MP3 Insider

Is this the back of the third-generation iPod Touch?

(Credit: Covino and Rich)

After a week filled with Zune HD news, there's nothing like a third-generation iPod Touch sighting to take the wind out of Microsoft's sails.

Images of the alleged camera-wielding iPod Touch surfaced earlier in the day, but were quickly shot down as a fake. Later the same day, a shaky video was published of the supposed iPod Touch, making a more compelling case for its authenticity.

The cynic in me still thinks this may be a second-generation Touch that's had its backing drilled and modified with a convincing camera. It seems odd that beyond the addition of camera, Apple would have left the design of the iPod Touch unchanged. Then again, the iPhone 3GS is a doppelganger for last year's iPhone 3G.

What do you guys think: real or fake?

(Via Engadget)

The Creative Zii Egg is officially announced, and Jasmine is very confused about the whole thing. Donald's muted attempts to offer clarity are unsuccessful. Also, the MP3 Insiders have caught wind of the potential new S-Series Walkman and are none-too-taken with the Disney design leanings. Plus, a dead-simple (and ugly) new MP3 player from Archos draws scorn, and Donald and Jasmine respond to criticism about talking about Apple too much...and then proceed to dedicate the last third of the show to iPhone apps and the potential for cameras on the iPod.

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Meet the backs of the Creative Zii and the developer-edition Zii Egg.

(Credit: FCC)

A filing with the FCC offers some evidence that Creative has a new touch-screen portable media player in the works. Named after the system-on-a-chip processor Creative showed off during CES 2009, the Zii (and the developer-only Zii EGG) include music and video playback capabilities, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and an HD camera on the back.

Little else about the player is revealed in the FCC filing, but it's pretty easy to connect the dots and see that Creative is playing catchup with Apple's iPod Touch. Creative is no stranger to playing second fiddle to Apple, but the company has no precedent when it comes to working with developers to create mobile applications (as the developer-edition Zii EGG model suggests).

Some speculate that the Zii will run on Google's Android OS, taking advantage of an established developer community. If so, Android seems to be iPod-killer OS of choice these days, as Sony has also announced plans to use Android in future versions of their Walkman line.

(Via EpiZENter)

If you're to believe the rumors (and Apple's own job postings), there's a good chance that the next generation of iPods will be outfitted with basic cameras. There's no telling which iPods will be affected (though the Shuffle seems unlikely), but the folks at iLounge are banking on the Nano.

An artist's rendition of what the iPod Nano would look like with a camera.

(Credit: iLounge)

Personally, I'm not thrilled about the idea of a camera on the Nano. Sure, a Nano cam would be fun, and Apple could have a field day marketing it as one of the thinnest cameras ever made. In most cases, however, the camera on your mobile phone is going to be a lot more useful--allowing you to e-mail, MMS, or upload photos on the go.

Now, putting a camera on the iPod Touch seems more practical. On the Touch, you'd get the benefit of open-ended development from the App store, a larger-screen size than you'll find on most cameras, zooming and editing features, and the capability to e-mail or upload your photos over Wi-Fi.

But just because a camera-equipped Touch makes sense, doesn't mean we'll see one. After all, Apple is laser-focused on upselling people on the iPhone and has historically gone out of its way to give the iPhone the lead when it comes to features (remember when you couldn't even get e-mail on the Touch?). A camera-equipped third-generation Touch would also potentially benefit from the video-recording capabilities included in the upcoming iPhone 3.0 operating system. Somehow, it seems un-Apple-like to jump from an iPod Touch with no camera at all to one with photo and video capture...but I'll try not to jinx it.

An iPod Touch or Nano with a camera still won't benefit from the GPS-tagging capabilities or MMS messaging of the iPhone. One thing an iPod Touch camera could do, which cell phone carriers would never allow on something like the iPhone, is video chat. An iPod Touch with a forward-facing Webcam capable of iChat/Skype-style video communication over Wi-Fi would certainly turn heads and fill an untapped niche in the portable device market.

What do you think? If your iPod had a camera, do you think you'd use it?