A new iPod Nano accessory, called nekFit, places your iPod Nano or Shuffle on the back of your neck. The idea is to keep your cables away from your arms and chest.

Woburn-based NekFit Inc. (nekfit.com) has fitted the device with large, tactile buttons which help a bit, but controls take some getting used to. NekFit does a good job of tidying-up those cables along its frame, which resembles an eyewear frame you put on backwards.

First Grope of the Flash Zune Hardware

Brian Lam of Gizmodo got his greasy hands on a new Flash Zune and he was more than happy to take the multimedia player out for a test run. And yes, he once again tries to stuff the thing down his pants. To make matters worse, he selected the tightest pair of jeans he could find... and then he took a video. In terms of general impressions, Brian is fairly impressed with the new hardware, especially with the touch-sensitive Zune Pad. This means of menu navigation is a significant step in the right direction compared to the first generation Zune. He also notes that the Flash Zune is quite thin, but it's not as thin as the new iPod nano. Because of the extra length, it's also not as pocketable. Other things that he mentions include his love for the "slickest paint you've ever seen on a gadget", the fact that the headphone jack is on the bottom, his appreciation for the raised profile on the D-pad, the dullness of the aluminum back, and how the black border "helps the screen pop nicely." He also says that the chassis does have some flex to it.

Apple’s Mac OS X Update Leopard Hits Store Shelves

Apple Inc.'s delayed update to the Mac OS X operating system is hitting store shelves as consumers are increasingly snapping up Macintosh computers to complement their iPods and iPhones.Dubbed Leopard, the upgrade goes on sale at 6 p.m. local time at stores around the world. It offers improvements to an operating system that already was widely praised for its ease-of-use and slick interface.Leopard boasts more than 300 new features, including one called "Boot Camp" that lets users install Windows on Macs, though both operating systems can't run at the same time. "Time Machine," an automated data backup system, and "Spaces," a way to simultaneously view open applications, are among the other highlighted features.Macs have reached record sale levels, and the launch of Leopard is expected to bolster a continuing rise.Computers with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows platform still dominate the PC market, but Apple has made significant gains over the past year, outstripping the industry's worldwide 15 percent growth rate.

iPod Inside: Standard features of Apple MP3 players

Munich - Mini, nano, or classic: no matter what the flavour, iPods are bestsellers. Many love the design Apple's portable music players while others swear by the simple controls. The database system, which prevents any software but iTunes from stocking the player, is not to everyone's taste, however. Adventurous types can try their luck with alternative software. They allow for individualization of the player and the installation of additional applications.