Abilene Christian University has announced plans to supply all incoming freshman with an iPhone or iPod touch as part of an initiative to enhance learning through the use of technology. According to ACU Chief Information Officer Kevin Roberts, freshmen will use the devices to receive homework alerts, answer in-class surveys and quizzes, get directions to their professors' offices, and check their meal and account balances - among more than 15 other useful web applications already developed. The plan has gained attention from Apple and Ivy League universities - Roberts recently gave a presentation at Apple headquarters to company executives and selected leaders from universities including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Duke, Stanford, Oxford, Princeton, and UCLA outlining ACU's "creative vision for converged media devices."

Our most recent iLounge poll, "Which current model iPod do you personally use the most?," has just ended. With over 4,200 votes cast, the results were surprising: while a plurality of responding readers (26%) said that they use a non-current iPod, mini, nano or shuffle the most, the 2007 iPod classic came in second with 23% of the vote, followed by the iPod touch (21%), iPhone (16%), and video iPod nano (10%). Interestingly, only 2% of voters picked the current iPod shuffle-the same number who said they read the site but didn't use an iPod at all. From what we gather, the higher-capacity the Apple device, the more popular it is with our readers.

Designed to appeal to iPod, PDA, and cell phone owners without access to portable chargers, Smarte Carte's Charge Cartes are now appearing in airports across the United States. Equipped with three white iPod Dock Connector cables and nine additional blue cables that have popular cell phone and PDA plugs at their ends, a Charge Carte offers 30 minutes of rapid recharging time for $3, enabling you to connect your iPod and charge up to half of its battery capacity. An LED countdown timer lets you know how many minutes of power remain.

Apple has released software version 1.1.4 for the iPhone and iPod touch. According to Apple, the update “includes bug fixes and supersedes all previous versions.” It is currently unclear whether any new features have been added with the update; however, with Apple scheduled to release the iPhone and iPod touch software development kit (SDK) this week, it is possible that this update could be a precursor to that release. iPhone and iPod touch software version 1.1.4 is available now through the update feature in iTunes.

Keith Bachman, analyst with BMO Capital Markets, has cut his price target for Apple’s stock, saying that iPods and iPhones were no longer “growth drivers” for the company. “Apple’s three growth drivers [iPods, iPhones and Macs] has now turned to one,” Bachman said in an analyst note. Bachman went on to say that the Mac will begin to take on more importance because the iPhone is not likely to experience growth on the scale of what the company has projected for this year. He also pointed out that the iPod is starting to show signs of market saturation, leading to slower growth rates for the device. Despite the somewhat gloomy predictions, Bachman maintained his outperform rating on Apple’s stock, noting that “more carriers and lower handset [prices]” could improve the iPhone’s prospects. Bachman reduced his forecast for iPhone sales in fiscal 2008 from 9.3 million to 7.7 million units, and also reduced his iPod sales forecast for the same period, from 54.6 million to 51.1 million units.

Apple’s new 2GB second-generation iPod shuffle is now available from Apple’s online store. Available in the same five colors — silver, blue, green, purple, and (Product) Red — as the 1GB models announced last September, the 2GB models are listed as shipping in 7-10 business days. The 2GB iPod shuffle sells for $69, while the 1GB shuffle, which ships within 24 hours, sells for $49.

Gameloft S.A. has released its Bubble Bash game for the iPod nano (with video), iPod classic, and fifth-generation iPod. Bubble Bash is a puzzle game set in an “island paradise” that features 100 evolving levels and a variety of power-ups, and appears to resemble Taito’s Puzzle Bobble. In the game, players toss multi-colored bubbles into the sky to pop three or more of the same color, in an attempt to break up a larger cluster of bubbles before they drop to the bottom, and time runs out. In addition, obstacles such as “angry monkeys, spiders, and parrots” try to stop the player, and 17 different bubbles allow for added strategy. Bubble Bash is available now from the iTunes Store and sells for $5.

Amazon.com is currently offering a free 1GB iPod shuffle in green, silver, purple, or blue to customers who purchase a 32GB iPod touch. The promotion, which is the first “buy one iPod, get one free” offer we’ve seen, does not appear to extend to other iPod touch models. To take advantage of the offer, customers need to add both the iPod shuffle of their choice and the 32GB iPod touch to their cart; Amazon says buyers will not be charged for the shuffle. The promotion is available for a limited time only.

Apple’s legal team has issued a Cease & Desist letter to the developers of the Hymn Project, software that allows users to strip the FairPlay DRM from files purchased from the iTunes Store. A post in the Hymn Project forums says that the letter demanded that all downloads be removed from the site. The post continues: “Until further notice, no links are to be posted anywhere on the site to programs that can strip DRM from any of Apple’s music or videos. Any user who does so will get the link removed and a warning from us. Any further infraction will get you banned permanently. The site will remain open for now and we won’t have a problem as long as we abide by the C&D.” In addition to the C&D sent out to the main developers, at least one individual user has also received a letter from Apple, following the user announcing publicly that he would offer a version of the DRM-stripping software to interested parties via email.

Apple today unveiled a new by-mail iPod and cell phone recycling program that enables consumers to safely dispose of their cell phones, regardless of the manufacturer or model. Phones and iPods can be recycled in any quantity, through the mail, a program that appears to be separate from Apple’s in-store iPod recycling initiative, which allows users to bring iPods (not cell phones) directly to a local Apple Store, and receive a 10% discount on any iPod purchased that day. To participate in the new mail-in program, users need to visit a dedicated page on Apple’s site that allows them to enter the quantity of items being recycled, fill out an address form, and choose whether to print out a pre-paid shipping label to affix to their own packaging, or have Apple send them a pre-paid mailer, both free of charge. No discount is offered for items mailed in for recycling.