iLounge

Strong holiday sales of the iPod touch drove growth in App sales and web traffic on Christmas day, according to a new report. Mac Rumors, citing information from several developers, reports that sales of both Top 100 and other titles were boosted by 3x-4x on Christmas day, attributing the growth to the iPod touch based on Amazon.com’s sales reports and rankings, which show the iPod touch atop the MP3 Player category and the 8GB model among the site’s strongest-selling holiday electronics items. In addition, Net Applications’ browser marketshare graphs also show a strong spike around the holiday, with the iPod touch’s marketshare jumping from 0.07% on 12/23 to 0.10% on the 24th and 0.21% on the 25th, or roughly triple the share seen two days earlier.

As has been the case the past two weeks, three new games have simultaneously been released for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, and third- and fourth-generation iPod nanos. Electronic Arts has released Trivial Pursuit, based on the popular trivia board game. Pursuit offers up to 1,000 questions on entertainment, geography, history, and more, two main game modes, Classic and the fast-paced Pursuit, both of which can be played with up to three friends in a pass ‘n’ play manner, and the ability to track games, scores, and stats. Trivial Pursuit is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $5.

With its second game in as many weeks, Apple has released Chinese Checkers. Based on the original board game, Chinese Checkers offers three difficulty levels, pass-and-play multiplayer with up to five friends, hints and undo, a variety of boards and marbles, realistic sound effects, and more. Like Reversi before it, Chinese Checkers sells for $1 and is available now from the iTunes Store.

Finally, Square Enix has released Crystal Defenders, a new tower defense-style game featuring characters from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. In the game, players must deploy units on a map in order to protect crystal reserves from approaching monsters. It offers a variety of units, including melee specialists and magic experts, and two game versions to provide challenges across more than 200 stages. Crystal Defenders is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $5 for the iPod; an iPhone version has also been released for $8, and criticized for wasting half the screen on a virtual joystick. A free trial version of the iPhone version is also available.

Continuing to expand its offerings heading into the holiday season, Apple has again posted three new games for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, and third- and fourth-generation iPod nanos. Hudson Soft has released Lode Runner, a strategic action/puzzle game. Based on the classic computer and console title from the early 1980s, players must dig to collect all the gold in each level while avoiding robots which try to catch the player. The game features simple controls the consist of moving and digging, 130 different stages, five game modes, and both tutorial and tip videos. Lode Runner is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $5.

Gameloft has released Wonder Blocks, a new block-stacking game. Players travel from wonder to wonder in an attempt to rebuild well-known structures while battling time limitations and instability. The game features seven different wonders, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal, and the Eiffel Tower, and multiple game modes, including quick play, story mode, time attack, and more. Wonder Blocks is available now from the iTunes Store for $5.

Finally, Apple has released Reversi, a strategy game based on the popular board game Othello. Users choose either white (cream) or black markers, and must strategically place them each turn in order to box in markers of the opposite color, reversing them and gaining pieces for the player. Reversi offers three difficulty levels, in-game hints and undo, and both single player v. computer or pass-and-play multiplayer modes. Priced at $1, Reversi is available now from the iTunes Store.

Three new games have been released for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, third- and fourth-generation iPod nano. Electronic Arts has released Tiger Woods PGA Tour, a golfing simulation game. Users can choose to play as Tiger, other PGA Tour pros, or create their own golfer, using the Click Wheel to navigate through well-known courses such as Pebble Beach, collecting Trophy Balls for in-game achievements. The game offers two modes: practice and tournament, in addition to an isometric camera view for lining up shots, a top-down ball camera, and putting grid views.

Sandlot Games has released Slyder Adventures, a maze-style game starring the company’s spherical character Slyder. The game offers more than 150 levels across four worlds, both exploration and timed game modes, and more than 30 different items to collect. In addition, the game features an alternate accelerometer-based control scheme for users of the iPod nano 4G, and allows users to listen to music from their iPod during play.

Finally, Gameloft has released its Real Soccer 2009 sports title. Players can choose from more than 290 clubs and national teams in 10 different leagues, play in six different soccer stadiums, and select from five game modes, including national leagues and European Club Cup. In addition, the game features real-life players, realistic artificial intelligence, and easy-to-perform special moves. All three games are available now from the iTunes Store, and sell for $5 each.

Gameloft S.A. has released its Asphalt 4: Elite Racing game for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, and third- and fourth-generation iPod nano. Previously released for the iPhone and iPod touch, the game offers 10 different cars and bikes which players can take racing in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, Shanghai, NYC, Dubai, Paris, and Tokyo. In addition, the game offers five different racing modes, and allows the player to tune and customize their cars. Asphalt 4: Elite Racing is available from the iTunes Store and sells for $5.

Apple has released Software Version 2.0.1 for the iPod classic (120GB). According to the release notes, Software 2.0.1 adds support for Apple’s upcoming In-Ear Headphones and Earphones with Remote and Mic, and fixes a bug with saving Genius playlists, along with other minor bug fixes. Software Version 2.0.1 for iPod classic (120GB) is available now via the update feature in iTunes, and does not work with 80GB or 160GB iPod classic models.

Namco has released its new Tamagotchi: ‘Round the World game for Click Wheel iPods. The game lets players pick one of four Tamagotchi, and then play one of six missions that take place across three differently-themed planets, each of which features Gaiatchi, or living clouds, plants, geysers and seedlings that populate the planet. Players interact with the Gaiatchi through mini-games and activities such as rock paper scissors, dancing, memory matching, and math puzzles. Tamagotchi: ‘Round the World is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $5; for more information see our First Look article.

Seven years ago today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the original 5GB iPod, a $399 hard drive-based MP3 player with a unique Scroll Wheel and bright white LCD interface, an amazingly pocketable size, and high-speed FireWire for synchronization and charging. The first-generation iPod actually shipped on November 10, 2001, going on to sell 125,000 units by year’s end.

Apple now has sold more than 174 million iPods, spanning five distinct models—iPod/iPod classic, iPod mini, iPod shuffle, iPod nano, and iPod touch, and has seen countless advancements in capacity and features, even while falling in price. It has also played a major part in Apple’s remarkable growth from a struggling computer company to a major consumer electronics manufacturer, inspiring the iPhone and helping boost sales of the company’s Mac computers.

From all of us at iLounge to Apple’s iPod teams, past and present, congratulations on your seventh birthday. We will be here to celebrate many, many more.

Apple has signed a tentative deal with South Korean broadband service provider KT Corp. to provide third-generation communications access for upcoming products such as iPods and MacBook laptop computers, reports the Yonhap News Agency. According to the report, the deal calls for the use of WiBro, the Korean variant of the WiMAX standard, in upcoming products, suggesting that Apple will be adding further high-speed wireless connectivity to its next-generation portable devices. Further details, such as a possible rollout date, have yet to be revealed.

More than half of all the automobile models sold in the United States in 2009 will offer at least optional iPod support, according to a new iSuppli report. The report states that 39 percent of models sold in 2008 offer iPod integration; that number will jump to 58 percent next year, marking the first time an iPod option will be available in more than half of models. The report goes on to state that one-third of 2009 models will offer USB connectivity for other portable devices, up from 16 percent in 2008, and that Bluetooth will be at least an option on 82 percent of 2009 models, up from 55 percent availability in 2008.

“The automotive industry is at the point where in-vehicle technologies-or the lack of them-are influencing sales,” said Phil Magney, vice president of automotive research for iSuppli. “The charge toward greater technological integration has been led by car OEMs like Hyundai and Honda, which are making USB/iPod combination interfaces standard on many of their vehicles. It’s also been spurred by OEMs like Audi and Mercedes, which offer integrated Media Device Gateways that allow any device imaginable to integrate with a vehicle.”

Sony has introduced two new marine head units featuring support for both the iPod and iPhone via direct USB connection. The Sony CDX-H910UI and CDX-M60UI head units include a 4.9-foot cable for connecting to and iPod, iPhone, or other USB media player, and offer a Quick-BrowZer feature that allows users to control and select music via the “rotate and push” button, a passenger control feature so passengers can control the connected device itself while it’s being charged, a MemoryBackup function to save settings when the main boat power is shut off, DM+ technology to enhance the sound quality of compressed audio files, 52 watts x 4 high-power output, a direct sunlight viewable white LCD screen, and compatibility with both satellite radio and HD Radio. In addition, the CDX-H910UI is splash-proof and sun- and salt-resistant, with a rear RCA auxiliary input, while the CDX-M60UI features a front-mounted 1.8mm auxiliary input and includes a water-resistant face cover to help prevent water damage. The Sony CDX-H910UI and CDX-M60UI marine receivers will be available in January and will sell for $350 and $200, respectively.

Electronic Arts has released an updated version of Spore Origins for Click Wheel iPods that adds support for the accelerometer found in the fourth-generation iPod nano, allowing the user to move their character simply by tilting the device. As was the case when the company released an updated version to fix the iPod classic lock-up bug, users who have already purchased the game should receive an email informing them of the update and explaining that the new version has been added to their iTunes Store download queue. Spore Origins for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, and third- and fourth-generation iPod nano is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $5. For more information on Spore Origins, see our full review.

Gameloft S.A. has released its CSI:Miami game for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, and third- and fourth-generation iPod nano. In the game, players must solve a murder by teaming up with characters from the show to analyze and collect evidence through seven minigames, interrogate suspects, and move through seven different Miami locations. Players have a number of common CSI tools at their disposal, and the game also features a “Horatio’s Code” minigame which is unlocked by completing the story mode. Gameloft’s CSI:Miami is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $4.99.

There has been a lot going on around iLounge since Apple’s announcement of new iPods on Tuesday, making it quite easy to miss something — so we’ve prepared a round-up of all our coverage concerning the fourth-generation iPod nano, second-generation iPod touch, 120GB iPod classic, and Fall 2008 iPod shuffle. As we prepare our reviews of the new devices, you can find links relating to each new iPod, and of course you can always check out our transcript of the event for more details on the announcements. For some group roundups, look at our list of Eleven Things You Didn’t Know About the 2008 iPods, read our reactions to the announcements, view high-res photos of the entire new iPod lineup, or watch the entire event online.

iPod nano 4G

Announcement
Review
Comparison Photos
Teardown
Secret 4GB European version, Explanation

iPod touch 2G

Announcement
Review
Unboxing Photos
Teardown

iPod classic 120GB

Announcement
Review
Photos

iPod shuffle 2008

Announcement
Photos
Review

iFixit has posted the first disassembly photos of the new fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch. They found the nano 4G’s internal design to be quite similar to that of the nano 2G, with removable caps on the top and bottom, which offer access to tiny screws which must be removed in order to slide out the actual components. The glass screen cover is separate from the metal casing, and is only held in place by the internal components. The main processor appears to be an Apple-branded ARM processor manufactured by Samsung.

In their disassembly of the iPod touch 2G, iFixit found a particularly interesting component. The new touch sports a Broadcom BCM4325 wireless communicaitons chip with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. While some have speculated that Apple may have hidden this chip inside with plans of activating Bluetooth functionality later, it is more likely used to communicate with the Nike+ sensor puck, which uses a proprietary 802.11 protocol.

iLounge has just posted new photos of the fourth-generation iPod nano, iPod classic (120GB), and the fall 2008 iPod shuffle on our Flickr page. The new set of high-resolution photos features complete unboxing and close-up product shots of the iPod nano 4G, and unboxing photos of the iPod classic 2G and the new (Product) RED iPod shuffle. If you haven’t already, check out our high-resolution unboxing gallery of the second-generation iPod touch, and see our extended First Looks at the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch for even more photos.

As promised, we’ve just posted a high-resolution unboxing gallery for the second-generation iPod touch, enabling you to see the new device in greater detail. The images are available in sizes up to 1600x1200 pixels, and feature both the newest iPhone OS product and its packaging; we will be posting more images soon.

See our extended First Looks at the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch for more photos.

Apple has posted two new television commercials for the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch. The new iPod nano commercial shows each of the new nine colored nanos floating past the camera with different features such as Cover Flow and video playback on the screens. The nanos then form a non-uniform line, with paint matching each of the devices’ colors spilling out from the bottom. The ad closes with Apple’s new nano slogan “nano-chromatic,” and features the song “Bruises” by Chairlift. The iPod touch commercial starts with a profile of the new device, which is rotated to landscape orientation to play a game, followed by the appearance of several more touches playing different games, each appearing on top of the last, and finishing with the iPod app’s Cover Flow view and the slogan “The funnest iPod ever.” It features the song “Around the Bend” by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Both commercials are now available for viewing on Apple’s website.

iLounge has just finished its preliminary unboxing of the second-generation iPod touch. While we will be posting higher-resolution images of the new touch later today, we have uploaded a number of photos showing the unboxing process to our Flickr account. Notably, the new iPod touch packaging comes wrapped in white plastic for protection, the touch itself comes with a sticker over the screen that makes the device appear as if it is turned on, and it includes Universal Dock Adapter #16.

While customers in the United States wait for their local Apple Stores to receive stock of the new fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch, stores in Australia and Japan have already begun selling the devices. Tom Baker has posted a number of photos showing both the new iPod nano and iPod touch from the Apple Store in Sydney, complete with the devices’ new packaging, while Flickr user Masaru Kamikura has uploaded three shots, showing the new nanos and touches on display in an Apple Store in Japan. During yesterday’s special event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the new 8GB nanos would be in stores in the “next few days,” with 16GB models expected to appear this weekend or early next week at latest, and the iPod touch 2G was said to be available immediately. In our brief checks, iLounge has found current availability to somewhat scattered; we recommend calling your local store before heading out to make sure they have the model you’re looking for in stock.