It’s 2011 and a new year means new segments on the iPod Repair Blog. This new segment is called “Gotta Have It” and it will introduce accessories that I just gotta have.
The first accessory on the list is the Ticker from Switcheasy. I have been a big fan of Switcheasy from the day I opened my first Rebel case for my iPhone and I haven’t look back since. The Ticker is designed to be used with the iPod Nano and gives you a completely new experience. I found that it is great for runners and is less cumbersome than an armband. The wristband is shock resistant and fits securely to your wrist and uses of polycarbonate push through buttons to control your musical journey. Also, with the Nano clock feature, the Ticker serves double duty as a wrist watch.

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.

I have been a fan of the iHome since I purchased the iP9 a few years ago. The new iA5 is the first iHome that is app-enchanced and promises to be the “most connect and engaging sleep experience available.” Whatever that means. I get it, they needed a new gimic because the clock radio with an iPod dock on it was old hat. But why change what works?

The new iHome iA5 has all of the good stuff from the previous models but it allows you to stay connected to your social networks for bedtime status updates and wake up updates. I think the need to stay connected while you sleep is a little unneccessary but the people must have asked for it because it exists.

All in all, iHome makes a great product. It’s always good to wake up to music and I always liked that aspect. My favorite aspect of the iHome has always been the wakeup playlist. If you don’t own an iHome this would be a good model to get you started so I would definitely recommend.

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.

Here is a list of my top 10 FREE iPod Touch Games and Apps

10.  iBowl- You can’t beat bowling for free…not the best game out there but it is a nice free game that is good for wasting a few minutes.

9.  Tap Tap Revenge 2- If you are fan of the Guitar Hero franchise this is a chip off the old block. Basically the same thing, but with 40 beats to tap to.

8.  Pac-Man lite- Classic arcade warm fuzzy feelings…for free. Who doesn’t like Pac-man? You can’t beat it.

7.  Jelly Car-One of the best games, hands down! Jelly Car will give you hours of fun and yup, you guessed it…it’s free.

6.  Bank of America mobile banking- I use this app everyday, I think that online banking apps on our phones will replace keeping a check register. Although I still think it is a good idea to keep a check register because I don’t fully trust computers because of movies like The Matrix and I, Robot.

5.  F Stream-Great alternative to Pandora…free streaming radio

4.  Trace- Draw lines to get a stick figure to the goal…it doesn’t sound like much but it is addicting.

3.  Sportacular-This is a great app to get up to date sports scores…great when you are out to dinner with your girlfriend or wife.

2.  Maze Finger-great graphics and addicting. You need to follow the maze with your finger and get to the goal. Once again sounds simple but it is addicting.

1. Words with friends-This game is not only a fun way to make your friends feel dumb because you know big words but it also improves your vocabulary.

I hope you liked my list but if you have any games that you like, leave me some comments!

This is a new segment that I will start doing on Mondays called the Throwback of the Week….
Will Ferrell in one of the more humerous iPod ads from the early 2000s before he was uber-famous, but still hillarious. In those days, believe it or not, Apple was not the top dog in the digitial music world and there were other contenders in the digital music game. People were primarily ripping their favorite cds on to their iPod so they could have several CDs worth of music all in one spot. In the early days of the iPod, super cool people like Moby and Smashmouth were all about the iPod, a far cry from the iPod commericals of present day. It seems so strange to think of 2001 as being a decade ago and to see how far the Apple technology has come. But I do remember this Will Ferrell commerical and thinking it was so hillarious. Hope you enjoy.

iPod Videos

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