nano

We're going hands-on with the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, released ahead of schedule to a few lucky customers today.

Also leaked from today's 404 podcast: Apple replacing original iPod Nanos, breaking up on Facebook, waging war on infographics, and tap-to-pay apps coming to Ultrabook laptops.

Also, a big congrats to CNET's Bonnie Cha, the new chief correspondent at Crave!

Stream the podcast on audio or video after the page break!… Read more

Apple has begun a new replacement program for some of its first-generation iPod Nano units, which, the company says, contain batteries that can overheat.

In an e-mail sent yesterday to owners of first-generation Nanos, Apple said the batteries in Nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 could "overheat and pose a safety risk."

In its note, Apple said the issue can be tracked back to a particular battery supplier, and that the potential for such overheating behavior "increases as the battery ages."

The new program offers a free replacement unit to customers whose device carries … Read more

Awhile ago, Apple said it wanted SIM cards to be even smaller than the already tiny micro-Sim used in the iPhone 4 and 4S, and now the nano-SIM card is basically here.

Giesecke & Devrient, a German technology company, today announced a SIM card that's just two-thirds the size of the micro-SIM. The company says the new nano-SIM enables manufacturers to produce devices that are even thinner while offering an equivalent, if not better, level of wireless performance.

The new nano-SIM could find its way into mobile devices as early as next year. The relationship between Apple and G&D is unclear, but we're going to make an educated guess that you might find this in the next generation of the iPhone.… Read more

OK, I'm ready for the backlash. I'm wearing an iPod Nano on my wrist as a watch. I already own an iPhone. And an iPad. What's wrong with me?

Would you believe me if I said that I'd have done the same thing if there was any watch that could do what this one does? Would you believe me if I said I didn't do this for the iPod?

Let me explain.

I've always been a fan of digital watches and funky watch design, especially tech watches (I even defended them on TV). I'm a watch geek. I wore a retro Casio watch. I just got a cool Diesel one. A long time ago, I tried the Fossil Palm-powered watch, the Fossil Wrist PDA. I still have it in my desk drawer. Microsoft Spot watch? Check.

The iPod Nano-as-watch is a proud successor of that line, a gadget that I believe will stand the test of time for its novelty. Apple may not make a true iWatch, and the iPod's long-term destiny may not inevitably be on my wrist, but for now it's the most innovative use of iPod technology since, well, the first iPod. … Read more

I still have a hard time buying the idea that anyone really wants to use the iPod Nano as a watch. It's rare enough that people still wear watches at all, much less adopt a $129 watch that you have to recharge every few days.

But don't let me stop you. With the 18 clock faces Apple has added with the October 2011 software update, you're bound to find at least one that will tempt you.

Once you've committed to a method of strapping the thing to your wrist, the next hurdle is finding a way … Read more

Apple's October 2011 software update for the iPod Nano changes the home screen navigation to a large icon view. The change is intended to make the fitness-friendly MP3 player easier to use, and honestly, I like it better than the small grid of icons that was used previously.

I mean, when you're dealing with a screen the size of a postage stamp, even one icon can be tough to manage. Throw in the fact that you're probably using the Nano while flailing around trying to work off that morning extra doughnut, and you're probably praying the … Read more

On October 23, a full 10 years will have transpired since the very first iPod was announced in 2001.

The original iPod earned mixed reactions after its debut, but it rapidly gained ground to steal popularity from other MP3 players. Some only saw the iPod as a me-too device, while others, such as CNET's Eliot Van Buskirk, foresaw it as the precursor to a new future of handheld computing. Ten years later, the iPod brand covers a whole family of products, each its own designs and functions. Click below for a look back at the iPod's biggest moments and its evolutionary transformations, some more successful than others. … Read more

Apple announces the iPhone 4S with Siri and a new 8-megapixel camera, the iPods get a slight refresh and price drop, and AppleCare+ finally gives customers accidental damage protection.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple has created a series of new clock faces for people who wear their iPod Nanos as watches.

The mini music player can double as a watch thanks to special bands designed by iWatchZ, Lunatik, and other vendors. iWatchZ offers a variety of iPod Nano watch bands ranging in price from $25 to $90, while Lunatik's bands run from $40 to $100.

To kick off the 2011 iPod Nano revealed … Read more