With people anticipating the new line-up of iPods that Apple plans to release soon, rumors of small details here and there have been leaked concerning the new models.

While everyone was having a big laugh over the fat iPod Nano that's been the butt of many jokes so far, some serious details regarding the new Nano were revealed, namely that it'll come in 8GB and 16GB NAND-based configurations.

Also, a new iPod will also be revealed by Apple perhaps sometime next month. Rumors have been heard of what maybe a full touch screen iPod. Basically, it'll look like an iPhone without the "phone" part.

It's also been reported that a new interface will be implemented for the upcoming series. It will make use of the CoverFlow application, which utilizes images of cover albums to browse through one's digital music library. This means, though, that the iPod will have to make use of an upgraded Mac OS X to handle it. This may not be such a bad thing actually, as other Apple gadgets already run on more a stable OS X system.

If all (or any) this is true then this is a major overhaul to the whole iPod design. We'll have to leave any speculations up in the air for now until Apple actually unveils anything. Until then, we'll keep everyone posted for more details regarding the new gadgets.

More rumors, sightings and speculations have come to bolster the new iPod's pre-release hype. Info has come in from two Apple sites about a new iPod that will not only be touch screen but will be run by Mac OS X as well.

If the rumors are true, we should expect to see a sweet new addition to the Apple tree this holiday season. For drooling purposes, let's pretend all the rumors are true. What do we get? First, the new iPod will essentially be an iPhone without the phone, which is the most popular theory. It's been dubbed the iPod Touch for - great goobers how completely unexpected - its touch screen.

The new iPod Touch (which will probably not be nicknamed iTouch) will have 480x320 resolution with a dedicated button for home navigation. Also, the iPod touch will be run by a watered down version of the Mac OS. This would be a good move by Apple since it would provide the link to bring all of their devices together.

An Apple media event is expected to be held next month. Maybe it's all rumors, maybe it's all true. For now, it's just nice to imagine. Stay tuned for updates.

The Download Squad has come across something that seems to indicate that Apple is currently readying games for the iPhone. This isn't a 100 percent sure confirmation, but at least it's something for iPhone users look forward to.

What the Download Squad team came across was a certain string in the iTunes localization strings that had something to do with removing games from the iPhone. Since the phone didn't ship with any games, the string points towards iPhone games coming in the future, quite possibly through a download service like iTunes. Here's the string in question:

/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */

"4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?";

"4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";

Again, this is all pure speculation at this point, but with the number of video game companies who expressed their willingness to produce iPhone games, it sure seems like a lock but the question is "when". For now, though, iPhone owners can always turn to indie devs for their gaming fix. Keep checking back here on the QJ.NET Apple blog for more updates.

 

It's yet to be confirmed, but Gizmodo reports that one of their readers tipped them off to a somewhat disturbing thing taking place in Apple and Best Buy stores in the East Coast: retail outlets would no longer be receiving old Apple keyboards.

iMacs are still being received in Apple and Best Buy in Oakbrook and Michigan, but old boards seem to have a contrasting status. Nobody knows what this means and stores haven't really given an explanation.

There's nothing to confirm that Apple will come out with rumored new keyboard in the near future, making the situation more bizarre. We'll try to get an update on this one as soon as new word comes in.

A comparison image of the old Apple keyboard and the rumored new Apple keyboard has been making its way around the Internet lately. You can check it out by clicking on the image to the right. The new keyboard is the one on top.

One of the most noticeable things that have been changed in the new keyboard is the Apple logo is on the command key. The logo is now gone, and in its place is a piece of text that says "command."

The volume control keys have also been moved to the top center of the new keyboard from their original position on top of the numerical keypad. Three new playback controls have also been added to the F7, F8, and F9 keys, making the new keyboard even more multimedia friendly.

Of course, this new computer keyboard design is still just a rumor at present (although it's supposedly available in Hong Kong). Whatever the case, though, the new keyboard does have one thing going for it that this writer particularly appreciates: the "pressed down" design looks like it would allow for easier cleaning. What do you guys think? Leave a comment below.

 

Take a very good look at the keyboard pictured above this article, and see if you can spot if it's a fake or not. Allegedly, it's the super-slim, brushed-aluminum keyboard that's rumored to be bundled with Apple's latest iMac computer.

While it does fit the much-speculated features, that being absurdly thin and sleek (as well as having that distinct Apple look of simplicity and elegance), the fact that 'Photoshop' is practically screaming out from the photo's exif data isn't helping its authenticity much. Still, it's quite pretty, isn't it?

Fake or not, though, it seems that someone in the Rhapsody Apple forum in Hong Kong is more than willing to sell you one of these suspicious beauties for HK $1200 a pop (that's US$ 153.40). Potential buyers should perhaps exhibit some self-control, though, as the new iMac itself could be blasting onto store shelves as early as August 7th, so it's not really that long a wait.

We'll also see if this is the real deal by then. Updates as we get them!

There's a bit of controversy surrounding a TUAW report that a British iPhone user was able to get an AT&T SIM to adopt a local Vodafone number, enabling him to use the iPhone outside the US with an American SIM.

Apparently, the user was excited about the iPhone and got it even though he could only use it with AT&T activated by iASign. Realizing the futility of having his US number in the UK, he went to the Vodafone store and had the people there add the phone to his account. Amazingly, the Vodafone-enabled AT&T SIM worked great on the iPhone. The screen flashed AT&T but the number was localized and SMS was working well.

According to TUAW, users in IRC have been discussing how this could have happened and if there was any truth in it. Most chatters say that it shouldn't have worked because of regional and technical restrictions. Apple has not commented on the topic so far.

TUAW reports that they tried to have the same procedure done in Canada but the Rogers store there would not touch the SIM. We'll keep you posted for more on this issue and other exploits as they come.

 

The iPod, despite its already booming success, just keeps getting better and better. Apple just filed a patent application for a Karaoke function for the iPod (and quite possibly the iPhone by extension), with a diagram pictured above.

The patent is focused on integrating the text files of the lyrics into the song media file, proposing a way to let the text scroll in tune to the music. However, nowhere in the patent application states a way to mute the voice from the song - which is important, because nobody wants to compete with Alisha Keys while belting it out.

Sure, there's already the iSing, and there are also other gadgets in the market that feature a Karaoke function, but the idea of being able to do karaoke on the go with everybody's beloved iPod is nothing short of awesome.

Click on the Read link to read the patent in full. (Image courtesy of Unwired View.)

With the release of the iPhone just a couple weeks ago, there's now been lots of speculation going around town about the next generation of iPods. Common sentiment among analysts holds that the 6th generation of iPods would be an iPhone, only without the "phone" aspect built into it. Now, Mac Rumors throws in an actual speculative date onto the table: August 7.

Some claim that the sixth generation of iPods would come in during the second half of 2007, but now, sources of Mac Rumors are actually clocking the date as early as August 7. Also, they break away from the well-established rumor about the touch-screen interface. They now say that a click-wheel might still be incorporated, as opposed to having a full touch-screen design.

An anonymous source now claims that the iPod interface will be revamped to a more visual interface, with iPhone-like design elements and transitions.

To round up all the other speculations, here are the other features that their anonymous source claims to be included in the 6th gen iPod:

• A Ken Burns effect to transition between album art
• Incorporation of the iTunes' Cover Flow feature
• A split screen interface

Well, those features are enough to sweeten up the bitterness of swallowing the touch-screen-less pill. Eventually though, you know what's going to happen. If Apple does intend to put in a full touch-screen design, all the more would thieves want to steal iPods. But then again, we found a way to prevent iPod theft, didn't we?

Word has been circulating around the Internet that Apple is finally preparing to launch a next gen video iPod that will feature a touch-screen panel similar to the one used in the iPhone within a year.

Longstanding rumors about a touch-screen iPod have been bolstered by a recent U.S. patent awarded to the Cupertino based company.

According to Apple Insider, DigiTimes has also added more fuel to the fire, citing "sources at upstream suppliers" that Taiwan-based Wintek will be supplying the touch panels. DigiTimes says that Wintek will "begin shipping capacitive touch screen panels in the second half of 2007".

Apple Insider also noted that during a private meeting last month at the Apple Town Hall, Apple CEO Steve Jobs mentioned that a division of the company was working hard on next gen iPods that would run an embedded version of Mac OS X.

This particular tidbit was picked up by Wall Street analysts, among them Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster. Munster wrote in a report to clients earlier this week that they "expect Apple to release high capacity iPods based on OS X sometime during or before Macworld '08 in January".