I guess today is just going to be a day of Apple news. Fresh to hit the net is iPod/iPod Touch update 2.2.1. So far, it appears as if it is mearly a bug fix update (at least on my 2nd gen iPod Touch); It sites some various bugs with Safari and Mail and it fixes an issue with ALAC music files. I’ll keep you up to date if some other mysterious features pop up (copy and paste, anyone?)

As usual, the file comes in at a hefty 277MB (all the more reason to download it at school, *evil laugh*). You can upgrade your phone or iPod’s firmware by selecting, “check for updates” in iTunes.

I must apologize for the delay on today’s Manic Monday. If you haven’t been watching the Weather Channel at all, Fargo got hit with the worst blizzard seen since 1997, so I spent my day digging my car out of the snow (No, that’s not my car pictured above). That said, a very belated Manic Monday.

• Gmail Enables SMS Messaging From Chat
• Also added to Gmail, a To-Do List
• Google Chrome breaks out of beta. How about a Mac and Linux version?
• Mozilla to pull the plug on Firefox 2 “soon”. Time to upgrade!
• That said, Mozilla added multitouch gestures to Firefox 3.1 for Mac.
• And HP apparently will wipe your hard drive to fix a broken keyboard.
• Canada Increases ‘Music Industry Subsidy’ on Blank CDs. Good day, eh?
• And a Russian has apparently trademarked the emoticon.
• Apple gets official acceleration spec for Snow Leopard.
• Apple and AT&T bring back iPhone home activation.
• Finally, Seadragon is Microsoft’s first iPhone App. Voice Search Next?

And that’s this week’s Manic Monday. I did two installments of Wired For Gifts last week, and I plan to do the same this week, as well as some other tips and tricks in the middle. Enjoy!

If you are “Oinking” for a designer speaker system for your iPod, look no further than the iPig.

The system includes a unique speaker system that packs five total drivers (including a 4-inch subwoofer), adjustable bass controls, 360-degree sound distribution and a very debatable design. No iPod, no problem- there’s a 3.5mm Aux-In in the back. Oh, and there’s also a bundled remote.

Think this is the gadget for you? Don’t roll in the mud yet. The iPig oinks a $139.99 price tag- a little steep for what you get. No word on when it will be available.

Speakal’s iPig speaker system rolls in the mud with your iPod [Engadget]

You heard it right, folks. Apple has released the 2.0.1 firmware update for the iPhone and iPod touch which brings the much-awaited “Bug fixes”- and boy there are bugs in 2.0.

Hopefully, 2.0.1 will fix some application crashes, as well as crashes related to getting Apps on the device itself and not in iTunes (which I’ve found to be a problem). I’m downloading it right now (at 3:30am Central- I’m crazy) and I will let you know if there is something “big”.

Speaking of Big, the file is 244MB, so you might want to start the download now. You can get it from the usual spots.

You know how much I love iHome stuff. Yesterday, they released the iHome iP99.

Meet the new iP99, the world’s first clock radio for the iPhone! Designed and engineered to shield and avoid annoying iPhone/mobile phone TDMA noise so no airplane mode is required which means that you’ll never miss a call again when your iPhone is docked. The iP99 is packed with lots of innovative features, including alarm settings to complement your lifestyle so you can wake to your own custom iPhone playlist at different times on different days, a remote that controls the unit and iPod menu functions, AM/FM radio with presets, programmable snooze settings, and 3D sound for an enhanced audio experience. With our Reson8 speaker chambers, you’ll be able to enjoy great stereo sound around the clock.

That’s right- all the usual iHome goodies, but with iPhone compatibility. While I don’t have an iPhone, I am thinking about a new iHome (mine’s going on 3 year old) and this might be the one- we’ll. The iP99 doesn’t ship until June, but you can pre-order now. The iP99 will set you back about $150.

iHome iP99 Product Page [via iLounge]

So you’ve finally got that cool concert, you’re going to put it on your iPod and- crap: It’s all one track. But there’s a way to do it, for free with software you already have: iTunes.

First, listen to the track and write down the start and end times of all the songs you want to split out.

Now right-click the long track in iTunes and select Get Info. When the info window appears, click on the Options tab. In this tab, you should see two checkboxes labeled Start Time and Stop Time. Enter in the start and stop values for the track (most likely with a start time of 0:00 for your first track), making sure the checkboxes next to both start and stop time are checked, and hit OK. I’ve explained how to do this before.

Now, right-click the long track, but this time select Convert Selection to MP3. iTunes will create a new track with the same metadata (so you’ll want to go in and change it to reflect the new track title), but it will only include the section you defined with the start and stop time.

And from here, just rinse, lather, repeat. Enjoy!

Create Individual Tracks from One Long Concert Track in iTunes [Lifehacker]

Just when we thought there was no hope for poor Mr. iPhone, iPhone/iTouch 1.1.4 Firmware update came across the way just a bit ago. You can now download it through iTunes. Now, the rumor was that the iPhone SDK was delayed, and so far this update is showing that. But I would be willing to bet that it is setting up some stuff on the back end to get it ready. Besides that, 1.1.4 takes care of some bug fixes. As always, if you have a Jailbroken or Unlocked iPhone/iTouch, stay away from the update. The 1.1.4 update- download away from the usual places.

When it comes to your music, iTunes has more options than you may think. Just right click (or control-click) and select Get Info. Then click options. Here’s a quick overview of those options.

Volume Adjustment – This is pretty self explanatory. If your song is too loud or too quiet based on the other songs in your Library, you can adjust it here.

Equalizer Preset – This I’ve mentioned before. If one song sounds good under the Loudness Preset, but the rest of your music doesn’t, you set just the one song through here.

My Rating – I don’t think I need to touch this one.

Start/Stop Time – Is your song a live concert song with an intro that is long, boring and useless. Set your start time to after that (just enter the time you want). You can also do this with Stop Time.

Remember Playback Position – Self explanatory- it will remember where you left off. Very nice for long songs.

Skip When Shuffling – Again, self explanatory- it will skip the song when you shuffle.

Part Of Gapless Album – This one may not be so self explanatory. Say your song is a concert, and you want a seamless transition between tracks. This will do that.

See, you have lots of options. Who ever said iTunes is limited?

I guess good ol’ Uncle Steve forgot to mention one thing at week’s Keynote. As of this morning, the iPod Nano with Video now has another flavor: Pink.

Nothing else has changed. Still the same ol’ two-inch display, new improved interface with Cover Flow, powerful battery with up to 24 hours of audio playback or five hours of video playback on a single charge, and anodized aluminum top, now with new color choice.

The pink version, just like the other colors, only comes in 8GB, and is available for $199 “immediately” (or so they say). The silver 4GB is still $149.

iPod Nano Product Page [Apple]

With all of the MacWorld hype this week, I tried my hardest to stay from Apple posts. But today I couldn’t help myself. In today’s post, I’ll share my thoughts about the new firmware, and show you a few tricks I’ve learned along the way.

As Steve mentioned (and as mentioned on this very site). that the new 1.1.3 firmware had new features; Free for iPhone, $20 for the iTouch. I have an iTouch and took the plunge.

So what did I get? Exactly what he said I would get. It added 5 new apps that the iPhone already had: Stocks, Notes, Weather, Maps, and my personal favorite, Mail. As for setting up the apps, it was easy. Mail took all of my mail setting from my Mac, and now all mail that is not read by my Laptop is picked up by my iTouch, perfect if you’re on the go but need your mail. Weather just needed a ZIP code to get the cold weather for my area (BTW: you can flick sideways to change weather locations). The new Maps is super easy to use, complete with Directs and Location. Stocks, well, uh, I didn’t play with (absolutely useless).

What other cool features are there? For one, you can now rearrange your icons. Just press and hold on an icon and they will start to jiggle. Then you can move them around, even to different pages. READ MORE »