Top of the rumour tree is a new iPod Touch, and this fourth generation is whispered to be the most social of iPods yet.

Apple iPod Touch Rumours

The recent leaks of a supposed case and the digitiser for the new device all show it to have a hole in the top that’s roughly tiny camera sized. Given that Apple somewhat oddly stuck a camera on the iPod Nano (maybe Del Boy Jobs got a job lot) it would make sense for them to incorporate one into their premier PMP.

This would no doubt introduce Apple’s FaceTime video calling to those without an iPhone 4 and will allow iOS apps designed for the front camera to run on cheaper hardware. So will we see Skype video calling on the iPod Touch? You never know.

Apple TV Rumours

The other big rumour in Appleland is a(nother) revamp of the ailing Apple TV device. Currently only popular with a few consumers and techheads willing to hack it, Jobs is still backing the device long after the general public and are not.

The word is that Apple TV will return to its original moniker of iTV (um, may not happen here Steve) and will run iOS instead of a cut-down and skinned OSX, allowing access to the all-important App Store.

Certainly this would appeal to the iCrowd and if it can out-Google the forthcoming Google TV system with plenty of social interaction and syncing with iPods and iPhones, it may well find itself a niche in the living room, especially at the rumoured price of $99

[Source: Techwhack, Appleinsider]

Our sister-site MobileMentalism.com, recently reported a twist in the use of the Google Media Server which meant you could effectively turn your mobile phone into a remote control. Apple (slightly behind the times) has release a freebie which they are calling Remote… nice to see they thought long and hard about the name. Read on for more details.

Once installed this freebie from Apple will turn you iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control for your Apple TV and iTunes. Apple have reported you can also control iTunes on your PC and Mac, so they have not completely stopped you from using other company’s software. Remote works by using the WiFi capabilities of the two devices to access you media store. Once connected you can access playlists, search your library, and even control your AirTunes speakers.

There is certainly something lacking for me, in a world which is opening up the possibilities, allowing you to access information and applications like never before. Apple is still there saying, you can’t do this, it is ours, we will let you use our software but you will only be able to access the media in your iTunes. This is a mentality which worked once in a while but when you have things like, Google Media Server or Orb, why should you settle for only accessing media in your iTunes when you can access all the media on your PC, Mac or Apple TV.

If all you want to do is access your iTunes then give it a go but keep in mind there are other options out there. If you want to find out some other options open to you check out lifehacker.

[Source: Engadget]

You bought a nice new Apple TV and when you switch it on you find out it does exactly what it says on the box, but somehow that is not enough… Never fear the industrious hacking community are there to save the day, there are many improvements to be made although many of the hacks are not for the faint of heart. If you are brave enough you could, for example, make your Apple TV run faster, quieter and cooler!

Just open up your shiny Apple TV, remove the hard drive, hook it up to a Mac and create a disk image of the drive. Copy the image to a SSD before inserting the drive into the box.

All done but is it really worth it? The amount of money you save in the long run due to lower power consumption will never be able to offset the initial investment as SSDs are still expensive however you will get a quieter, cooler Apple TV which runs slightly faster if you get a fast enough SSD.

For more hacks visit Apple TV Hacks.

[Source: Apple TV Hacks, tgdaily.]

This is the Hitachi Wooo (yup, right number of ‘o’s!), a gigantic 50 inch plasma HD-TV that comes with one or two tricks up its sleeve. Obviously it comes with the usual you’d expect from a top-end HD-TV – 3 HDMI ports, 10,000:1 contrast ratio and various audio out jacks.

But its real star turn is the addition of a removable 250GB hard drive included within the HD-TV itself. Add to that an SD/MMC card reader and the ability to plug the hard drive directly into your PC or even car stereo (?!), and you have an innovative new way of transferring your media. Not quite media streaming, but an easy way of moving your TV programmes and films around with you, nonetheless.

More details and pictures of the Hitachi Wooo HD-TV after the jump.

The removable hard drive is based on the new iVDR (the awkwardly-titled Information Versatile Disk for Removable Usage) standard. This is aimed to provide a ‘universal hard drive’ that can be slotted into any device that uses a hard drive. Current scenarios envisage moving your content-filled hard drive between your PC, HD-TV, car navigation system and even a mobile audio-visual player (i.e. a PMP).

Personally, I think the ability to transfer your content wirelessly is a much better option, be it via DLNA, Bluetooth or even good old Wi-Fi. However, for archive purposes, or using your media outside the home (in your car or PMP, for example), a hot-swappable plug and play ruggeed hard-drive is a great idea.

As far as Hitachi’s Wooo is concerned, you can use its hard drive to record your TV programmes or films, with the hard drive helping the Wooo act as a PVR. The Wooo has onboard analogue and digital TV tuners, enabling you to record one TV programme onto the hard drive while watching another programme on a different channel.

You can then remove the hard drive, plug it into your PMP, and watch your recorded TV programmes while flying across the Atlantic (for example!).

You can also buy iVDR hard-drives (or cartridges, as they’re known) pre-loaded with films – and with up to 250GB to spare, you can get over 5,000 movies on one cartridge (apparently, though this figure seems a little high!). Hitachi has partnered with Warner to do just this.

The Hitachi Wooo release date is April 20th, in Japan only at the moment. How well the iVDR concept will do, we’ll just have to wait and see, as despite the vision, there aren’t that many iVDR-equipped gadgets out at the moment with which to swap your iDVR cartridge to.

[NewLaunches]

Not content with making everyone at CES 2007 feel they went to the wrong conference with the launch of the iPhone at MacWorld, Steve Jobs rubbed a little more salt into the wound with the new Apple TV. The Apple TV is a small set top box that will stream video, pics and tunes from your computer (PC or mac, naturally) to your TV.

At first glance, the Apple TV looks like a great media streamer. Apple makes interfaces like no-one else (just look at the new iPhone’s), and the glorious-looking interface of your average Mac looks much more at home on your telly than the equivalent from Microsoft.

However, all is not as good as it seems. Read on for more details and pics of the Apple TV.

The Apple TV features the newest WiFi standard (draft N), ensuring it’ll stream your videos and tunes quickly (but only if you buy Apple’s Airport Extreme WiFi basestations). It also comes with a built-in 40GB hard drive, which lets you save the media you stream ontp the Apple TV itself, rather than having to fire up your PC every time you want some content.

Media streamers are difficult beasts to tame, as they stream media from a computer, which traditionally has a very business-like interface, onto your TV, which obviously is much more home-friendly. As such, much of the appeal of a streamer will be down to its interface. Too Windows-like, and you’ll feel like you’re at work, when all you want to do is view your family’s holiday pics.

Fortunately, the Apple TV has no problems here, as an Apple interface always looks good whatever context it’s set in – work or the home. For example, you view your pics using a list of folders, bit rather than just have a list displayed (too PC-like), you see all the pics included in the selected folder scrolling towards you on the left of the list (very Mac-like!).

There are downsides, though. Apple in its wisdom, has decided that all media played by the Apple TV must be in iTunes format. Look through your music and video collection – how many tunes and videos that you have are in iTunes format? Granted you might have a fair selection, but what about your MP3s, or even legitimate videos you sourced from places other than iTunes? Nope, won’t play!

Worse, the best quality resolution the Apple TV supports is 640×480, which is hardly hi-def, and looks crap on an HDTv.

So, just as with the iPhone, it looks like Apple’s done it again – frustrated us all with a product with a glorious interface, but which is so restricted and locked in that’s it’s virtually unusable! Grrrrr!

[Source: Apple, The Unofficial Apple WebLog]