To almost anyone who uses iTunes, purchasing music has always been the name of the game. For a smaller faction of users though, subscription music has always been the way to go. From Zune Pass to Rhapsody, Rdio to Spotify, its been pretty well proven that people enjoy having unlimited access to whatever music they want, without having to make the consideration of whether or not they want to buy another full CD, or even spend .99 cents on a single. Very recently, with the popularity Android has gained in the marketplace, Google introduced Google Music. Now, it appears that Apple is ready to show us what they’ve been working on. Rumored to be called iCloud, it appears Apple’s service may do more than initially thought. Read on past the break for all the dirty details!

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As Colin said in his post about Mac apps for blogging with WordPress, WordPress is an extremely popular blogging tool and proves to be very beneficial. Many bloggers, including Colin and I, choose to use WordPress to help manage various blogs. However, if you are on the go and happen to be without a computer, have no fear! The App Store offers a WordPress app for iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads. Now let’s take a look at the app! Read the rest of this entry »

Apple’s Fall event was held earlier this month, and as expected, they announced a lineup of all new iPods.  The new iPods represent improvements across the board, but how improved these products truly are may be slightly misrepresented.  The new iPods include a new iPod Touch that is very similar to the last model physically, but with a set of new features.  The new iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle are complete redesigns from their last models, and come with some limitations, but also some welcomed advancements…Let’s break it down.

The New iPod Touch

At first glance, the new Touch is absolutely insane.  It’s an iPhone 4 without the cell phone aspect.  As a Verizon customer, this got me pretty stoked.  The highlights about the new iPod include:

• A slimmer profile
• Front facing camera
• FaceTime support
• Apple’s Retina (4x standard resolution) display
• HD video recording and editing
• 802.11n WiFi
• Three-axis gyroscope
• iOS 4.2 with Game Center

Don’t get me wrong when I say this, because this is an amazing device and in most ways its the best iPod ever (Except for, as it turns out, the iPhone 4,) but the stats appear slightly better than they really are.  While these are basically all features the iPhone 4 introduced, while they are included in the Touch, some have been skimped on.

First, while the front facing camera is VGA, just like the iPhone 4′s, the back camera, which is used (by most people) for a large majority of pictures and video, has had its megapixel count reduced to less than a megapixel.  While its still great for video, I see no legitimate reason to reduce it this far.  I understand it probably saves them some cost, but 1.3MP would have been far more acceptable, and can be found in the cheapest of cell phones.  In addition, its not like this is some ploy to get people to buy the iPhone instead, as these are 2 different sets of customers.  Someone who wants a Touch and is on AT&T already has an iPhone, and someone who wants a Touch by itself is probably in a contract with another cell carrier.  Good luck getting those customers to pay an early termination fee just to get more megapixels, Apple.  Not going to happen, even if you did something stupid like made the screen worse as well…Wait what?

Yeah.  They did that too.  The second reason the iPod Touch‘s stats aren’t quite what they appear is its display.  The iPhone 4 has what’s called an IPS display, which I could break down into a bunch of technical terms, but won’t, because all it basically means is the iPhone 4 has great viewing angles.  Viewing angles affect you when you’re on the couch showing 2 friends a YouTube video and they’re on either side of you.  When they’re viewing from the sides, they see great colors and detail because of the IPS display.  While Apple puts this display on their iPhone 4, they decided not to include it on the iPod Touch.  So yes, the resolution is great, but if you’re not sitting right in front of the iPod, good luck seeing it.

We’ll have a review unit soon and will throw a video up with a rundown of how the camera and screen perform in real life, so keep an eye out for that.  In the meantime…On to the Nano!

The New iPod Nano

At first sight, the new Nano is super engaging.  It’s small, it clips anywhere you want it to, its all touchscreen, and it appears to run iOS, meaning apps, apps, and more apps.  Only problem here is, it doesn’t.  While it looks like iOS, and may well be some slim version of it, it does not run apps, and does not have an App Store.  Like the Nano always has, it plays music.  This though, for Nano junkies, sucks.  Because for a while now the Nano has played video, and this was does not.  If you want video, you’re getting an iPod Touch, or you’re getting a Zune.  No Nano for you.  On the plus side though, it comes with some features the old Nano didn’t, including:

• It’s super tiny (okay, not really a feature, per-se, but seriously, it’s small.)
• Built in FM radio
• Built in Genius playlists
• Built in Nike Plus support

As you can see, it’s not exactly a Touch, but its also way smaller and starts at $149, which is a pretty great deal for 8GB’s and a touch screen.

The New iPod Shuffle

In my opinion, this is one of the absolute best moves by Apple at the iPod event.  The iPod Shuffle has been reintroduced, and in a big way.  For those who don’t know, the last Shuffle had no buttons.  I’m not kidding.  None.  It was controlled by a couple controls integrated into the headphone cord.  This meant if you lost your headphones or didn’t want to use the crappy Apple one’s, you were out of luck.  I can’t even begin to explain to you how unpopular this design decision was by Apple.  Finally though, they’ve rectified the Shuffle situation for those who love their music players small and easy to use.

The new Shuffle is 2GB, $49, and is the size of a postage stamp.  (Practically as thin as one, too.) It’s got the clip that it’s always had, 15 hours of battery life, and most importantly, BUTTONS!!

Wrap-Up

So there you have it.  Three new iPods, and for those wondering, the iPod Classic is still around, but has gone unchanged.  Are you running out to get one?  Did you already?  Or are they just not different enough to make another purchase?  Tell us in the comments, and remember, we’ll have video reviews up soon, so sign up for email alerts or our RSS at the top of the page, or fan us on Facebook to keep up to date!

Source – Apple

Among the plethora of apps in the App Store there are game apps, info apps, learning apps, and many more. While the informative apps are very beneficial; it is great to have a fun game to play in your spare time. I have recently been addicted to a game called Words with Friends. The concept is simple. Picture the board game Scrabble, but with a colorful board and the ability to have Wi-Fi multiplayer games. Although there is a Scrabble app available; the cost is $2.99, while Words with Friends Free is obviously free! If you enjoy mind-puzzling games, then this app is a must.

Honestly, I have never been a fan of the game Scrabble and barely ever played it. However, Words with Friends is still enjoyable to me because you are able to have multiple online games going on at the same time. As of right now I am involved in six different games with different members of my family. This helps give the game a more fast-paced feel than Scrabble does. The multiplayer feature allows you to create games and challenge select players by typing in their username, or you can just find a random person in the world. The only problems with Words with Friends are that you must have a connection to the internet because there is no player vs. computer option, and there are ads placed on it.  Keep in mind though, that the ads are extremely quick and easy to navigate past and should not be a problem.  Additionally, if you own an iPhone or have an iPad with the purchased service, then having a connection to the internet should not be a problem.

If you are a fan of games that challenge your mind and you like to compete against friends and family, then check out the App Store immediately. If you are not sure whether to buy Scrabble for $2.99 or Words with Friends for free, maybe this will help. Words with Friends contains the same features as Scrabble including: online multiplayer mode, in-game chat with your opponent, shake to shuffle letters, bonus tiles on the board and many more. The difference between the two is Scrabble’s ability to challenge the computer without the need of an internet connection. However, this would only be a problem for users who have an iPod Touch that needs a Wi-Fi connection. In my opinion this small difference is not enough to pay $2.99, when I could play Words with Friends for free. Overall, Words with Friends is an extremely addicting and competitive game that is great for the whole family. You have nothing to lose, head on over to the App Store and download Words with Friends for free to give it a try!

Enjoy playing Words with Friends? What’s your high score? Tell us in the comments!

Source – Words with Friends Free

For some people, fitness is a way of life.  For others, its just another part of their routine.  In order to stay healthy and keep your weight down,you must practice some sort of fitness at some point in your daily schedule. However, sometimes running can be difficult to fit into our busy schedules, or even just kind of boring, but with the Nike iPod package Apple and Nike have made getting fit a little easier.

Before using Nike , you are going to have to purchase a few items including: a pair of Nike shoes, the Nike sensor, and either an iPod Touch or Nike sportband. Along with these come a number of accessories such as an iPod armband, carrying case, and even a heart rate monitor. While these are not required, the armband (if you plan on using an iPod) is recommended, as well as the heart rate monitor. Nike allows you to use two different plans with Nike . The first is with Nike shoes, an iPod, and the Nike sensor. The sensor is placed comfortably beneath the sole of the shoe and is then synced to your iPod by the Nike iPod app, which is free. The other option is to buy the Nike shoes, Nike sportband, and the Nike sensor. Again the sensor is placed beneath the sole, but instead of displaying your fitness information on an iPod, it is displayed on the sportband. This is designed for the person who enjoys exercising without music playing in their ears. A good addition that is compatible with both plans is the Nike Polar Heart Rate Strap. It is strapped to your body and measures your heart rate as you run, while displaying it on either the iPod or sportband.

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The iPad was released in the spring of 2010 and immediately captivated America, leading to the debate over which Apple product to purchase, the iPad or iPod Touch. Within the first 3 months of release, over 3 million iPad’s were sold and they are continuing to be sold today. The numbers show how the popularity of the new device was extremely widespread and it did not fail to meet Apple’s sales expectations. However, is the iPad truly deserving of this much buzz?

Honestly, no. The iPad is not nearly innovative enough to have this much recognition. It is, put simply, a bigger version of the iPod Touch. Both of the products contain excellent features, but there is not enough diversity between the two items to validate the huge price difference. Each includes the ability to play music, view videos and photos, surf the Internet, and download and play Apple approved applications. With that said, the question is: What is the reason for the huge price difference?

The huge price difference has absolutely no justification at all. Obviously the iPad is going to be a little more expensive due to the larger size of the touch screen, but it should not be as drastic as it is. After all, the iPad runs the same operating system as the old iPod touch, displays the same touch sensitive screen, and even contains the same amount of memory. Therefore, excluding the difference in size, the iPad only has one major advantage over the iPod Touch. That only “advantage” is the ability to empty your pockets even more and purchase 3G services from AT&T. This will allow the consumer access to the Internet, without the need for a Wi-Fi connection.

All in all, there is no need to buy an iPad instead of an iPod Touch, unless you absolutely need access to the Internet at all times. Of course this requires you to pay even more money than the initial iPad price. Other than this the only advantage the iPad has is the larger screen. So if you are on the fence about which Apple product to buy, ITK’s advice is to pick the iPod Touch every time.

Agree? Disagree?  Tell us in the comments!

Source – Apple iPad Specs

Source – Apple iPod Touch Specs