According to a patent filed by Apple last month, we may see an unexpected (but welcome) use for the iPhone / iPod Touch: a feature that lets you order drinks at Starbucks, effectively bypassing the bother of having to fall in line.

Altec Lansing has made an announcement for their T612 speaker system, which is fully compatible with the iPhone and new iPod products. The speakers are even said to complement the iPhone by prioritizing incoming calls.

Here's something for iPod owners who carry a good bulk of images in their choice player. Findley Designs has just announced the availability of version 1.3 of its iPod Access Photo for the Mac OS X and Windows Vista/XP/2000.

After several cases of people trying to sue Apple for reportedly causing hearing loss due to prolonged use of the popular iPod MP3 player, Apple has filed a patent for an automatic volume adjuster to help protect iPod users' hearing. This is in addition to the existing iPod option that lets users set limits on the maximum volume level.

Digital audio technology company Wadia Digital currently has a booth in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show 2008 showcasing one of its latest products, dubbed as the iTransport. In a nutshell, this product is an iPod dock capable of transforming the Apple product into a high-end media server by providing a bit-perfect digital audio output to an audio or video system.

Just when you thought ZodTTD couldn't cram any more l33t emulators onto a mobile device, the much celebrated homebrew developer has come up with the first ever unofficial Sony PlayStation 1 emulator for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. This beta release of psx4iphone v0.0.1 still has a lot of work that needs to be done, but its a very impressive start for placing the iPhone and iTouch in the forefront of the retro gaming handheld platform.

Touch technology can't probably get any better than Alex Lelievre's ProRemote application for the iPhone and iPod touch. If you thought that controlling your iTunes interface through your iPhone was something then you'll be pleasantly surprised at how this application steps up the existing concept. ProRemote hooks up with Pro Tools LE and actually allows you to control the audio settings on your Mac. ProRemote will be seeing more action next week as it finally goes beta.

There are numerous emulators for the original Sony PlayStation available on the Web these days, and it looks like it won't be long before iPhone and iPod touch users will be able to enjoy some good old PlayStation action on their respective Apple gadgets.

Want to get more affordable options in calling people overseas? Jajah, a VoIP service provider, just rolled out a useful application that can be used on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch - yes, you read it right, iPod Touch - in order to make calls internationally.

Xbox 360 owners will be getting a dose of brain training next year with Gameloft's Brain Challenge. The mobile phone game developer and publisher has announced that it will be bringing Brain Challenge to the Xbox Live Arcade in early 2008. Brain Challenge first splashed down on mobile phones last year. To date, it has achieved sales of 1.5 million units and continues to be one of the top downloads on carrier decks. It falls in the vein of other brain training titles and boosts brain activity and helps players develop stress-management skills through a wide variety of games.