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Tech Talk
By Rye Silverman
The new iPod Nano
A new iPod should hardly be a surprise to anyone at this point. If there's one thing you can count on, it is that Apple will continue to release newer and fancier versions of their tiny little music-industry changing device. The Nano itself was a twist on the Mini, which was an update on the original. The shapes have changed, the screens became colorful, they learned to play video. But now, the newest version has added not one but two new features. The impressive one is the ability to record video, which can come in handy in an era where everyone wants to be the next YouTube celebrity (I refuse to use the term cewebrity.) Now there really is no excuse not to have footage of that time your buddy got hit in the balls. It's also small enough that the girl you hooked up with might not realize you're filming it. Hello TMZ!
The other new feature, a FM radio receiver, is a little less impressive at first glance. After all, the purpose of buying an iPod always seemed to be to avoid listening to the radio in the first place, right? But features like the ability to pause live radio could really come in handy, especially for those of us addicted to the DVR on our televisions, and a function that allows you to tag a song you like so it can be remembered later when you sync the Nano to iTunes is just plain convenient.
My only wish for the nano is that Apple could find it in their hearts to release one with a larger drive. With iPod Touch units increasing their flash drive capacity to 64gigs, it would be nice if the Nano could follow suit with a small, stable unit capable of holding my entire music library.
Amazon Kindle
This week, Amazon dropped the price of their Kindle readers from $299 to $259 - an
annoyance to those who just shelled out the larger price for sure, but a boon to those of us who were on the fence about it, if only we had just that extra $40. More exciting for folks interested in the eBook reader is not so much the price drop but rather the recent addition of a no-monthly-fee 3G wireless capability that allows users to browse and purchase new books for their device without needing to be near their computer or a wifi hotspot. For the $259, customers can use the device in the U.S., but for only $20 more, it can be used on international networks as well.
The only question that remains is, if Amazon is able to let its users take advantage of 3G service for free, why are all our cell phone providers charging us smartphone users $30 a month for it? Oh, right - 'cause they can.
Starbucks Via
With Via, Starbucks has invented an instant coffee in much the same way as they invented the coffee shop, as in, they didn't invent it at all but you wouldn't know it from their advertising. Still, as with the shops, even though their new product has existed for a while, their version of it is pretty darn good. Unlike other instant coffees which can sort of taste more like a coffee-flavored tea, a cup of Via does taste and smell like a fresh brewed cup of joe. A 12-serving pack runs about ten dollars, though I was first introduced to it by a gentleman at Easton mall carrying a coffee tank on his back that contained a pressure hose making it look strikingly like the slime dispensers from Ghostbusters II. While a tan jumpsuit would have helped seal the deal, the fact that this man had a free coffee backpack made him my personal hero.
Originally Published: October 14, 2009
