nano

Apple has announced its 2011 line of updated iPods, including updated versions of the iPod Touch and iPod Nano. The updated iPod Nano goes on sale today; the new iPod Touch goes on sale October 12. The iPod Classic and iPod Shuffle will remain unchanged.

The 2011 iPod Touch design is seemingly unchanged from last year, but will now be available in white in addition to black. Pricing for the base model has dropped from $229 to $199 (8GB), but higher capacity models are still priced at $299 (32GB), and $399 (64GB).

The iPod Touch retains all of … Read more

Today at the CEDIA trade show in Indianapolis, LG announced the availability of the 55LW9800, its best 2011 LED-based LCD TV and the first on the market to combine a full-array LED local dimming backlight and passive 3D.

The 55LW9800 is the successor to the well-reviewed LX9500 from 2010, a full-array model with active 3D. LG had announced high-end local dimmers for the U.S. market at CES in January under the LW7700 and LW9500 series names, but subsequently said it would scuttle those sets--which used active 3D technology--in favor of a TV with passive 3D.

The 55-inch 55LW9800, shipping … Read more

Today at the IFA trade show in Berlin, LG announced the European availability of the LW980S, its highest-end 2011 LCD TV.

We expect a similar announcement of a U.S. version soon, perhaps at the CEDIA trade show in Indianapolis next week.

The LW980S' standout feature is the same kind of LED local dimming backlight scheme we liked so much in the 2010 LX9500 and LE8500 models.

While those sets were superb, we complained about the unusual uniformity issues we saw, which manifested as bands of uneven lighting that were visible in some material. LG told us that the 2011 … Read more

In the words of William Gibson, the future is already here. It may be barely Google-able in an obscure scientific publication, but it has profound implications for the future of implantable medical (and other) sensors.

That future is a nanoscale device that manages to transmit data wirelessly up to 30 feet and operate without a battery, instead harvesting energy from the environment via such sources as the pulse of a blood vessel or the gust of a breeze.

"It is entirely possible to drive these devices by scavenging energy from sources in the environment such as gentle airflow, vibration, … Read more

The latest news to hit the iPhone 5 rumor mill is that Apple's next smartphone may sport a curved glass screen, similar to the one found on the iPod Nano 4G.

This latest report comes from Taiwan's DigiTimes. Citing industry sources, DigiTimes reported today that Apple has bought 200 or 300 glass-cutting machines to be used by glass makers, who are apparently hesitant to invest in the expensive equipment on their own.

To no surprise, no time frame has been released yet as to when the iPhone 5 may ramp up production, as DigiTimes says that Apple is … Read more

Last we month we reported on Taiwanese Mac Blog Apple.pro showing a "spy" pic of a next-generation iPod Nano case that had a hole reserved for a camera. Well, Apple.pro has posted a new Nano spy pic that again strongly hints at Apple bringing image and video capture back to the Nano. We have no way to confirm any of this, but according to the site, the integrated camera will have a 1.3-megapixel image sensor.

As previously noted, some people were disappointed when Apple chose to shrink the iPod Nano, give it a smaller 1.… Read more

Though most of its features mimic those of the iPod Nano, Creative's new Zen Style music player is trying to up the ante by including Bluetooth and a microSD card slot.

Available next month, the Zen Style M300 is Creative's latest attempt to carve out a bigger slice of the portable music player market.

The $79 device is a combination music, photo, and video player with a built-in FM radio and touch-control buttons to maneuver around the 1.45-inch screen. A built-in mic allows for voice recording.

The included Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity lets people listen to music through any compatible Bluetooth wireless headset as well as through Bluetooth wireless speakers. The microSD card slot can hold up to 32GB of music beyond the unit's internal storage space.… Read more

We're not sure if the man in the promotional image above is petrified or having the time of his life in the latest flying contraption to come out of Germany. The FlyNano is what we think a floatplane--a plane that lands and takes off on water--might look like in the future.

According to the brochure (PDF), the FlyNano is a personal flyer that can't be classified as a plane due to its light weight. It weighs less than 155 pounds in total and has an engine and drivetrain that's less than 45 pounds. This isn't surprising considering that it's made of an expensive carbon fiber composite, unlike the "cheap" aluminum alloys used in regular planes. What's really impressive, though, is that the FlyNano can lift a person of up to 285 pounds, with its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 450 pounds.

Prices range from 25,000 to 27,000 euros ($36,080 to $38,966), and three models--electric, gas, and "racing"--will be available starting this summer. FlyNanos are apparently able to hit speeds up to 86 mph and can go up to 1.8 miles high.

While we aren't sure if pilot licenses are required to fly this thing in your own country, for the safety of future owners, we sincerely hope they are.

(Source: Crave Asia via Uncrate)… Read more

Some people were disappointed when Apple chose to shrink the iPod Nano, give it a smaller 1.5-inch multitouch display, and lose the built-in video camera. Well, if this photo from the Taiwanese Mac Blog Apple.pro--which has been fairly reliable with Apple "spy" pics in the past--is any indication, Apple may be bringing the camera back while retaining the current-generation Nano's tiny form factor.

It would be interesting to speculate how you'd shoot with such a small camera, but one obvious method would be to clip it on lapel-style, turning the Nano into sort … Read more