ezGear offers new iPod cases...

ezGear has announced a new line of cases for the Apple iPod nano and iPod Classic. All cases are made of silicone, provide access to all ports, buttons, and switches, provide protection for the iPod screen and include additional accessories. The ezSkin Slimline for iPod nano G3 has a thin screen protector and a removable neck strap. It is available in four individual colors Onyx Black, Frost White, Ruby Red, and Princess Pink. There are also two three packs. Three Pack A comes with Onyx, Frost, and Princess. Three pack B comes with Cool Blue, Ultra-Lime and Ruby Red. ezSkin Slimline for iPod nano G3's suggested retail price is $25.  The Three pack's suggested retail price is $35.

iPod classic may be a 'stopgap' device...

Market research firm iSuppli has torn down Apple's new iPod classic, saying that the device has taken a backward-looking approach to personal media player functionality as well as technology. "While the rest of the iPod line has migrated to solid-state flash memory, the new iPod classic continues to employ venerable Hard-Disk Drive (HDD) technology for storage," the company wrote. "Furthermore, the iPod classic lacks some of the other advanced features found in the other new iPods, namely wireless capability and a touch screen." Apple can offer the iPod classic at a lower price than the its predecessor with increased capacity, but iSuppli says the dated features suggest "stopgap" measures that will likely limit the classic's life span and success in the market.

Mail, Google Maps come to hacked iPod touch...

Hackers claim to have successfully brought Mail, Google Maps, and other third-party applications to Apple's iPod touch in spite of Apple's decision to ship the device without those programs. The Cupertino-based company began shipping its higher-priced iPhone in late June of this year with Mail and Google Maps built-in, but removed these applications from its iPod touch before launching the WiFi-enabled portable player at a special event on September 5th. Following a series of attempts to break through Apple's security on both its iPhone and iPod touch, hackers managed to 'jailbreak' the devices which allowed them read and write access to the filesystems, which enabled developers to write and install their own non-Web-based software on the gadgets.