So we’ve seen accessories leaked regarding the next generation (fourth-gen) of iPod Nano and now another picture has been leaked, could this be just a mock up or could it be the real thing?

It’s been rumored for a long time now that the next gen iPod Nano will have nice smooth rounded corners and a better screen, could this actually be the one? It would be great if there were more info available before Steve Jobs makes his announcement on Tuesday…

[via Geeky Gadgets]

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Leaked: Possible pics of next gen iPod Nano (4G)???

Check this detail before you buy:

• Band: CDMA 850/1900MHz
• Data: 1xRTT
• Size: 91.4mm x 48.3mm x 17.8mm (3.6″ x 1.9″ x .7″)
• Weight: 76.5g (2.7oz)
• Battery Life: Unknown standby time Estimated 4.4 hours talk time
• Main Display: 2″ color TFT, 128×160 pixel resolution
• External Display: Monochrome cSTN, 96×96 pixel resolution
• Camera: No
• Video: No
• Messaging: SMS/MMS/IM
• Email: Web-based
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Memory: unknown
• Availability: Now Available
• Other: Speakerphone

[mobileburn]

Sure, they're masterfully painted, but more interestingly come from a time when Apple, a more innocent underdog, could portray their products as fine art without coming off as arrogant. I'm not saying that this campaign wasn't at least partially born of hubris, but the effect - especially this many years later - is more strange and hilarious than anything else. Details and a full gallery are available here. [MyOldMac via Cult of Mac]

Recently, two Apple customers have said they received e-mails from Jobs: A MacRumors reader claimed Jobs replied to his letter concerning iPhone 3G network issues, and a Gizmodo reader said Jobs wrote him an e-mail hinting at plans to offer an iPhone tethering option. For reference purposes, we also looked at a third e-mail purportedly sent by Jobs regarding the iPod touch.

Though the purported e-mails are terse, they reveal information about what's coming for Apple -- which is unusual, since Apple religiously operates in secrecy. Many blogs and news outlets picked up these e-mails and spread around the "facts" as if they came directly from Jobs himself.

The MacRumors e-mail about a fix coming for iPhone 3G to resolve its network issues sparked widespread speculation that the handset was responsible for connectivity problems. As time passed, however, more and more evidence suggests that the 3G networks themselves are more closely tied to network-related problems than the phone.

We compared the three customer-reported e-mails with e-mails verified to be real: Steve Jobs' open letter to iPhone customers, his internal e-mail to Apple staff regarding MobileMe and another internal e-mail he sent to Apple staffers about outperforming Dell.

Which Versus That

MacRumors' purported e-mail from Jobs about iPhone 3G connectivity the contains an obvious grammatical error. It says:

"We are working on some bugs which affect around 2% of the iPhones shipped, and hope to have a software update soon. Steve"

According to Wired.com copy chief Tony Long, the usage of "which" is grammatically incorrect; "that" would be the correct word.

Compare this to the e-mail Jobs sent to Apple staff regarding the MobileMe launch, in which he used "that" correctly:

One step that I can share with you today is that the MobileMe team will now report to Eddy Cue, who will lead all of our internet services – iTunes, the App Store and, starting today, MobileMe.

Unnecessary Commas

The MacRumors email also includes a comma after the word "shipped." Though this is not an absolute mistake, it's an informal and unnecessary comma that only exists to create a pause in the sentence. The sentence would be grammatically stronger had it used the word "we" before "hope."

An unnecessary comma also appears in the customer-reported e-mail on Gizmodo after the word "agree." It says:

"We agree, and are discussing it with ATT. Steve"

By contrast, Jobs doesn't have a problem with unnecessary commas in his open letter to iPhone customers. Notice how in the sentence starting with "Details" there is no unnecessary comma after the word "out":

"Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple's website next week. Stay tuned. We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple."

Independent Clauses

Also, in Jobs' iPhone open letter, notice how in the sentence starting with "We apologize," he properly uses "we" to make the second clause of that sentence an independent clause.

This in contrast to the two customer-reported emails, which both included an unnecessary comma after the "and." If Jobs had been consistent with the customer-reported emails, his note would have read, "We apologize for disappointing some of you, and are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple."

Closing Words

Linguistics professor Farrell pointed out that in e-mails confirmed to be from Jobs, the CEO never includes closing words such as "Sincerely" or "Best Regards." However, in a customer-reported e-mail about the iPod touch, Jobs concludes with the closing words "Best, Steve."

Compare this to the internal e-mail Jobs sent to staff about Apple outperforming Dell, which one would imagine could merit the word "Best":

Team, it turned out that Michael Dell wasn't perfect at predicting the future. Based on today's stock market close, Apple is worth more than Dell. Stocks go up and down, and things may be different tomorrow, but I thought it was worth a moment of reflection today. Steve.

Fake or Real?

Farrell said Jobs' verified writing shows he has a very good grasp of written English: It is grammatical and well structured.

"The grammar in all the e-mails is competent, native, and standard English," he said.

However, he said the evidence of just three short e-mails was too scant to come to a conclusion.

"I don't see anything obvious that would lead me to believe that the three questionable emails are fake," he said. "I think one would need more evidence. Longer emails or something."

Though this analysis isinconclusive, the e-mail containing the misuse of "which" appears to be the most suspicious.On the other hand, the e-mail from Gizmodo is up for debate: Gizmodo's Mark Wilson believes it's real.

"I'm pretty sure the tip is legit," Wilson wrote in an e-mail. "I know for sure that Jobs really emails customers like this. And the source didn't have that shady, 10-year-old prankster vibe. They shared their
complete email thread including IPs from the correspondence."

Apple and MacRumors did not respond to a request for comment.

(Photo credit: acaben/Flickr)

A few nights ago, I was in the Living room, watching Ace of Cakes (talk about great tv!) and trying to write out an article for one of my sites during the commercials. I got so annoyed with the whole pillow in the lap routine that I vowed to get a simple, elegant desk for the room as soon as possible.

The one in this post is from my much beloved Staples, so I know it has to be top quality.  There are certain stores that just consistently come through for you and Staples is one of them.  That’s why, when I got up from the bent over, hovering across my make-shift desk, I went to Staples’ website.  I knew they’d have just the writing desk I needed.

This one is the SEI Classic Pecan Writing Desk and, at under $300, my throw pillows will soon be returning to their regular jobs. Their lap desk days are over!

From the Website:

• Rich pecan finish and classic styling make this desk perfect for any room.
• Crafted from wood products and veneer with a classic Pecan finish
• Features slide out keyboard tray and two small box drawers
• 30″ x 45″W x 23-3/4″D
• Finished on all sides
• Ready to assemble
• 1-year mfr. limited warranty

Writing desks are poetry.

What You Need
• Gadget love and knowledge
&bull An alarm clock, 'cause you'll be up early every morning
• Basic experience with HTML, Flickr—the internets, essentially
• An NYC address (really, we need you in the city)
• Dedication—the job's fun, but it's definitely work

What You'll Be Doing
• Spotting amazing stories
• Helping us pull together stories
• Supporting editors in the field doing live reporting, SWAT-team style
• Writing, eventually, if you're awesome

Pay is not amazing, but you'll get top-notch experience with the well-oiled blog machine that is Giz, learn lots of dirty jokes, and yes, get to play with cool gadgets you couldn't afford on your own. Send your resume—NO ATTACHMENTS—and tell us why you're the best person on earth, or at least in NY, to tips@gizmodo.com, with NYC INTERN in the subject line, otherwise we might miss it. Good luck!