Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has recently admitted that the iPod’s popularity is dwindling. It’s the nature of the beast. Just like the Sony Walkman, at first, everyone wants one. This leads to successful sales and then, they end up on display everywhere at a discounted price, which leads to no one purchasing them. The question on everyone’s mind is: what’s next for Apple?

The higher-ups at Apple leaked just a tidbit of what to possibly expect in the future. Enter the iWatch, a possible investment and future gadget from Apple that will probably act like a cellphone and MP3 player. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what really is up Apple’s sleeve for next year.

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The rumor that Amazon will be launching a music and movie store for Android-based cellphones has been confirmed by Vince. Like Vince mentions, this will make Amazon a direct competitor to Apple’s iTunes Music Store. The Apple advertisement team is probably hard at work making up some nice bashes they can throw in Amazon’s direction.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this one plays out.

Oh snap! Today will mostly consist of news about Google’s Android platform and the T-Mobile G1 smartphone. The latest rumor to hit our inbox involves the almighty Amazon.com and content distribution. Apparently, Amazon could be releasing a music and movie store just for Android-based cellphones. That would instantly make Amazon a direct competitor to Apple’s iTunes Music Store and we’re not talking sibling rivalry here. Right now it’s too early to tell if there’s truth to this but hopefully, come the end of the day, we’ll really know what’s up.

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Every once and awhile, Steve Jobs must prove to everyone he’s still functioning on a coherent level. That’s why whenever he opens his mouth, time stands still and everyone on the planet lends an ear.  The Apple chief executive announced today that the new iPod Touch is, “the funnest iPod we’ve ever created.” But, what’s it packing?

For starters, it’s smaller and lighter than the original and it’s new design makes it more comfortable to hold. It includes iPod firmware 2.1 that enables it to work with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature used for creating playlists with the touch of a button.  On top of that, the App Store is providing over 700 game titles that are available for download and playable on the iPod Touch.

For those who can’t get enough of the gym, each new iPod touch features built-in Nike+ iPod support that, along with the $20 Nike+ sensor that you place in your shoe, can track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

Users can expect up to 36 hours of music or six hours of video on a single charge. Which is more than enough power for even the lowest end model, the $229 8GB. The $299 16GB and the $399 32GB models will also be available.

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The Sony Walkman was thought to be dead in the wake of iPods and Zunes for quite some time until today, when Sony announced these three individual series of new Walkmen:
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This might look like a miniature Death Star but, in actuality, it’s a top secret spy cam. The DVR CamBall is the first ever digital video camera and MP3 player that’s as small as a ping-pong ball and able to record at 320×240 or 640×480 resolutions. What better way to sneak a camera into top-secret facilities than to roll it under the door. Unfortunately, once it’s out of your grasp their is little you can do to aim it.

That’s fine though, since this thing’s got the capability to hold up to 8GB of photos with an SD card. At $200, it comes with a couple of accessories including a tassel to wear the camera around your neck and an underwater case for snorkling shots that’ll turn you into a marine biologist in no time.

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Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee have designed this jagged edged wooden phone dubbed the Maple Phone. It’s made up of African Blackwood and sports some of the latest features you’d find in any cellphone to date. An MP3 player, digital camera and the basic functions like calling and SMS are all incorporated into this wooden phone that’ll have every hippy bitching about the preservation of woodlands in America.

Though it doesn’t display your mood like the FuChat, this unique handset has a display that is placed at the back, revealing itself as you slide the handset. It isn’t until you touch the wood (ha, touch the wood!), that the phone shows it’s true form and screen display. No word on a release date or if the phone will be as cheap as the HOP1800, but you can bet Frodo will be showing this phone to all his hobbit buddies in the shire.

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Japanese mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo is experimenting with this mind boggling approach to mobile device control that’s sure to give anyone an eye headache worse than TV coming through your glasses. How does it work? Firstly, no hands are needed. Simply move your eyes up or down to raise volume, accordingly. To skip a track, look right twice. Currently, they only have this technology controlling a mobile music player by sensing the electric fields eyes make when they move. In the future, who knows what this form of control could be used for?

Listening to the latest and greatest Josh Groban hits? Turn that shit up. All it takes is looking up. Say there is a bird flying overhead and you just so happened to be listening to the loudest death metal, ever. You look up, the volume raises and you’re officially halfway to becoming Helen Keller. You’ll then be forced to listen to tunes with the Shake-Up headphones, which is more buzzing and vibrating than any Justice song you’ve ever heard.

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You’ve gotta be one fat fucking loser to want to tattoo “Wel-come to the social” on your shoulder. It looks like some five-year old tattoo artist did it, or at least thought up the idea. It’s bad enough it’s the Zune slogan, but even worse: it’s a terrible slogan. Considering no one bought the Zune except this guy and four other people leaves little to be desired in regards to being welcomed to the social. Thanks for welcoming me, now where’s the exit?

Long time Zune fanatic Mszunefan is not the only one looking for the exit. He posted on Zunescene:

“I am done. I have had the Zune since day 1 and have noticed little improvement. I have tried my best to support them every step of the way but the recent Xbox Live announcement at E3 made me lose it. To not include Zune Marketplace or the ability to load videos from Xbox Live to your Zune made me finally give up. I am in the works of figuring the best way to get a new tattoo to cover the logo on my arm. Thanks for all the harsh comments and you will see very little of me anymore.”

Note to self: never tattoo a lousy corporate logo and a terrible slogan to match, onto my skin. I’ll only cover them up later with the latest Microsoft OS logo.

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Anyone who’s into athletics or sports of any kind should consider grabbing one of these t-shirts from Music and Sons. A built-in pocket with a 1/8″ jack connects to your iPod or Zune and a pair of headphones hooks in right behind your neck at the collar. The result? Tangle-free skateboarding/BMXing/log-jamming.

With great looking washes and colors, these are dorky t-shirts that’d you’d actually want to wear, unlike others we’ve showcased. Though they’re expensive at $70 a pop, you’ll sleep well knowing you’re a digital man in a digital age.

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