Macenstein

iHologram looks to provide minutes of extreme coolness

I’m not sure what you are supposed to do with this, but I know I want it. iHologram – iPhone application from David OReilly on Vimeo. Now, assuming this is not a very well-made hoax, iHologram by David O’Reilly is one of the coolest useless apps I have seen. “The application works by assuming a constant viewing angle (35-45 degrees), typical for when the device is placed on a tabletop. The 3d scene’s perspective is then warped using anamorphic perspective,... Read More

How many Polish People does it take to stand in line for an iPhone?

Ok, stop me if you’ve heard this one… Apparently the iPhone launch is going a little differently in Poland than it has in the rest of the world. While traditionally in countries like Australia, the UK, and of course the United States, demand for the iPhone on launch day often causes people to pay money in order to move up a couple spots in a long lines, in Poland, apparently people are being PAID to create a fake line. According to an anonymous source for Reuters,... Read More

If your iPhone 3G has lost all its data and your 3rd party apps crash on launch, clap your hands!

CLAP! CLAP! Yes, that’s right, I bought me a new 3G iPhone this Saturday, even after all my whining about how I was going to wait for a 32GB model to be released before updating my 1st gen. And honestly, I would have waited, if not for a series of somewhat odd circumstances which occurred over vacation last week involving an emergency room. (If you care to hear about them, I’ll throw them at the end of this article, as it is not really what the article is about). Above:... Read More

Why is Apple forcing me to Jailbreak my iPhone?

If there’s one thing Apple should have learned by now, it’s that it’s the little things that matter most – the small touches and attention to detail that make someone fall in love with (or out of love with) a device. And while you certainly can’t second guess what everyone on the planet will deem an important feature, there are some that should be obvious. To me, one such obvious feature is the ability to create my own SMS alert sound effects. Apple... Read More

iPhone factory workers send message of peace to our lands via the iPhone’s camera

Macrumors forum member markm49uk got a bit of a surprise when he browsed his newly purchased iPhone’s camera roll. That’s right, a series of shots of happy iPhone workers, presumably taken by other happy iPhone workers who do not value their jobs, came preloaded on markm49uk’s iPhone. We had seen some shots of the iPhone factory appear on iPhones in the past, but those had been chalked up to “accidents”. What we got here is a full blown photoshoot.... Read More

Without the iPhone there would be no Metallica

Well, OK, maybe that’s not quite true – I guess Metallica did “OK” before 2007, but according to the below video interview with James Hetfield (conducted by a cute 17-year old Dutch fan named Cissie), it appears that the iPhone has become a part of Hetfield’s songwriting workflow. “A lot of times, I’ll just see words… that are interesting to me…. and put them in my iPhone…” says James. “Just some words... Read More

Thriving “iPhone magazine” industry springs up in Japan

We’ve heard mixed reports as to whether the Japanese love or hate the iPhone, but if these shots are any indication, it would appear the Japanese are more than a little curious about Apple’s phone, to say the least. Apparently on Tokyo news stands there are no fewer than 4 iPhone-specific magazines dedicated to the device – no small feat when you realize the iPhone only hit the streets a month ago. It’s even more impressive when you realize that in... Read More

On my iPhone: “Koi Pond” Reviewed

Koi Pond is one of the more popular paid apps for the iPhone, and I can definitely understand why. First, at 99¢, it’s as close to free as Apple lets a developer get without simply giving away their app. But more importantly, Koi Pond is one of those cool little apps that really shows off just how powerful and interactive the iPhone graphics can be, and one of those apps we iPhone owners love showing our non-iPhone owning friends who then lamely look down at their Verizon... Read More

iPhone clones still kicking it “old school”

If you are one of those people who think the iPhone 3G’s industrial design isn’t quite up to the beautiful brushed aluminum standards set by the 1st gen iPhone, don’t worry. Have we got the phone for you! Above: Nope, that’s not the iPhone, folks. I caught a bit of flack for comparing Lian Li’s XB01 Xbox case to that of the Mac Pro, but if anyone says this (Chinese? Russian?) import is not an iPhone rip-off, I’ll eat his hat, and the hats of... Read More

iPhone 2.1 Maps to boast Google Transit?

Faithful Macenstein reader Justin over at When Will Apple? proposes an interesting theory on at least one cool new feature we may see in the next iPhone firmware revision. “Well I just checked out Google maps on my PC and noticed something new today. You can… now select public transportation and walking directions!!! If Apple is smart they will include this new update for Google maps into their Google maps app on the iPhone…maybe in 2.1 firmware update? This... Read More