If you’re responsible for recharging the iPods and iPhones of a couple of soccer teams then Parat’s Parasync is going to save you a whole lot of plugging and unplugging. The desktop charging station packs a full twenty slots for various combinations of iPod nano 4G, touch, iPhone and classic, but even better can be used to synchronize them all with iTunes.
Video demo after the cut
Cue the usual “Apple’s gadgets are hot property” puns and “so cool they’re burning up” jokes; two Apple devices have reportedly combusted or exploded, with the company allegedly requiring one owner to sign a gagging-agreement before paying out compensation. In Liverpool, UK, a teenage girl’s iPod touch exploded, having first hissed violently and increased in temperature, while in Leiden, Netherlands, an iPhone 3G caught fire and burnt through a car seat.
A new paperless payment system that uses an iPhone or iPod touch is currently being trialled in an NYC store. Codenamed Square, the system involves a small plastic card reader which plugs into the PMP’s headphones socket; this is used to read the credit card’s magnetic stripe, with the price tapped in on-screen and the customer signing with their fingertip.
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iLuv have officially announced the iEA15 iPod Remote Adapter, intended for owners of Apple's PMPs who want both to use their own headphones and control their music without whipping out the iPod itself. Contrary to some premature reports, the iEA15 does not work with the iPhone; however it will support VoiceOver on the third-gen iPod shuffle.
The September launch speculation for Apple’s tablet – aka the Apple Media Pad - continues, with Chinese newspaper Apple Daily reporting that Wintek have won the contract for the touchscreen device’s display, while Dynapack ITC will be supplying the battery. The paper goes on to describe the device as having a 10-inch display and 3G connectivity, tipping its launch at the same time as Apple’s iPod refresh in September.
Apple’s internet tablet, aka the Apple Media Pad, has racked up another mainstream press mention over the weekend, with the Financial Times reporting that the “up to 10-inch” device will arrive in time for the holidays and potentially be launched alongside a new interactive media system that record companies hope will drive digital album sales. Codenamed “Cocktail” according to those familiar with the project, the system has seen Apple partner with EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group, to develop a package of interactive booklet, sleeve and other information.
Streaming music service Spotify have submitted a mobile version of their desktop internal radio software to Apple’s App Store, which - if approved – would allow users to stream their choice of individual tracks, albums and playlists to their iPhone and iPod touch handsets.
While pricing for the app is likely to be free, it’s been suggested in the past that users would be required to sign up for Spotify’s premium service. While the company offers an ad-supported free desktop version, interspersing tracks with occasional adverts, the premium £9.99 per month ($16) package removes the adverts and increases audio quality.
Updated: Spotify have confirmed that it will be only accessible to Premium subscribers; check out their demo video after the cut
SlashGear has heard that the issue affecting promo codes and App Store titles rated 17+ has been fixed, and that developers responsible for such software will indeed be able to pass out free-access trials to reviewers. The problem, which we reported last Friday, concerned Apple’s terms and conditions for age restrictions.
Under Apple’s initial guidelines, any application that allowed for internet access to third party content – such as Twitter or IM clients – should automatically carry a 17+ rating and thus, under their trial terms, be ineligible for promo codes. What we’re hearing is that while the age restriction terms are unchanged, developers of 17+ apps will, in fact, be allowed to give out such codes.
We’re waiting on an official comment from either Apple or the developers who initially brought the issue to our awareness. We’ll update when we’ve heard more.
Further evidence of the upcoming iPod touch and iPod nano camera refresh is spilling uncontrollably out of China, with multiple different cases being hawked with the new PMPs dimensions and capabilities. Cult of Mac have been collating the various silicon and hard-plastic cases and sleeves, each of which show a centrally-positioned camera for the iPod touch 3G and a lower left-hand camera for the iPod nano 5G.
With all the renewed talk of an Apple touchscreen MID or “Media Pad” recently, it’s about time we saw another decent mockup of what such a device might look like. Happily notorious Apple renderer Isamu Sanada has delivered just that, with what he calls the MacBook touch.
SlashGear Japan
