iPod

Recently, accessory company Novothink released the Solar Surge, an integrated solar panel on the back of a case allows you to charge your iPhone or iPod soley from sunpower without the need for any other energy source. According to inhabitat, the unit includes an additional USB cable that can help you charge your device should there be no sunlight in your vicinity.

Software developer Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will arrive for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch handsets later this fall. According to Touch Arcade, the game, which is presently available for the Nintendo DS, follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father.

CrunchGear reports that Apple has sent out invitations to their September 9th Media event. The tag line for the event reads "It's only rock and roll, but we like it," from the Rolling Stones song of the same name. It will be held at 10:00 AM Pacific Time at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Software developer Firaxis' Civilization Revolution has finally arrived at the App Store, marking the first time a Civilization game has been made available for Apple's iPhone and iPod handset. According to MacNN, Civilization Revolution, like the other entries in the "Civilization" series, is turn-based and carries over the other features of the full PC game, albeit some simplified rules include a limit of three units in army stacks.

A recently-published Apple patent suggests that the company is developing a more sophisticated method of telling whether a device such as an iPod or iPhone has been abused by its owner. According to AppleInsider, the patent, entitled “Consumer Abuse Detection System and Method,” describes a system of water, thermal, shock, and other sensors that may detect and record potential device abuse, while at the same time disabling certain components such as screens, hard drives, processor memory, and/or removable media in order to protect them from damage.

Findley Designs has updated their iPod Access software to include support for the newly released iTunes 8. iPod Access is one of many applications which can be used to retrieve music from an iPod, iPhone, or iPod touch. In addition to a pretty standard set of features for this type of application, iPod Access can also create full and sequential backups of your iPod in case anything goes wrong with iTunes.

iPod Access is available on both the PC and the Mac and costs $19.99

Engadget has confirmation from Apple that the rumored September event will indeed take place on September 9th. According to the invitations, sent out to select publications, the event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on September 9 at 10:00 a.m. At the event, we'll likely see new iPods, and possibly the rumored "Kevin Rose" iPod nano. Other items likely to make their way into Steve Jobs' presentation are the long awaited 2.1 software update, updated iPod touch, and Apple-branded jet packs (or not).

Some are already deeply analyzing the invitation for any clues which it may hold. The most obvious hint, it seems, is that we'll see something having to do with the iPod. Invite below:

On Monday, digital music reseller announced that it will launch a $50million marketing campaign against Apple's iTunes Store by offering songs through its web site and partners, including Yahoo Inc. and Verizon Wireless. The songs will be available in MP3 format, allowing users to play them on iPods and iPhones.