Category: Music (Page 9 of 11)

iPod Nano Survives a Trip through the Washer

Can rice save your device?Last week, Wired:Gadget Labs contributor Charlie Sorrel posted some sad news on that site. He neglected to check his pockets before running the wash and, as fate would have it, accidentally ran a (his?) bright pink iPod Nano through the washer, only to find it when the spin cycle was done. By all rights the little music player should have been dead. Instead, we have the story of the little iPod that could.

After drying the device for nearly a week, leaving it on a breezy windowsill, sitting in the sun, resting atop a Macbook’s MagSafe power block, Charlie plugged his Nano into said computer and waited. A few seconds later the Apple logo appeared, followed shortly by iTunes recognition, officially proclaiming the player alive and well.

My question to you, gentle readers, is what do you do to save your wet devices? Charlie was a bit lucky in that the Nano was likely off when it got soaked. My uncle, on the other hand, wasn’t so fortunate this weekend. His sister tossed him into a pool, Blackberry and all. For now that phone is sitting in a bag of rice, hopefully drying out. I’ve had some success of my own with air drying followed by the freezer method with various electronic devices.

So what’s your best method and when does it work best? Have you had any success with devices that are on when they hit the water?

To Live And Die By Technology

Lightning vs. iPod.This week saw one near miss and one unfortunate death at the hands of technology we all know quite well.

Let’s start with the sad news. A 17-year-old Austrian girl couldn’t keep herself from tweeting, so she reached for a laptop in the worst of places: the bathtub. According to the Austrian Times, the girl likely reached to plug in her dying laptop with soaking wet hands, electrocuting herself. I don’t know how it’s possible not to see that one coming. Think she deserves a Darwin?

Our near miss comes from Essex, where a 14-year-old girl was taking shelter during a storm under a tree with her boyfriend. The girl took a hit from a lightning bolt, the current from which traveled through her headphones and down to her iPod, frying the device and saving her life in the process. The mp3 player soaked up the majority of the damage, leaving the young girl with some burns, all of which are being treated. Luckily she didn’t have her headphones in her ears or this wouldn’t be quite so happy a story.

Moral of the story: Electronics and water don’t mix, except on those rare occasions when they save your life. I wouldn’t test this one, though.

Nokia Said Knock You Out

Nokia’s hoping some star power and a little Nostalgia will you get you itching for an N97. The ad is a remixed version of ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ by LL Cool J. It’s full of snappy one-liners like, “don’t call it a comeback” and, “over the competition I’m towerin’.” If only your phone wasn’t $700, Nokia. If only. You can see the whole video below.

Vitamin MP3 Player Just Begs to be Swallowed

The Vitamin.This is easily the most shocking mp3 player I’ve seen in a long time, mostly because of the ridiculous feature list for such a small device.

Dubbed “The Vitamin,” this little pill is just 2.7 inches long and about an inch in diameter, making it the easiest device for a dog or small child to swallow. There is no listed storage size yet, but The Vitamin is set to enter production (and couch cushions, drains, washing machines, your grandma’s mouth) in late 2009 with the following specs:

    MP3 and WMA support
    30-channel FM tuner and recording support
    7 preset equalizer settings
    USB 2.0 connectivity

Not the longest spec list in the world, but look how tiny that thing is! FM tuner support? An equalizer? All of that and they managed to keep the controls on the device. How do you like them apples, Apple?

Source: Yanko Design

Cameras Coming to iPod Touch, Nano?

iPod Touch.According to Hardmac.com, “informations [sic] from one of [their] sources” claims the next generation iPod Touch and iPod Nano will be getting cameras added to their hardware specs. The source also suggests the next iPhone won’t change externally, despite rumors.

I’m willing to believe the first “informations,” but only half-way. A camera on the Touch makes sense. There are plenty of apps that integrate camera use, making them obsolete if used on the Touch. Also, acquiring and integrating a camera into a device already running Apple’s mobile OS should be no trouble.

But why add a camera to the Nano? The device is meant to be the ultra slim, stripped down version of the much sexier Touch. Why do you need a camera? And why introduce a camera at two price points? If it’s only on the Touch, snapping pics is just another reason to upgrade from your Nano to your Touch. I also doubt Apple would try this on an iPod not currently running the same OS as their other camera-capable devices.

On that last rumor, I could go either way. The iPhone 3G is a sleek little device, and I don’t see much reason to update it. On the other hand, Apple’s way is to make the newer, faster versions of things prettier as well. Nothing screams “buy me” like “I don’t look like your other iPhone.

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