Apple reveals new iPod prices

Apple's keynote brought not only the iPhone 4S, but updates on the pricing and features of the iPod, notes Y! Tech.

The Apple iPod might have taken a backseat to the iPhone and iPad in popularity recently, but 45 million units were still sold from July 2010 to June 2011.

The iPod nano, the most compact version introduced last year, now lets users swipe between icons instead of having a grid menu. Dubbed as the “most affordable nano ever,” the 8GB version costs $129, while the 16GB costs $149.

HTC is to release an urgent update for several of its smartphones, to fix a vulnerability which could leave personal information at risk, reports the BBC.

The Android Police blog discovered that a user's GPS location and call logs could be easily accessed by net-enabled apps.

After investigating, HTC admitted the flaw could be “exploited by a malicious third-party application”. The company has not yet confirmed exactly which models are at risk, but it is understood the EVO 3D, EVO 4G, Thunderbolt and potentially the Sensation range are all susceptible to the vulnerability.

Microsoft is discontinuing the Zune media player, which it unveiled five years ago in the hope of taking on the iPod, says the Associated Press.

The player was well reviewed when it was released in 2006, and it grabbed as much as 10% of the market for media players. But enthusiasm faded, and the Zune has become one of many failed iPod wannabes.

Microsoft hasn't released a major update to the line in two years. Some of the look and functionality of the Zune has been moved over to Microsoft's smartphone software, which it says “will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy”.

US president Barack Obama revealed on Monday that he received his iPad directly from Apple founder Steve Jobs ahead of the release of the hot-selling tablet computer, states AFP.

“I've got an iPad,” Obama said in an interview with ABC News and Yahoo. “Steve Jobs actually gave it to me a little bit early,” he said. “It was cool. I got it directly from him.”

Obama has acknowledged owning an iPad previously and has been photographed with what appears to be an iPad 2, the model which went on sale in March.