Could the bods at Apple be working on a new iPod? With MacWorld two months away, the rumours of what will be announced, and what Apple are working on, are flowing thick and fast.

For example, one rumour doing the rounds is that Apple is currently working on its own search engine, which presumably would allow users to find music downloads quickly and easily. The smart money however is on this rumour being false. What is more interesting, and reportedly from an inside source, is that Apple could be working on a new iPod.

The news was given to Stuff.TV by a reported inside man at Apple, the same guy that spilled the dirt on the iPhone before its launch.

However the news of a new iPod seems unlikely because Apple only just launched a new range on nanos, and updates to its Classic and Touch iPods.

If the rumour is true though, it’s very exciting as the new iPod Stick will reportedly contain a 7 megapixel camera and WiFi.

He’s the leader of the Autobots, he hails from the planet Cybertron and he can also give your iPod some much needed speaker action. There are many accessories for the iPod user, but none as much fun as a set of speakers that transform into Optimus Prime.

Transformers were all the rage back in the mid nineteen-eighties, and then because of the Michael Bay movie last year, and the sequel planned for next year ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ the robots in disguise are back with a bang on TV and in shops.

Not content with just being robots that turn into cars, planes and other weird and wonderful things, some Transformers toys even turn into practical, useful things. For example, there is a version of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, that instead of having a trailer that turns into a command centre, comes equipped with a trailer that is also an iPod dock.

This means you can have Optimus Prime sat on your book shelf and proudly boast that it’s not a toy, it’s not a throwback to your childhood, it’s your iPod dock and speak set… that just so happens to be a robot in disguise!

It’s been standard for a while now that the best cars come with an iPod dock so that you can use your Apple iPod to listen to music while you drive. It’s nothing new, and many people expect to see it when they look for a new car. But what about a scooter? You don’t typically expect to have an iPod dock with your scooter, however the latest scooter from Razer, dubbed the iMod, comes equipped with an iPod dock.

In addition to the iPod dock, the scooter also comes equipped with speakers, meaning you can blast your music out while you motor around the town looking casual and cool in a very European style.

For the Mods among you (which means anyone who’s seen and enjoyed Quadrophenia) you’ll be pleased to know that the iMod is similar to a Vespa, but much smaller. Unlike with a Vespa though, you won’t be flying down the motorway as it has a top speed of 15mph.

The iMod, as you might imagine, isn’t for adults as it’s a Toys R Us exclusive and is more suited to kids. At $299 though, it’s for rich kids who love their MP3s.

If you’re into your music but also the environment, you’ll be interested to know that the company Marware has been developing an iPod accessory that’s also good for the environment. The new product, the Eco-Runner, is a case for the iPod nano and retails in the US for $34.99. The Eco-Runner works with fourth generation iPod nanos.

The Eco-Runner, as the name would suggest, is for use when you’re on the move and you want something to hold your iPod. The product is to be worn on your wrist or your arm and resembles an armband.

If you’re wondering where the ‘Eco’ part comes in, the strap is made of a material described as “environmentally friendly” instead of the usual neoprene.

It’s the perfect iPod accessory for the green music fan that likes to go running with their iPod.

It’s the same old story, you’re in the middle of a great track and the batteries on your iPod run out, or your MP3 player goes dead. It’s so frustrating, and you have wait until you find a wall socket or your computer to charge the thing back up again.

However a clever Japanese company believes they have the answer, and it involves using your feet. NTT, who are a Japanese telecoms giant, think they’ve invented a way of charging small electronic items such as MP3 players, iPods and mobile phones just by walking.

They’ve invented a pair of shoes that generate electricity. Each shoe has a generator attached to it, which spins as you walk, creating a small amount of power.

Hideomi Tenma, a spokesman for NTT, said that the shoes can generate up to 1.2 watts, which is just enough to power an iPod for life… if you never stop walking!

The company is trying to improve the power-generating capacity to 3 watts, which is the amount of electricity to power a mobile phone.

The shoes do not have a power-storage function, but you would be able to charge a mobile phone automatically or talk on it forever as long as you connect the phone to your shoes and just keep walking.

You can expect to see the shoes in the shops in 2010, so they claim.

Video games were so much cooler in the Eighties than they are now. Yeah, the graphics were a little blocky and the sounds were more techno than audio, but the games themselves had a playability factor that you just don’t get anymore. A simplistic style to them that makes people of a certain age hark back to a better, brighter time.

Now you no longer need to think about the old games, you can play them. Better yet, you can play them on your iPod, the way they were meant to be played!

Well, maybe not. But you get the point. One such Eighties classic is the 1982 racing game Pole Position, that was played by all budding Lewis Hamilton wannabes when Lewis Hamilton was a Lewis Hamilton Wannabe.

Namco, the developers behind the game, have released it for the iPod Touch and the iPhone, and it even contains special hidden games for you to find and master. These games include the Namco legend that is Pac-Man!

The game features different tracks from the F1 season, way back when the cars were more ‘edgy’ and racing was a real sport.

Playing the game offers you several choices on car control, such as ‘tilt to steer’ or by using the touch screen steering wheel; whatever suits your driving style.

The best bit is you can download the game from the Apple store for just $5. What a bargain!

How many of you bulk at paying your TV licence because the quality of television is poor? When you have to pay to fund shows like ‘My Hero’ on BBC 1, it could really put you off wanting to cough up the money.

However things might be getting worse, as Ofcom (the Broadcasting Regulator for the UK) say that UK residents might soon have to pay a new tax to fund even worse TV programs on C4 and ITV. The new tax; the iPod tax.

Ouch.

It’s not just iPod and MP3 users who would be targeted though, as people with Sky dishes, Freeview boxes and even just an Internet connection would be expected to fund the dross on C4.

Ed Richards is the CEO of Ofcom, and he thinks that consumers should be taxed for everything from blank DVDs and CDs to just owning computers. This is one of the many options that Ofcom is looking at to provide funding for public service broadcasting.

Advertising spend is currently leaving the television industry and disappearing online, so according to Ofcom the three junk channels, ITV, C4 and C5, would require somewhere between £145 million and £235 million in order to keep making the rubbish that they’re producing right now.

If you’ve got a distinct lack of style, you might be interested in a post on the Macworld website this week, where they’ve revealed a pair of goggles that are being released by the company Vuzix. The googles are called ‘iWear AV310’ and for the discerning iPod fan who doesn’t care what he or she looks like in public. The goggles contain a widescreen video screen (in 16:9 ratio) allowing the wearing to watch movies from their iPod, directly in front of them no matter what direction they face.

Of course this does mean you can’t see anything else, so you can’t really use them when riding your bike or down the gym. Plus if you were to wear them on the train you may find you’ll miss your stop, or have your bag stolen altogether when you take them off.

The goggles also work with other portable digital audio players, MP3 players and video cameras. Anything that emits a Pal or NTSC signal can be plugged into the goggles. The video screen, while tiny, is the equivalent of a 52 inch TV screen because of the closeness to your eyes (though of course you don’t need the same space).

They only run for 5 hours though, so you won’t be able to get through the Lord of Rings Trilogy.

With Christmas approaching many people will be looking at the new range of iPods announced by Steve Jobs last week, wondering if they can grab themselves one for their stocking. However some people might be saving up for a wedding, as their impending marriage to their bride-to-be takes precedent over a portable digital music player, or MP3 player.

However they shouldn’t, for an iPod is much better than a wife. Here are just a few of the ways that an iPod is superior to a wife.

An iPod ages better
While an iPod will age and new models will look better in time, it won’t look any worse itself. A wife however will age badly, and show signs of wear and tear. Plus, as your wife ages you’ll notice newer models much more easily. So an iPod is definitely better for you.

Expensive wife, cheap iPods
iPods cost a maximum of a few hundred pounds for the top models, a top model wife costs thousands to keep, and requires constant maintenance.

You can wipe an iPod’s memory
If you’ve made a mistake (as we’re all prone to do from time to time) with your iPod you can simply erase its memory. Have you ever tried erasing the memory of your wife?

You can backup your iPod
When you lose your iPod, you can rescue all of the tracks by having it backed up from your computer, but if you lose your wife you’ll find backups very difficult to come by.

In these times of heightened interest in green matters, and people leaving their cars behind for other forms of transport such as cycling or walking, it was only natural that someone would come up with a battery for MP3 players and iPods that was charged by the motion of walking. So instead of plugging your iPod into the wall, or into your computer via USB, simply go for a walk!

The new power source is called M2E Power, and means you won’t need to plug your MP3 player or mobile phone into the wall if it’s running a little low. It saves energy and money, which is good for the environment, it helps to keep you fit and it’s more convenient. How many times has your MP3 player gone dead in the middle of a track, or your mobile run out of power in the middle of a call? No more, not with the M2E Power, it’ll recharge with every step.

Still in the concept stage, the M2E Power gets charged by kinetic energy as you walk. It doesn’t generate huge amounts of power, just enough for a MP3 player, iPod or a PDA.

The makers of M2E have high hopes too, as they say it will create anything from 300% to 700% more energy than any current kinetic energy power on the market today.

It’ll be a few years before we see this on the high street though, but the military are expected to receive it very soon.