iPod Repair Blog

A month or so ago, the rumor mill said that there will be significant changes on the iPod Touch and that it will be white.

The multimedia gadget launched in 2007 usually gets an upgrade every September but the changes made to it in the past few years barely shocks consumers.

In fact, Digital Trends said last September that the device can be likened to George Harrison i.e. the quiet, non-attention seeking type. Digital Trends did not really use the word non-attention seeking though but you get the meaning. The iPod Touch usually takes a backseat while the iPhone and the iPad get all the media attention –the way John and Paul were given all the attention during their heyday.

The iPod Touch’s minor change is not that exciting though –it will just don a white frame at some point. We do not know however if this pushed through or whether it will in the future.

Now to the iPhone. To those who haven’t heard the news, there’s a new iPhone but it’s not the iPhone 5.

Alright, there are many who were disappointed and are still very disappointed that there is no iPhone 5 and that an iPhone 4S stood in as a replacement. Although a lot of people are dismayed by this development (or underdevelopment), people from different parts of the US still pre-ordered the iPhone 4S.  These orders have showed up in tracking bases of UPS though and those who pre-ordered are expected to get their iPhone 4S before the launch date (October 14, 2011)

Apple however will likely to hold delivery until the product launching which means bad news to those who are already oh-so-excited to see, touch, and maybe even smell their brand new iPhone 4S.

If you would like to track your order, you may ask your carrier about it.

Photo Via Buzzle.com

Is your iPod touch not working properly? Here are a few of the most common iPod Touch problems and how to solve them on your own.


Frozen iPod Touch

If your iPod Touch is not responding to what certain buttons or commands on the screen do, you should do the following:

Recharge it and see if your iPod will flash a red battery image three times and the screen blacks out. If this happens, it means that your iPod touch is not getting enough power.

Restart your iPod touch maybe all it needs is well –a fresh start. If just restarting it does not work, this is an indicator that something else might be wrong. To restart the iPod Touch, you would have to turn it off first by pressing the Sleep button until the slider appears. You would have to slide your finger across it to turn the gadget off.  After a few seconds you can turn it back on and wait for the Apple logo to appear.

Update software. Maybe you just need to update your iPod Touch’s software so it responds. If you aren’t using the latest version of iTunes for example, your iPod will not work well.

Issues on Updating Your iPod Touch

If you cannot update or restore your iPod Touch, it may be time to verify the system requirements and make sure that everything is in order. If you really cannot update or restore your iPod Touch, it would be best to make sure that your computer has the latest iTune software.

You should also check your USB connections and make sure that you connect your gadget to a built in USB port instead of using an external USB hub.

You may also want to restart your computer to make sure that nothing is amiss.

A pico projector allows you to project videos or movies on to a wall or screen from another media device. Combining an iPhone, iPad, or iPod with the pico projector technology seems like a natural fit, but will Apple ever add the capability of a pico projector into any of their devices?

In my opinion, I don’t think the iPhone or iMac will ever have a pico projector but I could possibly see Apple adding the pico technology to the iPod touch. The only questions I would have for Mr. Jobs would be, Is there room within the thin iPod for a pico? And is this technology necessary? Sure, it would be cool to project a movie that I just purchased from the iTunes store on to a wall and watch it, but would I have to sacrifice the slim, sleek design of the iPod Touch to add in this capability?

What I think could happen:
Apple could design a small projector lens that attaches directly to the iPod and connects to earphone port. Since the iPod has speakers built in already, they would only need the lens connection.
Why I think this is a good idea:
Apple is known for making accessories to use the full capabilities of your iPhone, iPad or iPod so they could easily market the pico projector add-on. I think that if Apple would use the pico technology this is the most realistic outcome.

Various Apple sites, including the iPod Blog, have reported that the iPod Classic, as supplies appear to be slim pickings at retailers. Amazon, which has the 160GB Classic on sale at $229.99, lists shipping times at “two to four weeks”. The last update from Apple’s iPod line was in September of 2010. So is Apple moving on?

Apple could be moving in the direction of retiring the Classic in favor of smaller, sleeker devices like the Nano and shuffle. The iPod Nano was recently updated to a smaller design and a clip was added to make the device even more portable. The iPod shuffle has gone from a flash drive sized stick to a small clip with a click-wheel that can hold hundreds of songs.

The first generation of iPod was a simple but revolutionary idea, 100 songs in your pocket. The first gen iPod was also like a brick in your pocket. Now the smallest device in the iPod line, the Shuffle, can hold over 100 songs. The iPod Classic is a dinosaur that needs to be put to rest, respectfully.

The iPhone and iPod Touch can handle the video as well as music capabilities and the Nano and Shuffle can hold more than enough music for the average person. The iPod Classic has been overtaken by it’s colleagues and inadvertently become obsolete.

This was a very interesting year, to say the least, for Apple, Steve Jobs and the Cuppertino gang. 2010 was an ambitious year for Apple with highly anticipated new product launches of the iPad and a new installation of the iPhone. But the Year in Review also held some drama with an Apple test product making it out of the walls of the Cuppertino fortress and into civilian hands, as well as, a battle about Flash content on the iPad. Overall, Apple had a crazy year for sales and continue to exert their dominance over the rest of the gadget world year after year. With the holiday season “wrapping” up…(pun intended) I will not be surprised to see the inflated sales numbers after the year. The bottom line is, I know there will be millions of people opening up iPads, iPhones and iPods from under the tree.

The iPod Repair Blog Presents:

2010 Apple Year in Review Top Ten List:

10. Flash on Apple Devices

The uproar of not allowing Adobe Flash prompted Steve Jobs to post an open letter about Flash on the Apple website. It went something like this, “Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.” Said Jobs. He went on to also say, “New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.” I give Jobs credit here, he is moving forward and trying to encourage the creation of new platforms to challenge Adobe Flash which currently accounts for 75% of video and media on the internet.

9. iPad Frame with Hole for Front-Facing Camera

iPad repair specialists, Mission Repair, discovered that a replacement iPad Frame had a space for an iSight webcam/camera inside the device. Based on parts seemingly obtained through unofficial channels, the frame appears to have a very similar area to the MacBook’s existing iSight webcam enclosure. The second Gen iPad will be Face Time compatible but Apple decided to not implement the Face Time capability in the first generation.

8. iPad Delayed Ship Date

The iPad release was one of the most anticipated events of the year but some of the dedicated Apple fans who pre-ordered their iPads experienced some frustration. Apple began taking pre-orders beginning March 12 to have the device shipped directly to your house and have it arrive on your door step by the store launch date of April 3. Apple then announced that customers who placed pre-orders after March 27 had to wait until April 12 for their iPad to ship due to the high demand. Bummer.

7. Nasdaq Stock Rose from $210 a share to Over $300 a share in 2010

Apple enjoyed another great year in the Nasdaq. Apple’s share price rose from $210 in January 2010 to over $300 in December. This is due in large part to the release of two major products this year with the iPad and iPhone 4. Apple also continues to push the envelope when it comes to innovative, user-friendly products.

6. Face Time

Face Time may have been one of the most anticipated upgrades to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The front facing camera allows you to video chat with other iPhone users over a wi-fi connection. Face Time is now available to iPod touch and iMac desktop and laptop users. The second generation of the iPad will also have Face Time capability.

5. iPhone Death Grip Antenna Issues

An issue with the iPhone 4s external Antenna caused dropped calls. This problem, deemed the “death grip”, had iPhone 4 users grumbling. The external antenna on the iPhone 4 had a tendency to drop calls when users held the phone a certain way but to remedy this problem Apple offered users a free bumper case to help alleviate the “death grip”.

4. Multi-Tasking!

The iPhone 4 release also coincided with a new iOS release from Apple. iOS 4 allowed for multi-tasking, something that iPhone users had long awaited. The multi-tasking allowed users to open an App from the SpringBoard and then double click the home button to pull up a menu at the bottom of the screen. You could then switch apps and run more than one app at a time. Prior to multi-tasking, once you switched apps the app you were just running would close. Now you can go back to right where you left off.

3. iPhone Release

The release of the iPhone 4 was similar to the release of the iPad with lines spanning around the block and people camping out for days to be one of the first people to get their hands on the new iPhone. The iPhone 4 featured several revamped features including a new Retina display and a squared off casing with a stainless steel band. The iPhone took some of it’s styling cues from the iPad. Also, the iPhone featured an upgraded A4 processor and a Gorilla Glass backing to make it more durable and scratch resistant.

2. iPad Release

The long awaited iPad release garnered the most hype in 2010 and is one of the hottest products of the year. With the release of the iPad came several imitators such as the Samsung Galaxy and BlackBerry PlayBook. The most impressive number for the iPad this year was 1 million units sold in less than 30 days on the market. 1 million of anything is impressive but 1 million iPads is crazy. For comparison, the iPhone took almost three months to reach the million sales mark. The iPad moved off the shelves so quickly in 2010 Apple had to delay the International release. 300,000 units were sold on the first day.

1. Gizmodo Lost iPhone 4 Scandal

This was by far my favorite Apple headline in 2010. It just got better each day with more information coming out and the lengths that Apple went to to make it known that you don’t mess with Steve Jobs. A quick recap goes something like this: Apple software engineer, Gray Powell was enjoying a few drinks at a local watering hole and left his iPhone 4 test phone at the bar. The iPhone 4 was disguised as a 3Gs. Powell left the phone on a bar stool and the phone was recovered by a patron at the bar. The phone was then sold to Gizmodo.com for a reported $5,000 and photos were leaked out on Gizmodo.com. Apple then contacted Gizmodo editor Jason Chen to get the phone back and they also obtained a search warrant to seize Chen’s computers. Bottom line, Gizmodo ruined the surprise of the iPhone 4 for me but also broke a huge, entertaining story that gave me a weeks worth of great reading material.

I hope you enjoyed the Year in Review and hope you will check back in with the iPod Repair Blog for more entertaining content in 2011!

Angry Birds

Whether you are sitting on the subway heading to work, sitting in the doctors office waiting room or bumper to bumper traffic, your iPhone and iPod apps serve as the perfect time-waster and keep you entertained during the minor lulls in your day.

The use of the multi-touch technology allows for some pretty entertaining games and one of my all-time favorites is Angry Birds.
Angry Birds is a game where you fling birds into various structures hiding smug little pigs. The birds hop into a rubber band and you use your finger to flick the bird into the piggy-filled structures. I know this may sound strange but it is actually really entertaining.

The difficult part comes from finding the right trajectory and power to flick the birds. All of the various types of birds fly differently but getting the hang of the game comes naturally. The ease of the game and funny sound effects will have you instantly hooked. This game is not new by any means, however, I still find joy in knocking those green pigs off of their perch. If you have not played Angry Birds yet, give it a free try, I guarantee you will want to spend the 99 cents to purchase the full version.

Ray Displays Pico Projector

One of my favorite accessories for my iPod and iPhone is my Pico Projector from Ray Displays. Pico or Pocket projectors are super practical devices that allow you to project at 60″ image from your iPhone, iPod or other portable media device.

The Ray Displays Pico Projector is multi-talented, whether it is a presentation from your iPhone or a movie from your iPod, the Ray Displays Pico is about the size of a large cell phone and is equipped with an LED light source. The Pico projects at at full 640×480 VGA resolution which is higher than comparable 3M and Optoma models.

The Ray Pico Projector has a battery that lasts about 2 to 3 hours, which is long enough to watch a movie or give multiple presentations. The Pico comes with cables to allow you to connect with your iPod and any equipment with composite video output and stereo audio output using RCA plugs. Also, the Pico comes with a very useful small tripod that screws into the bottom of the projector, very cool. I love products that come with bonus extras like this.

I give the Ray Displays Pico Projector four out of five stars.

iTunes Ping is a social network for music that allows you to follow your favorite artists and friends to find out what they are listening to and discover new artists. Ping allows you to find out what your friends are listening to and downloading on iTunes

Naturally, when you think about social media and sharing, Facebook is the first medium that comes to mind. Apple AND Facebook teaming up? Everyone uses iTunes and everyone uses Facebook, it’s match made in heaven, right? Wrong. According to reports on Business Insider, Facebook and Apple continue to have trouble working out the details. Although Facebook CTO Bret Taylor is “Very confident” that Facebook and Apple will work out the kinks and figure out how to integrate Apple’s Ping into the Social Network.

Ping is a service that allows you to follow your favorite artists and become part of their inner circle. Apple’s social music network also keeps you up to date with your favorite artists with status updates and photos that you can add comments to. The integration of Ping into the latest update of iTunes is seamless, Ping is already built into the iTunes app on your iPhone and iPod Touch. This allows you to access artist updates from anywhere. Also, Ping gives lets you know what your favorite artists are listing to on their iPod.

I like the idea but it still looks like some kinks need to be worked out.

The iPod Touch 4 has been on my mind ever since the iPhone 4 was released this summer. I was wondering if Apple would keep the tradtional look of the iPod Touch but continue to slim down the design or would they completely revamp the look and go with a boxier look to mimic the iPhone 4 and iPad. The tradition is a slimmer version of the previous installment and this time is no different.

The comparision between the new slimmer iPhone 4 and the iPod Touch is incredible, the Touch looks like a sliver of chrome and LCD Screen. The device is truly a work of art and keeps with the previous styling. I was a little curious to see if Apple would make the new iPod Touch look similar to the iPad and iPhone but they kept it the way I thought they should.

I am not a big fan of the new design of the iPhone, I liked the curved back and while I think the Gorilla Glass is a neat improvement, I wish they could have stuck to the curved back.

So does the iPod touch 4G have a camera? Inside sources say that the Touch will be equipped with an enhanced 5 megapixel camera with a flash that can capture HD video just like the iPhone 4 and be uploaded directly to You Tube.

In this gallery from my favorite iPod/iPhone site, tipb.com you can see some great up-close pics of what the iPod Touch 4 will look like.

Photo Credit:accedian.com

In photos found on tipb.com, the unmistakable camera hole can be found on the front of a replacement iPod Touch 4 case. Steve Jobs did mention that Apple would be launching 10,000 Face Time devices and they are not all necessarily iPhones and with the use of your iTunes ID to connect calls possible, FaceTime is not strictly for the iPhone 4.

Steve Jobs is brilliant, but being able to connect using your iTunes ID is such a great idea. It doesn’t just limit the application to iPhone users and gives the application a whole new world to expand in to. By expanding the number of devices on the FaceTime network, the success of Face time is that much greater. I am more likely to purchase an iPod Touch 4 rather than an iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 has had so many problems.

I have to admit one of the immediate drawbacks I saw when FaceTime was initially launched was the amount of users on the network. No one I knew had FaceTime so what was the point? I thought, Ok, I will get on this bandwagon eventually, just not right now. I did not even consider the iPod Touch having the compatibility. I guess I just associated FaceTime with phone calls.