APPLE WORKING ON REPLACEMENT PROGRAM FOR FIRST GEN iPOD NANOS DUE TO OVERHEATING ISSUE

Apple has opened up a replacement program for the first-generation iPod nano due to overheating issues. These affected units were sold between September 2005 and December 2006 and include a manufacturing defect sourced at a single Apple battery supplier for the first edition of ultra-small and thin screened iPods from Apple. Apple says the possibility of overheating is small, but since this iPod nano is over five years old, the likelihood of heating is higher than if the battery was younger.

Apple is telling users of the original iPod nano to stop using the product and get it replaced free of charge. The worldwide replacement program can be accessed through a special website that asks users to proceed by entering their iPod nano’s serial number. Replacement units for the original iPod nano are said to ship about six weeks after the replacement page is filled out by the customer and engraved units will be replacement with non-personalized models.

RUMOR: APPLE'S NEW iPOD NANO TO HAVE CAMERA, RETAIN FORM FACTOR

Apple.pro has released some images they claim to be the next iPod Nano. From what we can see, the seventh generation iPod nano would keep the same form factor as the existing model, though would add a relatively large camera sensor to the back of the small multi-touch music player. We’re betting that we’ll see the new iPod nano with camera appear at one of Apple’s traditional fall music events later this year.

NEW YORK TIMES SAYS NO APPLE iPHONE NANO

The New York Times is reporting that Apple will not be releasing a smaller version of their popular iPhone. The article goes on to state that Apple will be releasing a less expensive version, to compete with Android phones. To achieve the lower cost, Apple would use lower cost internal parts such as a lower quality camera and smaller memory modules.

The article doesn't specify if this new cheaper model will roll out when Apple launches the next generation of the iPhone in June or not.

AUSTRAILIAN APPLE STORE DISCOUNTS OF 10%; BLACK FRIDAY FORSHADOWING

Apple has been teasing a Black Friday sale this week and now Australia's Apple website is showing what Apple may have up its sleeve. Most items have been discounted around 10%, iMacs, Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs going for A$121 less than normal, iPads and iPods are A$51 less while the iPod Nano is A$25 cheaper. If any of this interests you, get ready for tomorrow because the sale will only be around for one day! [Engadget]

NANOTECH TO HELP EXTEND BATTERY LIFE

Adrian Ionescu of The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne recently spoke of their ambitious plan, which uses nanoscience and nanowires to "close" up leaky transistors, ultimately extending battery life. He further stated their "vision is to share this research to enable manufacturers to build the holy grail in electronics, a computer that utilizes negligible energy when it's in sleep mode, which we call the zero-watt PC."

According the US Department of Energy, the US spends around $4 billion each year on lost electricity. By adopting the forthcoming technology from Ionescu, we can drastically reduce this to almost zero. [Gizmodo]

POSSIBLE VIDEO PLAYBACK IN iPOD NANO

Erica Sadum from TUAW took a look at the code for the new Apple iPod Nano, the internal property settings list, and found some code options for TV subtitles, captions, alternate audio and a fit-to-screen option.  It is unsure if this is code to be used in the future, possibly with Apple TV, or if it is just left over code  from testing.  Is watching video even possible or practical on a 1.5 inch screen? [TUAW]

APPLE ROUNDUP

Apple made some pretty big announcements today at their annual fall event, centered around media.  Some of the items have been leaked and/or rumored to appear at the event while others were surprises.  A full list of the announced items is below.

Apple TV

Apple TV:
The new Apple TV will be streaming only.  At a quarter of the size of the original it will pack a built-in power supply, HDMI, ethernet and 802.11n.  Pricing will be just$99.  It will stream movies from iTunes (more on that later) or from your own computer, bypassing local storage.  Not much change in the interface, however there is an inclusion of Rotten Tomatoes ratings.

iTunes:

iTunes Logo

iTunes 10 has a new logo and some nice new features.  There is a new social network called Ping.  Ping is built into the iTunes store and you can see the recent activity of your friends and artists you may be following.  Some of the new features in iTunes 10 include album art appearing if you have 5+ songs listed, streaming content to your Apple TV, $1 TV and $5 movie rentals.

iPod Nano:

iPod Nano

The Nano has had a major facelift.  The wheel has disappeared and it has a new touch interface.  The unit is 46% smaller and 42% lighter than its predecessor.  It has buttons for volume, a FM radio, Voiceover, Nike+ support, and a pedometer all with a 24 hour battery.  The new OS allows the user to poke around with their fingers and there is a home screen which you can populate with your most used items, which can be rearranged, just like on iOS devices. $149 for 8GB and $179 for 16GB.

iPod Shuffle

iPod Shuffle:
Despite the iPod Shuffles small form factor, it's buttons have returned and it boasts 15 hour battery life.  $49 for 2GB.

iOS 4.1:

iOS 4.1

Apple will be releasing an update to the iOS 4, used in their iOS devices like iPhone, iPod and iPad.  Some of the highlights in the 4.1 are HDR photos, proximity sensor fix and Game Center support.

iPod Touch:

The new iPod Touch is an iPhone 4 without the phone part.  It will have the 326ppi Retina display, Apple A4 processor, gyroscope and digital cameras on the back and front for FaceTime.  It can record video in 720p, edit them with iMovie app and take photos with the back camera.  The playback time has been increased to 40 minutes and will come with iOS 4.1.

HDR Photos:
What are HDR photos that iOS 4.1 will allow?  HDR stands for High Dynamic Range - the range between the lightest and darkest ranges of an image.  They look more similiar to what your eyes see than regular photos.  HDR photos are made of several photos, by blending photos with different exposures to make more dynamic scenes.  Steve Jobs states the iPhone and iPod Touch will shoot real HDR photos vs. ones manipulated with software, ie the device will take a number of photos when the user clicks the button to create the HDR photo.

LEAKED: NEW iPOD NANO

Apple is getting ready to introduce a new redesigned iPod Nano at their event next week.   The new iPod will resemble the Shuffle in size. The Nano will have a 3cm x 3cm display packed in a case only slightly larger and have buttons the side.  Unlike the Shuffle the Nano will probably not have a special USB cable that plugs into the headphone jack, but will retain the 30-pin connector. [AppleInsider]