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I heard about some hullabaloo in the Apple world a bit ago, so naturally I went to the Apple web site, where I was greeted with a plethora of melting iPods. Since I was pretty sure I didn't take the brown acid, I assumed that this was a product announcement.

Lo and behold, Apple has revealed the new iPod Nanos! These new media players are ridiculously thin, ridiculously light, and ridiculously colorful. Longer and slimmer than the previous Nanos, they measure less than a quarter inch thick, weigh just under an ounce and a half, and feature a 2-inch-diagonal color LCD screen for playing your favorite videos. They also come in 8GB and 16GB versions, doubling the capacity from the last version of Nano while shaving off tenths of an ounce and hundredths of an inch.

Since the new Nanos are longer and thinner than before, the screen now has a portrait perspective, compared to the landscape perspective of previous screens. Fortunately, a silt sensor automatically changes the view of the screen when you turn that Nano sideways, just like the iPhone and iPod Touch. Finally, the new Nanos include a new "Genius" feature, which provides a simpler on-the-go way to tweak playlists and browse music. It's a welcome feature for iPod users tired of being tethered to iTunes when customizing their track lists. The newiPod Nano is available now in nine different colors and two sizes. The 8GB version retails for $149, and the 16GB version goes for $199.

Apple also revealed its newest iPod Touch, a hodgepodge of upgrades packed inside an even thinner stainless steel case that looks deceptively like the old iPod Touch. This new version includes hardware volume buttons and a built-in speaker that's perfect for iPhone impressions. It also has a Nike+ receiver, so your shoe can talk to your phone, providing your shoe has a Nike+ transmitter for tracking your run times. It also has the Genius feature, just like the new Nanos. Sadly, the new iPod Touch offers the same amount of memory at the same price, so you won't be able to cram on any more music or videos than you could before. The new iPod Touch comes in an 8GB version at $229, a 16GB version at $299, and a 32GB version at $399.