iSkin is offering a new line of wireless devices for Apple's iPod. The newest addition to iSkin's line of iPod accessories, the "Cerulean" line, includes a transmitter, receiver and a headset.

The transmitter's called Cerulean TX. It's a plug and play stereo Bluetooth transmitter that connects to the iPod's dock connector. The TX works with the Cerulean RX receiver to send wireless audio to a speaker system. Users can also connect other devices that have headphone output through an auxiliary jack. The Cerulean TX and RX combo goes for US$ 149.99.

The Cerulean F1 headset, meanwhile, combines a Bluetooth stereo earphone with a mono mobile headset. It has a price tag of US$ 129.99 and is designed to work with both the Cerulean TX and a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Users can even have it connected simultaneously to the TX and a mobile phone. The F1 will automatically switch to headset mode when a call comes in.

It may not be a loud issue, but there's a good number of Powerbook users who have had the desire to take advantage of the Bluetooth functions that their computer can wield but trouble in finding the perfect proximity detector application has prevented them from doing so.

Security issues have compounded this minor irk in the Apple computing world. Along with the ability to sync and remotely access peripherals came risks of exploits from other users. To date, there's a handful of proximity programs but only a couple give some real satisfaction.

Proximity is among the most popular applications of the sort because it efficiently does what it says it will: provide you with Bluetooth proximity detection. There are absolutely no frills, no complicated menus and no confusion involved. The only chink is that there's also no security functions.

Home Zone, on the other hand, is another cool program that offers a few security functions and some added oohs and ahhs. There's little to complain about the Bluetooth detection, but as a special bonus, it also has WiFi detection capabilities. The catch? It's only in its beta stages and it still isn't too user-friendly. We hope that the aforementioned factor can be addressed because Home Zone is such a promising project.

Other than the two, there's not a lot of other choices. The demand for a great Bluetooth app may not be overwhelming, but we say Apple can be that much better if it gives this little alley in its community a closer look.

 Apple just came out with the latest update to its operating system called OS 10.4.9, which fixes some compatibility issues as well as added security. The update may not be for everyone, so don't get too excited. Apple recommend it to Power PC users running the OS X tiger and OS 10.4.8 versions.

ZDNet, however, advised everyone to wait a few days before installing the critical update. This is to help users know what they'll be getting into as other people try installing the update. This will protect users from bugs that may come along with the new software.

The update has the following features:

1. RAW camera support
2. Handling of large or malformed images that could cause crashes
- Image capture performance
3. Mouse scrolling and keyboard shortcuts
4. Font handling
5. Playback quality, and bookmarks in DVD Player
6. USB video conferencing cameras for use with iChat
7. Bluetooth devices
8. Browsing AFP servers
9. Apple USB Modem
10. Windows-created digital certificates
11. Open and Print dialogs in applications that use Rosetta on Intel-based Macs
12. Time zone and daylight saving for 2006 and 2007
13. Security updates

We'll update you on how the Macintosh community responds after trying out the new software.

The GPS folks of TomTom introduced a whole new device called the TomTom Duo, a device that is mounted on your car's stereo dash - touchscreen facing out - and that should serve as a GPS system for the modern car. But wait, it's also claimed that the TomTom Duo will support a unique USB docking station.

The station could scan the surrounding area for Bluetooth devices, "allow direct control of iPods" and allow you to route audio of any portable device through the car's speaker system...all from the little touchscreen on the TomTom Duo!

The TomTom Duo will also allow hands-free calling through Bluetooth phones and the playing of music straight from USB storage devices. The Duo will succeed the TomTom One as a whole new dual-purpose in-car device.

After just a few weeks since Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, it seems like it already has a Chinese look a-like, and a beefy competition at that. Chinese company Meizu, who has found their niche in making mp3 players, has concocted a cellphone called M8, which has an uncanny resemblance to the iPhone.

It has a smaller 3.3 screen which has a 720 x 480 resolution. It also has touch screen functionality like the iPhone, is powered by a ARM11 processor and runs on Win CE 60 OS. Aside from that, it also has Bluetooth, a TV-out feature, and what appears to be two integrated cameras - a three megapixel cam at its back and a 0.3 megapixel at the front.

We still don't have any info about its price tag and availability. But we're betting that it would be cheaper than the iPhone. Anyhow, we'll update you about this as more info comes our way.

Come on Mac users, huddle up. Once again, another product has slipped through Apple's tight grip, and this time it sure is plenty. We got hold of leaked screenshots of certain OS X Leopard features such as a jittery screensaver.

There are also some Bluetooth controls, a stepped-up media browser, parental controls, and a wad of terminal options. We're pretty impressed with the Retro screensaver already.

Perhaps this means that the Leopard is headed in the right direction. But is it just us or is the timeliness of this leak just had to happen before the launch of Vista's consumer edition on January 30? Even with all the hopes of Mac users everywhere, we guess it's okay to accept that Vista will cross the finish line first. Still, hopefully, 10.5 will be out soon enough.

You can click Full Article to take a peek at the screenies.

Are you a Mac aficionado who just so happens to think that searching for alternative energy sources - i.e. the sun - is the only way that us humans can hope to extend our stay in this big bad galaxy? If so, then you better hope you have US$ 180 to spare. According to Treehugger.com, that's the estimated cost of the home-made, portable solar kit that Pat, a blogger from Will Blog For Experience, used to power his MacBook. Here's what Pat himself said:

This kit weighs about 2 lbs, costs $180, and will power my Macbook for 1.75 hours (1.83ghz, browsing the web and checking email via Airport Extreme, bluetooth off, screen brightness about 70%) with a little more than 5 hours of good sun.

Frankly, this gadget is one hell of a good idea. An initial expenditure of a hundred and eighty bucks seems like a pretty big amount, but just the thought of how much we'll be able to save in the long run certainly has an appeal, plus, when folded, the whole thing really seems quite easy to lug around. And it's not just for MacBooks and other laptops, too. We reckon you can use this portable power source for a whole host of other gadgets. Check it out for yourself. Images of the environmentally-friendly doodad are available below.

 

The newly unveiled iPhone may be a tad too heavy on the pocket if you're an average consumer. But if you want an iPhone-like contraption right now for a much cheaper price, then this accessory may just be the thing you're looking for. Mavizen MyBlu is a bluetooth contraption that connects your iPod to your mobile phone wirelessly. Its controls connect you to your trusty iPod thanks to the standard music player buttons.

When you get a call, it will automatically pause the song to let you answer it. Pretty basic for a bluetooth accessory right? Well, not really. With this one your iPod would display the caller ID so as you do not need to check your mobile to know who's calling. Rejecting and answering calls could be done with a press of a button and a mic is also built in. Other features include:

• Voice dialing
• Redial
• Display last 9 numbers
• Built in FM radio receiver, radio channel is able to read from the iPod screen
• Use iPod as power source, no battery needed
• 9 grams
• iPod music player control button
• Bluetooth 2.0

Now onto the price tag. This will cost you roughly US$ 77, so if you badly want an "iPhone", this would have to do for now, unless you can cough up 500 or 600 greenbacks by June of this year.

Okay, so there's a new iPod in town. It's big, it's bad, and it can call your girlfriend and whisper sweet nothings into her ear, so I'd worry if I were you. Kidding. This writer has argued that the new iPhone might actually be the newest generation of the iPod - I mean, God, the touchscreen, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the web browsing, and yeah, it calls your girlfriend, too. It might as well be the sicth, or seventh, or somethingth-generation iPod in the near future.

Permit me to raise my hand and ask the obvious question, then: What now of the current iPod lineup?

It was only last year that Apple unveiled the latest iPods (+ Nano and Shuffle), now with video capabilities, aluminum shells (Nano), and small enough to become a really weird earring. Or clip your homework with (Shuffle). Then again, they've been upgrading iPods like Nintendo upgrades Game Boys, the iPhone wouldn't be too out of pattern. Although coming in at a hefty US$ 600, which does limit the number of early adopters, and with less memory (8GB max), features-wise the iPhone just blew away its entertainment-centric cousins. Talk about paling in comparison.

No, the iPhone won't spell the end of the iPod as we know it, if only for costing as much as a 60GB PS3, plus only having 8GB max memory. But if the price drops - and knowing Apple's history with its gadgets, and if memory storage can be improved, oh boy will they drop and become more tempting?

This depends on two things - how Apple markets the iPhone now and in the coming months, and how quickly the market will be willing to trade in their cellphones AND iPods for an iPhone. Still, none of our potential scenarios predict the end of the iPod as we know it. But they all do point to a change in how Apple markets the iPod.

Consider the iPhone the newest, and most certainly, high-end iPod, a position previously (or currently, depending on how you look at the iPhone) held by the video-capable iPod. We're betting that once Apple's got a good flow of iPhones moving down the assembly line and in the street, future pricing will be scaled to the iPod lineup (with extra charges, since it does have a cellphone built inside). This means that when the iPhone's price drops, the prices of the other iPods may drop as well. The current gen may become the mass-market iPod of the future at this rate.

Okay, a $ 600 iPod that calls my oft-neglected girlfriend. Suddenly, the idea of a stand-alone iPod sounds... more romantically safe. More after the jump.

After all the rumors and speculations about the much-awaited iPhone, we now have a whole bunch of confirmed details about this upcoming revolutionary telecommunications gadget.

During the recently held Macworld Conference and Expo, Steve Jobs divulged details on the widescreen iPod-donning phone including its "multi-touch" feature, internet-browsing capabilities, wireless connectivity, and tons more! So let's not waste any time with all the chitchatty yadda yadda, here's an outline of some of the iPhone's features:

• widescreen iPod - browse through music, audiobooks, videos, TV shows, and movies on a 3.5-inch widescreen display. You can also use the Cover Flow feature to browse through music via the album covers.
  
• User Interface
  
• QWERTY keyboard and intelligent Multi-touch display - control is literally all in your hands, no need for a stylus, ignores unintended touches
• Internet device - built-in Google and Yahoo! search, Safari web browser, Google maps, iTunes, Widgets,
  
• Connectivity - quad-band GSM, EDGE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

More info and pictures await in the Full Article!