It’s been a whole day since we talked about the iPhone, so here we are to avert those increasingly worrying palpitations we know you’ve been suffering. Since the new iPod Nano launched it’s had some revolutionary kit inside it called a FM radio. Not only that, Apple included the firmware to allow song tagging, but so far radio groups in Europe have ignored the functionality.

Absolute Radio are the first to step forward and give it whirl. It’s essentially Shazam for radio – if you hear a song you like, you can tag it within the Nano to find out what you’re listening to, and purchase it later on iTunes:

There’s no web browser in the Nano – you’re unable to flick through tracks in the iTunes store, so purchasing songs by tagging them isn’t as smooth a process as it is on the iPhone. Still, tagging of live radio pretty cool, although Absolute is the only station in Europe to be supporting this functionality so far. The revenue stream it creates may only be worth pennies initially, but at a time when commercial radio revenues are taking a sound beating (and plenty of radio groups still haven’t cracked multi-platform listening), development like this is important in fortifying a brand’s relationship with the listener.

Holy moly, looks like we may have just three weeks to wait before Apple unleashes a world of touchscreen wonderama on us. Monday 7th September is the date that’s leaking out of multiple music industry sources for the latest Apple keynote. Apple is unlikely to bother with any heralding of new products again this year, so if the new and strongly rumoured Apple tablet is coming, we should hear about it in 21 days. 21 days! The man-sized nappies are on order.

But why is the music industry supplying the heads-up on the event? It’s possible the event will cover the rumoured refinements to iTunes, including a system know as Cocktail that will bundle music together with extra content. There’s also the possibility of iPod Nanos with cameras, Blu-ray support for the MacBook range, the elixir of eternal youth, and all the other cobblers usually associated with such a keynote that inevitably leaves a trail of shattered dreams and disappointment.

[Mediamemo] via [MacRumours]