Griffin ships iTrip Pocket FM transmitter...

Griffin Technology today announced its new, pocket-sized FM transmitter for iPod: its new iTrip Pocket now available and shipping, brings all the functionality as other products in the iTrip family as well as a few innovative new features--in a new, smaller form-factor. iTrip Pocket lets iPod users listen over the FM radio in their car, without encumbering wires. Barely bigger than the dock connector it plugs into, iTrip Pocket is designed to perfectly match the profile of the 2nd generation iPod nano, though it also works with other dock connector iPod models. iTrip Pocket broadcasts the audio signal from the user's iPod to any user-selected FM frequency, sharing the music with the whole car. iTrip Pocket FM Transmitter for iPod (4042-NTRPDA) is priced at $50.

Apple: We didn't send iPhone/Leopard e-mail...

The momentous faux email that send Apple's stock price plummeting down more than $5 and prompted a retraction from its original publisher (Engadget) is now the subject of dispute by Apple officials. According to a report from eWeek, Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris flatly denies the claim that the email triggering the inflammatory story originated internally. Kerris also reiterated earlier statements indicating that the iPhone is on track for a June launch, while Leopard is still scheduled for October with a public beta of the new operating system due during the week of Apple's Worldwide Developer conference (WWDC), starting June 11th.

Class action lawsuit filed against Apple...

The law offices of Peter Polischuk and Robert Dreher have filed suit on behalf of a class of plaintiffs alleging that Apple made "false claims" about the superior display capabilities of the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Class participants purport that the following marketing claims were made by Apple: "a nuanced view simply unavailable on other portables; "TFT display with support for millions of colors;" Aperture as "the ultimate photographer's workstation" Those claims are, at least in part, constituent of deception and misrepresentation, according to the plaintiffs, who claim that instead of adhering to the aforementioned degree of refinement, MacBook and MacBook Pro displays have been prone to flaws like "grainy" or "sparkly" quality, banding in gradients, and distracting lines of distortion.

iPod nano-rivalling Zen Wav coming?...

Creative is about to make another attempt at upsetting Apple in the mid-range flash player business, as shown by a photo snapped at a Singapore retail shop. The Zen Wav will have a smooth, rounded metallic (or metal-like) shell similar to the iPod nano. By using the small directional pad borrowed from the Zen V line, however, the company will integrate a pair of speakers to provide public listening without a speaker dock. Also divulged in the leak is a 1.5-inch screen for displaying photos and videos, an FM radio, and recording for either its voice microphone or a direct line-in jack.

MacBook/Pro display lawsuit: the beef...

The law offices of Peter Polischuk and Robert Dreher have filed suit on behalf of a class of plaintiffs alleging that Apple made "false claims" about the superior display capabilities of the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Class participants purport that the following marketing claims were made by Apple: "a nuanced view simply unavailable on other portables; "TFT display with support for millions of colors;" Aperture as "the ultimate photographer's workstation" Those claims are, at least in part, constituent of deception and misrepresentation, according to the plaintiffs, who claim that instead of adhering to the aforementioned degree of refinement, MacBook and MacBook Pro displays have been prone to flaws like "grainy" or "sparkly" quality, banding in gradients, and distracting lines of distortion.

Toyota iPod Integration Kit due this summer

Toyota has teamed up with a marketing firm to launch a new campaign that will push its iPod Integration Kit, which is slated for availability this summer. The campaign will back Toyata's kit across 35 European countries, according to howdo, with the strapline of "Coming soon to a glove box near you." Toyota's iPod Integration Kit enables users to plug an iPod into a vehicle's glove box and use the steering wheel or standard audio system to control Apple's portable player. Scosche Industries earlier this month announced that it is already shipping a radio replacement interface for Toyota vehicles alongside a Toyota auxiliary input iPod interface to integrate full iPod control. [corrected]

NewerTech unveils Guardian MAXimus storage

Newer Technology (NewerTech) today unveiled the Guardian MAXimus, its first low-cost FireWire and USB 2 external RAID 1 storage solution. The Guardian MAXimus provides "live activity" backup/data redundancy via RAID 1 hardware mirroring to provide uninterrupted full data accessibility in the event of a hard drive failure. A front panel LED display provides drive access as well as status information, and the system guards against data loss by writing the same information in real-time to two separate drives for a mirrored copy of all data. The Guardian MAXimus offers up to 1TB of storage with 64MB of drive cache total, and utilizes a custom Oxford 924 based bridge solution. Ports include two FireWire 800, one FireWire 400, and one USB 2.0 "B" that works with USB 1.1 systems.

Apple launches education recycling program...

Apple has launched a new recycling program for educational institutions looking to get rid of old equipment in its ongoing effort to become a "greener" Apple. The company is offering schools ranging from K-12 to Universities the chance to dispose of old computers from any manufacturer along with associated peripherals at no cost, and requires no purchase to participate in the program. Apple imposes no limit on the number of systems to recycle, but asks that schools register between May 10th and June 30th of this year. Educational centers must have all products to be recycled collected by June 31st, according to Apple, and must recycle a minimum of 25 systems. Schools can sign up by accessing a specific link on the company's website.

Apple, AT&T to sell iPhone at 2000 stores

Apple revealed in a meeting with Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff that customers will be able to purchase the company's forthcoming iPhone at 2,000 retail locations after the device launches in late June. Apple's retail chief Ron Johnson and the director of Mac product marketing Tom Boger told Neff that those locations would consist only of Apple and AT&T retail stores, according to AppleInsider. "Apple affirmed its goal of June release for iPhone and expressed confidence in meeting its target of 10 million unit shipments in 2008 given iPhone's superior user experience, which Apple referred to as 'transformational,'" the analyst wrote. Neff added that Apple is focusing on making its iPhone stand out from the cellular phone crows by improving all areas of the user experience, including those at the sales counter.

Philips' new AJ300D dock radio

Philips' most recent contribution to the iPod realm is the AJ300D, a new dock that meshes with a clock and AM/FM radio. Its compact yet monolithic shape contains 6W speakers, and it also relies on Panasonic's "wOOx" technology, which is said to improve the depth and power of bass. Owners can wake up to either radio or an MP3 player; it is designed mainly for any iPod except the shuffle, but it also fits players in Philips' Go Gear line. Other audio sources can be heard through an auxiliary input. The remote is also noteworthy, since it has five buttons which let listeners jump straight to a particular radio station. The dock can be bought for approximately $80. [via SCI FI Tech]

Apple offers $849 refurbished MacBooks

Apple is currently offering its white 1.83GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory and a 60GB hard drive for $849; as well as its white 2GHz model with 1GB of memory and an 80GB hard drive for $999. Reconditioned MacBook Pro notebooks have also returned to Apple's online store after a lengthy dry spell. Refurbished MacBook Pro models include the 15-inch glossy 2.16GHz with 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive for $1,599; 15-inch glossy 2.33GHz with 2GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive for $1,999; 17-inch 2.16GHz with 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive for $1,999; and the 17-inch 2.33GHz with a glossy or standard display, 2GB of memory, and a 160GB hard drive for $2,299. The Apple Store Canada is also offering a rejuvinated supply of MacBooks and MacBook Pros, with prices ranging from CAD $959 to $1,129 for MacBooks and CAD $2,249 to $2,599 for MacBook Pros. [click here to access Apple Store Canada]

Briefly: Adobe security flaw; domain war...

In brief: A security flaw has surfaced in Adobe's Version Cue software that can result in a disabled firewall, and the previous owner of babelcompany.com reports that the user who managed to obtain the domain name babelcompany.com has removed his copyrighted content as well as any misleading references to Impression. Speck is giving away a free ToughSkin to customers who order at least $20 worth of merchandise, and Aquafadas has released two new themes for Pulpmotion titled TimeMachine and Bouncing. Adobe Version Cue disables the Mac OS X personal firewall to set up certain ports that allow controlled access through the firewall service during installation on a Mac system. Unfortunately the firewall is not re-enabled once the setup is complete, according to one security tracking service, leaving certain systems open to attack.

QuickerTek brings 802.11n to 24-inch iMacs...

Owners of Apple's 24-inch iMac can now enjoy the greater speeds and enhanced range of 802.11n wireless connectivity via QuickerTek's new upgrade. The 802.11n upgrade is made to the same specifications as the Apple wireless networking card, according to QuickerTek, and comes with a second antenna to complete the MIMO functionality. The upgrade works with all common Wi-Fi equipment, including 802.11b, g, and n as well as Apple's AirPort gear. The company offers a user-installed upgrade for $180 alongside its installation upgrade service for $200 plus shipping. The upgrade requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later, is supplied with QuickerTek software, and is backed by a 1-year warranty on parts and labor.