16 GB iPhone, 32 GB iPod touch Introduced, iFob Social Networking for iPhone Users, and More

Mac notebook and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review, and general Mac news is in Mac News Review.

All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

News, Reviews, & Opinion

• Apple Adds 16 GB iPhone, 32 GB iPod touch
• FAQ: Upgrading to the 16 GB iPhone
• Apple Developers Get Ready for iPhone SDK

iPhone Add-ons

• iFob Lets You Connect with iPhoners Around You
• iPhoneDrive Lets You Keep Files on Your Phone, Access Your Music and Photos

iPod Add-ons

• Apple Stores to Begin Selling Polk Audio iPod Products
• Findley Designs Updates iPod Access with iPod touch Support
• iPod touch Crystal Jacket
• iPodList 3.0 Command Line Tool to Backup/Restore iPod Music Tracks

iPod and iPhone Deals

• Best classic iPod deals
• Best iPod touch deals
• Best iPod nano deals
• Best iPod shuffle deals

News, Reviews, & Opinion

Apple Adds 16 GB iPhone, 32 GB iPod touch

PR: Apple on Tuesday added new models of the iPhone and iPod touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that users can carry with them wherever they go. The iPhone now comes in a new 16 GB model for $499, joining the 8 GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32 GB model for $499, joining the 16 GB model for $399 and the 8 GB model for $299.

"For some users, there's never enough memory," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. "Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best WiFi mobile device in the world."

Both iPhone and iPod touch feature Apple's Multi-Touch user interface and pioneering software that allows users to find and enjoy all their music, videos, photos and more with just a touch of their finger. All iPhone and iPod touch models include the latest software enhancements announced last month including the ability to automatically find your location using the new Maps application*; create Web Clips for your favorite websites; customize your home screen and watch movies from the new iTunes Movie Rentals. Both iPhone and iPod touch feature the world's most advanced mobile web browser in the world with Safari and great mobile applications including Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather and Notes.

The new 16 GB iPhone is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and AT&T retail and online stores. The 32 GB iPod touch is available worldwide immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only. iPhone and iPod touch require a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later and iTunes 7.6; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 7.6.

*Availability and precision of Maps positioning features will vary depending on actual location.

FAQ: Upgrading to the 16 GB iPhone

iPhone Atlas says:

"With today's announcement of an 16 GB iPhone, a number of users are interested in upgrading their 4 GB or 8 GB models. Here's the skinny on contracts, keeping your SIM card, returns and more...."

Link: FAQ: Upgrading to the 16 GB iPhone

Apple Developers Get Ready for iPhone SDK

InformationWeek's Elena Malykhina reports:

"As Apple prepares to release its much-anticipated iPhone software development kit (SDK), expected in February, developers are already hard at work cobbling together Web-based applications for the smartphone without Apple's help.

"While the SDK is sure to launch a wave of hype in the press, the real story about how iPhone apps are being developed is much more nuanced. To get the scoop, we talked with Andrew Reuter, a lead developer at Journyx Inc. The Austin, Texas-based developer of Web-based time- and expense-tracking solutions is getting is getting ready to release its own set of iPhone libraries for Web developers."

Link: Apple Developers Get Ready for iPhone SDK

iPhone Add-ons

iFob Lets You Connect with iPhoners Around You

Apple World reports:

"iFob uses the built-in wireless connectivity of Apple's iPod touch and iPhone, or any laptop, to communicate directly with other close by copies of iFob. iFob instantly lets people in coffee shops, airports and any other public hotspot exchange taglines & simple profiles, both publically and privately.

"iFob is a brand new native iPhone application that bills itself as 'Wireless social networking for real people' . . . You install the app and then get on a WiFi network at a public place and let it look around for other iPhone or iPod touch users around you...."

Link: Fob: Lets You Find & Connect with Other iPhoners Around You Software

iPhoneDrive Lets You Keep Files on Your Phone, Access Your Music and Photos

PR: Just a few more things your iPhone does. Use your iPhone or iPod touch for file storage, ensuring that you always have your important data backed up.

iPhoneDrive also provides easy access to your iTunes media, photos, notes, SMS messages and call history. Simply drag music, videos, notes and phone data from the iPhone to your desktop or just double-click to copy.

iPhoneDrive's familiar Mac OS X interface makes it simple to transfer files between your Mac and your iPhone. Just drag and drop files between the iPhoneDrive window and your desktop, or use the iPhoneDrive toolbar.

Storing files on your iPhone enables you to use your iPhone's unused storage space as a disk drive to backup data or transfer between Macs.

Note: Files stored on the iPhone using iPhoneDrive cannot be viewed on the iPhone screen.

Play Your iPhone's Music on any Mac - Simply double-click music stored on the iPhone or iPod touch to play it on your Mac! To add the song to iTunes, simply click one button.

Simple Notes Access - iPhoneDrive is the easiest and quickest way to access your iPhone's Notes on your Mac desktop. Simply connect any iPhone and double-click notes to open them in your favorite text editor.

Export SMS Messages and Recent Calls - Need access to the call history or your SMS messages stored on your iPhone? Simply drag it from iPhoneDrive to your desktop. The information can be viewed in your favorite text editor or spreadsheet program.

Recover From Disaster - In the event of a Mac disk crash, if your music and photos are safely stored on your phone, iPhoneDrive is the easiest path to recovery.

Features: Simple interface.

• Store any type of data.
• Access music, videos, podcasts and photos.
• Instant access to Notes.
• Easily export iPhone SMS and recent calls.
• Use your iPhone for backup.
• Bring your data between home and office.
• Full compatibility with all iPhone and iPod touch firmware.
• Try before you buy. Download the demo.

System Requirements:

• iPhone or iPod touch
• Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later
• iTunes v7.3 or later

Price: $19.95

Link: iPhoneDrive

iPod Add-ons

Apple Stores to Begin Selling Polk Audio iPod Products

PR: Polk Audio, a Directed Electronics brand, has announced that its new I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 and miDock Studio models will soon be available at more than 170 Apple Store locations and the Apple Online Store.

Jim Minarik, President & CEO of Directed Electronics, commented, "Acceptance by Apple of Polk Audio's iPod products validates the high quality and superior performance of this brand. As a growing number of consumers prefer more sophisticated electronic entertainment devices sold at Apple's stores, we believe Polk's products are well positioned to gain recognition rapidly in this market due to their cutting-edge innovative features and reliability. We are thrilled to have Apple as our new retail partner and look forward to a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship."

Beginning in March 2008, Apple's retail outlets throughout the US will sell Polk Audio's I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 (ES2), the world's first product to feature iTunes Tagging for HD Radio, giving consumers the power to "bookmark" songs they hear on the radio.

The iTunes Tag button on the I-Sonic ES2's front panel and remote control allows consumers to tag songs broadcast by HD Radio stations. The I-Sonic ES2 stores information about the tagged songs in its memory and transfers the tags to an iPod when docked. When the consumer connects the iPod to a computer, iTunes automatically presents the songs in a new tagged playlist for the consumer to preview, buy, and download. iTunes Tagging is compatible with iPod Classic, recent 30 GB and 60 GB iPod models, and current iPod nano.

"The Apple Store is one of the most creative and consumer-oriented retail businesses today, which comes as no surprise given how brilliantly the parent company designs and markets its products," commented Jim Herd, President of Polk Audio. "It's an honor to have one of our more advanced, high-performance products available through such a forward-thinking retail organization."

Like traditional AM and FM stations, HD Radio programming is free, but that is where the similarity ends. HD Radio reception allows stations to broadcast up to three FM stations on a single digital frequency, with all three "multicasts" offering CD-like quality audio. A variety of data services with text-based information - artist name, weather alerts, school closings, traffic alerts, etc. - can be scrolled across the receiver's display. Today, there are more than 1,500 HD Radio stations in the US

The I-Sonic ES2 accepts almost all iPod models with dock connectors in its top-mounted dock, hidden beneath a sliding door. Music files on an Apple iPhone can be played when the iPhone is in airplane mode. S-Video and composite video outputs allow the user to connect a television or video monitor to the IES2 for viewing video content stored on a video iPod.

More information is available online, or call 1-800-377-7655 (USA and Canada).

• Polk Audio
• Apple Store

Findley Designs Updates iPod Access with iPod touch Support

PR: Findley Designs, Inc. announces the immediate availability of iPod Access v4.2 for Mac OS X and Windows Vista/XP. iPod Access is the leading iPod/iPhone music and video transfer application for the Mac and Windows. With iPod Access you have instant access to all the songs on your iPod or iPhone. Version 4.2 adds improved support for the iPod touch and iPhone, improved iTunes integration and numerous bug fixes. iPod Access works with all past and present iPod models.

Findley Designs, Inc. announces the immediate availability of iPod Access v4.2 for Mac OS X and Windows Vista/XP. Version 4.2 adds improved support for the iPod touch and iPhone, improved iTunes integration and numerous bug fixes. iPod Access works with all past and present iPod models.

New Features include:

1. New iPhone and iPod touch engine.
2. Improved iTunes duplicate checking.
3. Improved Playlist Cloning.
4. Improved copy for large files.
5. Improved "Show songs not in iTunes" function.

iPod Access is the leading iPod/iPhone music and video transfer application for the Mac and Windows. With iPod Access you have instant access to all the songs on your iPod or iPhone. Your songs can be be displayed and sorted in almost any fashion so you can find the songs you need right when you need them.

With the new instant search feature in v4 you can find songs just as quickly as you would in iTunes. And once you have found the songs, movies and playlists that you want, iPod Access will copy them right back into iTunes or to an external drive for backup. If you need music from your iPod or iPhone back on your computer then you need iPod Access.

Features Include:

• * Universal Application (Support for Intel and PPC Macs)
• Leopard (OS X 10.5) and Tiger (OS X 10.4) Support
• Windows Vista and XP Support
• Force iPod Manual Update Mode (iPod only)
• Add songs, videos and podcasts directly to the iTunes Library
• Export song listing
• Automatic file renaming
• Support for non-Roman characters (including Japanese)
• Easy to use interface
• Instant listing of all iPod songs
• Playlist Cloning into iTunes
• Support for iTunes Ratings, Play Count, Last Played date
• Play music and video files directly from the iPod (iPod only)
• Transfer ID3 tags for WAV, Video and iFM files.
• AAC file support (including iTunes Music store songs)
• Audible.com support
• Song Navigation by Artist/Album or Composer/Album
• Copy songs organized by Artist/Album or Composer/Album
• Single button sequential backups
• Recover songs from iPods with a damaged database. (iPod only)
• Support for PC formatted Hard drives
• Support for Multiple iPods

iPod Access v4.2 can be downloaded as a free trial or purchased for $19.99. Version 4.2 is a free upgrade to all registered v4 users.

• iPod Access for Mac OS X
• iPod Access for Windows

iPod touch Crystal Jacket

PR: Power Support's Black Crystal Jacket Set for the iPod touch is just what you need to compliment the aesthetics of the iPod touch, without impeded use of the touch screen.

• Rotating stand allows either vertical or horizontal viewing of the screen
• The crystal jacket allows for protection from dust, scratches, and impacts
• The slim style of the Crystal Jacket won't add bulk to your iPod.

Set Includes:

• Jacket with 2 backings one with a rotating stand
• Crystal Film for the touch screen and rear cover

Note: The Crystal Jacket and Body Film cannot completely protect the iPod from all scratches or abrasions. They will not protect your player from damage due to collisions or strong impacts. If your iPod Crystal Jacket gets dirty, simply remove the iPod from the case and clean the Jacket with a neutral detergent and water. Let the Crystal Jacket dry completely before replacing the player.

Crystal Jacket for iPod touch - Black $29.95

Link: Crystal Jacket for iPod touch

iPodList 3.0 Command Line Tool to Backup/Restore iPod Music Tracks

PR: iPodList is a Mac OS X command line tool to easily backup and restore iPod music tracks.

In principle, iTunes is the only way to manage iPod music tracks. In most of the cases, this works well. However, there are some situations in which the iTunes operating mode does not help at all and puts some severe limitations to the end user.

Simply allow the following operations:

• save iPod music content to a computer in one shot
• restore the iPod content in one command
• extract a subset of the music tracks using a simple pattern matching scheme
• list the iPod music content

New in version 3.0: iTunes 7.5 DB format alignment

System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3 or later.

System Support: PPC/Intel

Free

Link: iPodList