Apple’s September Music Event: The Good, The Bad, and the Meh
Filed under: Apple Bashing, Apple Fanboyism, Opinion, iPhone, iPod, iTunes
Well, another Apple special event has come and gone, and odds are you have no idea how you feel about it. Well, fear not, I’m here to tell you what you think. So without further ado, here is what was Good, Bad, and Meh about today’s music event.
The Good
iOS 4.1 – HDR photos, Game Center, Proximity sensor and other bug fixes…. Well, obviously we’d have to test these things out to know for sure, but as a fan of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography, I am really pleased to see this come to the iPhone as a native implementation. As for Game Center, Read more
Laser-powered stripper platform with built-in iPod dock is this year’s MUST HAVE gift
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Awesomeness, design, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch
Well, the iPod connector has now officially been put into everything.
Tasked with the the challenge of creating a “coffee table”, London-based designer Moritz Waldemeyer has gone WAAAY above and beyond the call of duty by creating some sort of laser-beam themed GoGo Dancing platform, complete with smoke machine, and yes, an iPod Dock.
This certainly is cooler than my current coffee table, which consists of a 30 Lucky Charms boxes duct-taped together. Finally, now I can enjoy my “Laser Loggins” and “Laser Floyd” in the privacy of my own home. I have already ordered 3 of these, since there’s no way am I sharing with the kids. Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Steve for the tip!
via We Heart
iOS4 is out – how do you like it?
Well, we’re just 3 days away from the iPhone 4 launch and all the excitement and waiting in line that goes with such things, but even if you aren’t going to be one of the “early adopters” of the new iPhone, you can still get in on that iOS 4 goodness. Apple today released the iOS 4 update (via iTunes) which will bring (most of) the super cool new features of the iPhone 4 to your iPhone 3G S.
Unfortunately, that’s where my coverage ends, as I just put my iPhone 3G S up on eBay (feel free to buy it, I put together a nice bundle) and I decided to keep my iPhone’s OS stuck at 3.1.3 (7E18) for anyone who might wish to jailbreak it.
So… leave me a comment telling me how awesome it is, and rub my face in the fact that I cannot play with it (until I go home and break update the Bride of Macenstein’s phone, that is). What’s the most awesomest feature? How’s the internet radio in the background working? I NEED DETAILS PEOPLE!
Review: RichardSolo 1800 battery charger for iPhone has Frickin’ Lasers!
With all the external iPhone batteries out there it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. But here’s a helpful little tip that has always served me well – when buying any electronic gadget, I ALWAYS go for the one that has FRICKIN’ LASERS! Read more
Review: IDAPT I3 – Our pick for the geeky Dad
Filed under: Awesomeness, Product Reviews, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, iPod nano
This year anyone looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift for the tech obsessed Dad need look no further than the iDapt I3 charging station. Well, MY kids at least need look no further (and yeah, I suppose there might be a geeky Mom or two out there who would love it as well).
The I3 is available in “Manly Pink”, as well as 8 other colors.
Designed to minimize the cable clutter and outlet overload of today’s kitchens, the I3 get’s its name from the three separate charging “tips” you can pop into the available openings which will allow you to charge pretty much any handheld device known to geeks. Each I3 comes with tips for the iPhone/iPod, as well as phones from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, and both a miniUSB and a microUSB tip, pretty much assuring that you can charge anything from a GPS or digital camera to an iPhone external battery from the likes of Mophie, Mili, or Novothink.
Awww… it’s like they’re getting a couple’s massage…
Swapping tips is easy, simply press on the two raised pressure buttons on either side of a tip to lift it up, and snap in a new one.
The I3 ships with a nice assortment of popular tips, or you can order your own.While odds are the I3 will meet all your charging needs out of the box, you can order additional tips on a tip-by-tip basis if you’d like. For example, being a 2-iPhone, 2-iPod house, I figured I needed 3 iPhone tips. IDAPT sells tips covering most mobile phones, as well as other gadgets like the Nintendo DS, and it even has an adapter for Read more
Review: Griffin TuneFlex AUX SmartClick for iPhone/iPod touch
Filed under: Product Reviews, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, iPod nano
In a perfect world, like above, the TuneFlex can position your iPhone perfectly. But not in the Camry…
Lord knows the Toyota Camry has its problems, but all the highly publicized defect recalls and deaths are really taking away from the biggest problem the Camry has – namely that there is no decent way to mount an iPhone it it. I’ve tired suction cup mounts which are annoying to have on a window with the various cables hanging down, I’ve tried junky vent clips that invariably break off and fall into the vent, never to be seen again, and cup holder mounts that pop out of the Camry’s removable cup holder divider. So it was with great hope, tempered with much pessimism, that I decided to try out Griffin’s TuneFlex AUX SmartClick for iPhone/iPod touch.
This kind of seems like a waste of plastic, no?
The TuneFlex AUX aims to solve most of your in-car iPhone/iPod needs by delivering power to your device, audio out (via the AUX jack in your car, if you have one), and a remote control for changing songs and such. I already had a car charger and a line out cable to my AUX port, so what really enticed me was the flexible positioning stand and the remote. Read more
Plane kills beach jogger listening to his iPod
You know how they say “When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go”? Well, I can’t help but feel that a hell of a lot of people’s “time to go” might be extended if a couple of these bored ass-wipes stopped trying to fly their experimental planes.
From The Associated Press
A 38-year-old jogger from Georgia is dead after a single-engine plane making an emergency landing hit him as he ran on a South Carolina beach listening to his iPod.
The coroner said Tuesday that Robert Gary Jones of Woodstock, Ga., apparently did not hear the troubled plane that struck him from behind on Hilton Head Island The plane had lost its propeller and the pilot’s vision was blocked by oil on the windshield.
Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen says he plans to conduct an autopsy. He says Jones was married and had two children.
Hilton Head fire and rescue spokeswoman Joheida Fister says the identities of the pilot and a passenger on the Experimental Lancair IV-P plane were not released. They were not injured.
I was going to make some lame joke about “this is exactly why I don’t jog”, but the man had two small kids (as do I), so it’s kind of a sad story that hits close to home. Besides, the real reason I stopped jogging is because I was almost killed by a totally unafraid, 50-horned male deer early one morning, and there is no way I want my kids to remember me as the guy who got killed by a deer.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Jonro for the tip!
“The 12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaway: Day 40 – A JBL ON STAGE 400P
Filed under: Awesomeness, Free Stuff, contests, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, iPod nano
This contest is closed. Congrats to faithful Macenstein reader Paul.
On the Fortieth Day After Christmas, Macenstein gave to you (or, more accurately, gave you a chance to win…) A JBL ON STAGE 400P !
Yes, the The 12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaway is slowly winding down, but we’re going out with guns blazing! And speaking of blazing, your head will probably explode when you hear the blazing audio of the JBL ON STAGE 400P ! That is, assuming you win, which you probably won’t.
Your music, the JBL® way.
Clean, powerful sound with lots of bass punch. It’s what JBL® audio components have been delivering for more than 60 years. The JBL On Stage® 400P system puts all that experience to work in a loudspeaker dock for your iPod, iPhone or any music source with an audio jack.Four Odyssey® full-range drivers and an AtlasTM woofer in a single compact enclosure bring accurate, high-output sound to virtually any bookshelf or tabletop. And a smart remote puts you in control of your music library from across the room. There are plenty of docks for iPod out there, but this is the one that only JBL engineers could build.
To enter: Speaking of winning, we were wondering, Have you ever won any type of contest or prize? (Don’t worry, we won’t penalize you out of jealousy if you won millions in the lottery – everyone has the same chance). Winners will be picked randomly 7 days later and notified (kind of like in The Ring, only with less killing… we hope). Open to US and Canadian readers only. Good luck, and thanks for reading Macenstein! (Oh, and be sure to enter ALL our “12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaways!)
Please note: Comments may take a while to show up, please do not double-post. Thanks!
“The 12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaway: Day 11 – iLuv iMM173 Dual Dock Alarm Clock for iPod/iPhone
Filed under: Awesomeness, Free Stuff, contests, iPhone, iPod
This contest is closed. Congrats to faithful Macenstein reader Matthew.
On the Eleventh Day After Christmas, Macenstein gave to you (or, more accurately, gave you a chance to win…) a iLuv iMM173 Dual Dock Alarm Clock for iPod/iPhone!
If you’re anything like us, odds are you buy a new iPod or iPhone every 3 months, as well as a new iPod speaker system and alarm clock. And like us, your counter tops are now probably pretty much overrun with those speakers, clocks, and charging cables. Well, iLuv aims to at least cut that techno clutter in half with their kick-ass iLuv iMM173 Dual Dock Alarm Clock for iPod/iPhone . Boasting not one, but TWO iPod/iPhone charging stations, the iMM173 is pretty much the bee’s knees of iPod alarm clocks for any dual iPhone/iPod household. Check out the features:
· Powerful built-in speakers allow you to hear your music with depth and clarity
· Treble / Bass control
· Convenient remote control storage
· Large display; easy to read
· Auxiliary line input for any audio devices with 3.5mm jack
· LCD dimmer level control (11 steps)
iPhone / iPod
· Two iPod docks let you charge up to two iPod and/or iPhone at once
· Enjoy rich sound from your iPod / iPhone with jAura acoustic speaker technology
· Choose and play any one of two docked iPod / iPhone*
· Plays and charges your iPod / iPhone
· Integrated universal dock for your iPod / iPhone
Digital Dual Alarm Clock
· Digital clock display with dual alarm clock
· Easy to adjust DST (Daylight Saving Time) with a simple switch
· Time Sync function synchronizes time from your iPhone or iPod
· Wake to iPod / iPhone, FM radio, or buzzer
· Sleep to iPod / iPhone, FM radio
Radio
· FM stereo
· PLL tuning digital tuning technology
· Programmable presets for 8 radio stations
To enter: We’re pretty sure you’ll LOVE the iLuv almost as much as you love your Apple gear, after all, it lets you charge more than one Apple product at once. But we’ve got a “tough love” question for you. Leave us a comment telling us, if you could only own ONE Apple product, and have to use competing companies’ offerings for the others in your life, what Apple product would you choose to own? Could you live using a Windows PC if it meant you could have your iPhone? Could you get by with just your Mac if you had to use a Sansa MP3 player?
Winners will be picked randomly 7 days later and notified (kind of like in The Ring, only with less killing… we hope). Open to all readers world wide. Good luck, and thanks for reading Macenstein! (Oh, and be sure to enter ALL our “12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaways!)
Please note: Comments may take a while to show up, please do not double-post. Thanks!
“The 12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaway: Day 8 – Any Speck iPod case you want
Filed under: Awesomeness, Free Stuff, contests, iPod
This contest is now closed. Congrats to faithful Macenstein reader Mike!
On the Eighth Day After Christmas, Macenstein gave to you (or, more accurately, gave you a chance to win…) Any Speck iPod case you want!
In the past we used to give out specific cases, say, a pink iPod shuffle case. Problem was, if you didn’t have a shuffle, or didn’t like pink, well, you pretty much didn’t care. But this year the good folks at Speck came up with a BRILLIANT idea: Why not let the winner choose what case THEY want?
That’s right, whether you own a 2nd generation iPod shuffle, a brand new iPod touch, or an “ancient” 5th generation iPod with video, Speck’s got you covered. The winner gets to choose any style case in any color for any model iPod that Speck makes (assuming it is currently in stock on their online store). So head on over to the Speck Store, pick out your dream case from their ridiculously large selection (including the PixelSkin, SeeThru, and my favorite the CandyShell), and then enter below.
To enter: Since Speck’s cases are as much about design as protection, leave us a comment telling me what is your favorite color. (Whoops, we accidentally put the wrong question here at first, but it doesn’t matter, any comment is a valid one for entry. Sorry fotr the confusion!) Winners will be picked randomly 7 days later and notified (kind of like in The Ring, only with less killing… we hope). Open to ALL READERS WORLD-WIDE. Good luck, and thanks for reading Macenstein! (Oh, and be sure to enter ALL our “12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaways!)
Please note: Comments may take a while to show up, please do not double-post. Thanks!
