Remember when The Wall Street Journal said that Dell was working on an Android MID? Well it turns out that it was bang on as today images and a video of a prototype device known as the Streak emerged by way of everyone’s favorite Vietnamese mobile site. Running Android 2.0, the Streak boasts 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5″ WVGA multitouch capacitive display, 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, Bluetooth, microSD and a 1300 mAh battery. Looking through all of the pictures, we couldn’t help notice what looks to be the spitting image of a front-facing camera for checking ones hair video calling, but then again it could just be the worst ambient light sensor ever. Enough talk. Hit the jump for a ton of pics and a video, because the Streak cries out to be seen.

Following up on the success of purplera1n, iPhone hacker extraordinaire geohot has released a jailbreak solution for OS 3.1.2 dubbed blackra1n. Currently only being offered to Windows users, blackra1n works on all generations of the iPhone and iPod touch, although the 3rd gen iPod touch needs to be tethered. The installation method for blackra1n is unchanged from that of its predecessor meaning that all you really have to do is download and install the app to your PC, plug in your device and make it ra1n. Good luck!

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At a special event in Paris, France, Archos made its next-generation Internet Tablet official today. The Android powered multimedia device will outmatch the iPod touch with a Ti OMAP3 processor and a huge 4.8-inch touchscreen display with 800×480 resolution and 16 million colors. In addition to its fast processor and high resolution screen, the Internet Tablet will also include:

• HD video support (H.264, WMV, Mpeg-4 up to 720P)
• Archos AppsLib store with Archos 5-compatible Android applications
• Micro SD Slot (SDHC compatible)
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• GPS with 3D Maps
• Bluetooth 2.0 (mobile phone tethering capable)
• FM transmitter and FM receiver (RDS)
• Built-in speaker, microphone and leg stand
• support for a wide variety of audio/video codecs and image formats
• additional functionality available via optional accessories (DVR-Station, HDMI Mini-Dock, GPS In-Car Holder, etc)
• Pre-installed Android applications include DroidIn, Ebuddy IM, Twidroid, QuickPedia, and more
• Flash 10 support expected with Android 2.0 in Q1 2010
• 22 hours of Music playback time and 7 hours of Video playback with standard Lithium polymer battery

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet will be available in two models: an 8, 16 or 32GB Flash version and a 160GB or 500GB hard drive version. Prices start at $249 for the 8GB Flash version up to $439 for the 500GB hard drive version and it will launch on September 16th (directly from Archos and at Amazon.com). Also interesting is the Archos Phone tablet, which Archos only partially unveiled. The Phone Tablet will have a 1GHz processor, 3.5G HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity, a 4.8-inch 854×480 display and all the other goodies its non-3G cousin has. No release date for the Phone Tablet was announced but the January 2010 edition of CES would be a good place to launch, no?

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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A triple dose of good news today for those who resent Apple’s stranglehold on the PMP market. Not only is the Zune HD now on sale starting at $219.99, but Microsoft has finally come clean and admitted that in the upcoming months it plans to bombard the Zune faithful and converts alike with apps such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, and games like Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service and Audiosurf Tilt. Not only that, but Zune HD owners can also look forward to streaming HD video to the Xbox 360 as well as the ability to purchase and rent TV shows, movies and more. Microsoft, this is yours to mess up… Please don’t. Anyone have a shiny new Zune HD squarely in his or her sights today?

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In addition to an update to iTunes,  Apple also announced a refresh of its iPod lineup at its annual fall event. First up is the iPod touch which saw a price drop, capacity increase and a hardware upgrade. The iPod touch is available in the traditional 8GB capacity for $199, 32Gb for $299 and 64Gb for $399. The 32Gb and 64Gb models are 50% faster than the current iPod touch and features OpenGL ES 2.0 support, presumably sharing the same underlying architecture as the iPhone 3GS. The iPod Classic has been bumped to boost to 160GB with a steady-state price at $250. The Shuffle got a brand new paint job and a price drop with a 2GB Shuffle available in a smorgasbord of new colors for $59, and a 4GB special edition model available for $99. The biggest changes to the lineup occurred in the Nano which to the surprise of no one has received, insert drum roll here, a video camera. Now we know where all of those rumored camera modules went. The new iPod Nano features a larger 2.2 inch screen, polished anodized aluminum case, video camera, microphone, speaker, YouTube integration, CoverFlow, VoiceOver, Genius mixes, Voice recorder, a pedometer and FM radio. The iPod Nano is also available in multiple colors with the 8GB model priced at $149 and the 16GB at $179.  All models are now live and available on Apple’s website.

Read (iPod Touch) Read (iPod Nano) Read (iPod Shuffle) Read (iPod Classic)

With the Zune HD on the horizon and a refreshed iPod touch looming, some might say it’s hard to even think about getting amped for Sony’s upcoming S Series and E Series Walkmans. Others however, might say these sleek and inexpensive players are just what the doctor ordered. Sony announced this morning that it would be bringing two new Walkman lines to market next month — the well-leaked S Series and the not-so-well-leaked E Series. Starting with the S Series, we’re looking at a 2.4-inch QVGA display, FM tuner with recording capability, built-in stereo speakers and up to 42 hours of audio/6.4 hours of video playback on a single charge (17 hours audio/5 hours video using the stereo speakers). The cheaper E Series is a much more basic player with a 2-inch display and none of the bells and whistles found on the S. Pricing is where things get interesting: The S Series will run $110 for the 8GB model and $130 for the 16GB model while the E Series will be $80 for 8GB and $100 for 16GB. Not bad at all.

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As it turns out, this weekend’s rumored Zune HD preview at Best Buy was the real deal. Tens or even dozens of anxious soon-to-be Zune HD owners (we kid; we want it now) gathered to see the sexy new PMP first hand and one of them even managed to snap an extremely blurry shot of a curious menu item. Mmmm, “Apps”. The attendee tried to access the mysterious menu but lack of Wi-Fi rendered his attempts fruitless. Word on the street is that the Apps menu will be home to various games at launch but we’re still not sure what else will find its way there — certainly something however, lest the menu heading read “Games”. Also of note, one preview attendee claims that the host of this event confirmed the existence of a Zune SDK. This is definitely rumor status right now but it would certainly go a long way to support the inevitable arrival of a Zune app store of sorts.

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Did the 3rd generation iPod touch rumors take a turn to being credible? The Covino and Rich show blog posted what it claims to be 100% legitimate pictures of the next generation iPod touch. Whoever they are, they state that the images were sent in from a loyal listener and this is not some publicity stunt. Knowing the length to which radio show hosts will go to generate buzz, we are inclined to not believe them but the images and the video are at least intriguing enough to warrant a look. The images are reportedly from a prototype device that fell into the hands of a person who deals in used electronics parts. This prototype, by presumably some major oversight, was included in a cache of used electronics being sold for parts. The images show both an intact and disassembled iPod touch with a camera position that certainly corresponds with earlier rumors. Most interesting is the presence of a red circuit board, commonly used in prototype devices. The source of the leaked images also provided a video to further substantiate his claim that this is the iPod touch that is expected to be announced at an Apple event in early September. Hit the jump to check out the remaining images and the video and let us know what you think. Is this merely an excellent hard mod or is it the real deal?

[via MacRumors]

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As if anyone had doubts surrounding the legitimacy of yesterday’s Zune HD leak, today Microsoft confirmed availability for September 15th and let it be known that pre-orders for the black 16GB and platinum 32GB models are now being filled through Zune.net, Microsoft, Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. In case you’re waiting on the other five colors that the Tegra-powered portable will be available in at launch, you’ll just have to sit tight for now. Don’t cry though — maybe we can cheer you up by letting you know that pricing is now 100 percent confirmed: $219.99 for the 16GB model and $289.99 for the 32GB model. We’ll take six of each, thank you.

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Mark your calendars and get your credit cards ready as the Zune HD will be dropping in just over a month. Thanks to a leaked Best Buy pre-order flyer, we now have a tentative launch date to accompany the rumored pricing for the Zune HD. Zero hour for Microsoft’s slick new portable media player is September 15th, a week later than previously reported. With all the pre-launch leaks out of the way, now all we have to do is wait for Microsoft to make these details official and see if the folks in Redmond can do so before those rumored iPods try to steal the HD’s limelight. Hit the jump for some more Best Buy Zune HD signage and a quick peek at the Zune HD packaging.

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We wouldn’t go as far as to call Microsoft’s upcoming Zune refresh a PMP hail mary, but it’s pretty clear that a lot is riding on Redmond’s upcoming players. So far we really like what we’ve seen of the Zune HD — and that statement is now expanded to include pricing. Last night some Best Buy inventory screen caps revealed the Zune HD’s price points and as of this morning we can consider them confirmed thanks to Amazon. App Store aside, we’re looking at a device far more capable and exciting compared to Apple’s iPod touch, and according to Amazon’s pre-order page, the 16GB will launch at $219.99 (compared to $299 for the 16GB iPod touch) and the 32GB model will hit the streets at $289.99 (compared to $399 for the 32GB iPod touch). Yeah, that’s no typo — you’ll be able to get a 32GB Zune HD for $9.01 less than a 16GB iPod touch. The Best Buy screenshots also add weight to the previously rumored September 8th launch date so it looks like we’ve got less than a month until lift off. The only question is whether or not Apple’s impending iPod touch refresh will tout enough bells and whistles at launch to overshadow Microsoft’s new gem. Hit the jump for the Best Buy images.

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Having been talked about for quite some time and then all of a sudden dropping off the radar, talks of an Android-powered device from Dell has once again resumed. This time The Wall Street Journal has supposedly confirmed that Dell does indeed have “several Android-based smartphones that it plans to start selling later this year,” something that meshes nicely with the 2G and 3G devices we spoke of some two weeks ago. Perhaps more interesting however, is that Dell is believed to be working on an MID that is also said to run on Android, and it will reportedly be a little larger than Apple’s iPod touch. The WSJ cautions those who are prone to getting ahead of themselves that while Dell intends to release the MID later this year, the possibility its launch will be delayed or canceled cannot be ruled out. Duh. At least the phones are allegedly a lock.

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Perhaps the current crop of personal media players on the market just isn’t doing anything for you. It’s perfectly understandable of course, what with modern mobile phones catching up to dedicated players more and more each day. This very fact is the reason that Microsoft’s upcoming Zune HD continues to pique our interest. 3.3-inch 480 x 272 OLED capacitive touchscreen display, built-in HD Radio receiver, HD output (requires an optional dock), Wi-Fi, integrated web browser, multitouch support and Xbox LIVE integration… And of course we recently learned this little spitfire will pack NVIDIA’s Tegra processor at its core. According to a Gizmodo tipster, it looks like Microsoft plans to offer this peppy PMP in 16GB and 32GB varieties — fair enough — and it may be shooting for a September 8th launch. It’s as good a date as any we suppose, and leaves plenty of time to get early adopters on board before a nice little price drop/sale in time for the holidays. Why not?

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The iPhone Dev Team updated its blog to include full instructions on jailbreaking your iPhone OS 3.0 device using redsn0w — the multi-platform, multi-device jailbreaking and unlocking tool. Redsn0w only supports the iPhone 2G (original iPhone), iPhone 3G and the iPod touch (first and second generation) for the time being. The latest iPhone 3G S is not yet supported for jailbreaking or unlocking so don’t try to use it on your brand new phone! Jailbreaking is supported across all devices running OS 3.0, except for the 3G S, and unlocking is only available for the iPhone 2G. 3G owners need to wait for the upcoming ultrasn0w to be released in order to unlock their OS 3.0 devices. Head over to the dev team blog for the appropriate torrent files and instructions.

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Today is the day, folks. Get your iPhone and iPod touch ready to update ready as Apple is officially releasing iPhone OS 3.0 to the masses. As you already know — and have like voiced your opinion about several times already — the OS update is available for free to current iPhone owners and for $9.95 for iPod touch owners. Additional information is available at Apple’s website and the fun will begin when you sync with iTunes. Give us a shout in the comments with your first impressions of OS 3.0 once it goes live later today.

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As college students across the country try to recover from the 2008/2009 school year, Apple has just kicked off its back to school promotion for the coming year. The deal is nothing new — buy a Mac, get an iPod for free — but it’s pretty sweet nonetheless. Here’s how it boils down: College students and college/K-12 faculty who purchase a qualifying Mac (excludes refurbished computers and Mac minis) will receive:

• $229 rebate on an iPod touch
• $229 rebate on an iPod classic
• $199 rebate on an iPod nano 16GB
• $149 rebate on an iPod nano 8GB
• $79 rebate on an iPod shuffle

As far as snagging a Mac on a college student’s budget, the white MacBook is still your best bet of course. Coincidentally, the little MacBook that could is the recipient of a nice little spec upgrade as of this morning. Notables include a 2.13GHz processor instead of 2.0GHz, a 160GB HDD instead of 120GB and 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM instead of 667MHz RAM. Pricing is still the same — can’t hate that.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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Its official, folks. The Zune HD is real and is slated to drop this fall. All the rumored specs are here – 3.3 inch 480 x 272 OLED capacitive touchscreen display, built-in HD Radio receiver, HD output (requires an optional dock), Wi-Fi, integrated web browser, multitouch support and Xbox LIVE integration. Attendees at E3 will get the first look at the Xbox LIVE integration in what Microsoft calls “a game-changing entertainment experience”. Sounds sweet and may turn out to be the one item that differentiates it from the competition. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Microsoft Announces the Expansion of the Zune Entertainment Service to New Platform and Markets; Confirms New Zune HD Portable Media Player

Premium Zune digital entertainment service to be available internationally on Xbox LIVE.

REDMOND, Wash. – May 26, 2009 – Microsoft Corp. today announced the evolution of Zune, the company’s end-to-end music and entertainment service, to a new platform and new markets. Zune will extend its video service to Xbox LIVE internationally this fall. This marks an important development in the Zune strategy and brings the Zune brand to more than 17 million international Xbox LIVE subscribers. In addition, Microsoft confirmed the next generation of the Zune portable media player, Zune HD. Available in the U.S. this fall, Zune HD is the first portable media player that combines a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser.

“The Zune music player is an integral part of the overall Zune experience, and we’re proud to be growing and extending our offering beyond the device,” said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV, Video and Music Business Group. “Delivering on Microsoft’s connected entertainment vision, this news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world.”

Zune Service Expands to New Platform

Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.

Introducing Zune HD

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.

• Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
• The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
• The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
• Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
• Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.

More information on Zune and related images is available at http://www.zune.net/press and http://www.zune.net/ZuneHD.

No, seriously. Apple just put up a new support page in response to claims from many users regarding electrical shocks received from Apple’s iPhone and iPod earbuds. The shocks are described as “small and quick”, but clearly the issue is serious enough to warrant an official response from Apple. The aforementioned support page, found below on the read link, describes the situation as follows:

When using headphones in areas where the air is very dry, it is easy to build up static electricity and possible for your ear to receive a small electrostatic discharge from the headphones. Receiving a static shock from a pair of earbuds does not necessarily indicate an issue with the iPod, iPhone, or earbuds.

This condition is very similar to dragging your feet across a carpet and receiving a static shock by touching a door knob. However, instead of the static charge building up on your body, the charge builds up on the device that the earbuds are connected to. Likewise, instead of the static buildup discharging through your finger when you touch a door knob, it discharges through the earbuds.

Apple goes on to claim this is an issue that affects equipment from other manufacturers as well and then recommends a few solutions, such as using anti-static hand lotion or wearing “clothes with natural fibers since synthetic fibers are more likely to hold a static charge.” Umm, Apple wants people to change their wardrobes because its headphones are shocking ear canals? Yeah, so we’re going to go ahead and stick to third-party headsets from here on out. Kthx.

Thanks, Tyrone!

[Via Cnet]

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Teamxbox has let loose with a slew of details on the rumored Zune HD, some of which they have reportedly been sitting on since last August. According to their sources, the ZuneHD will be a convergent device, incorporating some of the gaming features of the Xbox and the multimedia features of the Zune. Codenamed xYz to highlight its position between the Xbox and the Zune, the new device is rumored to have a large WVGA touchscreen display and “hardware features not found on any handheld on the market.” The Zune HD will most definitely not be a phone and will not directly compete with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile offerings, it has been said. The portable entertainment device will supposedly feature the graphical user interface of the New Xbox Experience and will be a “Live Anywhere” device, integrating the online services offered by Microsoft Live, Xbox, Zune and the recently announced Sky marketplace. Interestingly enough, teamxbox claim that their sources on the ZuneHD hardware coincide with the recently leaked “chassis 1″ specification which include an ARM 6+ processor, Open GL ES 2.0 graphics HW (can we say Nvidia Tegra), 256MB plus of RAM, min of 1GB internal memory, 3.5″+ WVGA or FWVGA touchscreen display with multi-touch, aGPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and more. If this conglomerate of recent rumors hold true, then the ZuneHD may turn the PMP world upside down if and when it launches.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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We were filled with envy when COWON announced that its higher capacity S9 would grace South Korea’s gadget freaks, but it looks like it’s finally going to be our turn. Better yet, the bump to 32GB only sets you back $299 compared to $239 for the 16GB version. There is really no complaining with this one because we were practically gleaming with our review unit. Audio quality from the S9 is tops and the AMOLED screen just pops. As you can see, the COWON S9 is being shipped and sold from JetAudio, Inc. and while the actual JetAudio site shows 16GB as the largest capacity S9 you can get, we’re not going to argue with what’s shown on sale through Amazon. Grab one while you can because these units are just so PMP.

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We have to admit it… We’re a little afraid. Afraid of what you might ask? Afraid that all this hype surrounding the now-reportedly confirmed Zune HD is going to be the height of excitement with regards to the device. Hype is good, hype is great, but you need something special to follow the hype in order for it to stick. Let’s take a look at the known specs:

• ~3.6-inch OLED full touchscreen
• NVIDIA Tegra powered
• 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions
• HDMI Connection to stream straight to your TV
• HD Radio
• Web browser
• Wi-Fi compatible, with wireless marketplace
• Released, early fall
• International release of the Zune device itself
• Home AV packs, Car packs, Charge packs

Sounds good and fun, but there’s definitely nothing so far that would (or should) draw much attention. HD radio? Mmm hmm. The Zune platform is supposedly in the midst of an overhaul which is nice but we need a wow-factor here. The average consumer is most definitely not going to pass on an iPod Touch and scoop up a Zune HD because of a high resolution display and HD radio, that’s for sure. Long story short, we hope Microsoft learned something from its experiences with the current Zune model.

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Back in December, we gave the COWON S9 our hands on review treatment shortly after its release here in the US and to paraphrase, we liked it. A lot. As far as audio quality, battery life and affordability we still haven’t found a competitive offering that can top it. One area where the S9 has been limited however, is storage. Apparently COWON got the hints as the company has just announced the availability of a new 32GB model in Korea. What’s more, the new bigger build rings up at 379,000KOR (US$286) — a substantial $113 less than the 32GB iPod Touch which, in our opinion, can’t even come close to touching the S9 where sound quality is concerned. We’re hoping the new S9 model makes its way over to the states ASAP at a similar price point because our smaller version is pretty full right now. As an aside for those of you who currently own an S9, COWON has pushed out version 2.2 of the firmware — be sure to download it and get your update on.

[Via PMP Today]

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Sony’s highly anticipated OLED MP3 player, the X1000 series Walkman, is slated for launch on April 25th in Japan. The 3-inch touchscreen-sporting device will debut with 16GB and 32GB models that feature integrated noise cancellation, Walkman-specific Netfront web browser, YouTube support, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, wireless Podcast delivery, FM tuner and support for MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV audio / AVC, H.264, MPEG4, WMV video. The Walkman will be available in Black or Red with suggested retail prices of 40,000 yen ($400 USD) for the 16GB X1050 and 50,000 yen ($500 USD) for the 32GB X1060.

[Via PMP Today]

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Back in January after we learned that Zune sales and platform revenue was down $100 million under the previous quarter, we asked whether the Zune was ultimately doomed to die an unglamorous death or if Microsoft had an ace up its sleeve. Last night, Engadget posted some images that they feel, based upon some chitchat with sources, are of an upcoming touchscreen PMP known as the Zune HD. Because of the lack of anything other than a few promotional shots we’re going to have to resort to the age-old game of speculation when discussing the Zune HD, but if all of this turns out to be true we think it reasonable to expect that the Zune HD would ship with a display that approaches 720p and (based upon our measurement of the screen in the images) an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 — one of two standard aspect ratios used by mainstream films. But as we say so often in the tech blogging world, we shall see. Would a Zune HD have any chance of finding its way into your pocket or has the Zune ship already sailed for you?

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Well lookie what we have here, iPod Touch owners. As exciting as the upcoming 3.0 OS is, and as much as we know you can’t wait to pay for it while iPhone users get it for free, we all know that most of the desirable capabilities brought about by 3.0 are already available — if you jailbreak. We’ve been waiting for quite some time and just a a short while ago, the Dev Team dropped the bomb. Redsn0w… Beta… Is ready. Oh and the best part? Windows, Linux and OS X are all covered with this first beta release. Ok, we’ll shut up now and let you get to it. As always, let us know how it goes in the comments section.

[Via Dev-Team Blog]

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The folks over at iLounge stumbled upon some curious info regarding the new iPod Shuffle that has us scratching our heads. We all know the controls for the new Shuffle are on the headphones, but apparently Cupertino decided to make it even more difficult for headphone makers to get in on some Shuffle action. Control of playback and adjustment of volume will not be permitted unless the headphones used are equipped with an Apple authentication chip. D’oh! To further complicate matters, headphones with this new authentication chip are not yet available. Phooey, you say, I will pair my high-end headphones with a third party remote control device instead. Denied! Third party remotes with this authentication chip are not yet available either. Until these new accessories hit the market, shuffle owners are stuck using the stock headphones for the time being. What is Apple’s reasoning behind the move? We’re not sure, though we imagine it has to do with ensuring Apple can prevent companies from producing Shuffle gear without its blessing. Good job Apple, now it’ll cost less-than-scrupulous manufacturers overseas an extra 7¢ per unit to make compatible headphones. Major fail.

[Via EFF]

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Talk about a sneak attack. It’s a little hard to get excited about a new iPod Shuffle but hey, new toys are new toys. The third-generation Shuffle features a completely new design, 4GB of storage and perhaps most notably, the controls have been moved off of the device and onto the headset cord. Cool, yes, but have fun trying to use your current headset with this little guy. The new Shuffle also sports Apple’s “VoiceOver” technology, which essentially is little more than a text-to-speech engine that can speak song, artist and playlist titles. Apple’s new 4GB iPod Shuffle will run you $79 and is available immediately in the two colors pictured above.

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Sony unveiled its upcoming line of iPod Touch competitors earlier this year and much to the surprise of, well everyone, the X1000 series looks impressive. Very impressive in fact. If you can work your way past the marble finish, the X1000 Walkman has a lot going for it and now that the Sony Style Hong Kong site has pushed out the full detailed specs, we’re kind of excited to get our hands on a few of them. Here are the highlights:

• 3-inch (432 x 240 pixels) OLED touchscreen display
• 32GB storage
• NetFront web browser, YouTube support
• MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV audio / AVC, H.264, MPEG4, WMV video
• Integrated noise cancellation
• FM tuner
• 802.11g/b WiFi
• 33 hours of music playback, 9 hours of video playback

The one thing it doesn’t have of course, is the App Store. The hype and development community surrounding the iPod Touch will always give it a leg up on competitive offerings. If you’re looking to save some cash (hopefully) and forego the added functionality afforded by apps in exchange for some insane battery life however, the new Walkman might be just what the doctor ordered.

[Via Giz]

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iPhone and iPod Touch owners rejoice – Apple has just pushed out its latest OS, version 2.2.1. True, we already know this latest build won’t bring push notifications along with it, but it must be packing something new and cool right?

This update contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
– Improved general stability of Safari
– Fixed issue where some images saved from Mail do not display correctly in the Camera Roll
– Fixed issue that caused some Apple Lossless (ALAC) audio files to skip during playback [iPod Touch]

Well, umm, that’s cool we guess. We imagine there are a few other items attended to in this new OS build but if you have a jailbroken and/or unlocked iPhone or iPod Touch, this is apparently one OS update you won’t mind holding off on until the Dev Team gives the all clear. The rest of you can get to updating via iTunes and let us know how it goes.