Where the Frotz is Zork for the iPhone?
While the iPhone is enjoying brisk sales and an avalanche of media hype, there is still one thing that is holding it back from being the kind of runaway “Tickle Me Elmo” hit that every red-blooded man, woman and child craves. That one thing is, of course, a decent port of the 1979 text-based adventure game Zork. “It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.” Zork support is time and again the feature smartphone owners overwhelmingly cite as... Read More
Apple says don’t be surprised if the next iPhone update bricks your hacked iPhone
Apple today issued its official stance on iPhone unlocking, and all indications are that if you were one of the few who unlocked your iPhone, either to use it with another carrier, or just for the sheer geeky thrill of it, you may soon have a $599 (minus rebate) or $399 brick on your hands. CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage... Read More
Review: Logitech does the portable iPod speaker right with the Pure-Fi Anywhere
Logitech has finally come out with a portable speaker system we can all get behind with their Pure-Fi Anywhere Compact Speakers for iPod. Available in black or white, the Pure-Fi delivers exceptional sound given its size, and addresses pretty much all the complaints we’ve had with other portable speakers. Styling First off, the Pure-Fi looks great. The design is a somewhat revamped version of their mm50 iPod speakers, but they look much sleeker and feel a bit more solid.... Read More
Free Stuff: SendStation iPod FW adapters
If you’re like us (God help you) you can’t resist free stuff, whether you need it or not (we still have every free, unlistenable song from the iTunes Store, for example). Well, lovers of free stuff rejoice! SendStation Systems is giving away 1,000 of its PocketDock FW iPod adapters, which allow you to charge the iPod or iPhone using any standard 6-pin FireWire cable. Offer available while supplies last or until October 1, 2007, limited to one PocketDock per person... Read More
iEye, Cap’n!
What better day to write about an invention called the iEye than on National Talk Like a Pirate Day?! Faithful Macenstein reader Tom Miller sent us a link to his entry into the NASA Tech Briefs “Create the Future” contest which we thought was pretty cool. Tom’s idea (patent pending) is an add-on for the iPod/iPhone/iPod touch (basically anything with an “i” in the front of it) that would add high-quality still and video optics to any of Apple’s... Read More
“Video out” coming to iPhone!
We’re not sure why no one is making a bigger deal about this, but it appears that one of the major omissions from Apple’s iPhone may be getting rectified in an upcoming firmware release – namely, video out! While browsing Engadget’s O2 event gallery, faithful Macenstein reader Wemberly noticed that the UK iPhone’s “iPod” settings list a host of new video preferences, such as support for closed captioning and setting whether a video resumes... Read More
Obama Girl disses the iPhone – Is the iPhone becoming the new symbol for wussiness?
Flavor of last month The Obama Girl has released a new video in which she, Leah, and Mims (man do I feel out of it) dis the iPhone. The new video, for their song “I Like a Boy“, centers around the girls’ love of a man in uniform. In the video, when approached poolside by 3 “yuppie” boys, the bikini clad girls sing (and I use the term loosely): “He whipped out his iPhone and started to play, I told him I don’t really get down that way, I... Read More
Apple Chooses O2 as Exclusive Carrier for iPhone in UK
Boy, the more partners Apple gets, the harder it is for them to keep any secrets. As expected, Apple and O2 announced today that O2 will be the exclusive UK carrier for Apple’s iPhone when it makes its debut in the UK on November 9. It will be interesting to see just how much Apple learned from the US iTunes launch, as Apple is sticking with the iTunes activation that caused a number of headaches for some US customers (myself among them – nearly 5 days to activate!).... Read More
Porting the iPhone GUI to the Archos 605 Wifi
As anyone who has ever ripped someone off and been caught will tell you, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So the boys in Cupertino should feel pretty good about themselves right about now. Above: olidiams apparently knows quite a bit more about programming than he does about “white balance”. iTrafik reports that over in the Archos forums (which you might think would be the last bastion of Archos-pride), member olidiams has gone through the trouble of... Read More
Review: The HOODIE by Gracie’s Gear
Gracie’s Gear, makers of the infamously awesome Power Pouch Sports Bra (Macenstein rated 9.5 out of 10), have come out with a new piece of exercise apparel meant to make jogging with your iPod easier, their new HOODIE. Now that the weather’s getting colder (well, in the Northeast, at least) those of us who do our morning jogs are finding it a little too chilly to be running around in only a jogging bra. Already here in NJ, while it may still reach 75 or 80 during the... Read More
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