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Apple TV

Today Steve Jobs announced a lineup of new products for consumers to drool over. First Apple announced the updated iPods, followed by the much rumored new Apple TV.

The new and improved Apple TV has been rumored for a couple months now. Features include a much smaller design than the previous version with a black finish, 802.11n Wireless connection, Ethernet connection,  as well as 720p HDMI and Digital Audio output.

The new Apple TV boasts Netflix streaming, $0.99 TV show and $4.99 DVD rental through iTunes. It also houses the ability to wirelessly stream music, pictures, and videos from any computer in your home.

iPod Nano

The new iPod Nano is 100% touch screen and about the same size as the 2nd generation iPod Shuffle. It’s available in 8GB ($149) and 16GB ($179) and it has a clip built onto the back.

iPod Shuffle

The new iPod Shuffle has grown in size from the previous generation and has been retrofitted with the 2nd generation buttons located on the iPod rather than the headphones. The Shuffle is available with a capacity of 2GB for $49.

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch received built in rear facing camera allowing you to record 720p video. It also has a front facing camera with retina display and utilizes FaceTime video calling. It is available in 8GB ($229), 32Gb ($299) and 64GB ($399).

iPhone 4 Unlock

The iPhone Dev-Team has released a tool called Ultrasn0w which allows iPhone 4 owners to use their phone on other carriers such as T-Mobile. In order to unlock the iPhone 4 you must first jailbreak your phone. A step by step guide to jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone 4 can be found Here.

iPhone 4

Apple held a press conference this morning to discuss signal issues with the iPhone 4. While many people were hoping for a recall, Apple gave its own “solution”. Steve Jobs announced that current iPhone 4 users will receive a free case from Apple. And those who already bought a Bumper can take their receipt back to the nearest Apple store for a full refund.

Steve Jobs spent majority of the press conference defending the signal issues on the new iPhone and stated that “every smart phone has this issue.” He even went as far to say that replicating the “death grip” on the Blackberry Bold, Droid Eris, and Samsung Omnia II causes the same signal issues. As expected, RIM and Nokia have responded to these careless statements.

It’s a bit ridiculous that Steve would make this statement since it’s not a wide scale problem on all of the above mentioned phones like it is on the iPhone 4. And it’s even more absurd that Apple is now comparing the performance of their most “revolutionary phone” to other smartphones that they have previously labeled as lesser quality.

I think it’s safe to say that Apple has lost a lot of credibility with consumers thanks to the way they’ve handled the issues with their latest phone.

Apple Touch Screen

Over at MacRumors, a discussion is unfolding over new images of an Apple branded touch screen that only measures 3x3cm in size. Some believe it could be for a new iPod Nano, others speculate it could be for a touch screen iPod Shuffle. Some even think it could be for a new “iWatch”:

iWatch

Only time will tell…

iPhone vs Nexus One

After almost 3 years of owning 3 generations of iPhones, I recently decided it was time for a change. The release of the Nexus One finally put me over the edge. I received my Nexus One in the mail a couple days ago and was able to compare it head to head with my iPhone 3GS. The iPhone does have features I will miss, but overall I am much more impressed with the Nexus One.

Benefits of the Nexus One:

• When connecting both phones to the same WiFi network and visiting the same sites at the same time it is clear that the Nexus One is typically loads web pages 1-5 seconds faster than the iPhone 3GS.
• Despite having more powerful hardware, the Nexus One is actually thinner and lighter than the iPhone 3GS.
• The clarity of the AMOLED screen on the Nexus One makes the iPhone’s LCD screen look washed out and cheap.
• The Nexus One’s casing and screen is MUCH more scratch resistant than the iPhone. Click HERE for a demo.
• The built in “Voice To Text” feature is extremely accurate and translates your speach into text allowing you to text without actually typing.
• The Android operating system is much more customizable than the iPhone’s operating system.
• Like many others, I have all my contacts, calendars and e-mail synced with Google through Gmail. Since this phone was made by Google, constant syncing of all of this information is much more fluid and easier to setup on the Nexus One than it was with the iPhone.
• T-Mobile offers $6/month insurance for the Nexus One which covers losing the phone, theft, and physical damage. Neither Apple or AT&T offer any sort of insurance like this for the iPhone so if you lose or break your phone you are “S.O.L”.

Benefits of the iPhone:

• Built in “Visual Voicemail” enabling you to see your voicemails on the screen and listen to the ones you choose while ignoring others. ** T-Mobile offers this feature for the Nexus One but they make you jump through hoops to get it activated.
• The speaker is located on the bottom of the phone allowing you to hear when someone is calling or texting even with the phone laying on its back. The Nexus One’s ringer is on the back of the phone and while laying on it’s back, the ringer is impossible to hear. This design flaw has forced me to miss a few calls already. ** The simple fix is to lay the phone on it’s face when you set it down.
• There are over 90,000 apps available for the iPhone. There are only 20,000 available for the Nexus One.