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Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • Velocifero

    • 6 out of 10
    • Ladytron
    • "Back to the future" isn't the right turn of phrase for Ladytron's newest album,

  • Aretha Sings the Blues

    • 6 out of 10
    • Aretha Franklin
    • While she didn't always have the best taste in song selection, Aretha Franklin is a must-study for anyone with interest in the human voice. She has the kind of powerful, recklessly passionate deliv

  • Suspended Animation

    • 8 out of 10
    • Fantomas
    • Mike Patton may well be one of the hardest working men in showbiz these days, and his latest with Fantômas underscores just about how far out he is willing to travel.

      Suspended Animation

  • The Life Pursuit

    • 8 out of 10
    • Belle & Sebastian
    • The Life Pursuit is a sort of Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You get Belle & Sebastian's peanut butter (its wistful, often irresistible pop) dipped in a 'Have A Nice Day!' and glam 70s chocol

  • Bowie at Beeb: Best of BBC Radio 68-72

    • 10 out of 10
    • David Bowie
    • The companion CD to a BBC television concert, BBC Radio Theatre has some of the best renditions of many of Bowie's best songs throughout his career. "I'm Afraid of Americans" is substantial

Reader Specials

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News

Synaptics Loses, PortalPlayer Wins With iPod nano Release

Synaptics, which has long supplied components used in Apple's iPods, has no connection to the iPod nano, while PortalPlayer apparently won the opportunity to supply the new MP3 player's processor chips. Matt Andrejczak's article for MarketWatch reports that Synaptics CFO Russ Knittel told investors that his company's scroll wheel technology wasn't used in the iPod nano.

Mr. Knittel's comments came during the Silicon Valley Bank Conference. Mr. Andrejczak then spoke with Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Craig Berger, who speculated that PortalPlayer is supplying the main processor chips that drive the iPod nano. Cypress Semiconductor is apparently supplying the click wheels, according to speculation reported by Mr. Andrejczak.

However, Synaptics still supplies the technology used in Apple's full-size iPods. Seagate and Hitachi were supplying the micro hard drives used in the old iPod minis. Now that it has been replaced by the flash-based iPod nano, however, those companies' revenues are also at risk.

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