iPod:
iPod Software

New iPod nano gets firmware update 1.0.2

Posted on Sep. 16, ’08, 12:30 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar

Category | iPod » iPod Software

Wow, the new iPod nano has been out barely a week and it already gets a firmware update?

Even better, no one’s really quite sure what exactly the new iPod nano (yes, it’s exclusive to the nano) firmware update 1.0.2 does exactly. iPodNN says that as best they can tell, it fixes a spelling error. Other than that, we’re just as clueless as they are.

Anyone test this sucker out? Notice any significant difference? Let us know.

iPod touch update for the penny-pinchers

Posted on Jul. 15, ’08, 2:51 PM PT by Dan Pourhadi

Category | iPod » iPod Software

Haven’t upgraded to the iPod touch 2.0 software yet? (WHY FRICKIN’ NOT!??!)

Well, no worries—Apple’s got yo’ back, today releasing iPod touch Update 1.1.5, for the cheapskates (yeah, bub, I’m lookin’ at you) who still haven’t hopped on the 2.0 bandwagon. (Is this some sort of rebellion-against-conformity thing you got goin’ on? Because, really, being different for the sake of being different is just totally lame.)

What’s in the free 1.1.5, you ask? It’s not really clear…

(Seriously, why not just cough up the $10 for 2.0? It’s worth it, man—applications, Exchange support, scientific calculator, applications, and all the software included in the January ‘08 touch update. What could you possibly be saving that $10 for? A Mr. Happy gel pack from The Container Store? C’mon now.)

Far as we can tell—and by “we,” I mean the investigative folks at Infinite Loop, since I don’t have an iPod touch myself (and if I did, it would be running the 2.0 software)—most of what’s in the 165MB update is purely under-the-hood tweaks; no noticeable feature additions or pretty surprises. They also reasonably suggest that the security fixes found in the 2.0 update are also included.

(Just go on iTunes and browse the App Store. Look at all the fun, awesome, bad-ass apps you can download. And a lot of them are free, since that’s obviously important to you. Tap Tap Revenge, PhoneSaber, Sound Machine—hell, Apple’s Remote app is worth the $10 alone.)

You can install the update via iTunes’ iPod updater, or, for whatever reason, you can also directly download a standalone version (big file!). So, get to it.

(Or, preferably, get the 2.0 update. Did I mention the applications?)

WWDC: Third-party Touch app demos

Posted on Jun. 9, ’08, 11:12 AM PT by Dan Pourhadi

Category | iPod » iPod Software

Today during the WWDC keynote, several developers got on stage to strut their new iPhone/Touch apps. Here’s a rundown, clipped together from Macworld’s coverage:

Super Monkey Ball - 110 stages in the game; “all of the classic monkeys”; uses the accelerometer for tilt control; available at the App Store launch for $9.99.

eBay app - “Easy access to search, summary of activities, and personal avatar…It’ll show you when you’ve been outbid, so you can easily see what you’re winning and losing. Entering a bid is really easy”; available at App Store launch for free.

loopt - location-based social networking tool; see your friends superimposed on a map; “You can see what people have been up to all day, and look at photos they’ve taken. You can call, text, or comment on your friends’ status feeds”; available at App Store launch for free.

Enigmo - physics-based puzzle game from Pangea; “completely touch-based; drag and drop, zooming, panning, and rotating your puzzle pieces”; available at launch for $9.99.

Cro-Mag Rally - 3-D caveman racing game from Pangea; “iPhone’s tilt controls get used as the steering wheel”; available at App Store launch for $9.99.

Band - app from solo developer Mark Terry of Cow Music; “Two-octave piano, drum kit, and a 12-bar blues setting that quite literally lets you play a 12-bar blues all on your own”; “you can mix all the different instruments together and form your own band”; available in a few weeks, no pricing info.

MLB.com - iPhone-native baseball app; “It’ll show you all the live games. It’ll give you all the scores, who’s on base, who’s batting, etc. It’s even got real-time video highlights from games just as they’re being played”; available at App Store launch.

Modality - medical app; “learning application to help medical students learn anatomical information, replacing paper flash cards. Zoom and pan across high-quality pictures, and you can tap on a pin to identify a body part. It’ll also quiz you on locating anatomical features.”

MiMvista - medical imaging app; CT scan and PET scan, etc; “They fuse the two images together, and let you switching which oreientation you can look at the image from: front, back, top, etc.”; available at App Store launch.

Krull - game from Digital Legends Entertainment; warrior game of some sort (lacking details); “when you get a look at the graphics, you’ll forget you’re looking at a phone and think you’re looking at a dedicated gaming console”; available in September.

(Be sure to check out Macworld’s live coverage of the WWDC keynote.)

iTunes consolidates, narrows iPod game selection

Posted on Apr. 8, ’08, 9:12 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod » iPod Software

Annoyed by having to figure out whether or not a particular iPod game is available for your model iPod? It used to be that games were only available for the fifth-generation iPod, but with the introduction of the third-generation iPod nano and the iPod classic, that field was broadened. At first, the iPod games section of the iTunes Store was divided into two separate sections; now Apple has consolidated them back into one, as all the available games now work with any model of iPod.

Unfortunately, it seems that some games have gotten lost in the shuffle. iLounge reports that seven titles appear to be no longer available: Bejeweled, iQuiz, Lost, Mahjong, Musika, Royal Solitaire, Vortex. iQuiz and Vortex both ship on the 3G iPod nanos and iPod classics, but the rest appear to be MIA for the present—though, strangely enough, the direct links (iTunes link) to the game pages are still up. I’d suspect that these games are probably also being updated to work with all the iPods and that we’ll see them return to the virtual store shelves shortly.

iPod Reset Utility nurses iPod shuffles back to health

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 11:05 AM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | iPod » Troubleshooting

If your iPod shuffle has stopped working and iTunes is unable to restore it back to full health, you’ll be glad to know that Apple has released iPod Reset Utility 1.0.3 today to get you back on track.

The utility bypasses iTunes (misbehaving little brat that it is) and directly restores your first or second generation iPod shuffle. As you must know, restoration entails complete deletion of all the data on your device and reinstallation of the iPod software. If you didn’t know that, step aside with your hands up and drop the shuffle to the ground, immediately.

Note that this utility requires administrator privileges to work its magic. If even this sucker can’t fix your iPod, the poor thing needs professional help. So go seek out a Genius Bar in your nearest Apple Store.

The utility can be downloaded for both Mac and Windows and from Apple’s support website.

Yahtzee rolls onto the iPod

Posted on Feb. 12, ’08, 8:21 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod » iPod Software

Holy crap, do I ever love Yahtzee. For one thing, there’s the name: Yahtzee. Say it aloud and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Whisper it to yourself as you fall asleep at night. Then there’s the game itself: we’re talking poker meets craps here—a combination that I’m sure you’d agree qualifies as “crazy delicious.”

My only problem was that it wasn’t nearly portable enough. I mean, who has the space to carry around five dice? But Apple’s solved that problem by convincing Electronic Arts to bring Yahtzee to the iPod (iTunes link). You can enjoy classic, dice-rolling action with a variety of different rule sets, play against the computer or a friend, and the auto-save feature means you don’t have to worry if you need to walk away in the middle of a game. Unlike those serious folks I play Yahtzee with every Friday—those guys’ll break your kneecaps if you try to leave early.

You know, I’ve said that Apple doesn’t get gaming, but, come on: Yahtzee. Like all the other iPod games, Yahtzee will run you $5 and is compatible with the 3G nano, 5G iPod, and iPod classic. Man, I want a version for my iPhone that I can really shake; that’s about half the fun of the game right there.

[via Macworld]

Meet the iPod classic, now capable of electrical self defense

Posted on Feb. 2, ’08, 9:58 AM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | iPod » iPod Software

If you have an iPod classic and haven’t updated to the recently released v1.1 firmware, you might want to hold off for a bit. Several users of the device are reporting weird problems with it after updating to the latest version, prominent among which are the complaints about the iPod shooting electrical pulses through its headphone and docking ports, which might be enough to damage your insanely expensive pair of headphones.

Along with this newfound power to shock innocent bystanders, some people also report that their classics have developed a strange habit of inserting annoying static at will. Not everyone is affected, but it is quite common and you’re advised to exercise precaution. If your headphones are more important than the joy of watching rented movies on your beloved iPod, you might want to wait for this issue to be resolved.

In the meanwhile, scientists all over the world are trying to figure out what is causing these iPods to manifest the unearthly ability to shock the hell out of anyone who so much as dares to come near these innocent looking devices. They’ve pretty much ruled out alien involvement but you can never be too sure.

[Via Gizmodo]

Heart-racing, block-bashing excitement come to the iPod

Posted on Jan. 22, ’08, 8:22 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod » iPod Software

I’ll admit it: I haven’t bought a single iPod game from the iTunes Store since they first launched with Tetris way back when. The repeated additions to the lineup have done nothing to entice my interest into further gaming on my iPod—but perhaps that’s just me. Apple’s rolled out two new games today, one of which is an updated version of one of my favorite classic games of all time, while the other takes me back to the classic days of iPod gaming.

It was a mere six and a half years ago that the first iPod launched. The clever amongst us discovered a secret game hidden inside: a simple version of Breakout, the classic game designed in part by everybody’s favorite Steves. Fast forward to today and we’ve got Block Breaker Deluxe (iTunes link) from Gameloft, which looks kind of like Breakout designed for the Texas Hold ‘Em generation: “Play the game and interact with cool characters in their jet-set nightlife settings: bar, dance club, beach, restaurant, casino, and more!” That’s right: if there’s one block-breaking game that’s likely to capture the imagination of Hollywood starlets and heartthrobs, it’s totally this one.

If block-breaking isn’t your style, maybe you, like me, are more into daredevil driving. Pole Position Remix (iTunes link) is based on the classic Atari game that puts you in the driver’s seat of a high-speed racecar. You must avoid crashing into other cars, missing sharp turns, or hitting billboards (which in this version use album art from your music collection). I’m a little skeptical about the controls for a driving game using the Click Wheel—if it was so good, why wouldn’t we use Click Wheels for real cars, huh?

Each game’ll set you back $5, and like the previous offerings they’re only available for the 3G iPod nano, iPod classic, and 5G iPod (with video). iPhone and iPod touch users continue to be out of luck when it comes to authorized games. Bummer.

[via Macworld]

iPod touch owners, wake up and call for a strike!

Posted on Jan. 17, ’08, 12:00 PM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | iPod » People

MacUser readers must be well aware of my opinion on Apple’s decision to charge $19.99 for the software update for iPod touch users that adds five new applications to it, ones that were already there on the iPhone and should have been included with the iPod touch from the word go, as they will be for anyone buying the device from 15 January 2008 onwards. I think it is despicable and comes off as being extremely greedy. Furthermore, it just strengthens the popular opinion that Apple is unfair to the early adopters of its products (see for reference, the iPhone price drop).

So what can we, as customers of the company, do about it? Well, not much, really - but if you just have to do something to satisfy that inner urge, signing this online petition and hoping that Steve Jobs takes notice might just be a good idea. As of this writing, the petition has gained 5,475 signatures and that number is rising at an astonishing pace. If anyone is interested to know (you guys are, aren’t you?), my signature is #3,871.

Even if you don’t own an iPod touch but are resentful of the company’s decision to charge existing customers for it, you should drop in a signature. You know all those iPod touch owners will be there for you if Apple suddenly starts asking for money to let you download the 10.5.2 update for Leopard, don’t you? It has 5,852 signatures now, by the way. I told you those signatures were coming in thick and fast.

[Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog]

MW08: Apple shows some iPod touch love too… at a price.

Posted on Jan. 15, ’08, 2:26 PM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | iPod » iPod Software

Have you ever, like me, wondered why the iPod touch has such a forlorn looking home screen with all that empty black space lying around doing nothing useful? When the iPhone already has some many other applications to fill that screen and both the devices have similar hardware and the same operating system, why not let iPod touch users have access to their email and Google Maps as well? If you did, congratulations, you now know. The answer, however, is not the most pleasant one.

It turns out that you can now have all the wonderful applications that existed exclusively on the iPhone till today, such as Mail, Google Maps, Notes and the Stocks and Weather widgets, on the iPod touch too along with the new features introduced today such as the customizable home screen and the ability to rent and watch movies from the iTunes Store on the device itself, if you are willing to pay a price for it. At $19.99, the price isn’t much but I’m not sure that owners of the device will look at that as any consolation.

Of all the announcements today, this one definitely won’t take the prize for the best one. I guess we now know why Apple kept reminding us that the iPhone is their best iPod yet. It does not ship with the promise of having you incur recurring costs, you see (though you never know). The bright side though, is that you can do a lot more with your iPod touch now without having to hack the device, should you choose to buy the software update, of course. Whether you’re a disgruntled iPod touch customer or an elated one, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment strings below.