The World’s Smallest Music Player

I used to think the first-generation pack-of-gum-sized iPod shuffle was nice to have for easy portability, but it just keeps shrinking. Two weeks ago, Apple released the world’s smallest music player - the third generation iPod shuffle. It’s smaller than a AA battery, and half the size of the second generation shuffle. The new shuffle is so small there is no room for a screen, buttons or controls.

This little thing holds up to 1,000 songs, has 10 hours of battery life and you can control everything from a tiny remote on the earbud cord. With the push of a button, you can play, pause, adjust volume or switch playlists. Additionally, with the new VoiceOver feature, you speak to hear your song titles, artists, playlist names and status information (i.e. battery life). There are 14 different languages you can set your voice to: English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and retails for $79 at your nearest Apple Store (www.apple.com) or Mac Made Easy in Kailua (www.maceasy.com).


On top of that, last week the iPhone world had some exciting developments unfold. Apple announced the Beta of iPhone OS 3.0 that includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) featuring more than 1,000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

This enables developers to create even more innovative apps for our entertainment. “The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike. It will keep us years ahead of the competition,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

Apple also announced more than 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer, including cut, copy and paste (can be done within or across applications); MMS to send and receive photos in e-mails; landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth; syncing Notes to the Mac and PC; shake to shuffle; parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots. It also will include a new Voice Memo app and expanded search capability for all key iPhone apps, as well as a Spotlight search across the iPhone or iPod touch, and search within mail (one of my pet peeves is that I can’t do it now).

Today the App Store has an overwhelming 25,000-plus applications to choose from. It’s hard to imagine what else will come with the 3.0 software - there is talk about various devices you’ll be able to connect (via the dock connector or Bluetooth), such as a blood-pressure monitor or a keyboard. Look for the iPhone OS 3.0 this summer (free for iPhone owners, $9.95 for iPod touch users). The SDK for developers is ready for download now: developer.apple.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: HearPlanet

HearPlanet claims it turns your iPhone into a talking tour guide and brings the world to your ears. This free app came out a couple months ago, but I just downloaded it last weekend. Since then, I’ve been having it play back facts about the places I visit, and I’ve learned so much about my neighborhood.

There are a few bugs that need to be worked out, but for free, I’m not complaining. For some reason the audio didn’t work on my husband’s iPhone. It worked fine on mine, but it seemed choppy and didn’t flow very well. The voice is robotic-sounding, but it’s nice to have the option to either read the text myself or have the audio playback running.

This is a great travel tool, and it will let you leave that clunky tour book behind on your next trip. I can’t wait to use HearPlanet on my next adventure. Find this app in the iTunes App Store, or visit www.hearplanet.com for more information.

The Other e-Reader: Sony PRS-700

You may remember my column a few weeks ago about the Kindle 2. Since then, Amazon announced it would no longer enable the text-to-speech (audiobook-type) feature on the Kindle 2 as a default. Sad, but this was inevitable since the feature could take away and possibly compete with audiobook sales.

Another new e-Reader on the block and competitor to the Kindle 2 is Sony’s third generation Kindle 2. It came out late last year and it’s sleek compared to the Kindle, weighing in at only 10 ounces with an eye-catching black finish and 6-inch-long touch screen.

“Readers now have another choice in digital books,” says Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “This new model has the eye-popping design and intuitive functionality that people have come to expect from Sony.”

This version seems to be designed for more interactive reading compared to its predecessor, PRS-505. You can flip the pages with a slide of your finger and you can search within a document or book, create notes with the virtual keyboard and highlight text with the included stylus pen. Five preset text sizes allow you to adjust the size and zoom as necessary.

In addition, the 700 features a high-resolution, high-contrast electronic paper display that resembles ink-on-paper. This results in crisp text and graphics that are highly readable, even in bright sunlight. On the contrary, when it’s dark, there’s a built-in LED reading light.

You can store about 350 digital books or, with an additional Memory Stick Duo or SD memory card, it can hold thousands of books and documents. The reader uses minimal power, and you can view up to 7,500 pages on a single charge. Multiple file formats are supported (i.e. Adobe PDFs or Microsoft Word docs).

After looking at both stores, the Sony eBook Store has a much smaller selection than Amazon’s Kindle Store, and overall the eBook prices seem to be a bit high (the average book is about $12). There are only about 100,000 titles available (compared to Amazon’s 240,000). The PRS-700 costs about $400 (www.sonystyle.com). The PRS-700 is beautiful, but it seems the Kindle 2 is a better deal.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Kindle For iPhone

Since I’m leaning toward a Kindle, I want you to know that a couple weeks ago Amazon.com introduced Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch, an awesome alternative to buying an actual Kindle. As long as you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you really don’t need to buy a Kindle or Kindle 2 with the release of this new app.

As with a regular Kindle/Kindle 2, you have access to the Kindle Store’s 240,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers. With the signature newly Whispersync technology, your reading is bookmarked across your Kindle, Kindle 2, iPhone or iPod touch, so you’ll never lose your place. Since I don’t have an actual Kindle, I tested out Whispersync with my iPhone and iPod touch. It works flawlessly and with various books.

In addition to the ability to access your entire Kindle library, you can adjust the text size, add bookmarks and view notes and highlights. The only drawback is that you need to download your books directly from Amazon and not from your iPhone/iPod touch. Download Kindle for iPhone from the iTunes App Store, or visit www.amazon.com/kindlestore for more information.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

I can picture that iconic freaky-looking girl with the long wet/greasy hair in Ju-on (aka The Grudge) and The Ring. The acclaimed 2005 hit F.E.A.R. first-person shooter paranormal horror game brought us Alma, a chilling similar figure to the game world. Developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the part-shooter, part-thriller F.E.A.R. 2 came out last month and is the sequel to the first F.E.A.R.

Project Origin’s gameplay starts off shortly before the ending of the first F.E.A.R. while a Special Forces squad is on a routine mission. The city of Auburn is jolted by a supernatural explosion.

Alma, the eerie girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, has unleashed her wrath and caused chaos upon the city. As part of the squad, you must find a way to combat the enemy forces and the supernatural beings as you struggle to stop Alma before it’s too late.


Many of the scares you experience come from the game’s atmosphere itself. When your flashlight shines in the dark and you see ghostly shadows while hearing freaky music, it gives you chicken skin. You’ll end up walking through crumbling remains of schools, hospitals and alleys while being stalked by scary creatures. You’ll need to use everything possible to fight the supernatural forces.

You probably don’t want to play this right before bed as you’ll see some freaky images in this game. If you already played the first F.E.A.R., this one can be somewhat predictable without many surprises. While you’re in battle, the slow-motion shootouts are fun, but I wasn’t impressed with the clichéd random scares and the lack of suspense. Additionally, playing in the multiplayer mode is a bit boring, as it seems to be more predictable.

This game isn’t for everyone, but if you’re into horror flicks and shooter games, you’ll probably enjoy it.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is rated “M” for Mature and is available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $59.99, and Games for Windows/PC ($49.99). For more information visit whatisfear.com.

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Click Chick's App of the Week: Fring
The inspiration for this comes from one of the ladies in my running group. She was voicing her concerns to me about her additional iPhone charges, especially when she travels abroad.

Other than turning off the phone’s Data Roaming, the simple solution is to install Fring on your iPhone to make Skype calls and more. Fring allows iPhone and iPod touch users to integrate just about all your online communities into one app - Skype, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo! and AIM. The concern is being able to make long-distance calls while abroad. If you have a Skype account, and as long as you have a Wi-Fi spot to hook up to, those long-distance phone calls are free with Skype.

Personally I don’t use Skype, but I enjoy Fring for the fusion of all the other items. I especially use it to Twitter and chat when I’m bored waiting for appointments, etc. Visit fring.com for more information, or download it directly from the iTunes Store.

Money-saving Tips For Techies

Considering the stock market and the economy these days, I want to offer some tips from the tech side to help you save some money. You may remember my column in December listing some money-saving websites. Here are some more ideas

For The Gamers:
If you’re into video games, it can be expensive to buy every single new title that pops out. Consider using GameFly (game-fly.com), the Netflix for games. There are more than 6,000 titles available for the PlayStation 2/3, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. Free shipping is offered, and member fees start at $15.95 (one game at a time), or $22.95 (for two at a time). The cost of this beats dropping $50 or more a month for each new game.

Watching TV/Movies:
If you primarily watch the local networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) and are hurting for money right now, you don’t really need that cable or satellite service, do you? Using a traditional antenna isn’t so bad - you can catch high-definition broadcasts on the air with good ol’ rabbit ears. Visit antennaweb.org to see which antenna best suits your location. You enter in your home address and, based on your location, the site tells you what type of antenna best suits the channel you’re trying to catch (i.e. on my search, it gave me back Yellow UHF for ABC, Yellow VHF for FOX, Red VHF for CBS and Blue VHF for PBS). It even tells you the compass heading.

As long as you have Internet connectivity, you can catch some cable shows (and movies) with Hulu.com or YouTube.com. MGM soon will have its own channel on YouTube offering full movies. If you want to go to the extreme, I do know a rare few people with absolutely no TVs in their households.

They say it encourages more reading and a higher value of education for their keiki. I give them credit; it would be difficult for me to live without any gadgets or TVs in the house.

Selling Old Gadgets/Buying Refurbished

Instead of just throwing away or recycling your old gadget, make money off it. There are websites out there that will buy your old stuff and put money in your pocket (with free shipping) - buymytronics.com and gazelle.com, to name a couple. To give you an idea, my still-functioning first generation iPod nano (4GB) came back around $15. You won’t receive a huge bundle, but every little bit helps!

Don’t be afraid to purchase refurbished or returned items. As long as you select your item carefully, you are making a wise choice - the only difference is the price. Other than that, a refurb is basically something that may be a returned item, recertified (factory tested and repackaged), floor models or a damaged product that has been repaired and tested. You will not lose out on the warranty, either. Here are some sites you can check out: refurbdepot.com, techforless.com, warehousedeals.com (run by Amazon), and Apple and Sony both have an excellent refurbished goods program.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: My Budget Money Management

Going hand-in-hand with the above information, I find Tausendstern’s My Budget Money Management iPhone app extremely helpful. It came out in November, but I only started using it last month to help keep better track of my money.

The interface is simple and helps you track your expenditures at a glance with your iPhone. First you set how much your overall budget is for the month. You can then set up recurring charges, such as your mortgage and car payments, and you enter in your other expenses under the appropriate categories. My Budget comes preloaded with 10 categories, and some of the more useful ones are auto, groceries, household, utilities and entertainment. You can delete the ones you don’t use and add your own. Additionally, all currencies are supported.

This may not be as extensive as some of the other budget apps out there, but I find the simplicity refreshing. As soon as I purchase something, I can whip out my iPhone and log it in before I lose the receipt.

Find it in the iTunes App Store under “My Budget Money Management,” or visit tausend-stern.com/mybudget for more information.