If there’s something that I’m truly passionate about, it is sound.  Being an audiophile I always demand high quality gear (although I may not always get what I demand).  When I got my first iPod, I was not impressed by the sound and immediately sought ways to hook it up to the big kahuna sound system which would rock the house.  A couple of months back, we told you of Sony’s upcoming RDP-X50iPBLK speaker dock and we finally got our hands on one courtesy of Sony.  So let’s take a look and find out just how good this unit is.  I’d like to also welcome Kawc, a long time reader of JAMM as this will be her first joint review with me.  So let’s get the beats on!

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Creativity knows no bounds.  It is great to have a fashionable accessory perform and already look good by itself – but what more can be done?  With Apple’s latest generation of iPod nano’s, that means the return of the wristwatch!  Danish company NanoWatch sells a wristband specially made so that your nano can easily clip on.  Now that’s a unique approach.

Sadly, Apple’s new iPod Shuffle can’t do what it used to.  The above pictured iPod Shuffle was the perfect accessory for any techie that wears ties – yes, the perfect tie clip.  It was not only fashionable but multipurpose.  I wonder what’s next?  with Nano’s now having touch screens, any thoughts on mini apps?  What about Bluetooth or Wi-Fi?  Or, I know!  What about putting the camera back but keeping the current form factor?  It probably won’t be long before Apple will have a Dick Tracy watch type product where you can not only listen to your tunes but also call in the possy with video conferencing.  Apple, I got my eye on you!

Looks like Apple Central has tweaked the new iOS once again. They have released update 4.0.2 which applies to all iToys: iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iPad, including 2G, 3G, 3GS, and 4.

HOWEVER, it appears there is now a block to the jailbreakme.com pdf workaround. So, for you current Desperados, and those thinking you might want to become one, you may want to sit this dance out. Apparently if you partake, there will be no way of returning to your wicked ways.

Narrative is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to encouraging excellence in literary form and content in the digital age, and to helping reverse the downward trend in reading by reaching readers via the digital media. Today they have announced a reading application for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Here is what to expect:

The Narrative App for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch application is now available for download and places the magazine’s entire library at your fingertips, for free.
The application allows you to enjoy thousands of new stories, poems, essays, interviews, cartoons, and features by eminent authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Tobias Wolff, Amy Bloom, E. L. Doctorow, Jane Smiley, and many other established as well as up-and-coming talents, all at the touch of a button.
Users can download Narrative’s contents onto their devices for easy offline reading, customize the library by turning content categories on and off, and browse the current, regularly updated issue of Narrative, including features such as Story of the Week and Poem of the Week. The application also includes an extensive video and audio gallery where users can watch and listen to great stories read by their authors.
With the application, we have launched two new genres: the iStory and the iPoem, short, quick reads by authors such as Sherman Alexie that fit quality literature easily into readers’ daily routines.
Our goal in the evolution of digital media is to encourage and support literature by connecting readers and writers as directly as possible. Narrative was the first and foremost literary periodical online, the first on Amazon’s Kindle, and Narrative now leads the way on Apple’s newest electronic reading devices.
Narrative is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to encouraging excellence in literary form and content in the digital age, and to helping reverse the downward trend in reading by reaching readers via the digital media.
Authors and works published in Narrative have received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Best American Short Story Award, the PEN/O. Henry Prize, and many others.

HERE’S WHAT WRITERS, REVIEWERS, AND APP USERS SAY ABOUT NARRATIVE:
“Narrative is the gold standard of online literary magazines.”
—Esquire
“You are doing a splendid job for the short story, and writers like myself are very much aware of that.”
—William Trevor
“Narrative is one of the most exciting and innovative literary magazines I have seen in the past decade. It’s attractively edited, wonderfully readable, and diverse in its contents. I look forward to reading it for a very long time.”
—Joyce Carol Oates
“Narrative is atypical in terms of quality. There is no whiff of literary hipsterism here, no veil of coolness to cover up the mediocre writing that is often found in new publications. Instead, Jenks and Edgarian offer a wide, well-edited, and stimulating selection of narrative forms.”
—Tamara Straus, San Francisco Chronicle
“Best online publication.”
—storySouth
“Now my new iPad is starting to be what I wanted it to be with this great new App providing wonderfully edited prose and poetry. Great quality and richness. Very exciting! Five stars.”
—Ace9699
“This App is brilliant. it makes it so easy to use Narrative, honestly I can’t believe HOW easy. Now when I’m taveling, waiting at the doctor’s office or car wash, two seconds and I can be reading something wonderful. Fantastic!”
—applover2
“Here we are, expanding the range of the best of contemporary literature to the very boundaries of the cyberspace universe and beyond. Narrative is a writer’s dream come true.”
—T. Coraghessan Boyle
“The App has a very handsome interface and is very easy to navigate. And if you accept a call while you’re reading, the App will save your place. Also, the App has easy to use preferences and settings adjustments.”
—apl2114

DOWNLOAD
THE FREE APP NOW

Users of iPhones, iPods, and iPads get a bonus today as Evernote announces a slew of improvements to its program for those units. Enhancements appear for all, but most noticeably on the iPad. Check out the changes below.

Tag editing

You can now edit and delete tags directly from the Tag view. To do so, tap and hold a tag, then tap on the Edit popup. The following screen will allow you to make changes to the tag.

Recent searches

The Saved Searches tab now performs double duty. It not only displays your saved searches, but it also shows your recently performed searches. Tap and hold any of those searches and a popup appears that allows you to save the search or delete it.

Jump to tags

When you tags are sorted by name (the switch at the bottom of the screen), you can use the quick scroll bar along the right hand side to jump to tags that begin with a specific letter. This feature is perfect for those with lots and lots of tags. No need to scroll your way through anymore.

Lots of improvements

This release includes a lot of under-the-hood changes to make both the iPhone and iPad versions faster and more reliable, so the first time you run the new version, it will go through the notes cached on your device and update them to a new format. If the app happens to crash while this update is happening, just remove the Evernote app from your device and reinstall a fresh copy from the App Store. You’ll need to re-download any offline notebooks, but this will give you a squeaky-clean copy.

Get your version HERE