Apple has scheduled a press event for Sept. 9 where it will almost certainly release a new version of the iPod touch.
The iTouch next-generation isn’t expected to be dramatically different from the current one, but will likely have a camera and include the basic video editing software that debuted with the iPhone 3GS. In addition, it’s rumored to be the first iPod touch with a microphone, allowing it to easily be converted into a Wi-Fi phone.
Storage capacity is likely to be boosted. No word yet on pricing. Apple is also expected to introduce iTunes 9, which may make managing software on the iPod touch easier.
Samsung’s Mondi (below) uses an 800MHz ARM11 chip and Samsung’s CMC-730 Mobile WiMAX chipset. It’s available now from Clear for $450.
With WiMAX, the iTouch might offer most of the location-based apps and services of the AppStore — without the restrictions of AT&T/iPhone exclusivity.
Conceivably, Apple could offer a $500 device with a $50 voice/data plan using Clear WiMAX.
Not that they’re likely to — this week anyway. Still, the iPhone 3G S uses a 600 MHz 32-bit ARM Cortex A8 RISC processor. It’s also used in the iPhone 3GS, Archos 5, Palm Pre, Samsung i8910 and Nokia N900 and not that different from the 800MHz ARM11 used in the Mondi.
A Taiwanese research group unveiled an Android reference device made from WiMax chips and an ARM926 microprocessor. Here’s a comparison between the ARM 926, 1136 and Cortex-A8. Beecem and Sequans also make single chip device solutions. Their software runs on ARM processors.
Whether Apple will announce its first tablet is an open question. Rumors of this device have been flying for months
Meanwhile, Asus is preparting an Eee-book reader with a hinged spine, opening like a traditional book and closing into tablet form, says says Times Online. Users could view the text of their book on one screen while browsing a Web page on the other.
The Asus e-reader would have a full color screen, and it may also feature speakers, a Webcam, and a mic for Skype, enabling cheap phone calls over the Internet, says C/Net.
The Eee Reader is expected to have a UK price tag in the neighborhood of $165. There was no mention of when the Eee Reader would arrive in the United States or how much it would cost on this side of the Atlantic.
