I admit it, I’m an Amazon junkie. I get a lot of what I need off the web, and Amazon is one of the best ecommerce sites out there. I was skeptical when I heard about Amazon Prime and their free trial. Two day shipping free- one day shipping for $3.99. Nope, that’s not a typo, for four bucks you can ship millions of eligible items (items Amazon stocks, as opposed to it’s partners) to your house. Free for a whole month. After that they bill you an ANNUAL fee of $79.
Here’s what Amazon has to say:

Amazon Prime members enjoy the following benefits:
Fast Delivery
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
• Upgrades to One-Day (Overnight) Shipping for just $3.99 per item

Simple Shopping
• No minimum purchase required
• Members-only 1-Click buttons on product pages
• No need to think about shipping charges

Convenient Sharing
• Members can share benefits with up to four family members living in the same household

Free Trial
• Amazon Prime new subscribers are invited to try Amazon Prime free, for one month.
After the Free Trial period, customers will be automatically charged the $79 annual fee unless they choose not to upgrade to regular annual memberships at or before the end of the trial period.

So I signed up for the free month, figured I’d order a few things and then cancel. Well the membership paid for itself when I ordered a big piece of exercise equipment. I paid an additional $4 for next day service, figuring I’d get an email explaining I couldn’t do that. Nope, next day it showed up on my doorstep. Suddenly I was able to expect 2 day delivery for free. I find myself upgrading to next day service quite a bit, it’s just nice to have what I need exactly when I want it. A month goes by, I did some math and my shipping last year was already over what a prime membership costs- so I took the plunge. I’ve been happily ordering for months- if you regularly order from Amazon it’s worth your time to take a close look at Amazon Prime.

If you’re a “technophile,” you probably already know that the mp3’s full name is Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3. If you’re an ordinary person who just wants to listen to great music – and lots of it! – then you’ll find that the mp3 is the most revolutionary media system available today. Mp3 players are top-sellers at virtually every local and on-line electronics vendor in the world. If, like some of us, you still fondly recall your vinyl records, eight-track tapes, and cassette tapes, you need to get with the program; the mp3 program, that is! Even music CDs, a technology that was once considered state-of-the-art, is falling into a distance second place compared to the meteoric rise in mp3 technology.

A brief history of the mp3 and how it works in layman’s terms may be helpful to curious new users. Simply, the mp3 is a digital audio encoding format that uses a form of lossy data compression to greatly reduce the amount of data needed to produce top-quality sound. The mp3 technology was developed in the US and Germany in 1991. Since then, these small, hand-held devices have truly revolutionized the world of music. For example, new model cars still come equipped with CD music systems, but also have an auxiliary plug-in for an mp3 device. If all this isn’t mind-boggling enough, the updated mp4 is already in some devices!

In terms of mp3 player sales, the Apple iPod remains firmly at the top of the list. This mp3 device is available in 16gb and 32gb and doesn’t stop at musical capacity; it also allows the viewer to watch recorded television, movies, music videos and podcasts. This mp3 player, according to reviewers, has a 65% brighter screen display than its competitors and has a slimmer, stronger design of a variety of dazzling colors.

But the Apple iPod isn’t the only mp3 player in town; reviewers also cite the Sony Walkman 8gb, the SanDisk Sansa Fuze and the iRiver E100 as good buys. Mp3 accessories that enhance the quality of both sounds and videos are an essential part of all these systems. Regardless of the brand of mp3 player you choose, reviewers favor headphones like the Koss PortaPro, the Sony MDR series, and the Audio-Technica QuietPoint. A sturdy carrying case is necessary to protect your mp3 from the bumps and bruises of being portable devices. Cases to suit every taste are readily available locally or on-line. Make sure you buy the right size case for your particular mp3 player. Also, a carrying case should be more than just attractive; it must be hardy enough to truly protect your valuable mp3 even from being accidentally dropped or from adverse weather if you’re caught outside jogging in a sudden rainstorm.

With today’s ever-advancing mp3 technology, you can not only download your favorite music, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top, but also catch up on a missed episode of “Boston Legal,” relax with the music video of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Dreamer,” laugh with daily podcasts from “The Bob and Tom Show”, and mesmerize yourself with Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Sweeney Todd! Mp3s are rapidly becoming “must-haves” regardless of your age, personal tastes, and degree of techno-sophistication.

CNET has an article that Wolfson (they make audio chips) would not get a lucrative contract for the next generation of media players for a major customer. What makes this interesting is that the customer has to be Apple, and it reveals they have plans to release a new generation of iPods 3rd Quarter 2008. Which makes sense, they’ve done this for the last couple years. Then Gizmodo dug up an apple patent on the Nike/iPod mash up, which looks incredibly cool. It’s an iTunes type application that allows you to integrate a fitness coach and some hardware which records your progress. The two items may not be connected, but it would be really cool if they were. Imagine being able to work out in the gym while listening to your favorite tunes, all the while staying in your target heart rate. Or maybe one day you want to run cross country- no sweat, just take your iPod and go. Be interesting to see what hits the shelves this year!

Scientific American has an interesting article on a brief study conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration that proves iPods won’t interfere with your pacemaker. They used a saline bag as a human analog and tested the electromagnetic emissions, and determined that they were at a safe level for pacemaker users. Granny is safe to listen to her music on that iPod Classic again.

Apple has just introduced a 32GB version of the Touch. You can now store about 7,000 songs, or 40,000 pictures, or 40 hours of video. All the terrific features of the 8/16GB models are retained, including:

• Wireless Support - (Wifi B/G)
• Safari Web browser, with touch screen integration
• Accelerometer enabled so when you turn the unit 90 degrees and it flips the screen, and you can read in a landscape view.
• YouTube Videos
• Search, browse, preview, purchase, and download songs and albums from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store directly
• Download photo albums, and see a list of thumbnail images, and create a slide show

Here’s our full review of the iPod Touch.

Full Press Release

Quick Links

• You can Read More Reviews or Order it Now here.
• Here’s a quick look at 32GB iPod Touches live auctions:

CAR FM TRANSMITTER HOLDER KIT for iPod Touch 16GB 32GB US $13.70 End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 19:28:15 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

6-ITEM ACCESSORY BUNDLE* APPLE iPOD TOUCH 8GB 16GB 32GB US $7.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 19:28:29 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

iPod touch 32GB (MB376LL/A) - Free Shipping US $351.00 (4 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:02:29 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Apple iPhone 3G 2.0 iPod Touch Unlock 8GB 16GB 32GB A US $14.30 (2 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:10:37 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Apple iPhone 3G 2.0 iPod Touch Unlock 8GB 16GB 32GB A US $14.30 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:25:16 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

*SUPER ACCESSORY BUNDLE* APPLE iPOD TOUCH 8GB 16GB 32GB US $12.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:30:00 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Brand New! Apple iPod touch itouch 32GB, *FREE SHIPPING US $439.99 End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:30:36 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

Apple iPhone 3G 2.0 iPod Touch Unlock 8GB 16GB 32GB A US $14.30 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:36:27 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

6-ITEM ACCESSORY BUNDLE* APPLE iPOD TOUCH 8GB 16GB 32GB US $7.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:37:40 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

32GB iPod Touch-No Reserve US $292.11 (7 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 20:48:20 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

• See the current iPod Touch auctions here.

So you either love Bose or you hate them. Some people think their systems sounds terrible, some think just the opposite. I was skeptical of the hype myself, until I received a Bose Wave Radio as a gift. The sound is phenomenal and it is on the SoundDock as well. So the way this works is you cradle your iPod (no more hanging it off an outlet- admit it, you’ve done that) and it charges while it plays. They also have an infrared remote control, so you can change the track, turn up the volume, etc. I would have liked to have seen a radio remote like their home theater systems (line of sight versus changing tracks from another room), but over all it’s a great package. Bose See if you can find one in a live auction.

Mike Elgan at Computerworld Blogs has an interesting article on how the army is using the iPod to aid it in missions in the Middle East. The iPods are loaded with special software (VCommunicator), which allow the soldier to play phrases through speakers or a megaphone. A civilian version is forthcoming, so next time you travel the world your iPod may be doing more talking that you are.

I don’t know about you all, but I’ve lost my songs a couple of times. A Disaster Recovery Service has put out software to fix that…

Stellar Information Systems, the industry’s leading and most advanced provider of data recovery products and services has introduced Stellar Phoenix iPoD Recovery software. This easy to use recovery solution ensures the rescue of all the deleted or lost audio / video files from any iPod. It comes with a unique and easy graphical user interface resembling the original iPod and a glace at gives complete idea about the software. It also facilitates easiest and fastest recovery without any specialized skills. Story continues at IT VAR News.

Steve Jobs (co-founder Pixar) is the CEO of Apple, which he co-founded with Steve Wozniak on April fools day 1976. Originally they just made computers, now the company is now well known for a mobile phone, and of course the iPod media player. They’ve sold over 110 million iPods, so the Touch comes from a history of innovation. Those first Apple computers were hand built by Wozniak in a garage, and financed by among other things, Jobs selling a Volkswagen bus. Last year the company made over $24 billion.

I’ve owned an iPod since 2002 (they were first introduced in October 2001), and overall I’ve been very happy with them. They have always had a sleek and elegant design, and the Touch takes this to an entirely new level. The first thing you notice when you take it out of the box is how small it is (2.4in x 4.3in). The screen is 3.5in diagonal, which is surprisingly readable (480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 pixels per inch). And here’s the kicker- it’s .31″ thick. That’s not a typo, it’s ALMOST too small- it does however fit very easily in a shirt pocket. The unit has a clean minimalistic design- it has one button on the front (home), pretty much everything else is controlled by the touch sensitive screen. You do power it on/off using a button on the top, but the vast majority of actions on the new interface are smooth and fast. So what can do with it? Plenty!

Play Music & Videos

Well sure, kinda the point right? If you have the 16GB model, you can store about 3,500 songs, or 20,000 pictures, or 20 hours of video. For the 8GB you’re looking at those numbers halved. For audio playback it supports AAC (M4A, M4B, M4P, up to 320 Kbps), Apple Lossless (a high-quality compressed format), MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR), WAV, AA (audible.com spoken word, formats 2, 3, and 4) and AIFF. Video is H.264 or MPEG-4. The cover flow feature (seen in the large picture) is great, just drag your finger along and you can pick the album you like. Click an icon and you can see the songs on the album. The unit integrates this drag, drop and flow throughout the entire interface, and it’s very intuitive. Battery life is okay- 22 hours for audio, 5 for video. I’d love to see a removable battery, but alas like its predecessors the battery is hardwired in and not user replaceable.

Surf the Internet over wireless

The Touch has a new killer feature in that it supports wireless (Wifi B/G) connectivity. I plugged it into my wireless at home with minimal effort, and in less than a minute I was able to surf the web using the Safari browser. Not the mobile web mind you, the full Internet. A quick double tap and you can zoom in to read an article. Turn the unit 90 degrees and it flips the screen, and you can read in a landscape view. A minor complaint is typing on the keyboard with my man sized fingers requires a bit of effort, but overall the performance is stunning.

You Tube

You can bring up and search You Tube videos, and the playback is great over wireless, no loss of quality or stuttering.

Integration with iTunes

You can search for, browse, preview, purchase, and download songs and albums from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store directly to iPod touch. Your purchased content is
automatically copied to your iTunes library the next time you sync iPod touch with your computer.

Photos

You can download albums, and see a list of thumbnail images when you choose an album. Touch a thumbnail and the photo opens, or you can create a slideshow.

Extras

There’s also a fairly basic calendar, contacts list, calculator and a clock.

You can read the manual here. Seeing is believing, here’s Apple’s demo on the Touch.

Overall this is the best iPod yet, and it makes a great gift for someone special- and of course yourself!

Order here the 16GB here: Apple 16 GB iPod touch or the 8GB here: Apple 8 GB iPod touch
You can also get a great deal in an auction.

Sources:
Apple
Woz.org
Wikipedia