Iphone
by Doug Aamoth on October 26, 2009

Nothing says “please rob me blind” like riding a foot-powered scooter and housing your iPhone in a dedicated quiver-like sash that exposes the top-most part of the device, logo and all.

by Doug Aamoth on October 26, 2009

TomTom’s iPhone car dock is now available from the U.S. Apple Store for $120 with a shipping time of 2 to 3 weeks. You’ll recall that the actual TomTom iPhone app runs for $100 on top of that.

by Jeremy Kessel on October 25, 2009

nokia-v-apple

As many of you are aware, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple last week in the Federal District Court in Delaware. Nokia’s complaint alleges that Apple has infringed on 10 of Nokia’s patents for various, “fundamental” GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) technologies. In particular, the patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption. Nokia believes that all 10 patents have been infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced back in 2007.

This brings up the question: Why wait until now, Nokia, to sue Apple? Clearly, without speaking directly to Nokia’s legal team, all of the following is pure (albeit educated) conjecture. Nonetheless, with intellectual property (i.e. copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets) becoming increasingly important and relevant to (technology) companies around the globe, it is worth taking a few minutes to explore some of the possible motives/strategies behind Nokia’s latest legal muscle flexing.

by Nicholas Deleon on October 22, 2009

To call us a “car blog” would sorta be stretching the truth. Occasionally one of the guys—aka Matt Burns—will do a car story, yeah, but that’s primarily because he thinks he’s James May. I have no such illusions of grandeur; I’m just sitting at a desk typing things, and writing student loan checks… Before this gets any further off track, the news: Volkswagen has teamed up with the guys behind Real Racing, Firemint,

Yamaha’s new wireless iPod Dock
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by Jimin Brelsford on October 20, 2009

EV_pdx60blA new day, a new iPod dock hits the market. But unlike the rest, this one has something new to offer. The PDX-60 introduces a new form of wireless audio transmission from Yamaha, yAired. I imagine for those consumers who are too lazy to walk all the way across the room to their stereo, just to change the song.

You set up the dock unit wherever you like, and attach a small transmitter to your iPhone or iPod, and voila! You’re connected to those speakers like it’s nobody’s business! The big selling point behind yAired is that it uses Linear PCM encoding. So unlike Bluetooth, it doesn’t compress the audio stream before flying it through the air. So you get to hear your compressed MP3s uncompressed. Yay.

The woofer is only rated to 60 Hz, so don’t expect a booming bass response. It supports all flavors of iPod (Phone, nano, classic, etc.). It’ll charge, playback, even let you control them with the included remote. My stereo system is centered around my computer, so listening from my iPod is something I only do on the subway. But if you really want one, you can pick it up at your local consumer electronics retailer in any of four fantastic colors for $299.95. 

by Leena Rao on October 19, 2009

The much anticipated and hyped Rock Band for iPhone and iPod Touch is out! We first scooped the news of the launch of the app a few weeks ago. Shortly afterwards, Rock Band for the iPhone/iPod touch was officially announced by Electronic Arts. The app costs $9.99.

The game features a multi-player mode (via Bluetooth), allowing up to 4 players to rock out on the go. While you can also play via single-player mode, you can use the integrated Facebook Connect to invite your friends to join in.

by Doug Aamoth on October 13, 2009

Oh, boy. It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? Automobile security system company Viper has just introduced its SmartStart line consisting of an in-car hardware module with a cellular connection that allows you to lock, unlock, and remotely start your car from just about anywhere in the world.

Jailbreak everything (well, only iPhone 3.1.2 firmware) with blackra1n
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by John Biggs on October 11, 2009

blackra1n
If you’ve been waiting to upgrade, now you’re ready to rock. A new app, blackra1n, will jailbreak any 3.1.2 iPhone or iPod Touch.
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by Nicholas Deleon on October 9, 2009

It seems that Apple has such of thirst for flash memory (for use in its iPods, iPhones, maybe tablets, etc.) that it’s having a profound effect on the flash suppliers. Tighter supplies, uncertainty about where to go for more flash, etc. Apple gets most of its flash memory from Samsung, but other people get flash from Samsung, too, and now they’re all, “Um, hey Samsung, do you have any flash for us?” Then Samsung shrugs its shoulders, “Yeah, man, Apple just paid us $80 zillion for the lot of it. You’ll have to go somewhere else. Sorry.”

by Doug Aamoth on October 9, 2009

Trying to use a cell phone while riding a motorcycle can’t be an easy task – maybe it isn’t that hard for experienced riders, I have no idea. I’d be all wobbly thanks to a) never having driven a motorcycle in my life and b) having no business trying to operate a phone one-handed while piloting a two-wheeled moving vehicle for the first time. For those of you who can do all that stuff, though, here’s an interesting iPhone motorcycle kit from France.

by Jeremy Kessel on October 8, 2009

rock-band-iphoneSeems like just yesterday when we started to get a funny feeling about an official Rock Band for iPhone release. Turns out, our very own Inspector Gadget, one Mr. Kumparak, was spot on with his sleuthing – Rock Band for the iPhone / iPod touch was officially announced by Electronic Arts earlier today.

by Jimin Brelsford on October 7, 2009

There are some modders out there whom I would accuse of having too much free time. Whoever made this latest iPhone tweak would certainly be among them.

by Doug Aamoth on October 7, 2009

Whoever manipulated the above image to make this humongous iPhone battery pack look relatively manageable ought to be given a raise. Conversely, whoever wrote “It is not bulky either as it just extends a little at the bottom” in the product description ought to immediately undergo a workplace evaluation. If it happens to be the same person who handled both the photo and the product description, then God help us all.

by Nicholas Deleon on October 7, 2009

Growing up, was there anything worse than being called a rich kid? Granted, it was probably just a case of petty jealousy—I wish I had a power wheel!—but man oh man did the rich kid win no friends. Fast-forward a few years, and the rich kid isn’t just flaunting his new lunchbox and Spider-Man sneakers, no sir: he’s driving a brand new car and checking his Facebook on his shiny, new iPhone 3G S. Or, a long way of say the obvious: Apple products are popular with kids from wealthy parents.

by Nicholas Deleon on October 7, 2009

Do you have an iPhone? Would you like to play Myst for free? You can, sorta! What used to be the Myst demo is now called Myst FREE. You can explore Myst Island, but that’s about it.

by Scott Merrill on October 6, 2009

sekai-camera-demoAugmented reality is all the new buzz, I guess. I don’t know, because I only have an iPhone 3G — mine’s missing that important “S” indicating it’s the new model on which augmented reality can actually execute. But at CEATEC today I saw some Sekai Camera examples in the real world. My experience wasn’t entirely positive: find out why.

by Dave Freeman on October 6, 2009

So you’re finally decided that you have too much finely shaped plastic, aluminum, and steel in your life. You’ve got a woodworking shop in your garage that would make the amish cry, and you just can’t figure out where to put your iPhone when you’re not using. Worry no more friend, you can make a hand crank-able wooden iPhone dock, just like this man did.

by John Biggs on October 5, 2009

Did you see this? This is Canabalt, a crazy little game that involves a man running and jumping in an 8-bit pixellated world that seems to be falling apart around you.

I’m reminded of Half-Life, Mirror’s Edge, and like some kind of weird Sonic game that doesn’t require you to remove your testes to play.

by Jimin Brelsford on October 5, 2009


Are you tired of having to hold your iPhone while you watch funny videos? Wish there was a way to lean your iPod Touch against something while you look at it? Hi, Billy Mays here for the incredible iEasel. The amazing new iPhone stand that fits right in your wallet.

What do you when you don’t want to hold your multimedia device up to your face? Up until now, you either had to lay it flat on a table, or lean it against something on your desk. Not anymore. The iEasel can support your iPod from 45 to 75 degrees and anywhere in between. It has the strength, and the muscle, to hold your device in portrait, even landscape mode for those widescreen movies.

The secret is in the hinge + support tab that shoulders your iPhone. It’s sturdy plastic construction and nonslip design mean you can use it anywhere, anytime. But it still fits right in your wallet.

If you order now, you will get the original Imperikal iEasel for the insane price of $3.99. That’s the ultraportable, wallet-sized iEasel that pays for itself with only one use, for the low, low price of $3.99. And if you order now, I’ll throw in free shipping. Here’s how to order.

by Nicholas Deleon on October 3, 2009

The free ride is over, ladies. Go ahead and fire up the Google Maps Apps for your iPhone (or iPhone touch), and you may well run into something you’ve avoided for so, so long: an ad. That’s right: Google Maps now shows advertisements. Things fall apart.

bugbugbug