Mobile Mania

Looks like that Bluetooth chip in the iPod Touch 2G we've always thought was for Nike+ suddenly got a lot more useful: Apple's Greg Joswiak said that Bluetooth can be "unlocked" on the device during the iPhone OS 3.0 Q&A session. That's two years of rumors to rest, right there, and a solid move, seeing as three of the major 3.0 features are A2DP, wireless accessory control and peer-to-peer connections over Bluetooth. Any touch owners feeling more inclined to drop the $9.95 now?

Apple has quietly introduced a new 4GB iPod shuffle. Not only is it bigger on the inside -- it's smaller on the outside. So small, in fact, that it has no buttons other than the shuffle mode switch. All the controls are now on the earbud cord, which means that you'll be stuck using Apple's own earbuds until third party versions make it to stores.

The new Shuffle also talks to you. Press the center button on the remote (a long press) and the "VoiceOver" function will tell you the name of the song and artist you are listening to, and it will also read your playlists. This is a rather helpful new feature, especially since, at 4GB, the Shuffle is approaching the capacity of the original full-sized white iPod.

VoiceOver speaks 14 languages, from Spanish to Mandarin. The actual speech is generated by iTunes and then schlepped across to the Shuffle when you sync. This means that if you are syncing with a Mac running OS X Leopard (the latest version) you get to hear the rather good robotic voice of Alex. If you are running an older version of the OS, or using a PC you get a rather crappy voice. You can check them out here at the Apple site.

And because the Shuffle now reads out your playlists, you can skip through them until you find the right one. Suggestion: Keep the names short and distinctive to avoid frustration.

The new iPod also loses a couple of hours in battery life -- 10 instead of 12, and costs a little more at $80. The old Shuffle is still available in 1GB form for $50.

The iPhone is set to get a face lift. Apple will show off a new version of the iPhone operating system, iPhone 3.0, on March 17, along with a new version of the phone's software development kit.

While details are scanty, iPhone 3.0 could include features such as universal search, multimedia messaging and an updated user interface.

Apple will unveil the new OS and SDK at a media event for reporters and bloggers at Apple's Cupertino, California, campus at 10 a.m. Pacific time next Tuesday.

"In the past two weeks Apple has introduced new Mac hardware and a new iPod shuffle, for which the company simply issued a press release," Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says in a note. "The fact that Apple is hosting an event for the iPhone OS 3.0 shows that it will likely involve meaningful changes to the iPhone feature set."

The software preview event could also be a sign that an iPhone refresh is coming this summer. Version 2.0, the last big upgrade to the iPhone OS, was released in July last year, along with the new iPhone 3G.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs will likely be a no-show at the company's event, but Apple won't let that hold it back. In January, Jobs said he will take five months off for medical leave. In his place, it's possible that marketing head Phil Schiller, who keynoted at Macworld, will lead the event; iPhone software chief Scott Forstall is also a likely candidate.

Some bloggers and analysts have been suggesting that Apple will launch a new version of the iPhone at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. But new hardware will require an updated SDK and possibly a new version of the operating system. Those speculations align well with Apple's planned event next week.

Among the features that users can expect with the new iPhone OS are multimedia messaging and tethering via Bluetooth and USB, according to the Boy Genius Report. Universal search and a redesigned user interface are also possible, says Piper Jaffray's Munster.

Palm, which is set to release the Palm Pre phone in the next few months, will have universal search as one of its significant features. Universal search allows users to look through the contacts, e-mails and documents on their phone as well as search the internet with a single search string.

Apple's last enhancement to the iPhone software came in November 2008, when it offered Version 2.2. The update offered features such as Google Street Views, improvements to e-mail, and measures to reduce dropped calls.

What would you like to see in the new Apple OS? Let us know in the comments.

The mother of a kid living in Cincinnati, Ohio is suing Apple and 10 unnamed retail employees from the Apple Store in Kenwood over an iPod touch that allegedly exploded in the child's pocket. According to the complaint filed yesterday in the Southern District of Ohio, the plaintiff had the "iTouch" (as the lawsuit refers to it) in his pocket during school when the unfortunate accident happened, resulting in hospital bills and other monetary losses thanks to the disintegration of the iPod touch and, well, the kid's clothes.

As the story goes, the iPod touch was sitting in the "off" position when it unexpectedly popped and caused the kid to feel a burning sensation. At that time, he stood up and noticed that his pants were, in fact, on fire. "Plaintiff A.V. immediately ran to the bathroom and took off his burning pants with the assistance of a friend," reads the complaint. "On said date and at said time, the Apple iTouch had burned through Plaintiff A.V.'s pants pocket and melted through his nylon/spandex underwear, burning his leg."



Upon learning these facts, much of the staff here at Ars took an inordinate amount of time out of our busy day to discuss whether this was a reasonable possibility. The lowest melting point of nylon is approximately 374 degrees Fahrenheit—a temperature that an iPod touch could not reasonably reach without you noticing beforehand (that's hotter than the temperature it takes to fry an egg, by the way). However, because the lawsuit claims there was fire involved, all bets have to be off. Fire is most definitely hot enough to melt nylon, and if there was an explosion to cause the "pop," then there may not have been a way for the kid to notice the heat beforehand.



The plaintiff went directly to the doctor, where he was declared to have received second degree burns to his leg. "He continues to suffer from both physical and mental conditions which will cause him to suffer pain, mental distress, emotional distress, and otherwise for the rest of his life," reads the lawsuit. The plaintiff's mother says that the family was not warned in advance of the potential risk that the "iTouch" would cause serious bodily injury, and Apple's 10 retail employees had a duty to not only test for this, but also warn customers.

As a result, Apple and the retail employees are accused of gross negligence and recklessness, as they supposedly conducted themselves maliciously and fraudulently when selling the iTouch. The mother asking for compensatory damages of more than $75,000 plus punitive damages of more than $75,000 and attorney fees.

We just hope that Apple's insurance includes something about underwear meltage.