"Honey, I shrunk the shuffle!"

Steve Jobs maybe still fighting his ailment and is not in office. But that doesn't stop Apple, as they introduced the new iPod shuffle over a week ago. iPod is the product that reminds us of the revival of Apple, under Steve Jobs. And now iPod shuffle III launched without Steve Jobs [ still developed under Steve Jobs], let us see how good it is.
Shuffle is the cheapest of the iPod range, and like any 'next version' , the first thing that you would notice in iPod shuffle 3.0 is the form factor. Moving away from the original square faced shuffle, the newer version comes in the shape an USB stick, standing 1.8" tall. And you would also notice the navigation keys missing from the shuffle, except for the repeat/shuffle/off toggle key next to the headphone port.
Yes, that is the major setback [or innovation, as you may see it] of the new iPod. The navigation keys come in the earbud cord. Yes, like in the mobile phones [which I hate] you have to locate the keys from the cord and press on them. Also the navigation is the least intuitive and lot lesser Apple like, without the click wheel. This also means that you cannot use any other headphones other than the proprietary Apple earphones, unless you buy a "third party dongle" which would station the controls.
There are only three keys in the keytab, volume up/down keys and a big button. The button is used for every navigation action like, single click for play/pause; double click to goto next track and triple click for previous track. Yeah, really awkward and a giant leap backwards in terms of innovation. Think, to move from 5th track to 2nd track, you are going to click nine times, makes us wonder, if Apple endorsing Morse code, by any chance?
The next big 'feature' that ships with iPod Shuffle v3.0 is, VoiceOver. No, it would make Skype calls for you! iPod shuffle does not have a display, and you could be lost [with 4Gb/ 1000 songs in you array], the new VoiceOver will tell you the song tags, as you navigate, the playlist names, and even the battery charging status, as you plug your pod to AC Mains. All this without disrupting the track that is currently playing, blending in smoothly. Don't get amazed thinking how could such a small device do a text-to-speech. The voice tags are added to each track/ playlist, as you add them from your new iTunes software from your PC/Mac. The good thing is the iTunes will recognize [Apple says so] the language of the song and do the VoiceOver in that language, and it can do so for over 14 languages [But I don't see any of the 500 Indian languages in the list :p]. Apple also says, you will get different voice depending upon the type of computer you are using to sync with.
Overall, iPod Shuffle 3.0 is a mixture of VoiceOver and the not so comfortable controls. Let us see how this performs [sans Steve], with its $79 price tag.
Another accompanying news is that an iPod touch blasted in the pocket of a teenager, and Apple has been sued over that. So, Apple does blow a hole in your pocket!
-codevalley

iPhone 2.0, double the performance, half the price.

iPhone 3G or the iPhone 2.0 was revealed yesterday here by Steve Job and it has already been creating hype with so many diggs and search results for the same. I don't believe in rehashing information, but I thought I should let my readers know what is actually different in the new iPhone compared to its older sibling.
The looks
The new iPhone looks little bit thicker but shapier compared to the original, which is understandable, but there is no difference in the display size or resolution (it remains 3.5 inches). The 3 hardbuttons (short cut keys) are now in metal, rather than in plastic (as was in original iPhone). The headphone port now allows the normal headphones to be connected to it. The phone has single color for the back side also, instead of the original metallic back. The phone is also available in ivory white for the 16GB version.
Features
The changes in features includes a faster processor and network chip which boast of 2.6 times faster internet, and also 3G capability.  There is also a front camera for video call. The new iPhone also has AGPS which makes it more useful for map applications like Google Maps, working better. Also theres is a unified push method which allows all background IM and email programs to fetch data at one time from Apple's server which caches the data, thereby increasing battery life because of less network seek. Also, the new iPhone would support software upgrades meaning which is a big plus. You also have a sim card ejector to pull out the sim card.
Pricing
Pricing is the most important difference that iPhone 3G has to offer. If the former version cost you 399$, the new iPhone would cost you only 199$, yes, only half the price. That would be THE cheapest touch screen phone, or maybe smartphone ever heard. I am not sure why Apple took such a drastic step. But Steve Jobs would not do things without some great thought behind it.
-codevalley

Apple all set to release torrent client : iPirate

Well, the name might look a little bit out of the box, but the features of it are going to be awesome. The whole thing is still in alpha testing phase, but I managed to get a screen shot of it from the internet. The Mac OSX exclusive bit torrent client would include built-in private tracker search, Pirate Bay and Mininova RSS feeds, bandwidth limiting, automatic RIAA and MPAA detection to ensure your torrent isn’t bugged (damn those public trackers!), and a beautiful aqua-based UI that won’t lag like Azureus. That is simply a lot to ask for.
This should be a part of Leapord when it would be released this year end or beginning of next year.
codevalley