Digital Gadgets

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The good: The Apple iPod Radio Remote adds FM functionality to dock-connecting iPods and takes the bulk off the design by using the iPod’s display for tuner info. The accessory also utilizes the iPod’s Click Wheel to offer handy radio dial-like functionality.

The bad: The Apple iPod Radio Remote plus headphones equals cord clutter. Because the remote plugs into the dock connection, it won’t work with many iPod cases. Unfortunately, it’s also compatible with only the 5G iPod and the iPod Nano.

The bottom line: If you own a 5G iPod or an iPod Nano and can’t live without FM radio, we highly recommend the Apple iPod Radio Remote.

The good: The well-built Apple iPod Hi-Fi possesses excellent sound quality for a one-piece system, and it has lightning-quick controls, particularly when using the bundled remote control. It’s also visually appealing and includes design features such as a built-in power brick, handles, and battery operation. A digital (S/PDIF) line-in and a complete set of dock adapters round out the positives.

The bad: The Apple iPod Hi-Fi sounds only marginally better than its competition but costs much more. Despite the remote’s menu button, you can’t navigate the iPod’s menu. There is no video line-out, headphone jack, or dock-connector output. The Hi-Fi’s weight and size take away from its portability. Poorly encoded audio sounds terrible, and the speakers sound much better with higher-quality files/sources.

The bottom line: The pricey Apple iPod Hi-Fi portable stereo speakers are well built and sound great, but they don’t bring anything new to the table.

True video iPod to sport 3.5-inch display, touch-screen click wheel

This video iPod, which has been in development and on the table since before Apple released the 5G iPod last year with video playback, will feature a display that will occupy the entire front face of the device. Sources who have seen the device report that it features a digital click wheel, one that overlays the touch-sensitive display and appears when a finger touches it and disappears when the finger is removed.

It was too good to be true. Just when we thought we might actually have a day free from Apple rumors (after all, doesn’t Microsoft deserve to have the rumor mill to itself for at least a little while?), ThinkSecret has hit us with word that the “true” video iPod is still coming, and that it will have a 4-inch display, rather than the 3.5-inch one that was claimed in earlier rumors.

Apple has been working with at least two other companies to perfect the digital click wheel display technology. While not all the engineering was completed in-house by Apple, sources have said Apple could hold an exclusive license on the technologies it borrowed from other developers for a period of time, limiting the ability of competitors to copy Apple’s design.

Additional details concerning the new iPod have yet to be confirmed, including capacity and a release date, although all indications point to the Spring, possibly as early as late March or early April. During the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs alluded to a major announcement on or around April 1, Apple’s 30th anniversary as a company.

ThinkSecret also reports that the video iPod is on target for a March or April release, pending content deals with studios (which we assume will come through, given that Steve Jobs basically owns Disney now). Of course, even if the video unit is delayed, we assume Stevie will still schedule another big press conference sometime in the next few weeks.

Like previous iPods, sources insist that this video iPod will lack any sort of wireless connectivity, and will continue to connect to televisions using the conventional cabling solution of current models.

While Apple no longer publicly releases the numbers for how many specific iPod models it sells, Think Secret has learned exclusively that during Apple’s most recent December quarter, the company moved 3.9 million 5G iPods, exceeding internal estimates and confirming that strong demand remains for higher capacity, higher priced iPod models, especially with additional functionality. By comparison, 8 million iPod nanos were sold during the same period.

After all, Apple has yet to announce the Intel-powered eMac and the pleather case for the shuffle.

Viliv P1 PMP to tackle iPod Video in the US

The viliv P1 has to looks of the bastard child of a Sony PSP and an iPod. PVP4U reported about the viliv P1 when it appeared in Korea last summer. Now Episodic Media Inc. informed me that they will be selling the viliv P1 with a 30GB hard-drive beginning in March in the US and Canada.

If you had told us last year that the Viliv P1 PMP would soon be available in the US, we would have laughed in your face (well, OK, maybe we would have been polite and chuckled into our hands).

It was originally released to the Korean market last summer. Developed by Yukyung Technologies, the Viliv P1 comes with a good-sized 4-inch widescreen TFT display, which can show off everything from Macromedia Flash to MPEG 1/2/4.

If the 30 gigabytes of on-board memory isn’t enough for you, you can throw in a compact flash card to keep the “unlimited excitement” (as labelled under the screen) going. Audio support comes in the way of MP3s, WMAs, and even OGGs, as well as FM radio reception.

Episodic Media launched goviliv featuring a stylish flash featuring a great looking gadget model and the features of the stylish viliv P1. After all, not only does the device have a suspiciously familiar controller, but it’s also from Yukyung Technologies, a company with zero US presence.

The viliv P1 PMP comes with a 30GB hard-drive, 4 inch 16:9 wide-screen with 480×272px TFT screen, Macromedia Flash player, FM-Tuner, Voice and audio recording, Speaker, CF Slot, Video and Audio Out, 6 hour video viewing battery life and 11 hours for audio. The video player supports DivX, Xvid and MPEG1/2/4. The audio player supports MP3, WMA and OGG.

But this is one case where we’re happy to be proven wrong, since the player will apparently make its North American debut on March 1 via a dedicated e-store. Specs include a 30GB drive, DivX and Xvid support, 4-inch display, FM radio and CF slot. And, yes, it does still have that round, white controller, but we’re willing to overlook that (though we don’t know if you-know-who will do the same). Battery life is pretty good, with 6 hours of video viewing, or 11 hours of audio. This DivX and Xvid playing PMP should be hitting American and Canadian shelves sometime this March.

Touch Screen Video iPod Coming Soon?

This video iPod, which has been in development and on the table since before Apple released the 5G iPod last year with video playback, will feature a display that will occupy the entire front face of the device.

Sources who have seen the device report that it features a digital click wheel, one that overlays the touch-sensitive display and appears when a finger touches it and disappears when the finger is removed.

A Think Secret report claims that the new iPod will feature a 3.5-inch diagonal display and shed its mechanical click wheel. “This video iPod, which has been in development and on the table since before Apple released the 5G iPod last year with video playback, will feature a display that will occupy the entire front face of the device,” the site reports.

“Sources who have seen the device report that it features a digital click wheel, one that overlays the touch-sensitive display and appears when a finger touches it and disappears when the finger is removed.”

Apple has been working with at least two other companies to perfect the digital click wheel display technology. While not all the engineering was completed in-house by Apple, sources have said Apple could hold an exclusive license on the technologies it borrowed from other developers for a period of time, limiting the ability of competitors to copy Apple’s design.

Additional details concerning the new iPod have yet to be confirmed, including capacity and a release date, although all indications point to the Spring, possibly as early as late March or early April.

During the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs alluded to a major announcement on or around April 1, Apple’s 30th anniversary as a company.

Wolf says the growing collection of video content on iTunes is a sign of a new iPod. “In our opinion, the rapid increase in the iTMS’s video offerings is a strong signal that an iPod with a much larger screen is on the way,” he said. Wolf also cites reports from Asia that fifth-generation iPod production has been reduced.

“One hypothesis is that sales of this model have fallen below Apple’s previous expectations for the quarter,” the analyst wrote. “An equally plausible hypothesis is that Apple is draining inventories of the iPod from the distribution channel in advance of its introduction of the new model.”

There are 135 Apple Retail Stores and according to Steve Jacbos, they’re the best place to buy any product in the world (aha!)

There were 26 million visitors during one quarter of the year to the Retail Stores

And the most interesting fact: If my laptop wasn’t such a garbage I could continue watching the Keynote

Address with sound and give more facts. Just watching Steve Jacobs gesticulating doesn’t make my day, nor yours, so you’ll have to watch the video yourself.