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iPod nano (1st Generation) Replacement Program

I just got the following email from Apple:

iPod nano (1st generation)Dear iPod nano owner,

Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006.

This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages.

Apple recommends that you stop using your iPod nano (1st gen) and follow the process noted below to order a replacement unit, free of charge.

Note: This battery issue is specific to the iPod nano (1st gen) and does not affect any other iPod.

Replacement Process

You may order a replacement unit via the web. Click here to begin.

Your iPod nano serial number will be checked to verify that it is eligible for this program. You will receive a replacement unit approximately 6 weeks after we receive your current iPod nano (1st gen).

If you have a personalized iPod nano, you will receive a non-personalized replacement. Make sure to use iTunes to back up any data on your current iPod nano before sending it in for a replacement unit.

Additional Information

Identifying an iPod nano (1st gen):

  • It has a black or white plastic front and a silver metal back – later iPod nano models have a metal front and back.

If you need assistance with placing an order, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) and bring your iPod nano with you for serial number validation.

Your replacement iPod product is warranted to be free from defects for 90 days from the date of service.

Thank you for participating in this program.

Sincerely,

Apple

I still remember the day Apple announced the iPod nano and I knew I wanted it. I just started working at Microsoft for a couple months and the deal hunter in me still didn’t purchase things at full retail price. But it was SO tiny! When I found out that Microsoft got a discount with Apple, I pulled the trigger the same day.

These days I leave it in my car as my source of music, which works out well because it’s so tiny.

Not only am I surprised that Apple is still supporting this device given that it’s already over 6 years old (released in 9/2005), but that they actually have spare 1st gens to replace them with. Maybe they’re just replacing the batteries, but if that’s the case, it might just be cheaper to replace them with the current or previous generation iPod nanos. I guess having reports of 1st gen iPod nanos bursting into flames will always be bad PR.

Looks like you’ll have to ship the old one back in order to get the new one.

Thank you.

Your request has been submitted.

Apple will send you a box with shipping instructions to mail your iPod nano to us. Apple will then send you a replacement iPod.

Please save a PDF of this page for your records. You can check the status of your request via Check My Repair Status using your Repair ID, shown on the left of this page.

Update: It’s been confirmed by Mashable that the replacements will be 1st generation iPod nanos. Now I’m really curious how they still have stock!

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-11-06

  • Ars has a really good review/comparison of Acorn, Pixelmator, and other $100 and under image editors: http://t.co/LNs5hMAq #
  • Pixelmator is currently on sale for $30. Not sure when the sale will end, but it is expected to jump back to $60. Acorn currently costs $50. #
  • Played Rock Band this weekend and found out that Coldplay is now available: http://t.co/92PZbLrE #
  • @kairyssdal @ralphlee At least the keyboard shortcuts still work. 🙂 in reply to kairyssdal #
  • The new Google Reader UI isn’t half bad. Matches their redesign. Looks like replace Like w/ +1, though I can’t find how to +1 something new. #
  • .@googlereader You should remap the L key to +1. I’ve gotten so used to hitting L when I liked a post in the old reader. Just saying 🙂 #
  • @TestKitchen @angelgrrl813 In my world, I call a 5ft long knife a sword. 🙂 in reply to TestKitchen #
  • @hungtruong Aren’t they just following Google who labels everything as “beta”? in reply to hungtruong #
  • @hungtruong Although not as bad, beta does signal to the user there are bugs, it’s not stable, you may lose all your data. in reply to hungtruong #
  • Dropping http:// was fine, but it’s annoying that @firefox omits it half the time when I copy a URL from the location bar. #
  • @rothgar Throw a salmon filet on the grill and add pepper and salt. 🙂 in reply to rothgar #
  • It's a good day to be Kindle owner / Amazon Prime member: http://t.co/xPTRL7gU #
  • This week's SMBC Theater is pretty funny: http://t.co/EQjqOFIG #
  • Huh… all the people in my Google+ circles mysteriously disappeared… Don't think it's worth my time readding… http://t.co/7Zu3HhzU #
  • Haha. Wtf… Type "do a barrel roll" into http://t.co/14uDfEjM (via @threadless) #
  • One wristband to rule them all? Jawbone Up: http://t.co/l2TlWg78 #
  • I wonder what this is all about… http://t.co/d5yZqyFN #
  • I think I figured why all my Google Plus circles got reset. After switching to use iCloud to sync contacts, I deleted everyone from GMail. #
  • @aChrisSmith I just ended up adding people who already had me in their circle. in reply to aChrisSmith #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-30

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-23

  • Mac users should definitely check out MPlayerX: http://t.co/Rwll2acf So far, it feels a lot better than VLC. #
  • Another strip with Hobbes and Bacon! http://t.co/3kftz8o5 #
  • @angelgrrl813 I've tried a couple "How do you spell ______." and Siri doesn't seem to know that command. in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • If you’ve accidentally deleted/removed an app from your purchases list in the Mac App Store, here’s how to restore it: http://t.co/QKg8Ihrf #
  • Did I just see an advertisement that Arco now accepts credit cards with no fees? #
  • Did I really just see an advertisement for Arco accepting credit cards with no fee? #
  • @yiwenie Hi, you don’t actually sync your birthday calendar. Instead you sync your contacts which your birthday calendar is derived off of. in reply to yiwenie #
  • @yiwenie You can either sync your contacts directly via iTunes, or have them sync through iCloud. You can also sync them through Google. in reply to yiwenie #
  • @yiwenie 1. Check if the birthday shows up in your iPhone’s contact info. 2. Check if the Birthdays calendar is enabled on your iPhone. in reply to yiwenie #
  • @yiwenie Interesting. My birthday alerts aren’t enabled, but I’ve always got the popup when it hits 12am. Glad you found what you wanted. 🙂 in reply to yiwenie #
  • @ralphlee Is it as awesome as people claim it is? in reply to ralphlee #
  • @ralphlee For coffee enthusiasts, worth trying at least once in your life. 😀 in reply to ralphlee #
  • This is so cool! http://t.co/i4UMfYQ2 #
  • Yet another reason why Siri is awesome: hands-free texting. http://t.co/Fa8jiInI #
  • @rothgar Despite being on rails, train and subway operators still make sure there’s no obstructions. Otherwise why need an operator? 🙂 in reply to rothgar #
  • This story just has a lot of WIN http://t.co/GBqJWK4m #
  • Annoying! @PayPal decided to limit my account for trying to withdraw $2 (now reversed). I have to confirm my address (takes 9 days via mail) #
  • Hands-On videos with the Lytro: http://t.co/O7p8D395 My guess for the weird elongated form factor is all the lens required to do the magic. #
  • I like how Lytro doesn't really provide a resolution the pictures are captured at, but provides spec of 11 Megarays "light field resolution" #
  • There should be a website that list the monetary backers behind each side of an initiative. Apparently 1183 is Costco vs Beer & Liquor Distr #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-09

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-02

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How to Capture and Record Your Screen with Computer Audio on Mac OSX

Update 2012/12/24: After a year, it looks like people are still finding this blog post. I personally had a lot of trouble using QuickTime after upgrading to Mountain Lion where my computer would become super slow whenever I tried to screen capture with it. Instead I have found a new piece of wonderful software called Voila (was provided an affiliate link to use from Global Delight). It isn’t free unfortunately, but for $10, the amount of hassle you save is worth it. One of the feature that it includes is the ability to capture computer audio without using the SoundFlower trick below which is very convenient.

Voila Record Computer Audio

Original Post:

So I was looking for a software to capture my computer screen on Mac OSX and was surprised that the newest QuickTime (version 10) comes with a screen recording feature. It can record both your entire screen or or just a selected area, thought there appears to be a minimum height/width it requires.

It encodes the video in H.264 and audio in AAC, both which are excellent and widely supported codecs. I’m not sure if these are changeable or configurable, but worse case you can easily re-encode it afterwards.

One caveat of using QuickTime (or just about any screen recording software) is that there isn’t a easy way to record the computer audio. Some soundcards come with drivers that has an input that is the computer audio output, but Mac by default doesn’t. QuickTime will allow you to record from line-in, so if wanted, you can purchase a short 3.5mm mini-stereo cable and connect your audio output to audio input.

I did a little search online and found an interesting software called Soundflower by Cycling 74 and basically what it does is that it loops the audio back into the computer as an input, allowing QuickTime and any other software to record the computer audio.

Instructions for enabling Sunflower (computer audio):

  1. Install Soundflower. You can download the latest version from code.google.com (Soundflower homepage)
  2. Go to System Preferences > Sound and see if the new outputs exist: Soundflower (2ch) and Soundflower (16ch). If not, you may need to restart your computer.
    sound preferences with soundflower
  3. Select Soundflower (2ch) as your output. 2 channels/stereo should be sufficient in most scenarios, but feel free to use the 16 channels one.
  4. Audio should have stopped coming out of your speakers/headphones. In the event you still want audio to come out of your speakers, Soundflower comes with a solution. Launch Soundflowerbed from your Applications folder.
  5. You should find a new flower icon in your status icon area in the upper right hand corner.
  6. Click on the flower icon and select Built-in Output under Soundflower (2ch). Audio should began coming out of your speakers once again.

Instructions for recording your computer screen:

  1. Open QuickTime
  2. Click on File > New Screen Recording
  3. You should see the following screen:
    QuickTime - New Screen Recording
  4. On the right hand side, you should see a little arrow pointing down. Click on it.
  5. Under Microphone, you should now see Soundflower (2ch) as an option. Select that.
  6. Click on the red dot and you will be able to select the area you want to record by dragging a box around the area.
  7. If you want to record the whole screen, just click anywhere on the screen.

That’s it!

After you’re done recording, I would highly recommend that you switch back your sound output to the Built-in Output. I’ve noticed a degradation of sound quality between the two.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-09-25

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How to Change the Default Alert Time for Birthdays on iCal for Mac OSX Lion

When I switched over to iCal from Outlook, I was happy to find that they also had a birthday calendar. However the alert time was defaulting to 8:00 am and I like my reminders going off at 12:00 am. I tried looking for a setting to change it, but there wasn’t anything obvious inside preferences. The only option was to enable or disable “Show Birthdays calendar”.

After looking around a bit more, I noticed I had my Day starts at set to 8am, which felt too much to be a coincidence. I changed the starting time to Midnight, but my birthdays’ alert time didn’t get updated. I wondered if it would only apply to new birthdays that get added.

Then I tried disabling and re-enabling to show birthdays and that updated all my birthday reminders to have an alert time of 12am. Sweet!

TL;DR:

  1. Open iCal and go to preferences (⌘+,)
  2. Change “Day starts at:” to time you want your birthday alerts to go off
  3. Uncheck and recheck “Show Birthdays calendar”

iCal Preferences

All your birthday reminders should now have the new alert time. 🙂

Technically at this point, you might be able to change your day start time back and it wouldn’t affect your existing birthday alert times, but you’ll have to test that yourself.