Way back in 2005, some buyers of Apple’s first-generation iPod nano portable music players filed a class action lawsuit against the Cupertino company, alleging the screens of the diminutive music players scratched too easily during normal use. Turns out, many of those first-generation nanos lacked a protective clear coating on the screen, meaning they did get dinged up quicker than one might expect. Now, over three years later, Apple has agreed to a settlement over the scratched iPod nano screens, and affected owners can enter their serial numbers to be eligible to receive $25 in compensation…or $15 if they already received a free protective case from Apple.
Tag Archive: Nano
Apple Opens Used Store In China
Apple opened its first Apple store in Beijing last year, just before the Olympics. But it doesn’t have much of as presence in the country. In an attempt to become more visible in China, it’s offering refurbished versions of its items for sale at discounts of up to 22%, according to Reuters.
As in other countries, the goods are offered for sale online. Typically, a third-generation 8GB iPod Nano will sell for $147, an iPod Shuffle for $44, and a refurbished 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo iMac goes for $1,376.
Those prices are higher than for similar goods in the US, but Apple typically charges more overseas.
Hands-on with new iRiver gear
In a white alcove that looks like a European club, the iRiver booth at CES holds some new surprises. One is the WAVE-HOME hub, essentially a media streaming device with its own 7-inch screen. The angled design would fit best in a kitchen or parlor, but it’s too small to see from across the room. Built-in speakers and local storage allow you to listen to music, watch movies, use the device as a digital picture frame, and even make notes (e.g., back for supper) on the touchscreen (stylus optional). Yet, it’s also an IP telephony device that lets you make Internet calls, send text messages, and surf the Web. There’s even a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam for video chats. It’s not clear from the press materials or in talking to the media reps whether the WAVE-HOME uses Wi-Fi or a cell carrier service.
Cases for the iPhone Nano, Before it Exists
There’s no such thing as an iPhone Nano, but if you believe the guys that make silicon sleeves and cases for every Apple product under the sun, they’re on the way. Two manufacturers of cases have so far added “iPhone Nano” pages to their pages, despite the apparent lack of a phone to fit them on just yet.
Chinese manufacturer XSKN added its category just prior to Christmas, and while details from the site are nonexistent, it does have a successful track record of adding cases for Apple items that haven’t come out yet. According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, XKSN had iPhone 3G cases out long before the phones were formally announced by Apple, and fourth-generation iPod Nano cases as well.
Belkin Updates Cases for New iPods
Never far behind the Apple iPod train with new accessories, Belkin on Wednesday announced a new line of cases for the iPod Nano 4G and iPod Touch 2G, devices that that were announced by Apple only a day earlier. The cases announced include many versions of Belkin’s existing designs that have been tweaked for the new, slightly modified devices.
Belkin will offers its Sport Armband Plus, along with an array of two-tone silicone cases, a remix metal case, a clear acrylic case, a pull-tab leather holster, leather sleeve and folio designs, and their faux-leather eco-conscious equivalents. Every case will be available for both the iPod touch 2G and nano 4G, with some also adapted for the so-called iPod classic 2G, Apple’s latest variant of the traditional iPod.
New iPod On The Way?
Could it be true? Could there be a new iPod Nano and a new iTunes in weeks? That’s what Digg founder Kevin Rose says the rumors are.
In a personal blog posting, he claims to have the information from anonymous sources. The new iPod Nano, he says, will be curved, as well as thinner and longer, with a larger screen. That would certainly seem comparable with an Apple patent application from 2006, which described a ceramic tube casing that would allow the transmission of Wi-Fi signals, according to Vnunet.
Super Talent Shrinks Thumb Drives to 1.4"
Tiny as they already are, thumb drives haven’t stopped shrinking. In June alone, Imation debuted its own super-tiny Nano, outdid itself with the even smaller Atom, and Corsair shrank its well-known Voyager to miniscule proportions. Now, the relatively unknown Super Talent has debuted its own micro drive: a model just 1.4 inches long.
The Pico D joins Super Talent’s existing line of small Pico drives, but takes them one notch smaller. It features transfer rates of up to 30 MB/s, a chip-on-board design that’s responsible for its size, and a swivel cap.
Logitech Intros Clip-and-Go Notebook Mouse
If you’ve ever gotten frustrated with the pointed devices built into typical notebook computers (and, really, who hasn’t?), you may have given into the temptation to buy a separate cordless mouse. Sounds like a good idea, and it’s usually rewarded with an hour or so of mousing bliss. But then you pick up your notebook and move to a new table, desk, or counter…and you’re back to the built-in pointing device, with your cordless mouse nowhere to be found.
Imation Debuts its Smallest USB Drive Yet
It seems like just a month ago Imation was announcing that it created an even smaller USB thumb drive – and it was – but it looks like the company has wasted no time in outdoing itself. It announced the Atom flash drive on Wednesday, the definitive smallest drive in its line at just 1.5 inches long.
Imation claims the drive is “roughly the size of a paperclip,” though a more accurate description might be “the size of a stack of paperclips turned on its side.” Unlike the month-old Nano, which claimed its place as the smallest swivel-cap flash drive in Imation’s line-up, the silver-and-black Atom features a more conventional fully removable cap with a small loop for attaching it to lanyards.
Nvidia Tegra Chip to Power Next-Gen Mobiles
With interest in subnotebooks, UMPCs and powerful portable media players heating up, competition to produce the hardware that powers these hot-selling new devices is also getting fierce. Intel has its Atom mobile processor, Via has its new Nano, and now, Nvidia is also getting in on the game with the Tegra line of processors.
Deviating from its traditional focus exclusively on graphics chips, the Tegra will be an all-in-one system on a chip with a footprint no bigger than a dime. That tiny footprint will roll together an 800MHz ARM processor, HD video processor, and GeForce GPU, to deliver enhanced graphics in mobile platforms.
