We really did our damnedest to select only one Apple product for the Mashable 10, but try as we might, we just couldn’t omit the iPod touch. For nearly a decade, Apple’s iPod line has largely defined the world of portable media players. When it comes down to it, the iPod is still the king.
The original iPod was designed to do one thing: Play music. The iPod shuffle and the iPod nano are evolutions of that basic idea — and both are stellar music players. With the iPod touch, however, you get more than just a music player — and more than just a video player — you get a bona fide pocket computer.
Here’s why we think it deserves a place on your wish list this year.
The iPod touch is one of the most versatile gadgets on the market. As an audio player, it’s pretty fantastic — after all, this is an iPod. Playing back video is equally impressive, especially with the new retina-display. Like the iPhone 4, the iPod touch has a new display that is super clear, meaning that text, images, games and video all look amazing.
The fourth generation iPod touch also includes dual cameras — just like the iPhone 4. Although the still camera on the iPod touch is lacking, it takes great looking 720p HD video. It also features a front-facing camera, which works with Apple’s FaceTime.
What continues to blow us away about the iPod touch is just how thin and light Apple manages to make the device. I thought my second generation iPod touch was small — but the latest model is even thinner (how?) and lighter. It also has a longer battery life.
If you’ve got an Android smartphone, the iPod touch is a great way to still get to experience all the apps and games available for iOS. That means that you have access to the 300,000+ apps in the App Store. Virtually every app for the iPhone also works for the iPod touch.
From Facebook to Flight Control, there really is an app for almost everything. There are also some very high quality games.
Nintendo and Sony might publicly scoff at the notion that the iPod is a threat to the Sony PSP or the Nintendo DSi, but both companies have every reason to be scared. The fact is, more and more high profile game companies are flocking to iOS, and thanks to the new display, the updated processor and the powerful graphics engine, the iPod touch is a great portable gaming device.
Titles like RAGE HD and Dexter the Game easily rival anything you’d see on a handheld console. Plus, with Game Center, you can compete with your friends or with strangers across the Net.
What’s more, Apple updates the iOS software a few times a year, adding in new features and enhancements. iOS 4.2 was just released, adding AirPlay and AirPrint support to the mix.
In short, the iPod touch is a lot more than a poor man’s iPhone 4 — it’s a pocket powerhouse.
Let us know how many iPods you have owned over the years in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, hatman12
View the original article here
What, you didn't think the Kinect open source community would just take a break for the weekend, did you? Microsoft certainly wouldn't want that, and after seeing how much shadow puppetry warmed our hearts, we wouldn't want it either! Thankfully, someone in this world can now track a wooden stick to emulate a lightsaber in real time, bringing one classic meme that much closer to actuality (and the promised Star Wars Kinect game not even parsec closer to release). If that's not enough, we also have a demo made that converts hand-waving to MIDI notes -- which, as creator Ben X notes, puts him one step closer to Ableton Live integration -- and a pretty pretty wild visual of body dysmorphic disorder (and a chubby cat) courtesy of the powerful open source Cinder library and a Vimeo user who goes by "flight404." If those were appetizer and two-part entree, respectively, our post-meal coffee would be a pretty sharp critique on Kinect Joy Ride -- where it seems, on at least one track, you can nab a bronze trophy by staying as still as humanly possible. All the footage you seek is after the break. 
As you’re probably well aware by now, iOS 4.2 (technically, iOS 4.2.1) has been released by Apple today. The update