different apps on the various nano pages.

Yes, like the iPhone and iPod touch, the nano now has apps — sort of. Don’t get too excited, Apple says there will be no third-party apps for the nano (at least not yet), instead, they have some standard apps they created to use on the device. These include “Now Playing,” “Playlists,” “Radio,” “Clock,” “Photos,” “Fitness,” and a few others mainly to give you quick access to your content.

So how do you control a touch screen device with such a small screen? It’s quite simple, actually. Most of the time you’ll be traveling through music which is done with the on-screen controls. But when you need to return to the main menu, you simply hold one finger down for a few seconds on the screen and the main screen fades in. Just as with the iPhone/iPod touch, you flick left and right to get to other pages of “apps.”

Album artwork is nicely displayed when music is playing, and touching the screen once will bring up controls. Swiping to the right here gives you more options (such as Genius and Shuffle).

But the most interesting little feature of this nano is that you can use multi-touch to rotate the album artwork. Why would you want to do this? Because like the shuffle, the nano now comes with a clip on the back to easily attach it to a piece of clothing you have on. By putting two fingers on the screen and rotating, you’ll ensure your controls and/or album artwork are just the way you want them. This is one of the little things that makes Apple, Apple.

The sound quality on the device is solid — in line with previous generations of nanos. And the 24 hour audio playback that Apple lists in the specs seems about right. I have been unable to wear the battery down all the way over several days.

One unfortunate side effect of this new tiny size is that Apple had to remove video support. This means the iPod nano can no longer play videos, nor can it record them (there is no longer a camera). I suspect people may be disappointed by this until they see the actual device. Can you imagine watching a video on this screen? Because I sure can’t.

The removal of the camera itself will disappoint some people, but it was always a bit odd anyway as it only recorded video and not still images. I think the new size and touch screen in exchange for the video capabilities is a good tradeoff. Especially when you consider the new iPod touch.

The iPod touch

What the new nano lost in video capabilities, the iPod touch gained — and then some. The latest version of this device is not only the first with a camera — it has two cameras, one in the front and one in the back. And the one in the back shoots 720p HD video.

For some people, that alone will be reason enough to part with at least $229 for the 8 gigabyte version. But when you add in the fact that it has the same “Retina” display that Apple made for the iPhone 4, and the A4 chip which Apple included in both the iPhone 4 and the iPad, and of course, FaceTime support, there’s no question that this thing is going to be a massive hit for Apple.

Obviously, everything I said in my review of the iPhone 4’s 960-by-640 resolution Retina display is the same here. Simply put: it looks amazing. What’s great is that despite the same basic specs, the iPod touch is tiny when compared to the iPhone 4. Putting them side-by-side, the iPod touch is significantly thinner and also a little shorter.

It also trades the all-glass back and controversial antenna siding for a more conventional silver metal backing. While obviously the iPod touch doesn’t need the cellular components of the iPhone, it still is interesting that Apple has done away with the outside antenna (which also handled the WiFi, which the iPod touch does have).

The metal back is also slightly curved around the edges on the iPod touch, this makes it feel even slimmer. As with previous generations of the device, the headphone jack is at the bottom, while the top only contains the screen on/off button (which is actually a little easier to hit thanks to the curved sides).

People are now likely to use the iPod touch for three main reasons: music, gaming, and video.

For music, the song remains the same. This iPod touch seems inline with previous iPod touches. Apple says it has upped the battery life a bit (about 10 hours more of audio playback and 1 hour more for video playback), which is likely a result of the power saving techniques of the A4 chip. I wasn’t able to run the battery into the ground; it seemed solid — not iPad-good, but better than the iPhone.

For gaming, the combination of the A4 chip and the Retina display makes this an awesome machine. Jobs noted during the keynote that when you consider iOS devices as portable gaming devices, they’re outselling the entries by rivals Nintendo and Sony — combined. That’s likely to continue, if not accelerate from here. Every game I tried ran smoothly and looks brilliant with this screen.

Video is the big new addition here though, obviously. When taken outside (or in good light), the 720p videos look excellent. Inside, in low light, at things things can be a bit murky, but that’s probably to be expected (and there is no flash on the iPod touch). Just as with the iPhone, you can use the iMovie application (sold separately) to edit videos right on the device. All in all, it’s a great little HD movie machine — one that’s insanely small.

Photos, however, are a different story. Sadly, the lens in the iPod touch is not the same 5 megapixel variety found in the iPhone 4. Because of that, Apple limits still-image resolution of 960 by 720 pixels — very low. I found still pictures taken with the iPod touch to be grainy — again, especially in low light. The iPhone 4 performs much, much better as a camera.

When I asked Apple why they were limiting the camera to such a low resolution, they noted that the focus here was primarily video. The picture-taking capability was simply a bonus feature they tacked on for people who wanted the ability to take some quick shots, they said.

With that in mind, it may have been wise for Apple to make video capture the default mode for the camera on the iPod touch (it is still picture capture).

(Above: An image taken with the new iPod touch in medium light.)

Having a full 5 megapixel camera that is as good as the iPhone 4’s would have also undoubtedly required Apple to make the iPod touch a bit bulkier (and added a little bit to the manufacturing costs, undoubtedly). To me, it would have been worth it, but they clearly felt it wasn’t.

The other big component of the camera is FaceTime. On the iPod touch, things work a little differently because there is no cellular service to latch on to (that’s how it works on the iPhone 4 — you first place a call to the person you wish to FaceTime with). To work around this, Apple has made email addresses the new way of doing this with the iOS 4.1 update (due this week). Sadly, I wasn’t able to test this new link-up ability on my demo unit, but I did try it in the demo area right after the Apple event last week, and everything seemed to work fine. Once you establish the initial FaceTime connection (in this case, via email address), the device remembers connections so it’s one-click from then on.

This addition of a second device that does FaceTime is important for Apple. Clearly, they feel this is a major feature their portable devices will have going forward (they sure are promoting it enough). And by making it an open standard, they hope others will adopt it. With FaceTime on the iPod touch, millions more people will have access to the feature. In my opinion, Apple still needs a better management system for FaceTime calls (something like FacePlant), but when you connect, it’s very, very impressive.

Touching

The transition is taking place before our eyes. The click wheel, once the signature of the iPod line, is all but extinct now. Instead, Apple is continuing their march forward into touch.

This shouldn’t be surprising give that last week, Jobs revealed on stage that the iPod touch is now the most popular iPod Apple makes. As sales of other iPod models have been in decline for some time, the iPod touch was going the other direction. With its new touch capabilities, Apple undoubtedly hopes the same will be true for the new nano as well.

And with the iPod touch, the iPod nano, the iPhone, the iPad, and Macs (with the Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad or MacBook trackpads) all now using multi-touch in one way or another, Apple is slowly but surely aligning itself to be the leader in touch computing going forward. The writing is on the wall — it’s hand-written.

This just in: the new iPod Touch with front-facing camera (aka the iPhone Lite) has a built-in vibrating motor for notifications, including silent call notifications. Why is this important? Well, presumably the iPod Touch is now a Facetime phone and definitely needs new ways to interact with the user. I’m personally very excited.

This confirms information found in the Accessibility page for the iPod.

Here is the first piece of evidence, and it is on Apple’s very own website. Located on the Accessibility page for the iPod touch, you can scroll down to the ‘Video calling with FaceTime‘ and clearly see the following: “… If somebody wants to start a video call with you, you’ll receive an invitation — along with a vibrating alert — on your iPod touch asking you to join. …”

via iPodTouchFans

Of course, Apple told us the big picture – Retina display, A4 CPU, slimmer case and such. But what does it look like inside? Well, take a look at the gallery below, or just go directly to the FCC site and see for yourself.

[via Engadget]