As we all know the past few days have brought new iPods & a new Apple TV to the lineup. The refreshes come to the iPod Touch, Shuffle, and Nano line. Also a new feature was added to iTunes; a somewhat social media-esque service called Ping. More or less none of these releases were a surprise but supposedly they’re going to show up in stores today. Ping has already been released and has supposedly garnered quite a bit of attention. According to Apple, Ping gained 1 million users in the first two days on the market. Here’s their press release on what exactly Ping is:
“a new music-oriented social network for following your favorite artists and friends to discover what music they’re talking about, listening to and downloading. iTunes Ping lets you post your thoughts and opinions, your favorite albums and songs, the music you’ve downloaded from iTunes, plus view concert listings and tell your friends which concerts you plan to attend. iTunes 10 also features HD TV show rentals for just 99 cents an episode and AirPlay wireless music playback.”

I’ve given this service a shot and frankly I can’t figure out what more it does than showcase what you’re listening to (ONLY if it’s in the iTunes store) and share your reviews with other people. Maybe some more news on that later but as far as I can tell, that’s all anyone has figured out.

The new Nanos are an entire redesign, losing the click wheel function and gaining touch screen functionality. Interestingly enough they’re exponentially smaller, too, which will make them much easier to lose. They also now feature a clip on the back. They’ve been getting fairly good reviews thus far and Gizmodo/Engadget both gave them a thumbs up for the most part.

The new iPod Touches are also out which brought in new features such as a front and back facing camera (not unlike the new iPhone 4) and FaceTime. Also a back bezel redesign and the retina display makes for a more solid device overall. Unboxing picture courtesy of MacRumors:

The Shuffles were also released which brought back the buttons seen on the previous generation, also made it slightly skinnier and about a millimeter taller. No new features as far as we can tell aside from the re-integration of buttons (which means better UI for most folks). Unboxing photos courtesy of iLounge:

Also, another important piece of news to note is that Apple just released their update for iPhone 4 & iPod Touch which brings their awaited Game Center to the device, allows users to upload HD video to the web, and a number of other anticipated smaller features.

While the new iPod Touch is exciting, I’ll let the reviews roll in for a few more days regarding FaceTime before I unload my old Touch on Craigslist and run out to purchase a new one. I like the idea of it but I’m also holding out for a few improvements with that iPhone 4 which would make my Touch somewhat obsolete… Anyway, if anyone wants an older Touch let me know.

Update: Totally forgot to make any mention of the new Apple TV. I want this thing. I lust for it every time I turn on my TV or use an XBox 360 as a Netflix/DVD interface. Anyway, the thing’s 80% smaller, supposedly silent and barely needs any cables sticking out of the thing. Fortunately for me (and the rest of the up-to-date TV users), the whole thing is HDMI which makes less clutter and a way better picture. For you older TV folks…well… you’d better buy some adapter cables. You can link up your Netflix Instant account, rent/buy films/tv shows from the iTunes store, pull things off of your MobileMe, or watch things on YouTube (didn’t know people still used it). Also, you can control the whole deal from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and stream content off of all of those devices using their new AirPlay feature. This stuff is pretty bangin’ and I can’t wait to get my hands on one and ditch the Xbox

I’ve noticed that people are still reading the blog so I really appreciate the views despite my inherent absence. Hope you all have been well, new posts coming soon.

Thanks,
-Alex

Thank you very very much and thanks for reading!
-Alex

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-Alex

A few days ago whilst typing a paper, my traveler cup of coffee toppled onto my 13 inch white MacBook, subsequently frying the logic board and rendering the computer useless. Fortunately I back up my work every hour on the hour so nothing was lost, however I had to shell out some serious coin for a new computer. My original plan was this: next summer I would clean up my MacBook, wipe the hard drive clean, replace the keyboard and trackpad, and sell it for as much as I could and use the extra cash towards a new MacBook Pro. My profession, or at least the one I’m trying to break into, demands an extremely powerful computer on the go so the MacBook as opposed to the MacBook Pro wasn’t a good choice to begin with.

Once the coffee hit the computer, this plan went out the window. As did my warranty, AppleCare, and money. I went ahead and drained one of my savings accounts and purchased a brand new MacBook Pro. I’m typing on it right now and I have to say, I do love the thing despite costing me an arm and a leg. Included in this post are the un-boxing photos. Enjoy!

As you can see in the top figure, the Nano has a flatter front than previously anticipated. A company called XSKN has reportedly already released a case for the new iPod Nano which will clearly need to be modified if these plans are correct. The iPod Touch has a more contoured back, resembling the new iPhone 3G however is much thicker than the previous model. It also has an external volume control which is something that the previous iPod Touch lacked. Here are the dimensions for the iPod Nano:

iPod Nano: Body: W: 38.75mm, H: 90.75mm, D: 6.08mm.

The measurements for the iPod Touch could not be accurately read. 

Again, the reported release date for these new gadgets is September 9th during a news conference/Apple event.

Enjoy,

-Alex

Lollapalooza 2008 in Chicago, IL has come to an end and while this post is a few weeks late, it’s good to reminisce upon what happened. I’m going to review the groups that I saw entire sets of, as well as groups I photographed. A few photos have been placed in this post. You can also view selected photos of my experience at the festival here.

Day 1:

We started out the festival with Manchester Orchestra, whom I’d seen in concert twice before and thoroughly enjoyed their music. Unfortunately, the singer’s voice was completely shot. Every high note turned into a blood curdling scream which was nearly the opposite of the band’s sound. While it was a poor way to start out the festival, it was good to see that they are still around. 

We wandered around for a while then took a seat waiting for Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco)’s acoustic set to begin. We were more or less 10 feet from him and he played the show looking like hell as usual. He sang from the ground amongst a crowd of small children (the show was on the Kidzapalooza stage) who clearly were there with parents that enjoyed Wilco. He asked the kids for requests who would repeat whatever their parents wanted to hear and played with the same slight tinge of rock ‘n roll arrogance that makes him so unique. The show was short but great. I had prime seating so vision wasn’t an issue but even the spectators two rows back couldn’t see anything at all.

Next up was The Black Keys. I’m not their biggest fan but I do appreciate their music and I felt that they put on a great show. I don’t know much about them but they were energetic, funny, and engaging and played the dirty, dirty, rock ‘n roll roots-blues like it ought to have been played.

At some point during Day 1 we saw a relatively disappointing performance from Mates of State. For any Wes Anderson fans out there, this was THE show to see of the weekend (next to DeVotchKa) and unfortunately sound technical issues made their set somewhat painful to sit through. 

The second to last act we saw of the day was Bloc Party who put on a great show musically and technically but just looked absolutely exhausted. Others in the audience noticed this too; it just looked like the band needed to eat a few sandwiches and take a long, long nap.

The final show of the evening was Radiohead who put on quite a phenomenal show as usual. For level of Radiohead fan, the setlist was sure to please as they played the majority of their hits, most of the new record In Rainbows, and a few rarities as well. A great way to end the first day.

Day 2:

We woke up especially early to make it down to Grant Park to see the group Does It Offend You, Yeah? While they had a fairly small drawing, they were one of the more fun bands of the weekend. Their crazy mismatched sound mixed with slightly raunchy lyrics made for a very entertaining show.

Next up was Dr. Dog, one of my favorites hailing from my future home in Philadelphia, PA. Their set was quite good and they played the majority of their hits. The show was both entertaining to watch and fun to listen to as the band stomped around stage and screamed out their lo-fi sound. I caught wind of an unfortunate rumor that one of their singers had contracted a throat illness and could not sing many of their songs which is why several big tunes were left out.

Dr. Dog had played at the same time as Mason Jennings, another show I wish I could have seen (I heard, from several people, that his set was quite great) so I went to see Mason play on the Kidzapalooza stage. It was good to see him up close and in a more intimate setting, however it was very apparent that he was tired and didn’t want to be playing that show. Other than that, he sounded great.

We sprinted across the park to see the final few songs of the amazing Colorado group, DeVotchKa (who put on an incredible show) then saw the entire set of Explosions in the Sky. I’d seen Explosions before and was absolutely amazed by them and yet again, I was not let down. Their raw energy and focus while on the stage make for one of the best shows you can see today. They seldom speak to the audience but there is no need as their music makes up for the lack of words.

We took a few hour’s refuge in the shade and went to see Wilco that night which was another great show. This was my fourth Wilco show and probably my least favorite, however they were under time constraints and pressure to play bigger hits. They entered the stage wearing Sgt. Pepper/Mariachi costumes which were a huge hit with the crowd. Not only were they still entertaining and funny as usual, but they revealed a new song which has yet to have a title. They only referred to it as a “WIP” or work-in-progress.

Day 3:

We started out the day with Kid Sister, an amazing Chicago local rapper who is rumored to be dating Kanye West. Her incredible lyrics and stage presence complemented the great dancers she brought on stage with her. It goes without saying that her DJs were incredible.

Next up was What Made Milwaukee Famous who, while a great band musically, just couldn’t keep the crowd engaged in their show. Brazilian Girls was next followed by Chromeo who together put on two of my favorite shows of the weekend. Brazilian Girl’s sex appeal was unleashed upon the dancing crowd and Chromeo’s raw 80′s beats made everyone groove. 

We stuck around for the first 5 songs of Girl Talk and left when people started getting naked and climbing trees. It was a fun show to watch from afar but was overcrowded and way too crazy. In the afternoon we hung out and listened to Flosstradamus spin some records then saw the beginnings of both Kanye West and Nine Inch Nails in the evening. 

Another year at Lollapalooza has come and gone and we had a blast to say the very least. Thanks to Chicago and everyone who helped in any way to help make Lollapalooza such a very special experience. Please remember to look at the rest of my photographs here. Thank you for reading.

-Alex

Yesterday or sometime early today, Apple released their latest slew of updates to the public touching upon four aspects of general Mac usage. iPhoto, iLife, iMovie, & iWeb were all updated. Here’s what Apple had to say about each. 

• iPhoto v7.1.4 77.1mb: “This update contains new holiday greeting card and postcard themes for use with Apple print products. This update also addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.”
• iLife Support v8.3 5.5mb: “Life Support provides system software components shared by all iLife ’08 applications. This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users for iLife ’08.” 
• iMovie v7.1.4 39.8mb: “This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.”
• iWeb v2.0.4 36.3mb: “This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.”

Needless to say, the meat and potatoes of this update pack goes to iPhoto who got holiday greeting cards and the like. Overall, not a very exciting release in the least but an update none the less.

Enjoy!