The iPod Nation

Philips’ Wake-up Light is than your traditional alarm clock, it is a “dawn simulator.” It uses light to ease you out of bed gently instead of jolting you with an annoying loud buzz. Their latest version of the Wake-up light includes an iPod dock. Not only does it wake you up, it can charge and play music from your iPod or iPhone, it also includes an FM radio and choices of four natural wake up sounds: a relaxing beep, morning birds in the forest, soft wind chimes or the sounds of the Afican jungle (lions and hyenas?). The light wakes you up by gradually intensifying the light to 300 Lux over a span of 30 minutes before your set wake up time. There is also a “dusk simulation” feature that gradually dims both lights and sound to help you drift off off to sleep. Check out the Wake-up Light HF3490 at the Philips site. Oh and it still includes a good old fashioned snooze button.

-Ray

The main difference between the iPod touch and the iPhone, other then the fact the iPhone is a mobile phone, is the lack of a camera. While a camera with a MP3 player is not that big of a deal, apparently Apple thinks it is a good idea to have one. Rumor is that the next generation of iPods will have a digital camera, sources have revealed a third-party iPhone case that had a slot opening for a possible camera. TechCrunch is also reporting that Apple is purchasing large quantities of the same type of camera sensor used in the iPhone 3GS at about $10 a pop, what could this excess inventory of digital cameras be used for? More than likely the iPod. And from the looks of the leaked iPod case it won’t just be for the iPod Touch but for the iPod Nano as well, and possibly other iPod models. If this is true this will be a pretty big feature to add to the list of already awesome features of the iPod. Hopefully it doesn’t bring the price points of the various iPod models much higher, because the whole reason to buy an iPod is price.

-Ray

The new iPhone 3GS is here, and as always with a new iPhone comes a wave of new accessories from all the iPhone accessory makers out there. The first accessory most iPhone owners get is a good sturdy case, and one of the first iPhone 3GS Cases to be released was the Slim and Full polycarbonate cases from iPhone case maker Inspiretech. Known for their iPod and iPhone accessories they’ve just released a new line of iPhone 3GS accessories. They currently offer their iPhone 3GS cases in up to nine various colors (white, black, grey, pink, hot pink, red, blue, purple and baby blue) in both their Slim and Full sizes. The Slim iPhone 3GS cases fit over the back of the iPhone and give if adequate protection while not adding any excess bulk at all. The Full case covers the entire back and sides of the iPhone and gives it even more protection. They also have car chargers, travel chargers, USB sync cables and battery packs for the iPhone 3GS as well. For more information please visit www.inspiretech.com.

If you have a first-gen Nano and don’t mind filling out some forms and waiting, well, potentially a very long time, you could jump on the class-action bandwagon alledging the 1Gs were illegally scratchy.

I’m kind of baffled how a judge who probably doesn’t know a 1G Nano from his 40G gavel can be in charge of making this decision, and thus costing Apple $22.5 million in class-action payouts. You’re eligible for $15 if your Nano came with a slip cover and $25 if it was an early one that did not.

You can find all the info here, and if you’re feeling skeptical, this team of Mac Rumors forum commenters is on the case, investigating if this is real or not (it is). The whole thing will be finalized at a fairness hearing on April 28.

- Joe

Overview

Price: $9.99

Material: Polycarbonate

Colors: Black, White, Grey, Fushia, Pink, Blue, Baby Blue, Purple

Style: One-Piece Slim Fit

Retailers: www.inspiretech.com

The Inspiretech iPod Touch 2G case is definitely worth getting for those who want to protect their high-end iPod from scratches and minor impact damage. We tested out the shipping process by placing an order on monday and were able to receive the package by thursday of the same week. This time around we did not speak to customer service because we did not expect to recieve it so promptly.

With the iPod Touch such a popular sale over Christmas, there will inevitably be a lot of people out shopping for accessories. The typical accessories to have are cases and iPod Touch 2G car chargers.

The Inspiretech iPod Touch 2G Case was the first case we recieved for review and in keeping with their track record, the company has delivered another quality product. The cases come in 8 different colors ranging from the typical black and white to the outlandish pink and fushia.

The main body of the case is made of polycarbonate which means it is both impact and temperature resistant. Many users have commented that the chrome finish on iPods tend to scratch easily which is why there is such a high demand for protective cases. The Inspiretech iPod Touch 2G case does its job well and still manages to not become unsightly. Removing the case can be a little tricky but heres a tip; peel from the bottom left corner with your left thumb while you grip the ipod volume controls with your right thumb!

Priced at $9.99 it seriously undercuts the iPod case market by a significant margin. If you’re looking for a sleek and elegant protective case for your iPod Touch 2G, the Inspiretech iPod 2G case is a sure bet!

-Derek

[Source: Inspiretech]

The iPod Touch 2nd Gen was a huge hit over Christmas 2008. Basically an iPhone without the phone, the iPod Touch is priced much more reasonably than the iPhone and is the perfect choice for those who are happy just talking on their phones and have no need to pay an exorbitant amount to AT&T for the data plan. The App store reported an influx of downloads over Christmas with most of those coming from iPod Touch users. Amazon has reported the iPod Touch as their number one selling MP3 player and many companies have already started to order more iPod Touch 2G accessories in preparation for the large demand following receipt of the iPod Touch 2G as Christmas presents.
-Derek
[Source: macrumors]

The Android G1 from T-Mobile is gaining in popularity but one of the main complaints is its lack of a proper headphone jack. A few innovative do it yourselfers figured out a way to connect a G1 Android to an iPod dock. The hack is said to be very precise and delicate, doing such a hack is not for the faint of heart. The hackers took apart a HTC ExtUSB adapter for the Android phone and soldered it to the iPod dock’s female connector. Not only does the G1 play audio via the iPod dock, it charges the Android phone as well. It isn’t the cleanest hack in the world, but it works. Although this hack is pretty darn cool, why not use a universal speaker system with an AUX instead? Sure you can’t charge the G1 with it but you’ll still be able to play music. But hacking just sounds so much cooler I guess.

-Ray

[Source: gizmodo]

Inspiretech recently released their new iPod touch 2G Slim Fit polycarbonate cases. Made exclusively for the iPod touch second generation, they’re made out of highly durable polycarbonate for a long lifespan and is less likely to crack like other iPod touch cases. The iPod touch 2G case protects the back and side edges of the second generation iPod touch while still giving full access to the touch screen, camera and ports while protecting your iPod touch from scrapes or falls. Inspiretech includes a full one year manufactures warranty. The slick looking Inspiretech Slim Fit cases come in eight colors: black, dark silver, pearl white, dark blue, baby blue, purple, red, pink and fuchsia.

-Ray

[Source: iPod touch 2G case ]

Imagine you are planning your honeymoon or romantic getaway for your significant other. Imagine you want to make all your friends or coworkers jealous. Well you can now with a new feature from Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. Sheraton Maui allows its guests to download a notescast prior to their arrival at the resort. The notescast is a file from the Sheraton Maui site and it gives you information regarding your room and the resort. It also includes pictures just so you know what to expect (or just to make your friends jealous, depending on how much money you spend). Although this maybe something that is not worth mentioning, it just shows the direction every industry is taking in regards to technology. Everybody is being more technology-centric. It also shows how the Apple iPod has become a staple in our society.

- Geoff

[Source: HotelChatter]

Kenwood released their I-K50 car head unit that features support for Apple’s iPod and iPhone with its front-mounted USB port. The Kenwood I-K50’s CD can play MP3, WMA and AAC filed. The USB front-mounted USB port lets you plug in flash memory with music on them as well. The best feature is that you can plug in your iPod or iPhone and control it with the head units controls instead of from your iPod with other auxiliary head units. You can search your music collection and play or skip songs without ever looking at your iPod making it safer for drivers. Kenwood is planning on releasing the I-K50 in January and will go for about $260.

-Ray

[Source: ipodnn]