Apple Spruces Up iPods, iTunes; Prunes prices, and fixes for iPhone 3G

Apple unveiled significant updates to iPods (Click on the image at right for a closer look) and the iTunes store at its "Let's Rock" event in San Francisco. These include a slimmer, greener Nano with a larger display, a slimmer Touch with a built-in speaker, and a revamped iTunes that adds a cool new music-search feature and the ability to download HD programming. There's also a firmware update for iPhone 3G users that promises to fix dropped calls and other problems reported by its users. Many of the products are available today; others will roll out over the next few weeks. We'll be reporting on these new models and features as they roll through our labs over the next few days. In the meantime, here's what we know now:

iTunes 8.0. With this update, iTunes' 65 million customers will be able to download and view high-definition programming on their computers and Apple TV. Shows in HD will cost $1 more than those in standard definition. What remains to be seen, besides the purported improvement in quality, is how long it will take to download such shows. Also new is Genius, a search feature that takes its cue from Internet radio stations by seeking out songs from similar-sounding artists. How it works: While you're listening to a song that you like on your iPod or iTunes, pushing the Genius button will send it scanning your library for  25 to 100 songs from like-sounding artists. Of course, Genius will also make recommendations from the iTunes store, as well. Genius is available to all iTunes and iPod users who install the free update.

Protect your Bluetooth

For you, a Bluetooth headset offers a safe way to use your cell phone hands-free in the car. For cyberthieves, it's just another security gap waiting to be exploited.

The U.S. CERT (that’s the government's Computer Emergency Readiness Team) just issued a list of tips to help you use Bluetooth devices more securely. Nothing too difficult, and in fact it's mostly common-sense advice.

Two practices stand out. First, disable your Bluetooth device when you're not using it. And when you do enable it, use it only in hidden, or "not discoverable", mode .

You can get other Bluetooth security tips and learn more about setting up a good password for your Bluetooth and other devices at the U. S. CERT site:

http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST05-015.html

—Donna Tapellini

Musical malware

Add a new danger to the many already lurking online: Open up the wrong music or video file and you could reveal all your passwords to Russian cyber-crooks.

The risk was discovered by researchers at San Jose, Calif.-based security firm Secure Computing. Here's how it works. Joe ComputerUser buys an illegal copy of a software program and heads online to get the verification code that will unlock the pirated software. That’s when a Trojan is downloaded onto Joe’s computer. The same Trojan might also be picked up from a file-sharing site, like Kazaa, that lets consumers exchange music and other content.

Joe doesn't know it, but that Trojan is infecting all his MP3 (music) and WAV (video) files. Then, Joe shares one of those files with a friend, who tries to play it. When he does, he gets a pop-up that says he has to download a "codec" (a compression/decompression algorithm) in order to play the file. Joe's buddy, excited to listen to the song Joe shared with him, doesn't think twice and allows the download. He doesn't know it, but he's been infected with malware that steals all his passwords and sends them to the Russian crime network mentioned above.

This particular Trojan is notable, says Christoph Alme, team lead for the Secure Computing’s antimalware research labs, because it infects existing files, such as Joe's own MP3s, that then serve to pass on the malware.

As nasty as this Trojan is, you can easily avoid it. Don't buy pirated software or download illegal music. And if a friend innocently sends you an MP3 or WAV file that says you need to download or install something in order to play it, deep-six the file instead. Above all, don't forget to make sure your security software is updated and running properly. Alme says most security-software providers are already wise to this new exploit.

—Donna Tapellini

XM-Sirius Merger: What it might mean for you

Last week, the Department of Justice granted rivals Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio permission to merge. If the Federal Communications Commission also grants permission in the coming months, as many expect, there could be a single, integrated satellite-radio company by 2009.

Consumers Union, our parent organization, and other industry stakeholders are continuing, however, to fight the merger. Such critics reject the companies' assertions that the merger would be in the consumer interest and say it violates anti-monopoly safeguards the FCC put in place about a decade ago as conditions for the satellite-radio operating licenses.

To help bolster support for the merger, both XM and Sirius have posted the fees and channel lineups they say would be in place after the merger is approved.

The new plans aim to deliver on the consumer benefits the companies promise will result from a merger. But our look at the proposals suggests the pluses generally come with tradeoffs or depend on some as-yet-unanswered questions.

Apple doubles the capacity of iPhone, Touch

Expanded capabilities, expanded capacity. New versions of Apple iPhone and Touch (the iPhone-without-the-phone), available today, have doubled the maximum storage capacity of these big-screen multimedia devices. They provide 16 and 32 gigabytes (GB) of storage, respectively; both cost $500.  Still available are the 8GB iPhone, $400, and 8GB and 16GB Touches, $300 and $400, respectively.

The storage boost comes just weeks after the software upgrades announced at the MacWorld trade show in San Francisco, which added GPS-like tracking on Google Maps, rented-movie playback, and customizable menus to these Wi-Fi-enabled products. In September, when the Touch debuted, another software update enabled both products to download iTunes content directly over their Wi-Fi connections.

These content options further challenge the capacities of these flash-memory digital media players. For example, just one movie rental alone can eat up 1.5GB to 2GB of storage. Add to this the ever-growing library of TV shows and free video podcasts and an iOwner could face a content overflow. That may explain why Apple discontinued the 4GB iPhone just two months after its June 30th debut.

Just ordered a less-than-maximum-capacity iPhone or iPod you don’t want? Call and cancel the order. If it's already shipped, Apple says, you can refuse the delivery and call the company to order one of the new, large-capacity models.

—Mike Gikas

U-should-see U2 in 3D

Consumer Reports doesn't usually cover movies, but "U2 in 3D," which opens today in select theaters, deserves attention for breaking new ground in both 3D technology and the concert-film genre.

This 85-minute film, the first concert performance to be shot in 3D, represents a perfect marriage of artist and technology. The Irish rock veterans specialize in ambitious stage presentations sized for giant venues (like the Sao Paolo and Mexico City soccer stadiums in which the film was shot) and employing cutting-edge technology. The three-dimensional images, captured by a crew of 140, enhance the physical expansiveness of the Irish quartet's performance. An example: The extended shot that captures bassist Adam Clayton in the foreground on one mid-stadium stage and singer Bono on another, with an undulating mass of U2 fans between them. Other footage is shot from behind the musicians, offering panoramic, enveloping views of the crowd in all in its enormity.

The band performed in front of a towering LED screen that displayed mosaiclike patterns, words, and images. (Click on image at left for a closer look.) The film frequently plucks content from the screen and subtly layers it over images of the musicians, creating 3D pastiches—as when a portrait of Martin Luther King floats in the right foreground of the screen as the band kicks into the opening riff of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," their tribute to the Civil Rights leader. (Click on the image, below right, for a closer look.) Similarly, images of the farflung musicians are sometimes integrated on a single screen.

Such layering is just one of the cinematic breakthroughs in this film, the first live-action digital 3D movie. Such editing was all but impossible in the analog 3D era of Vincent Price et al, as was the use of zoom, which required the unfeasible coordination of two separate cameras. For U2 3D, integrated 3D cameras captured both the left- and right-eye stereoscopic images, which you view through a pair of mirrored, squarish glasses that look very much like the stylish shades favored by Bono himself.

But the movie is no gimmickfest, which is part of its artistic achievement. Virtually every other 3D movie has overused gasp-inducing shots solely intended to capitalize on three-dimensionality. The recently released "Beowulf," for example, featured lots of swords brandished toward, and projectiles flying past, the screen. Here, the technology is more artfully integrated, literally adding an extra dimension without distracting from the band's superb performance. The only moments that even approach gimmickry are a few in which Bono writes in the air and fanciful line drawings appear—of a TV set and control knob, in one instance. (The band re-performed some songs without the audience, in order to capture these and other closeup shots; the resulting shots balance the dizzying, full-stadium shots with an equally thrilling intimacy.)

This is one film that you can't plan to see later at home. Although 3D video for HDTVs is advancing, there are as yet no plans to make "U2 3D" available in any household platform. The film is playing in about 60 theaters in the US and Canada this week (the complete list is at U23Dmovie.com) and goes into wider release in mid-February. No one who loves U2, concert movies, or the latest in cinematic technology should miss it.

—Paul Reynolds

Free Internet Radio in Your Pocket

The Internet offers a growing range of free music services, from Napster, which allows you to stream albums at no cost, tailored to your taste, to sites like Pandora, Slacker, Finetune, AOL Radio, and others that let you create your channels that select music based on your preferences, and even adjust their programming on the fly as you tell the service what you like and don't like among the selections they've delivered.

Until now, listening to streamed music away from your computer has often meant paying a subscription, typically $15 a month, to online services like Napster and Rhapsody or the satellite radio services, XM and Sirius. You can then stuff a compatible portable player—sometimes a regular MP3 player but often a proprietary player you need to buy—with the service's music.

But Slacker is now one of the first online music services to offer portability without a subscription. You do need to buy a proprietary player, one of three new Slacker portable players launching later this month for $200 to $300. But you can then store free music from the site's 2-million-song library, either capturing it from their 100 channels or from the customized channels you've created at Slacker.com.

Macworld 2008: Preview

Apple goes into Macworld Expo, the annual party, love fest, and religious revival for the Cult of Mac, which opened today in San Francisco, following a year that's had a few fizzles (Apple TV, the first release of OS X Leopard, 10.5), one big hit (the iPhone) and under-the-radar sales growth of 40% for Mac desktops and laptops. The one adjective that no longer describes Apple is "beleaguered."

While analysts don’t see the same kind of explosive growth for Apple this year, they still hope a few compelling new products and services will keep the company on a growth track.

I do believe Apple will deliver. My first clue was this week's pre-event announcement of a new MacPro tower and XServe, powered by 8-core Intel Xeon processors, offering 2.3 times the speed and raw horsepower as the dual, quad-core 3.0 Ghz machines being sold only a month ago. If they couldn't wait one week to announce this, it often indicates they have so many other things to show us, there simply wasn't room in the Keynote program to hold it all.

Below is a distillation of predictions, hopes, and wishes from the amassed Mac pundits and bloggers for Keynote 2008:

Movie rentals in iTunes—Fox and Disney are reported as already signed on and almost everybody wants the "One More Thing" to be—at long last—the entire Beatles collection, made available at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). (If that happens, no one will be crying over the loss of Universal.)

Improvements to iPhone: A 16GB, 3G model, with no limits on cell service provider—we can certainly dream, can't we? Also rumored is an iPhone SDK (software development kit), which would mean that there would be a market for third-party software. We might even see a demo of 3rd-party apps—something developers were clamoring for most of last year.

Office 2008—slam-dunk #2, as Amazon is already taking pre-orders. I expect someone from Microsoft will make the official announcement during the Keynote. (I'll write more on Office later in the week, when I get to see it for real.)

Leopard 10.5.2—this is almost a slam-dunk, as the Developers Cut is already making the rounds. There are at least 75 fixes and feature additions in the works, and this would be a perfect time to announce their deployment.

New Cinema displays with touch-screen and built-in webcam—possibly 24-, 27- and 30-inch models, an upgrade that is long overdue.

Blu-ray drives in some Macs—a rumor that is growing some legs, now that Blu-Ray seems to be winning the format war, and there is going to be a growing need to handle HD content.

Ultraslim notebook/touch tablet—this is the biggest rumor to make the rounds, and highly likely: Apple fills out its laptop line with an ultra-thin notebook, running on flash memory instead of a hard drive, sporting a 12-13 inch touch screen, which could possibly fold over to become a tablet Mac.

Final Cut Studio update—not likely, but definitely overdue, considering the plethora of new digital camcorders that have hit the market

Apple TV "2.0"—look for a "reboot" of this product, with new features, more storage, and built-in compatibility with iTMS movie-rental.

If you are not attending this year, here is a link to sites offering live blogging of the Keynote (SFW). Stay tuned!

—Thomas A. Olson

Thomas Olson, the Publishing Systems Administrator for Consumer Reports' Editorial, Design, Production and Pre-Press groups, has been a Mac enthusiast since 1984.

 

CES 2008: Wireless innovations for portable devices

Most of the buzz about wirelessness at the Consumer Electronics Show has been generated by products and technologies that seek to liberate HDTVs and other components that are usually connected by cables. But there have also been interesting announcements in traditionally unwired product categories. Here are three examples, from cameras, music players, and cellphones respectively:

Eye-Fi SD memory card. Some newer cameras have built-in Wi-Fi connections that enable them to wirelessly upload their photos to PCs, Macs and online photo and social networking sites over a home network. Now, any camera that accepts an SD memory card can have that convenience with the $100 Eye-Fi, a 2gigabyte SD memory card with a built-in Wi-Fi radio. (Click on image at right for a closer look.)

To receive photos in this mode, your computer must be turned on and running the Eye-Fi Manager software, a simple download from www.eye-fi.com. The card and software also allow any Eye-Fi-enabled camera to upload photos directly to 17 online sites, including KODAK Gallery, Shutterfly, Wal-Mart, Snapfish, Photobucket, Facebook, Webshots, Picasa Web Albums, SmugMug, Flickr, Fotki, TypePad, VOX, dotPhoto, Phanfare and Sharpcast. Eye-Fi is available now at Amazon.com, Buy.com, Walmart.com and other retailers.

Sennheiser MX W1 wireless stereo headphones. Even wireless stereo Bluetooth headphones have wires—the ones that connect the left and right speakers. Not the MX W1. (Click on image at left for a closer look.) The two-piece MX W1 uses a new wireless technology called Kleer, which, unlike Bluetooth, permits left and right speakers to link wirelessly. The headphones' twist-to-fit design keeps them securely and comfortably in the ear. Another advantage Kleer has over Bluetooth is that it transmits lossless 16-bit, 44KHz-sampled digital audio, the same quality that is recorded on a CD. Bluetooth, on the other hand, compresses audio prior to transmission, which degrades sound quality.

The MX W1 includes a small Kleer transmitter, about the size of a matchbox, which plugs into the headphone jack of your music source. The transmitter also allows you to link a second set of MXW1 headphones to share your tunes with a friend. The MX W1 also comes with a carrying case that doubles as a charger for the earphones and transmitter, allowing you to recharge the headphones up to three times without plugging it into a wall outlet. Sennheiser says playback time on a single charge is about three to four hours. The MX W1 will be available in May 2008 for a whopping $599.

Iqua Sun bluetooth headset. In what may be a first in mobile electronics, there's now a portable device that draws on the sun for power. The Iqua Sun BHS-603 (Click on image at right for a closer look) is a solar-powered Bluetooth wireless headset that will be available later in January for $100. About two inches in length and weighing under an ounce, the headset incorporates a photovoltaic cell that Iqua claims will use any available light, indoors or out, to charge its battery. The company claims the Sun delivers up to 12 hours of talk time, depending on available light; standby time, it says, can be infinite. In case your life isn't sunny enough, the device does come with a wall charger and the option to recharge via your computer's USB port.

—Mike Gikas and Paul Reynolds

CES 2008: Four web sites worth a visit

The Consumer Electronics Show has become a showcase for content as well as hardware, and more exhibitors are featuring electronics-related websites. Here are four intriguing sites I learned about while browsing the exhibit booths last night—two that help you buy gear and two that help you share the content you create on your gear.

The tagline for Retrevo.com is "matching people and electronics." The site offers category overviews and product pricing summaries in real time. But its real distinction lies in capabilities built on computer algorithms. Retrevo crawls the Net to gather features data on products, which it then analyzes against a list of possible features, each assigned an importance level. It rolls those together with price data to assign a value score to each product. You can view a list or a rather complex "value map" reflecting Retrevo's judgment of the best-to-worst values in the product type you're seeking. The site also offers handy content for products you already own, including searchable manufacturers' manuals and tips on using the gear from users and expert sources.

When it comes to finding out how easy it is to use a cellphone, there's no substitute for actually holding the thing in your hand and trying it out, as we recommend in our advice on buying a phone. But tryphone.com offers the next best thing: a virtual, actual-sized version of the phone with menus and buttons you can explore by pressing your computer mouse. For now, there are only 10 phones up on the site, including the iPhone, the Blackberry Pearl, and the Samsung Juke, but tryphone says it will add three more phones a week until the site boasts hundreds. This site might be worth a visit even if you already own one of the listed phones, because there are tips on how to use them.

While there are plenty of sites for sharing and storing your photos, there are few or no such services for home videos. Motionbox.com fills that gap. There's a free service that's limited to 300 MB, a capacity you can quickly exhaust if you're a true camcorder auteur. A premium version, which costs $29.99 a year, offers unlimited capacity and the ability to download your videos in full resolution. Either service allows you to order Motionbooks, 3.5-by-2-inch flip books that animate a 15-second video clip of your choice. They're $8.99 apiece.

Finally, there's eJamming.com, a site for musicians that made a high-profile debut during yesterday's CES keynote address by Paul Otellini, the CEO of semiconductor giant Intel. The popular band Smash Mouth used this site to play together although each musician was at a different location in Las Vegas and the singer was on-stage with Otellini. The performance seemed flawless.

You can view the keynote address and performance via the CES Web site, www.cesweb.org/about_ces/multimedia.asp (scroll through the "playlist" of videos on the right) and via Intel's CES-related Web site, http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/ces2008/index.htm?iid=pr1_marqmain_ces2008 (scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to the online video.).

To replicate the way musicians settle into a groove in a room, each adjusting their timing to that of their colleagues, eJamming's software analyzes the time delay, measured in milliseconds, among the players and adjusts it as needed. The site, which is free, allows you to post a recording of your playing and to solicit musical partners. Spokesmen say the site already has over 10,000 users and has been responsible for bringing together musicians from disparate countries to, er, e-jam together.

—Paul Reynolds

CES 2008: iPod accessories abound

The big venue for all things Apple, including the company's iPod portable players, is MacWorld, which doesn't open until next week in San Francisco. But you wouldn't know it here in the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which is overflowing with audio accessories and other gizmos that sport docks for iPod. CES officially opens on Monday, but here’s an early peek at a few of the more interesting iPod perches you’ll see on store shelves this year:

Wireless wonder: iLuv i399. One shortcoming of wireless Bluetooth technology is that its range is limited to 30 feet or less. So if you're listening to a Bluetooth music player with Bluetooth headsets, you'll have to stay fairly close to the player. i399 BluePina 2.1 Channel Hi-Fi Audio System (Click on image at right for a closer look.) claims to boost that range to 300 ft. using a technology called BluepinII. With the detachable BluePin II, you can listen to music on Bluetooth headphones or send music from another stereo Bluetooth device to the i399. It includes speaker phone capabilities for incoming and outgoing calls, an FM radio, digital clock display and an auxiliary line input for older iPods and other portable players. Available later this year for an undisclosed price.

Cute as a bug. The VestaLife Ladybug ($110) portable docking station doesn’t claim any special technologies, but it has one characteristic that’s bound to captivate any kid—and at least one adult—who plays with it: Its speakers fold out like the wings of an insect (Click on image at left for a closer look), cleverly revealing the dock for inserting your iPod. It also has input jacks for other portable players. A rear-firing subwoofer claims to add oomph. The simple controls have a soft-touch rubbery finish. Powered by two AA batteries, or an adapter, which may or may not be included). Available during the first quarter of 2008 in red and silver. There will also be a $125.00 Element Skateboards edition.

—Mike Gikas

Headphones for the Holidays: More good choices

Headphones are a popular holiday buy, but most advertised models seem to cost $100 or more. If you're shopping for a set, but are resistant to spending so much on a purchase that's likely to be used on the go, and liable to be lost or damaged, our updated tests offer sweet music.

We found new choices in good-sounding headphones of practically all types for under $100. Those supplement the recommended models in our last full Ratings (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers). Many of those older models, including those we recommend, remain available.

For more help in buying headphones, check our free buying advice, which includes a rundown of two hot headphone types: Noise-canceling models that use sound processing to reduce, though not to cancel entirely, ambient noise to the ear; and wireless headphones, which you can use with a Bluetooth-enabled music phone, laptop, or other device.

Here's some of the best values from our new tests:

Microsoft Zune: First Impressions

Microsoft's first MP3 player, the 30-gigabyte (GB) Zune, debuted last year, boasting a then-rare feature among players: Wi-Fi capability. But the player was bulky and you could use its wireless connection only to share music with other nearby Zunes.

We've completed initial tests on the revamped Zunes. There's an 80GB hard-disk version (holding up to 20,000 songs) that costs $250 (Click on the image at right for a closer look.); and 8GB and 4GB flash Zunes (holding 2,000 and 1,000 songs, and costing $200 and $150, respectively).

The bottom line: These successors are better than the original Zunes, though they retain some quirks.

If you're shopping for a portable player this holiday season, check out our buying advice on MP3 players and on portable digital video players. (ConsumerReports.org subscribers have access to our latest Ratings of MP3 players, Ratings of portable video players and CR Quick Recommendations of portable media players.)

We'll have a full report on Microsoft revamped Zune digital media player up on the Electronics section of ConsumerReports.org soon. [ Nov. 29, 2007 UPDATE: We've conducted more test on the new Microsoft Zunes. Read our report, Microsoft's revamped Zunes: First Look for more details. —Ed.]

In the meantime, here are some highlights from our initial tests of the Zune:

The new 80GB Zune is about the same size as the old 30GB Zune, which is still available for about $150. Battery life is improved: the 30GB Zune poops out after 14 hours where the 80GB model claims 30 hours and the flash Zunes 24 hours, all with the wireless turned off.

The controls have been made more responsive and the user interface further improved. In our tests of the 80GB Zune, picture and video quality were slightly sharper and brighter than on the smaller screen of the first Zune. Picture quality was equally good on the 8GB model (Click on the image at left for a closer look.) we tested, though it has only a relatively tiny 1.8-in. screen.

For the first time, you can share music beamed to you from other Zune players—though transfers were slower in our tests than with the old Zunes. Also, you can use the Zune's wireless capability to sync with your PC over your home's Wi-Fi network—€”though not to browse the Web or purchase music online. When you do buy music, via your PC, you must still pay in Microsoft "Points," the company's bizarrely complex currency.

Despite their quirks, the new Zunes are more worthy alternatives to the iPod family than their older siblings. The best bet is the 80GB Zune, which offers a much larger screen than the iPod Classic, or any other player with similar capacity and price. While the flash Zunes also match evenly against the Nanos in price and capacity, many people will prefer the Nano's smaller, sleeker design and slightly larger display.

—Mike Gikas

The iPod Touch: Our first impressions

An iPhone minus the phone, and plus some welcome extras

Our tests of Apple’s new iPod Touch confirm that it is indeed essentially an iPhone without the phone. You get the same generous, 3-in.-wide multi-touch screen, the same superb interface that seamlessly links a multifaceted media player with a powerful Web browser, and the same Internet access via Wi-Fi.

Shedding the phone allows the Touch to be few millimeters shorter and thinner than the iPhone and about a half-ounce lighter--just 4.2 ounces. (Click on the photo on the right, for a close up view of the iPod Touch, left, and the iPhone.) Of course, it also deprives of you of being able to make calls, easily send-e-mails, or surf the Web on the cell network. But phone performance on the iPhone is only so-so anyway, and the phone is married to AT&T, whose middling performance we document in our most recent survey on cellular service providers.

The Touch costs $300 for our 8-gigabyte (GB) test model, which holds about 2,000 songs, or $400 for the 16 GB version--the largest capacity of any flash player on the market.

Related stories:

• Our first impressions of the new iPod Nano
• Inside the iPhone
• How to choose a digital music player

Next: The iPod Touch's Highs and Lows, as well as more images.

The New iPod Nano: First Impressions

The Screen Succeeds

So far, so good in our tests of Apple’s new Nano. This new version of the company’s flagship flash player, launched last week, replaces the wafer-thin profile of its predecessor with a squarer, thicker shape (2.5 in x 2.06 in. x 0.26 in.) that includes a bigger, 2-inch screen--the player’s most attention-grabbing new feature.

The screen pulls the Nano into the video era, allowing it to play catch-up with flash players from other makers that have been video-capable for several years. The display is noticeably sharper and brighter than the one on its predecessor, which was limited to slide shows of album art and personal photos. It’s also pretty effective at resisting glare, as was the screen on the old Nano.

That said, there are limits to a 2-inch screen, which is still dwarfed by the screens on larger, hard-drive-based players such as the new iPod Classic. Though fine for viewing music videos and half-hour TV shows, some users may find watching longer shows and movies a bit of a strain on this new Nano.

The wider dimensions do allow a nice extra capability: You can split the screen to display the main menu on the left side and an album cover or title screen on the right. (Clicking on the image above will bring up a larger view where this is clearer.) This allows you to peruse the content in your folders without leaving the main menu, a real time saver.

The new Nano actually improves navigation of the new Cover Flow feature, which lets you find songs by flipping though a virtual Rolodex of album covers. We liked this feature when we used it on the iPhone’s touch screen, but the Nano’s click wheel makes it easier still to use. With the iPhone--and presumably also with the upcoming Touch, an iPhone-like iPod--the feature all but requires both hands. With the Nano, you can whir through your collection singlehandedly, using your thumb.

The image above (click to enlarge) shows the entire new iPod family (from left to right): the upcoming Touch, the Classic, the Nano, and the Shuffle.

The new click wheel has other pluses. It’s slightly less sensitive than earlier versions, which makes it easier to click on items without overshooting. It’s also a little easier to reach with your thumb than the old one, thanks to the new Nano’s wider shape.

There’s no longer a 2-GB Nano. The new 4-GB version costs $150 and is available in silver. The 8-GB model costs $200 and is available in silver, blue, red, green, and black. (See image on right. Click to enlarge.) Our tests continue, but based on our early looks, this is a very good player at an excellent price.

--Mike Gikas

Apple's new iPod -- an iPhone minus the phone

The iPhone now has a non-telephonic sibling. As part of a revamp yesterday of its iPod players, Apple unveiled the iPod Touch (see photo on the right. Click to enlarge.), a multimedia player looks like the iPhone and has the same features and capabilities except it lacks a phone, a camera, and the iPhone’s text messaging and e-mail applications. A Touch with 8 gigabytes is $300; one with 16 gigabytes is $400. The players will be available later in September.

The Touch also led Apple to touch up the iPhone, launched just two months ago. Effective now, they have discontinued the 4-GB iPhone and cut the price of the 8-GB model by $200, to $400. (In addition to making the iPhone more affordable, that means those who already own the device have essentially paid a premium of around $3 a day to be among the first iPhone users.)

These images (click to enlarge) show how similar in appearance the new iPod Touch (on the left) is to the two month old iPhone (on the right).

Also, as Apple promised when the iPhone debuted, sometime this month the iPhone will be able to download iTunes content via their Wi-Fi connection. (The Touch will also have this capability.)  iPhones already in circulation will need to download a patch. Among the available downloads for the iPhone will be song-based ringtones. The catch, you’ll have to pay iTunes 99 cents for the privilege, even if you already own the song.

Other iPods have been revamped, with these new models available as of this weekend:

The largest-capacity iPod ever. The hard-drive-based iPod, now called the iPod Classic, is getting a minor facelift and a major boost in storage. There will now be a 160-GB (40,000-song) iPod, the biggest capacity ever for an iPod, at a price of $350, the same as the previous 80-GB model. The new 80-GB model will be $250. The Classic will come in black or white.

A Nano with video. A new Nano (see photo left, click to enlarge) will be able display videos on a screen that’s been expanded to 2 inches in diameter. It has a new squarish shape (2.5 in x 2.06 in. x 0.26 in.). There’s no longer a 2-GB Nano. The new 4-GB version costs $150 and is available in silver. The 8-GB model costs $200 and is available in silver, blue, red, green, and black.

More colors for the Shuffle. The Shuffle is available in more hues, including silver, blue, red, green, and purple.  Otherwise, it's unchanged -- it still lacks a screen, and there’s still only one capacity, 1 GB, and one price: $80.

-- Mike Gikas

Thanks for your memory-saving tips

Back in February, we asked you to weigh in with your tips for converting analog keepsakes, from obscure LPs to dusty photos to old camcorder tapes, to digital format.  And weigh in you did, with a lot of responses and a host of great tips and experiences.

We've combined your tips with our own tests and expertise to create "Go Digital," a report now available online and in the June issue of Consumer Reports. The report and associated content covers both devices, including image scanners and USB turntables, and services that can help you digitize your analog content.

Feel free to comment on or critique our coverage, either by commenting on this blog entry or participating in the discussion that continues on our forum. Thanks!

-- Paul Eng

Unprotected downloads at a premium price: Hear, hear?

EMI and Apple recently dropped a musical bombshell. Beginning in May, iTunes customers will be able to download recordings by Norah Jones, the Rolling Stones, and most of the other artists in EMI catalog without any copy protection. At present, iTunes (the leading online music retailer by far) sells songs only with such protection, which the record industry refers to as digital rights management (DRM); the measures restrict songs to players and computers registered to one user.

That means for the first time, iTunes consumers will be able to share downloaded songs with anyone they like, including those with any MP3 players that aren't iPods (as long as those other players support the AAC format used by iTunes, which many do). What's more, EMI and Apple claim these new EMI tracks will sound much better than what you can currently download from iTunes. Their sound quality will be "indistinguishable" from CDs, they say. EMI will soon be announcing similar deals with other online music stores.

Hallelujah, right? Well, not entirely.

Macworld: Apple's not just a computer company anymore

In a lengthy presentation that barely touched on the company's traditional computer products, Apple CEO Steve Jobs wowed the faithful earlier today with the introduction of several new products — and a new company name. Banishing the word "Computer," Jobs declared that the company will henceforth be known simply as "Apple, Inc." The new identity seemed fitting for a company now known more for the iPod than for its computer products. And the devices introduced by Jobs at the Macworld Expo — the $299 Apple TV networked media player and the long-awaited $499 iPhone (pictured) — certainly position the company even more firmly in the consumer electronics camp. We'll have a detailed report on everything Apple later today. In the meantime, remember the name: Apple, just Apple.

— MP

Technorati tags: apple, macworld, steve jobs, iphone, ipod, apple tv, itv

HD Radio being embraced by automakers

At a preview event prior to the official opening of CES, a representative from iBiquity Digital — the company that developed the technology for digital HD Radio — said that we'll be seeing many more car models coming out in the next few years offering HD Radios. 

BMW, which is already offering HD tuners on select models, will have them available across its entire lineup by March 1. Although no specifics were offered, iBiquity also said that nine other car manufacturers are planning to offer them on more than 50 models over the next two to three years. This puts HD Radio at about the same place that satellite digital radio was at about five or six years ago.

A big difference between HD Radio and satellite services such as XM and Sirius is that HD is free once you've got the hardware. According to iBiquity, about 1,200 radio stations across the country are now broadcasting digital signals, with another 800 expected to be doing so by the end of 2007. By then, according to iBiquity, HD Radio will be available to about 90 percent of U.S. listeners.

Currently, about 500 stations are also broadcasting multicast channels, which are essentially additional channels that use excess digital bandwidth. Each HD station can now broadcast up to two multicast channels, which allows terrestrial stations to offer some of the more diverse or esoteric content that satellite radio now provides.

At the preview, iBiquity was also highlighting the HD Dice (pictured, above), which is a receiver that can be connected to the factory radio of an existing car. With automakers increasingly designing their radios as an integral part of the dash or as part of a multifunction control system, the HD Dice looks like a good way of getting HD Radio reception without messing with the original setup. It also displays text information on the station, artist, song, etc. in the factory display, and has an iPod connection. The price for the Dice is about $200.

— Rik Paul, Automotive Editor