Tag Archives: Apple iPod touch

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue

Posted on by

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue

Apple has a tradition of timing FCC filings for new wireless mobile devices so that they appear just as soon as they've been announced, and it's not about to let up now. We've got a trifecta of approvals on the way for 2012 that start with the iPhone 5. What's hard to miss is the absurd number of cellular bands at work: as Apple had to make separate iPhone 5 models to cover every LTE carrier it supports, on top of the usual alphabet soups for CDMA and GSM, the filing combining the two devices is one of the largest we've seen to date. The addition of 5GHz WiFi support only compounds the situation.

A pair of iPods also made their appearances today, and they've been given the regulatory once-over as well. The iPod touch has the 5GHz WiFi band included and isn't special by itself, but the new iPod nano is noteworthy simply for showing up at all -- the inclusion of Bluetooth means a spin past the testing facility in addition to some wireless audio. We're still digging to see if the iPhone or new iPods have any surprises, although you can have a first-hand look through the source links.

Brad Molen contributed to this report.

Filed under: , ,

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC (iPhone 5), (iPod touch), (iPod nano)  | Email this | Comments

7th-generation iPod nano hands-on!

Posted on by

7thgeneration iPod nano handson!

Not to be outdone by a refreshed iPod touch (and, let's face it, a new iPhone), Apple also shot out a 5.4mm-thick iPod nano today -- that's 38 percent thinner than the one it replaces. We just got our hands on the newest, tiniest music player outside of Apple's product launch today, replete with a 2.5-inch multitouch panel and a familiar Home button. As you'd expect, the enlarged display is hugely beneficial. While there's no bona fide version of iOS on here, the stripped-down variant seems sufficient for handling media alone. As if the ability to watch widescreen video wasn't enough, fitness gurus are also apt to take notice -- inbuilt support for Nike+ gear, along with Bluetooth, make this one potent device.

The Lightning connector seems to make a lot of sense here, given the dearth of real estate along the bottom, but somehow the company squeezed a big enough battery in here to net some 30 reported hours of battery life. In playing with it, we found screen transitions to be adequately smooth, and video playback was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. The screen is most definitely less stunning than the one on the iPod touch, but at $149, you can bet quite a bit of these end up in stockings this holiday season.

Gallery: 7th-generation iPod nano hands-on

Continue reading 7th-generation iPod nano hands-on!

Filed under: ,

7th-generation iPod nano hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

5th-generation iPod touch hands-on!

Posted on by

5thgeneration iPod touch handson!

It's obvious that the iPhone 5 is the star of today's show, but Apple's not letting its iPod line go untouched. The newest iPod touch takes a note from the newfangled display on its cellular sibling, bringing a vaster panel (the same 4-inch, 1,136 x 640 one found on the new iPhone). At 88 grams and just 6.1mm thick, it's also shockingly thin and light -- of course, the anodized aluminum backing makes it feel like a premium piece of kit. Premium, as in, right up there with the iPhone. In a world where Apple's seeing its iPod sales sink quarter after quarter due to self-cannibalization from the iPad and iPhone, it's interesting (but appreciated) to see so much effort placed on the new iPod touch.

The introduction of the dual-core A5 chip (that's dual-core on the CPU and the graphics side) is a huge boon for the touch. Apple's claiming a 7x improvement in graphics, and given that this thing is claiming such a huge swath of the mobile gaming market, it's pretty much a necessity. Indeed, our interactions with the device were notably faster than on the prior touch. We didn't exactly have 40 hours here to test the audio playback claims (in fact, we didn't even have eight to test the claims on video), but you can bet that'll be a huge selling point.

Gallery: 5th-generation iPod touch hands-on

Continue reading 5th-generation iPod touch hands-on!

Filed under:

5th-generation iPod touch hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple announces fifth-generation iPod touch: 4-inch screen, 6.1mm thick, Siri included, starts at $299

Posted on by

Today at its iPhone launch event, Apple announced yet another piece of hardware: the fifth-generation iPod touch. As rumored, it has a 4-inch display, the same 326 ppi panel used on the new iPhone 5. As you might have guessed, this is also the thinnest iPod touch to date, measuring in at 6.1mm and weighing 88 grams (3.1 ounces). On the inside, it packs an A5 chip promising seven times the graphics performance of the last-gen model. The battery is rated for 40 hours of music playback, or eight hours of video -- a slight improvement over the last-generation touch.

The rear camera has also gotten an upgrade: it's now built on a 5-megapixel sensor, paired with a backside-illuminated f/2.4 lens. It also now shoots 1080p video, and Apple has also added image stabilization. And yes, it supports the same panorama shooting feature as the iPhone 5. The front camera, meanwhile, is 720p and supports FaceTime (over WiFi only, of course -- no 4G models here).

If that image stabilization feature doesn't do it for you, there's also a protruding button on the back, to which you can attach a wrist strap -- you know, so that if the shakes get really bad you at least won't drop the thing. Perhaps the biggest news, though, is that the new iPod touch has Siri built in, making it the first non-iPhone device from Apple to get this feature. Finally, it comes loaded with iO6 and if you don't know what that entails, well, we've got your feature summary right here.

The iPod touch will be available in two flavors: a 32GB model ($299) and a 64GB number ($399). It will be sold in five colors: "raw aluminum," black, blue, yellow and red, and a (PRODUCT) RED version will also be available. Three hundred bucks too pricey for your next PMP? The last-generation touch will remain on the market, with the 16GB one going for $199 and the 32GB version selling for $249.

Gallery: iPod touch (2012)

Gallery: iPod Touch 5th generation

Check out our liveblog of Apple's event to get the latest news as it happens!

Continue reading Apple announces fifth-generation iPod touch: 4-inch screen, 6.1mm thick, Siri included, starts at $299

Filed under:

Apple announces fifth-generation iPod touch: 4-inch screen, 6.1mm thick, Siri included, starts at $299 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims

Posted on by

Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims

Hacking group AntiSec (connected to Anonymous and LulzSec) made some bold claims Tuesday that it had obtained the unique device identifiers (UDIDs) of 12 million iOS devices from an FBI laptop, setting more than a few people on edge. The FBI has already denied that anything was stolen, but Apple has gone one step further to argue that it had no involvement. Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris tells AllThingsD that Apple hasn't given UDIDs to the FBI "or any organization" -- suggesting that either AntiSec or the FBI isn't telling the whole story of what data emerged and where. Even if there are real UDIDs floating around, Kerris adds that they don't necessarily pose much danger. She notes that programming hooks in iOS 6 will provide an alternative to UDID for device-specific data, and that apps will eventually be forbidden from using the older identifiers altogether. While the truth in the situation is hard to pin down, the technical reality doesn't leave much risk that our iPads and iPhones will be compromised. At least, not after this month.

Filed under: , , ,

Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAllThingsD  | Email this | Comments

Netatmo Urban Weather Station tells iOS users when it’s safe to brave the great outdoors (video)

Posted on by

Netatmo Urban Weather Station tells Android, iOS users when it's safe to venture outside video

We haven't seen weather stations garner the same level of clever mobile integration as other pieces of household gear -- like, say, thermostats. Netatmo wants its newly available Urban Weather Station to inject a similar dose of life into a category that some of us still associate with the thermometer by the window. The aluminum tube design certainly gives a fresh look to the WiFi-linked indoor and outdoor sensors, but the real trick is the matching iOS (and eventually Android) app. It's for more than just gauging the wisdom of biking to work: the free app tracks historical trends and shares them with fellow users in a network that Netatmo hopes will provide a better understanding of wider-scale and longer-term trends. The sensors go beyond just obvious air quality, humidity, pressure and temperature conditions as well, flagging noise levels and warning if the CO2 levels are high enough to warrant airing out the house. The $179 price for the Urban Weather Station isn't trivial, but neither is knowing just how well you can cope with your environment.

Continue reading Netatmo Urban Weather Station tells iOS users when it's safe to brave the great outdoors (video)

Filed under: ,

Netatmo Urban Weather Station tells iOS users when it's safe to brave the great outdoors (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNetatmo, App Store  | Email this | Comments

ITC decides Apple didn’t violate Motorola WiFi patent after all, tosses case back to judge

Posted on by

Droid RAZR and iPhone 4S

Trouble looked to be brewing for Apple last April: an International Trade Commission judge made an initial ruling that Apple infringed on a standards-essential Motorola WiFi patent, raising the possibility of a trade ban if the verdict held true. The fellows in Cupertino may have caught a big break. A Commission review of the decision on Friday determined that Apple didn't violate the patent, and it upheld positions that exonerated the iPhone maker regarding two others. Apple isn't entirely off the hook, however. The ITC is remanding the case to the judge to review his stance that Apple hadn't violated a non-standards-based patent, which still leaves Apple facing the prospect of a ban. However, having to revisit the case nearly resets the clock -- we now have to wait for another ruling and a matching review, and that likely puts any final decision well into 2013. Google-owned Motorola isn't lacking more weapons in its arsenal, but any stalled proceedings take away bargaining chips in what's become a high-stakes game.

Filed under: ,

ITC decides Apple didn't violate Motorola WiFi patent after all, tosses case back to judge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FOSSpatents  |  sourceITC (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel

Posted on by

Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel

Although they're called hearing aids, they can sometimes be as much of a hindrance as a help. Catch an unfamiliar accent and the attention might be on just parsing the words, let alone moving the conversation forward. Apple is applying for a patent on a technique that would take the guesswork out of listening by smoothing out all the quirks. The proposed idea would convert speech to text and back, using the switch to remove any unusual pronunciation or too-quick talking before it reaches the listener's ear. Not surprisingly for a company that makes phones and tablets, the hearing aid wouldn't always have to do the heavy lifting, either: iOS devices could handle some of the on-the-fly conversion, and pre-recorded speech could receive advance treatment to speed up the process. We don't know if Apple plans to use its learning in any kind of shipping product, although it's undoubtedly been interested in the category before -- and its ambitions of having iPhone-optimized hearing aids could well get a lift from technology that promises real understanding, not just a boost in volume.

Filed under: ,

Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

Maxthon web browser arrives in bite-sized form for iPhone

Posted on by

Maxthon web browser shrinks to iPhone size

Maxthon has long since escaped the days when it was chiefly a customized version of Internet Explorer on the desktop, and nowhere is that more apparent than its just-launched version of the normally WebKit-based browser for the iPhone and iPod touch. All the core features of the app carry over from earlier Android and iPad versions, such as an Opera-like grid of favorite pages, a download manager and a unified address bar, but it's arguably more useful than the iPad edition: conventional browser tabs aren't coming to smaller-screened iOS devices in a future mobile Safari build anytime soon. Bookmark syncing and an optimized reading mode also persist to reduce the chance that Maxthon users drift back towards the official Apple browser, even after iOS 6 rolls around. With that all-important "free" price tag, there's every reason to give it a try -- let others know in the comments if Maxthon is enough to take precedence over comparable iOS alternatives like Chrome.

Filed under: ,

Maxthon web browser arrives in bite-sized form for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceApp Store  | Email this | Comments

Post-acquisition Motorola files fresh ITC complaint against Apple

Posted on by

Motorola RAZR and iPhone 4S

We hope you didn't think that Motorola would fight a purely defensive patent war against Apple after Google's acquisition closed. Just days before a final ruling on its initial complaints, the RAZR maker has filed another dispute with the International Trade Commission that accuses Apple of violating patents through some iOS devices and Macs. Exact details of the dispute are under wraps for now; Motorola, as you'd imagine, only contends that it has no choice after Apple's "unwillingness to work out a license." While Apple hasn't said anything about the subject, we already know how much it disagrees with Motorola's previous licensing strategy -- it's unlikely Apple will just roll over, no matter what's at stake.

Filed under: , ,

Post-acquisition Motorola files fresh ITC complaint against Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments