New technology makes its way into our hands so fast that sometimes even the company selling it doesn't have time to update its final published specs. At least that's the way it appears with the new Core 2 Duo iMac. A few users have reported some unexpected details when running Vista on their Core 2 Duo.

What looks wrong here? Namely a network card that supports 802.11n in addition to the advertised b/g standards. A reader identified the card to be a Broadcom card which "works across all 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and draft-802.11n solutions. Intensi-fi is Broadcom's implementation of the 802.11n draft specification and the industry's first draft-802.11n solutions. Intensi-fi technology delivers superior performance and robust wireless connectivity throughout a home or office, enabling next-generation Wi-Fi devices to support voice, video and data applications. Intensi-fi chipsets are also designed to be compatible with existing 802.11a/b/g products."

So why the advertised limitation in Mac OS X? One suggestion was that 802.11n is not supported yet, possibly requiring Vista's latest drivers to unlock 802.11n mode in the Broadcom network card. While this is merely speculation, it's a fact that companies update and replace internal stock hardware with "equal or better" components at time due to availability and cost. So we guess that the moral of this story is to not be surprised if your Core 2 Duo (or other devices) magically start accepting new formats.

The mTUNE (mTUNE-N) by Macally iPod Headset is not a device for people who forget they have their glasses on, then spend 10 minutes looking for them. This headset is however quite a nice deal for the price and allows you to turn your iPod nano into a MP3  headset free of all wires.  With a collapsible design and did we mention... no battery required, the mTUNE provides full access to the iPod Nano click wheel and display while inserted.

After plugging your iPod Nano in you are able to listen to music anytime anywhere without the need to fumble around with cords. Coming with a one year warranty, the mTUNE Cordless Stereo Headset offers pretty decent audio fidelity and functionality for the price, MSRP $49.99.

Specs:
No battery required
Speaker: 40mm Mylar cone
Impedance: 32 Ohm +/- 4 Ohm (1Khz)
Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 23KHz
Sensitivity: 105dB
Rated input power: 30mW
Max input power: 250mW
Net Weight: 6.1oz
Dimensions: (W) 2.2" x (L) 1.3" x (H) 3"
Warranty: 1 year

Here is a nice quality iPod accessory. The OnStage II by JBL is a iPod cradle speaker system that you can crank up until your ears bleed. Well they aren't so much just loud, as clear at loud volumes. The nice pearly white finish matches your ipod nicely and the low profile design will leave people wondering where the delightful music is coming from.

The RF remote allows you to control music from afar using 6 buttons to control tracks, volume and pausing. While the remote is plain it works for getting the job done. A nice feature of this audio system is that it works with the Nano, Mini and the normal iPod, winning in the compatibility market as well. This unit has already been receiving high praise on many larger dealers websites. You can see this unit online which retails from $119 (Amazon) to $139 (Circuit City) as well as read current customer reviews.

We have recently seem some information pop up about an Nintendo Emulator for the Video iPod which lead us to do some further investigation about the program. From what it looks like INES is a port of InfoNES, a open source Nintendo emulator that runs on a plethora of operating systems including Windows, N-Gage and Playstation 2 just to name a couple. InfoNES is said to be one of the best emulator sources for embedded devices.

While the iPod port isn't quite up to speed compared to its console counterparts, it does run a few highly sought after NES games. Megaman, Spiderman, Skate or Die, and Guerilla War all are reported to work, with Tetris, Superman, Contra, Castlevania and Super Mario Brothers having issues some not booting past the initial menu. Current contributors to the project include ErUS, VirtualBall, do_me_nice, imphasing, oldschoolipoder, and joesomebody. Still very much a work in progress, but one to keep an eye on. No binary release of the iPod emulator has been released, current reports of compatibility are from joesomebodys personal tests.

Apple has started their Digital Video Distribution via iTunes. Currently many users use iTunes to manage their audio collection. Apple has now set their sights on offering digital video downloads via iTunes for iPod Video owners, but not without some complaints. It seems they started offering the movie High School Musical for download at the cool price of $1.99 then over time raised it to the 'regular' price of $9.99. While the movie is quite popular with many people, originally boasting 7.7 million viewers, the cost of the video for download is cause for another kind of enthusiasm.

While the download movie costs just about as much as the DVD msrp, the downloadable content offers much less, with the loss of video extras and special features that typically boost the price or sale of "limited edition" type movies. While the resolution is nothing to complain about in regards to viewing the movie on a video iPod, other users seem to think otherwise.

While the official DVD for High School Musical is due out later this year (extras and feature content included) Apple has yet to respond to user woes about their new digital video distribution service. In this reporters humble opinion, if they plan on taking on distribution on a massive scale, as evident, they need to sweet-talk their users before breaking their wallets with retail cost downloads. I for one will definitely always prefer tangible media to downloadable content as long as the price is in the same ballpark.

Logisys Computer has added an interesting product to their online catalog. Browsing there today I noticed the top left "computer" was looking alot like my iPod. So I clicked to view the larger image and low and behold I sat there staring at a complete iPod "themed" computer case.


The trim line will illuminate with either a Logisys CCFL kit or a Logisys 80mm CCFL fan or just a regular LED fan while the clear circle around the power will be lit up by the integrated blue LED light. The ePod SOHO case comes with total 10 drive bays, 4 external 5.25¡± bays and 2 external 3.5¡± bays. Frontal USB and audio outputs are conveniently located below the power button with a protection cover. Optional 80mm or 90mm or 120mm fan at your choice can be installed on the rear while optional 80mm or 120mm fan on the front. There is a meshed vent on side panel of the case for better air circulation and lighting effect." So for all you windows fans out there, who feel the ugre to use a PSP or Archos or other portable audio device to mask your ipod coolness factor, you can pick up this computer case and bathe in all of your Apple glory in secret at home, while browsing QJ.net!

With so much to love about the iPod, one thing that will always get to us, and that is Battery Life. If you want to take a jog, or go on an all day trip your trusty iPod will be there for you. But what happens when you plan to go on vacation for a week or longer. How are you supposed to keep your iPod fully charged on the go? BackcountryTech has put together a few solutions for this problem. Here are the suggestions that they covered, one may a good solution to your problem  with battery life..

"My personal favorite is the Solio solar charger. Eight hours (advertised) of sunlight recharges the iPodÂ? battery.
The Belkin Battery Pack will give your iPodÂ? as much trail gadget juice as you want to carry in the form of regular disposable batteries.
The iPodÂ? Battery ii is a rechargable battery pack that will give you about 4x the play time as the iPodÂ? alone."

5th gen iPod users that call Windows their desktop OS should have a look at Xilisoft's DVD to iPod Suite v4.0.40.0217. Included is the Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter and the Xilisoft iPod Video Converter.

Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter is a customizable tool that can convert DVD content to iPod formatted video. Xilisoft iPod Video Converter is an app that converts standard video to an iPod friendly format. The following types are supported, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, MP4, RM, RMVB, DivX, ASF, VOB, 3GP, to list a few. What's more, the application also converts a variety of audio formats into iPod-friendly MP3, such as: WAV, WMA, MP2, AC3, RA, M4A, OGG, AAC, and many more..

Each application, alone, is $29.00. As a suite, the lot can be had for $45.00.

All Merrill Lynch needed to raise its iPod estimates was to see Apple introduce the new 1-gigabyte Nano to the public. The new pricepoint makes the player a very attractive alternative to some of the lower-capacity flash drives out there hovering at or around the same price point.

The figures are increased all across the board, which should continue making investors very happy that they own stock in one of the most innovative companies around. According to MacNN:

In a research note to clients, Merrill Lynch research analyst Richard Farmer said he now expects Apple to ship 10.1 million iPods, up from the previous estimate of 9.8 million. The firm also increased its fiscal year 2006 estimates to 53.2 million (from 52.3 million).

Seems like old Steve Jobs had something hidden in his sleeve to continue the fascinating few months the company has enjoyed.

[Via, MacNN]

If you're the type whose attention is quickly drawn to the mention of the word "hacks" but you're too afraid to go about messing with the internal workings of your iPod, then take a gander at a few of the hacks posted on Boston.

Aimed at less tech-savvy users who still would like to see their iPods do more, they are three basic hacks that will make life just a tad easier for iPod users. Read your e-mail on the go and listen to music radio stations that aren't available on the 'net.

For others a little more daring, try the software that lets you customize the look of your iPod, changing its background appearance to something more personal and allowing you to change the look of the fonts, etc.

[Via, Boston]