The iPod Nation

Here in the United States, it is all about Facebook and Myspace. But apparently in Europe, it is all about Netlog. Netlog is a social networking site that has over 35 million registered users. Well the Netlog social networking site is getting its own application for the Apple iPhone and the Apple iPod Touch. Similar to the Facebook application, the Netlog application will allow users to connect with new people, send messages, upload photos, check and sign guestbooks (similar to Wall), and update their shouts (similar to status). Netlog’s CEO Lorenz Bogaert released the following statement:

“Our aim was to combine the strength and popularity of the Netlog platform with the flexibility of the iPhone and iPod Touch. This takes us fully into the mobile age, and opens up the network to a wider range of on-the-go opportunities.”

The application comes in a variety of foreign languages, which include German, English, Spanish, Finnish, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and (Simplified) Chinese. This free application is ready for download at the Apple App store.

- Geoff

[Source: IntoMobile]

LA Computer Company is offering dealmac readers a Griffin Technology PowerBlock Charger for iPods and iPhones for the amazing low price of $3! If you’re like me you lose your iPod and cell phone chargers all the time. This Griffin PowerBlock charger would make a great replacement charger for your lost one or as a great backup for your iPod . The Griffin PowerBlock comes with a USB cable and wall charger adapter. Check out dealmac for this awesome iPod charger deal!

-Ray

[Source: dealmac]

When iPhone Firmware 2.2 was released last week, the one feature that they kept boasting about was the Google Street View. But unfortunately, for iPod Touch users, they were left out with their iPod Touch Firmware 2.2 update. Well the iPhone Dev Team has solved that problem for all iPod Touch fans. Their famous jailbreaking tool QuickPWN will add Google Street View to your iPod Touch. For all of those who have been living under a rock, jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod Touch allows you to install third-party applications that are not available at the Apple App Store. The QuickPWN jailbreaking tool is available for free at the iPhone Dev Team Blog.

- Geoff

[Source: iPhoneDevTeam]

The iPanda may be taking advantage of the popularity of Kung-Fu Panda and the iPod but it sure is cute! The panda shaped iPod speaker dock features four speakers as well as a 4” subwoofer good for 25 watts of sound. They also have a feature called “360° sound distribution” for improved listening. To turn up the music all you do is touch the Panda’s left ear and lower the music by touching the right. The iPanda includes a remote and works with iPods and iPhones or any MP3 player with a standard 3.5mm jack. The iPanda goes for $140.

-Ray

[Source: gizmodo]

There have been several reports from iTunes users that suggest that iTunes is starting the transition to DRM-free music. According to these users, they have spotted several songs from different studios that now have the DRM-free option. Although iTunes already offered several musical tracks that are DRM-free, these songs were only offered from the record label EMI. If this rumor is any indication, it confirms that Apple is close, or already has, to striking a deal with the other three big record labels.

In other iTunes news, Paul McCartney recently said in an interview, regarding the long rumored Beatles launch on iTunes, that:

“The last word I got back was it’s stalled at the whole moment, the whole process… I really hope it will happen because I think it should.”

For the longest time, Apple and the Beatles have been in a legal battle over the use of the “Apple” logo. When they settled the lawsuit back in February of 2007, there were many rumors spreading that iTunes will soon have Beatles music ready for download. But by the looks of it, we might have to wait a little longer for this to happen.

- Geoff

[Source: MacRumors]

Louis, a 21 year old from Portsmouth England has allegedly been charging his iPod using a solution that invloves an Onion and energy drinks. The story claims that the youngster was shown how to generate the electricity by a friend of his in class and has been using it as a method to power his iPod everyday. This might make for a very interesting story especially since the basic science behind it is sound. Vegetables carry within them ions which are prone to reactions that generate electricity when mixed with an energy drink. However, this story cannot work as described because in order for electricity to power a modern device, it would have to flow in a circuit. That is why a battery has a “+” end and a “-” end. Simply mixing an onion with some Red Bull will simply short itself out in a matter of speaking. That is despite the fact that buying an Onion and a Red Bull every morning to charge your iPod would be far more expensive than simply charging it through a standard wall socket…

-Derek

Optoma has launched their mini Pico projector in Japan already but word is it may be coming to the US very soon. The PK-101 is a 480×320 resolution projector with 9 ANSI lumens and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. It gets up to two hours of battery life and includes a small .5 watt speaker. The projector itself is very tiny as seen in the image above. No release dates have been announced but the Pico projector should go for about $400. This is great for students who need to give presentations or business professionals that need to update the boss with the latest sales figures. Stay tuned for the official release date.

-Ray

[Source: engadget]

Waterproof MP3 speakers have been available for quite some time, JVC’s SP-AW303 waterproof speakers are a little different however. They feature plastic wrap to keep your MP3 player nice and dry. The plastic barrier holds your iPod or other MP3 player in place so you can still its buttons to play your tunes. The battery powered JVC speakers will give about six and a half hours of play time. The JVC waterproof MP3 speakers go for $80 and are available in blue, pink and white.

-Ray

[Source: gizmodo]

Handheld Games Corp. announced today that they have found the second generation iPod Touch to be the fastest for 3D gaming among all iPod Touch and iPhone models. Their new 3D TouchSports Tennis game, which is available for download at the Apple App Store for $4.99, seems to run the fastest when played on the second generation iPod Touch. In order to compensate for the varied performances among the different devices, Handheld Games Corp. had to implement different optimizations for the various iPod Touch and iPhone models. The differences in performance can be attributed to the different processor speeds as the second generation iPod Touch has a processor speed of 532MHz. In comparison, the iPhone 3G, original iPhone, and the first generation iPod Touch have a processor speed of 412MHz. But according to the tests, the first generation iPod Touch was shown to operate the slowest.

- Geoff

[Source: MacRumors]

Along with the release of iPhone Firmware 2.2, Apple released a new update for iTunes. The new update, called iTunes 8.0.2, is available through the Mac OS X software update and includes the following updates and fixes:

- Addresses a quality issue creating MP3s on some computers.
- Fixes a connectivity issue with the iTunes Store when using some Internet proxies with Mac OS X.
- Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.

So update your iTunes and remember to come back and let us know what think.

- Geoff

[Source: MacRumors]