Apple ordered to make public iPod nano battery fix in Japan

We had an eerie feeling it’d come to this, and come it has. Nearly two full years to the day after the government of Japan began a thorough investigation into the spontaneous combusting of iPod nano devices, that same entity is now mandating that Apple publish an “easy to understand” statement on the web that explains how customers can “receive replacement batteries and obtain advice.” So far, these volatile Li-ion cells have been blamed for four cases of minor burns in the Land of the Rising Sun, and while Apple has been replacing first-generation iPod nano batteries since 2008 for those that complained, it seems that Japan wants the company to make the option readily apparent to consumers. Be sure to keep an eye on Apple’s Japanese site for more, but as of now, we’re not seeing any such PSA posted

Zoom H1 Handy Recorder captures 24-bit, 96 kHz stereo for $99

Samson’s attempt to break into the Flip-dominated portable video space didn’t hit all the right notes , so the company’s gone back to basics with a new handheld audio recorder — as delightfully basic as it could go. The Zoom H1 doesn’t have fancy 4-channel recording schemes or a triple-capsule mic ; it’s merely a twin X/Y stereo recorder that does 24-bit / 96-kHz audio at an unheard-of $99 price. With a reported 10 hours of battery life on a single AA cell, up to 32GB of removable microSDHC storage and loads of physical controls, it already feels like an obvious choice for students, journalists and the like, but of course all that’s just on paper — we’ll be waiting till its July 30th debut to hear if the unit performs as positively in real life.

Samsung MP3 player goes 60 hours on a charge

Once upon a time, it meant something to have a digital audio player that went upwards of two full days without needing a charge.

Psyko Audio finally ships outre 5.1 surround sound headset

Psyko Audio, remember those guys? No? Can’t say we blame ya — after all, they first introduced these very headphones at CES in 2009 , and we’re just now seeing the first sets ship to consumers in North America.

Pulse Music Box evokes 1930s factory life, also happens to play tunes

We’ve seen more designer iPod docks than we can shake a stick at, but we’ve never laid eyes on one quite like this.

Is Canada’s iPod tax back? And if so, will BJ Snowden get her cut?

We know, BJ Snowden is an American artist — but since her song “In Canada” is probably on every iPod and computer up north, we have to wonder whether a proposed amendment to the Canadian Copyright act will help her finally get what’s coming to her. The brainchild of the New Democratic Party’s Charlie Angus, the bill would extend 1997’s Private Copying Levy “to the next generation of devices that consumers are using for copying sound recordings for personal use.” Proponents of the plan says that it ensures that artists get paid for their work — essentially, the government wants you to pay upfront for the music you’re likely to steal anyways by taxing your next digital audio player purchase. Of course, much about the plan doesn’t make sense (it doesn’t address digital video, for instance, or the computers that people use to download and store their music in the first place) but we guess we’ll let the Canadian government hash that one out

Apple serves up 10 billionth iTune, smiles all the way to the bank

Whether you love it or loathe it , there is now no way to deny the spectacular success of Apple’s iTunes Store . The proprietary digital media player, organizer and salesperson has just now recorded its 10 billionth song download, marking a truly unique achievement in the still nascent world of digital distribution.

Energy Sistem unloads TV2090 PMP, still can’t spell ’sisstem’

Here’s a slick little item you might be interested in, if your county of residence happens to subscribe to the DVB-T TV standard. Energy Sistem’ s just unleashed its TV2090 PMP for the world to enjoy. This attractive yet seemingly quite cumbersome looker boasts a 9-inch LCD, a stereo speaker and AV output, and it supports DivX, Xvid, AVI, MPG and MP3 / WAV playback

Sony’s noise-canceling earphones US-bound in February

You didn’t have to wait until now to pick up Sony’s MDR-NC300D noise-canceling earphones — after all, they’ve been imported from Japan since their June debut . Still, now that the ‘buds are hitting official status US routes in February, it’ll be a heck of a lot easier to make that impulse buy. No price mentioned, but expect at least a few Benjamins to automatically eject from your wallet

Sony NW-A845 Walkman slips into European hands, too thin to be noticed

There’s an old saying that the Japanese keep the best to themselves, but not this time. Sony ’s finally man enough to let go of their “slimmest ever Walkman,” the NW-A845, to our European cousins.

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