The Tech Feed Five is something new I’m trying out; basically a (regular, hopefully) set of the five more interesting items I’ve come across on the Web related to tech, the Internet, social media and other somewhat related what-have-yous. While I’d like to think of it as a personal collection of material that I’d like to revisit sometime in the future, instead of bookmarking it on my browser, sharing it here might make more sense other than twittering the occasional shortened URL in my Twitter feed.

If you’ve got any interesting links to share, feel free to ping me on Twitter!

Kickass Wall-E Casemod @Gizmodo
The last time I was into case-modding was a couple of years ago. Back then, guys like Mashie were trailblazing the case-modding path with mind-boggling and jar-dropping case designs so far off the beaten path they’d more likely be seen as works of art rather than enclosures for the humble PC. As for the Wall-E casemod? Simply brilliant; not because the modder went with a predictable model, but because of the attention to detail. Oh, and that he finished everything in under three weeks.

BlueTooth 3.0 Revealed @ Phonescoop
The next step in BlueTooth technology. The most interesting bit, IMO: pairing done via BlueTooth, but actual data transfer handed off to Wi-Fi. Sweet.

Unibody iPods? @ iPodNN
Apple is apparently filing a patent for unibody iPods. Makes a lot of sense to unify the design and manufacturing processes across their line, given the potential for cost savings and the like. No word of unibody housings for their handheld devices though. A unibody iPhone would sure look a heck of a lot better then the plastic-backed monstrosity that is the current iPhone 3G.

Text Batch Processing Tools Roundup @ SmashingMagazine
If ctrl+f doesn’t really do it for you, maybe one of these text batch processing tools might float your boat.

TechCrunch’s CrunchPad @ TechCrunch
Fancy a touch-screen internet tablet, powered by nothing more than a simple browser? Better yet, this one boasts software designed by a Singapore-based company – Fusion Garage.

So by now just about everyone’s heard about Apple’s diminutive new iPod shuffle. It’s sleek, it’s slim and its absolutely tiny. No bigger than your typical thumb drive, this is probably the first time I’m seeing a portable MP3 player that boasts a volume much less than that of a rolled-up set of earbuds. One of these will set you back by US$79 in the United States, while Singaporeans are charged S$128. Over in Malaysia, one of those will go for RM309. The new shuffle’s also received a bump up in the storage department; from 1GB on the second-generation shuffle to 4GB on the new one. What’s more, while the ‘old’ shuffle came in a cornucopia of colors, the new one only comes in black and silver.

I’ve had the pleasure of hanging on to one for the past 2 weeks or so, and here’s a quick review for your reading pleasure. Continue reading →

So yeah, a couple of hours ago, the Apple store went offline. Which obviously meant that something was up, usually a new product (or more) being added to the store. Lo and behold, Apple went and introduced a new iPod Shuffle. Cue outpouring of oohs and ahhs. Which is to be expected since, hey, you’ve got to admit it looks pretty damn good.

While the older Shuffle features a literal rainbow of colors, the new one only comes in silver and black. It’s been elongated a little, and the clip at the rear has been retained. You get 4GB of storage on it too. The best part about the iPod Shuffle is it’s totally minuscule size – it’s literally smaller than your thumb. What’s more, Apple’s introducing a new feature called VoiceOver, which is basically the Shuffle telling you the song title, as well as who’s the artist singing said song. Better yet, VoiceOver supports multiple languages, with the current count at 14. If you have a song with a Spanish title, the Shuffle will pronounce the title and artist name in, doh, Spanish.

So what’s the problem?

Take a closer look at the pic above. Notice that the primary playback controls are located along the bundled earbuds’ cable. This is significant because despite the hold and shuffle controls that are located on the Shuffle’s body, unless you use Apple’s bundled earbuds, you have literally no control over volume or playback. This also happens to give Apple an excuse to sell more third-party accessories with built-in controls, leaving users who already have perfectly serviceable third-party earbuds out in the cold.

Then again, for the asking price of US$79 in the US of A (S$128 here in Singapore, and RM309 over in Malaysia), its doubtful that anyone who buys iPod Shuffles would actually bother spending probably the equivalent amount of money on a half-decent pair of in-ear buds.

What’s also interesting is that the idea of shoving the remote control onto the earbud cables isn’t all that new; just about every Sony Walkman sold today has that feature as standard.

Not quite the smartest thing to do in times like these, but hey, Apple’s pretty much made a habit of taking the path less chosen.