Today’s Apple event was all about the iPod, with a little iPhone thrown in for good measure. (Nothing on Apple TV) Engadget and Ars Technica live-blogged the show. Here are the basics:

• New ringtone maker - pay another $.99 to make ringtones out of your iTunes songs
• New iPod Shuffle colors - pretty
• (P)hat new iPod Nano - wide screen for pretty video
• Cheaper 8GB iPhone - It’s gotta make the first movers feel good to see the 8GB model come down in price from $599 to $399. Be an early adopter, pay an extra $200.
• The revolutionary iPhone, er, iPod touch - Yup, it’s an iPod that works like the iPhone without the phone, but it’s got Wi-Fi built in and you can access the iTunes store wirelessly
• Wi-Fi and a dash of caffeine with your iPod - partnership with Starbucks so iPod Touch users can instantly tap in to whatever is playing over Starbucks’ speakers when they walk into a store and purchase the music if so desired.

Engadget is already calling the Starbucks feature weak, but I think I disagree. (How’s that for a strong statement?) Impulse music buying is still largely untapped. Sure you can bookmark songs with some services in order to buy them later, but we haven’t really seen an effective on-the-go version of this feature before. And this is music you can buy that you might never have discovered any other way. With the joy of personalized channels, I know my discovery of new music outside of my own set parameters is limited. Clearly the partnership with Starbucks is a first. Wonder how long before other partners jump on board.

According to the New York Times, NBC has notified Apple they will not renew their digital download contract - covering 1,500 hours of content responsible for 40% of iTunes television downloads. Apparently NBC wants more control over “pricing and packaging matters.” However, the existing deal is good through December. So I’d say this is merely a negotiating tactic… for now.

(via Lost Remote)

What’s wrong with this picture? Raw Feed reported late last week on a new yoga mat that streams audio and video. The theory is you can get yoga instruction or mood music right from the mat. Seriously, has whoever designed this ever done a yoga practice? The whole idea is to disconnect. Plus, I can’t imagine trying to twist around to see the video on the mat while trying to get into a pose. Vinyasa class anyone?

Namaste.

Last week Mari hit the beach (with her gadgets)… and now it’s my turn. We’re going to spend a few days playing in Vegas, before I head off to California for work. So I snapped a pic of some devices I’ll be bringing along (in the best backpack ever):

First up are my Shure buds - great sound and passive noise cancellation. I never leave home without them. Next is a Nokia N73 since, as you may have heard, we’re beta testing SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian OS. Then I have a new-to-me (via ebay) Bluetooth GPS puck to replace my previous GPS unit. I’m going to experiment with Telenav ($10/mo) and Google Maps (free) before investing in Windows Mobile software. Above that is my work-provided Verizon EVDO card which will see use in my Macbook Pro. I’m giving my Blackjack a breather - my current day-to-day phone and Slinging device is the Treo 750. Last up is AblePlanet’s Clear Harmony noise canceling headset (review sample) which I hope to cover in the next few weeks. Of course I’ll also have my small Panasonic Lumix with me.

Don’t expect too much out of me while I’m gone — Like my recent trip to Copenhagen, I’m planning to limit my time on the grid until I hit CA. As soon as I figure out how to turn off push email.

Quite a few products make their way through my door. Many I purchase and others are review units - like the Altec Lansing inMotion 500 above. I have to say that this is one of the very few devices I’m reluctant to let go of. (All review items are returned or given away.)

The iM500 (MSRP $130) is a sleek and sexy Apple Nano speaker dock. And despite the diminutive size, it sounds good! In fact, I prefer the audio (and looks) to the larger iM4 that I recently purchased for my XM Helix. The only real downer is that the iM500 doesn’t ship with a remote.

Now the hard part… I must give the iM500 model away. Leave one comment saying you want in. The catch is that you must provide a link to a previous comment you’ve left on ZNF, other than prior contests. (The comment date stamp is your permalink.) And if you’ve never left a comment, now you’ll have some incentive going forward.

Didn’t I say Apple would be getting social? Still nothing for Safari though… Hm. Anyhow, this is a small step in the right direction by providing personalized iTunes-related RSS feeds and graphical badges of various categories, color schemes, and sizes. Of course Apple isn’t being entirely altruistic here — they hope to mobilize customers in advertising iTunes content.

My iTunes features:

iTunes is giving you an effortless way to keep your friends up-to-date with your favorite music, TV shows, movies, and more. My iTunes widgets are simple, self-updating add-ons for your web page, social-networking profile, or blog.

Use My iTunes to share your top reviews, favorite artists, and new music, movies, and TV shows from the iTunes Store with anyone who visits your site. You can also use the My iTunes feed with any standard RSS or ATOM feed reader.

And never mind those random musical selections to the right. I have no idea who they belong to. Jerry Was A Race Car Driver? Yick!

A periodic roundup of relevant news…

• Netflix Watch Now Movie Archive Hack: Brent Evans
• Third Generation HD DVD Players Get Official: Engadget
• Watch Out For Wireless High-Def TV: CNET
• OpenMoko Neo Dev Kit Unboxing: Gizmodo
• Billboard Hot 100 Chart To Include Online Streaming: paidContent