New iPod Nano half the size of the iPod Mini; Motorola to make the Rokr phone.

Tom Krazit, IDG News Service

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO--After months of frenzied speculation, Apple Computer today unveiled an ultrathin iPod about half the size of its iPod Mini, as well as a mobile phone built by Motorola that features the iTunes music player software.

Apple`s new iPod Nano will feature 4GB of capacity for $249 in a device that is thinner than a No. 2 pencil, said Steve Jobs, Apple`s chief executive officer, at a jam-packed media event at San Francisco`s Moscone Center.

The iPod Nano is 80 percent smaller than Apple`s original iPod and 62 percent smaller than the iPod Mini, Jobs said. It weighs 1.5 ounces and comes with a color screen. The device is available in some stores as of Wednesday, and stores around the world are expected to have the device by the end of the week, he said.

iTunes Phone

The Cupertino, California, company also unveiled the Motorola Rokr (pronounced ``rocker``). This is a GSM/GPRS (Global System for Mobile Communications/General Packet Radio Service) phone that features a button that allows direct access to the iTunes player. Cingular Wireless will be the exclusive North American carrier for the phone, which is expected to be available in stores this weekend, Jobs said.

Rokr users need a USB cable to get songs from their PC or Mac to the phone. The phone shows up like an iPod in the iTunes music player, allowing users to drag songs to the phone`s icon from an iTunes playlist, Jobs said.