How about you slap this $25 skins from iLuv onto your new iPod/camera. This way everyone will be districted by a big, fake lens to actually notice the tiny – and crappy – iPod nano lens. It’s called compensation and people have been doing it for eons.

This is a pretty impressive feat of design work by a community of iPod nano users over at Quirky.com. The Kickster is a $14.35 iPod nano case that features a hard shell, cord wrap, and a kickstand that bends outward for use on a tabletop or swings downward to double as a hand grip while using the iPod nano to shoot video footage.

According to the product description:

“quirky’s kickster is an awesomely new case designed by the quirky community and apple enthusiasts worldwide within 24 hours of apple’s announcement of the 5th generation iPod nano. The community designed this scratch resistant case for the maximum combination of beauty and function.

This case maintains a slim profile while adding a ton of functionality. We’re talking: hard plastic exterior, cord wrap, shock-resistant silicone core, as well as full body and screen protection.

Oh, but that’s only half of it. This case comes packed with a hand steadying video grip that transforms into vertical and horizontal kickstands.”

That’s an awful lot of case for $15. The site’s taking pre-orders now for the first 300 cases.

Kickster [quirky via Wired]

The folks over at NewTeeVee took the “Flip SD,” as they called it – no real clarification if it was the bigger Flip Ultra or smaller Flip Mino camcorder – and did a side-by-side video quality comparison against the new iPod nano. You’ll recall that during the Apple presentation last Wednesday, Jobs and company took a few direct shots at the line of Flip cameras.

So what did NewTeeVee find? In a nutshell…

“Overall — the Flip offered a MUCH better picture both indoor and out, providing way more detail in the image. The Flip microphone was also a little more discerning in our test, able to distinguish our subject’s voice in a crowded room much better than the Nano.”

Again, no word on whether this was the bulkier Flip Ultra or more pocketable Flip Mino. Both of those aren’t nearly as tiny as the iPod nano, though. And the nano does all that other stuff, too, like movies and music and whatnot.

Still, it appears that buying the new nano solely based on its video recording feature might be something you’ll want to put some extra thought into.

Hands-On- iPod Nano vs. Flip SD [NewTeeVee]

Don’t forget that these new nanos feature FM radio and a camera, along with a few other new bells and whistles. See our hands-on here for more info and real-life shots of the device.

Get one now for $170 with free shipping, if you’re interested.

Apple iPod nano 16 GB Orange (5th Generation) NEWEST MODEL [Amazon via dealnews]

AppleInsider has a document found on Apple’s Website describing the Nike+ features as well as a linking system to add an HRM to the iPod. It seems you can also add a remote.

I’d love an HRM for the nano. Then I can take video of myself huffing and puffing on the lowest setting on the stair climber.

As you can probably tell from the shots, it’s a nearly inch-for-inch match with the last generation. That said, the new colors are absolutely gorgeous. Even in the fairly dim demo room, the colors popped.

We didn’t get to spend very much time with the camera, but the camera quality seemed on par with that of the iPhone and significantly better than what we would have expected.

The FM radio interface was great. While it initially couldn’t pick up a signal, all was well once they sunk a pair of headphones into the jack. The Shuffle uses the headphones as an antenna, and the radio started ticking away.

There are a few things within the FM player that weren’t mentioned during the presentation but that are quite neat. For one, you can scrub back up to 15 minutes. Additionally, you can tag songs that are playing over the radio, reminding you to purchase them next time you drop into iTunes.

We didn’t put the pedometer to the test as we weren’t about to sprint around the packed demo room, but the Nike+/Pedometer interface was in place and jampacked full off gradients. It’s about as flashy as it comes – but it looks great.

I don’t think it’d be too hard to make one of these on your own with a kit of modeling tools… actually, I guarantee it wouldn’t be as good the first few tries, and you’d have to cannibalize more tapes than you wish. Yeah, you don’t really listen to the Eagles any more, especially on tape, but can you bring yourself to destroy it? Or would you rather pay 49 Maple dollars?

[via The Daily What and HolyCool]

Looks like the South Korean government has forced Apple to recall the first generation iPod nano over concerns that the battery can overheat, leading to fires. It’s the first time that the iPod nano has been recalled.

There have been four cases of exploding batteries in South Korea since December. If three’s a trend, four’s a cause for panic!

The battery is a lithium-ion one, the same kind that’s probably in your cellphone right now.

That’s about it. Splenda has nothing to do with this story, I just liked the contrast.

The rendering seems at least plausible. There isn’t any large change between the current generation and this model. Cameras are cheap and small now so it doesn’t seem out of the question to stuff one in the nano somewhere. The placement, however, seems wonky. The screen size is better suited for widescreen playback and well, the plastic body should at least scratch less despite probably feeling cheap.

Only time will tell if this is the real thing. Chances are we will see more “leaks” and renderings before it is released anyway.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court is pursuing a settlement for owners of scratched up first-generation iPod nanos. The suit alleges that early runs of the devices “contained a design or manufacturing defect that resulted in excessive scratching.”

Not all first-gen nanos are affected, just the early ones. To find out if yours is covered, you can visit this page and enter your serial number. Apple has set aside $22.5 million for the settlement and payouts will be determined “depending on whether your iPod nano was shipped with or without a slip case, and also depending on the total number of valid claims that are made,” but the general idea is that if you didn’t get a free slip cover, you’ll get $25 and if you did get a free slip cover, you’ll get $15.

Those payout numbers could go up if the total number of valid claims is less than the fund. If so, the remaining money would be prorated and divvied out accordingly, so if you’ve got the time and energy to fill out the form and submit a claim, here’s to hoping that others won’t take the time to do the same so you can get a bigger piece of the pie.

If you’re one of the affected owners, you can get started here: iPod nano settlement

These portable Xpod speakers are about the size of the iPod nano. As such, they couldn’t possibly sound any better than two wires connected to a dirty penny. The two-channel 770mW amp hardly belies that metaphor.

Moving on. Any USB port can charge them, so, at the very least, you won’t be scrambling to find batteries when they die during the “good part” of that one Grateful Dead song.

They’re only available in Korea.

Yup, that’s all I got. It’s gonna be a rough day, I can feel it.

via Technabob

I’ll keep this review short and sweet.

The Good
Super strong magnets keep this case in place and actually manage to keep your fat nano from falling out. It freaks people out, too, which I like.

The Bad
Don’t stick this on loose clothing because it will swing around. Clamp it down where your clothing is tight to the skin or less prone to move freely if you’re going to be jumping around.

Should you buy it?
I like this type better than the arm strap kind and it’s only $19. Oh, it also doesn’t stink like the others after hours of soaking up your sweat.

Amazon

Product Page

Some Belgians discovered a 4GB red iPod hanging out somewhere in Europe, a device steve never mentioned during his keynote. Could this be fake? It’s on sale for about $220 and is only available in Europe so if you’re a completist feel free to buy a ticket and head over. I suspect some sort of trickery, though, so let’s see what happens when someone actually gets their hands on one.

Microsoft’s preemptive strike against Apple yesterday may not have the star power of the Stevenote (Jack Johnson?), but it did make the Zune even more competitive. As of this moment, the li’l Zune and iPod Nano have the same capacities and same pricing. So unless you’re already committed to buying one or the other, you may want to look at their capabilities before dropping those bills. Chart to follow.

Examine this handy chart, then read below before flaming, you Appleheads.

*Zune Marketplace update coming next week and iTunes 8 just out. We’ll have a comparison next week.

If I’m honest, the Zune really has a lot up on the Nano. The radio is great and you can tag songs for immediate download or queue them for later. You can download songs on the go, and the entire Social aspect is actually pretty cool if you ever see anyone with one. Updates actually provide new functionality and are free and back-compatible. The community is nice as well.

On the other hand, the Nano is inarguably smaller and has a slightly larger screen (albeit with the same resolution). Its accelerometer is a bit pointless if you ask me, but I’m sure they’ll use it for something good. The click wheel is familiar but not necessarily superior to the Zune pad, which I find more comfortable at that size.

Unless you really need that Apple cachet, I think it’s pretty much plain that the baby Zune is a better device at the $200 level. Same goes for the Zune 120 and the iPod Classic at $250. The Touch is a different beast altogether so I’m leaving that out.

They’re equipped with accelerometers, which mainly lets you use it in widescreen mode or shake it to skip to a new random track. I wish they’d done more with it, but like your momma said, wishing don’t make it so.

Fourth Generation iPod nano Features Apple’s New Genius Technology

SAN FRANCISCO—September 9, 2008—Apple® today introduced the new fourth generation iPod® nano, the thinnest iPod ever featuring a sleek new design with a curved aluminum and glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors. The new iPod nano incorporates Apple’s breakthrough Genius technology which automatically creates playlists from songs in your music library that go great together, with just one click. The new iPod nano also features a refined user interface, a high resolution portrait display and a built-in accelerometer which automatically switches to Cover Flow® when rotated and automatically goes into Shuffle™ mode when lightly shaken. The new iPod nano gives users up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback and is available worldwide immediately in an 8GB model for just $149 and a 16GB model for just $199. Both models come in silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, (PRODUCT) RED and black.

“The iPod nano is the world’s most popular music player and we’ve made it even better for this holiday season,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think users are going to love the amazing new design, the automatic Genius playlist creation, as well as automatically going into Cover Flow with just a turn of the wrist.”

The new iPod nano—the thinnest iPod ever—features an elegant new design that beautifully blends a brilliant two-inch display with a gorgeous curved aluminum and glass enclosure. The new contoured design fits even more comfortably in your hand.

iPod nano works seamlessly with iTunes® so you can import, manage and then easily auto-sync your favorite content. You can buy music, video and games for your iPod nano from the iTunes Store with more than 8.5 million songs available for preview and one-click purchase. With up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback on a single charge, the new iPod nano is the ultra-portable way to enjoy your favorite music, TV shows, movies and games on the go. The 16GB model holds up to 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos and 16 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos and eight hours of video.*

The new iPod nano works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on-the-go with their iPod nano. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later.

The iPod is the world’s most popular family of digital music players with over 160 million sold. Apple’s incredible new lineup includes the iPod shuffle in four vivid new colors starting at just $49; the iPod classic in one slimline model with 50 percent more capacity for the same great price—120GB of storage for just $249; the fourth generation iPod nano featuring a gorgeous curved aluminum and curved glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors starting at $149; and the second generation iPod touch now starting at just $229. iPod owners can choose from a vast ecosystem of accessories with over 5,000 products made specifically for the iPod including speaker systems, fitness accessories, fashionable cases and iPod connectivity available in over 90 percent of new car models sold in the US.

Pricing & Availability
The new iPod nano is available immediately for a suggested price of $149 (US) for the 8GB model and $199 (US) for the 16GB model through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Both capacities come in silver, blue, purple, green, orange, yellow, pink, (PRODUCT) RED and black. iPod nano requires a Mac® with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8.

*Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes; and video capacity is based on H.264 1.5-Mbps video at 640-by-480 resolution.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

You can view the full pictures after the hump. I mean jump.

Apple events don’t excite me anymore.

XSKN

Thanks for the tip, Michael!

When doing activities with your iPod, sometimes it’s hard to find a good place to put it. Your pockets are no good since it can fall out if the activity involves running or jumping. Another option is an arm strap, which I find uncomfortable and distracting.

Well, now there’s a new option called the iStik. It’s a plastic enclosure that has four magnets on the back. It works just like those magnetic name badges. With the enclosure on your iPod Nano (2nd or 3rd generation), you will be able to stick it anywhere on your clothes.

The only thing that worries me about this is the magnet part. I know when I used to wear a name badge, it would fall off sometimes. I guess if this magnet is stronger that might not happen. If it does fail, they should change the name to iSuk.

If you’re interested, you can buy this bad boy at iStik for $24.95 for 2nd Generation and $26.95 for 3rd Generation.