According to Apple, the latest 32/64GB iPod touch is 50% faster than the old iPod touch. It’s an impressive claim. But is it accurate? Well, Macworld tested it out so you don’t have to worry about it. They found that the new touch comes close to that benchmark, even though it fell a tad short in some testing.

Booting: The old touch took 31 seconds. The new touch takes 19 seconds. Loading a web page went from 34 seconds to 15. And most games tested between loading 33% and 50% faster.

Solar power has come a long way. They used to be something you only saw on hippie communes and Sci-fi movies. Solar panels are on everything now, especially our charging gadgets. The latest to sport a solar panel is the Surge iPod Touch charger, which allows you to recharge your iPod Touch anywhere, as long as you have sunlight.

The case features a 3.7 V lithium-ion battery that can be charged via the sun or by USB should it be cloudy. It comes in a bunch of colors. We aren’t sure if they have chargers for the other iPods, but at least your Touch is covered.

The folks at Apple are making a number of announcements today and they keep getting better as we go. One of the latest is a drop in price for the iPod touch. The 8GB model, previously at $249, has been dropped to what Apple is calling a “magic” price point at $199.

They are offering the 32GB iPod touch for $299 doubling the storage, and they’ve added a 64GB capacity touch for $399. Nothing else has really changed with this device (no camera), but it will be able to run OpenGL 2.0, housing the same CPU as the iPhone 3GS.

According to a source at Wired, Apple’s Chinese contractors are already hard at work cranking out iPod touch units with cameras and microphones. If true, it would turn the smart media player almost into an iPhone.

According to their source, these new iPods will go on sale in “two to three months.” Could Apple eventually gain carrier independence with a 100% VoIP solution? Things could get very interesting starting in “two to three months.”

TechCrunch claims that they have heard evidence that the next generation iPod Touch will have a built in video camera. One of their sources in Asia says that Apple has placed an order for a massive number of camera modules of the type that they include in the iPhone.

The source says that due to the size of the order, they can only be used for one thing - the iPods. Since May it has been rumored that the iPod Touch would get a camera. When Apple does update the new iPod Touch, it seems likely that they will also upgrade the device to the more powerful processor and graphics chips that were introduced in the iPhone 3GS.

This limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch is all about Prince. Of course. It even has that symbol thing. It’s the player formerly known as the iPod Touch. It’s sold only as part of a rare bundle/kit that includes a book of Prince photographs from Kraken Opus.

We don’t know the capacity, but it comes preloaded with 40 minutes of “exclusive” footage and a live soundtrack from Indigo Nights. You might notice that it’s purple too. Only 950 kits available. It can be yours for $2,100.

I’ve always said that if you want to know what a company is up to, check their job listings. Okay, I’ve never said that. I’m saying it now. Just yesterday I looked around and saw that Canon was hiring people for all sorts of camera related stuff, so I know it works.

Apple has published a job posting that mentions “integration of camera modules across iPhone and iPod”. So it looks like the iPod is going to get a digital camera. Maybe. Pretty cool!

I thought it was lies that set your pants on fire. In this case, it’s the iPod Touch. That’s why an Ohio mom is filing a lawsuit against Apple on behalf of her son, the kid whose “iTouch” seemingly exploded in his pocket and proceeded to torch his pants. Ouch.

The kid was treated for second degree burns on his leg, had a hole burnt through his pants and his underwear even melted. And according to the lawsuit, “He continues to suffer from both physical and mental conditions which will cause him to suffer pain, mental distress, emotional distress, and otherwise for the rest of his life.”

This is a lot like Truphone, which we told you about in December. Leading IP telecommunications company JAJAH has announced a complete overhaul of the iPod Touch. They want to turn the device into a fully functional iPhone.

The new capabilities will enable carriers and non-carriers to launch the service under their own brand and provide customers with the ability to make low-cost phone calls and send SMS text messages to any phone in the world from their iPod Touch. Consumers would only need a Wi-Fi connection, no SIM card or contract. This is big news, what with the iPod Touch being one of the most popular consumer devices in the world.

I know that many of you get sick of your iPhone-using friends giving you a hard time because your iPod can’t make any calls. That just sucks. Well, Truphone may be the answer to your problems. It’s a software solution that can turn the iPod touch into an iPhone. Sort of.

It does require a microphone adapter first. Then, you’ll be able to make free calls to users of Truphone’s Internet telephony service, as well as other iPod touch owners and even Google Talk users. This new app is free at the App Store, and will see many new features in the near future. Features like making and receiving low-cost calls to and from landlines, calling and instant messaging to Skype and MSN, check and set facilities for Facebook and check and set facilities for Twitter.

A few days ago we told you about Apple’s plans to spruce up their iPod line soon. Now there is much speculation that the iPod Touch will soon be geting 64GB capacity and possibly even GPS.

I would say it’s very likely. Even probable. More storage is a must. And if you’ve got some form of GPS already in your ipod, that’s all many people need. It’s just keeping the product up to date and competing. A GPS in an iPod will take a bite out of many other GPS devices, so long as pricing is nice.

These wood iPod Touch cases are real beauties. They come from mjdinsmore on Etsy. Handcrafted from cedar and mahogany, they have some nice detail and look like they are quality. They will cost you from $31 to $80 and come in a variety of styles. The one pictured above is carved out of a single piece of sustainable-grown mahogany. That’s alot cooler then using plastic.

Plus, you’ll get that natural, warm feel of wood in your hands. It will keep your iPod Touch well protected with style. You’ll be alright, even if you spill something. No wood jokes. I did it!

Those of you who have been waiting with baited breath to be able to play SNES games on your iPod Touch or iPhone can now let out a huge girlly squeal. Your prayers have been answered. That’s because someone has coded a native SNES emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Right now it’s still in the testing phase, but in the near future I predict there will be many a broken iPhone as you press down way too hard on the virtual controller while playing Super Metroid and the like. Unless you care to make a donation to the developer, thereby scoring some beta testing, you’ll have to try to contain yourself for the time being until the app goes public. Check out the video here.

A 13 year-old hacker has reportedly developed a program called iJailbreak which will allow 3rd party applications to be installed on the Apple iPod Touch. Since Apple released the 1.1.1 firmware upgrade last month for the Touch and the iPhone installers for 3rd party applications have been foiled until now.

According to the young hacker going by the name of AriX, after only about 9 hours of coding he was able to make iJailbreak into a program that doesn’t even take a technically savvy person to install. In information sent to CNET regarding the program, AriX stated “the only user interaction required for iJailBreak to work is to restart the iPod Touch using the button on the top of the iPod. The application does the rest.”

Those of you still following this saga will be happy to know that the hackers who have been dismantling the iPod touch have apparently now decrypted the ramdisk and installed applications. That means your iPod Touch can do all kinds of nifty things, like run mail, Google Maps, and many other 3rd party apps.

Ipod Touch users everywhere are rejoicing. Well, until apple decides to brick them at least. Also, it remains to be seen how well these apps truly run. It’s a fascinating technological and cultural event at any rate, as devices get hacked, bricked and hacked again in an endless circle. I say just cut out the middle man and let these guys work for Apple.