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Pull my finger Apple

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:36:29 +0000

Apple were not amused when this developer sent them his application for consideration. They deamed the “pull my finger” joke to be too boring for their iPhone or iPod Touch.

Apple told the developer:

“We’ve reviewed your application Pull My Finger. We have determined that this application is of limited utility to the broad iPhone and iPod touch user community, and will not be published to the App Store.”

Anyway a bit of fun for an evening, and even if you can’t play with it on you iPhone or iPod touch you can enjoy the video.

[Source: macrumors]

New iPod Touch and iPod Nano

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:13:26 +0000

The new iPhone 3G is out of the way, but technology is continually moving forwards so it is not much of a surprise that just as Apple get iPhone out the way, the rumours about new iPods has started.

Both the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch are due for an upgrade, whilst there aren’t any firm details yet the rumours started when reference to “iPod2,1″ were discovered in the code of Apple’s beta 2.1 firmware for the iPhone.

What can we expect? The best change in my opinion will be a reduction in the RRPs, which will make the iPod Touch and iPod Nano a much more appealing. Other than that you can hope for a 64GB version and strangely enough Apple may even include GPS support.

For the Nano, rumours suggest that is it going to get taller and thinner as well as getting a much larger screen with an iPhone/iPod Touch widescreen aspect ratio.

Apple should officially announce something in September. Not that excited about the changes to the iPod Touch are nothing to get excited about but the iPod Nano with its larger screen is certainly a step in the right direction.

[Source: TrustedReviews]

How to make an iPhone/iPod stand

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:52:40 +0000

Not all the versions of iPod/iPhone come with their own stand as standard so the industrious users at instructables have come up with several homemade solutions. You could go out and buy a stand from the shops relatively cheaply, but you could make your own for less money and have more fun doing it. There are several options for making your own stand; you could make one that fits in your wallet or you could make a car stand for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Read on to find out more.

iPhone/iPod stand from a business card

This is a very neat idea, all you need is a business card (or simply some card), scissors and a ruler. Cut the two lines marked, and then fold the card where the other lines are and you have a stand for your iPod of iPhone. This little stand will fit back in your wallet when you are done so it is very portable. It may be slightly gimmicky but you could use it as your business card and pass out iPhone stand cards to all the people you meet so they will always have your number to hand.

iPhone/iPod stand from document clips

This one doesn’t come with any instructions except the image above. It is quite straight forward, you will need 2 large bulldog clips, 2 small bulldog clips and 3 thingies to clip the two small bulldog clips together.

Not quite small enough to fit in a wallet but will easily fit in a pocket, you could even dismantle it to make it easier.

iPhone/ iPod Touch car stand doc

This stand for an iPhone or iPod Touch is made from items you can find in your home, except for maybe Velcro which you might have to buy. The person on instructables cleverly uses the plastic base which came in the box with your iPhone/iPod, as the main stand.

Brando has their sites set small… but does size matter?

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:15:54 +0000

The world is in two minds at the moment they want their devices smaller but the screens bigger. As you have probable spotted there is a slight problem, the device needs to be at least as large as the screen. That is unless you have a device with a rollable screen. So that’s the problem with devices which need screens but what about those without screens? How small can they get? Brando seems on a mission to find out. Read on to get more information.

Brando has recently been releasing small device after small device and each time claiming they are the smallest in the world. Here is an overview of some of their devices.

World’s smallest microSD reader

The first offering for the smallest in the world is the T-Flash USB Micro Drive Reader that can read and write MicroSD/T-Flash memory cards. Stick a card into this thing and hey presto you now have a mini pen drive. You can put your favourite movie on a MicroSD card and have it with you where ever you go. This little treasure retails for just $14.

Smallest flash drive

This supper thin flash drive which measures a mere 3.5 inches long has a quite remarkable capacity of 4 GB. If you don’t need 4GB you could always get a smaller version which is only 512 MB and would only set you back $19 where as the 4GB will cost you $55. With a USB 2.0 flash drive this small I would be afraid of losing it, shame it can’t be attached to my keys.

Tiny USB Bluetooth adapter

At just 14 x 19 x 6mm and only weighing 2 grams this has got to be the smallest way to get you computer Bluetooth compliant! I really can’t see how you can make it any smaller without making it impossible to use. To get one of these it will only set you back $24. Down side is this only compatible with Bluetooth 1.1 but it does have a range of about 10 meters.

World’s smallest wireless mouse

This petite mouse is the smallest in the world “probably”, yes that is right they claim it is the smallest but they don’t really know. That aside, this has switchable resolutions and promises 70 hours of continuous use with a range of about 23 feet. That’s all very nice but how usable is it? It looks like it will be quite uncomfortable to use and will just be good for giving you RSI. If you are interested in this mouse it will set you back around $29.

World

World's smallest iPod transmitter launched

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:59:10 +0000

Brando latest offering for the smallest in the world is a Bluetooth A2DP transmitter which is compatible with the iPhone and all dockable iPods. So it supports: iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, iPod nano(1st, 2nd, 3rd gen), iPod Classic, iPod Video, iPod (Color) and iPod Mini.

This little gizmo removes the need for wires to trail from your headphones into you iPod or iPhone and so you can be free to strut your way down the high street without the worry of becoming tangled.

The INFINXX AP23 doesn’t need additional power or batteries, it receives all its power from the player without, according to Brando, affecting the battery life of your iPod. Brando’s unit is able to connect to all Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP headphones and speakers and supports AVRCP functions which enable you to remotely control your iPod or iPhone. You will have remote control of play, stop, volume, forward, back and you can wirelessly receive calls.

The INFINXX AP23 Bluetooth unit is available for

iRecorder: records movies and TV shows direct to you iPod

admin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:10:12 +0000

The tale tell “i” at the front implies this is another attachment for your iPod. Which it is but it is much more as it is compatible with any USB device which can play Mpeg4s, so don’t be put off by the “i”. This little gizmo’s aim in life is to make yours easier. It won’t be making the tea for you but it does offer an easy way to convert your TV programs and films to Mpeg4 without the need for a computer or iTunes, which means you can watch them on the move. Read on for more information.

Plug the iRecorder into your TV and media device and it will take the movies, TV programs, or whatever you fancy, compress them and stick them on your iPod or other media device. It won’t even complain if you ask it to record day time soaps.

The iRecorder enables you to use your iPod, PMP, or other media device as a portable DVD recorder; as the iRecorder is quite small and easily fits in your hand you can take it with you where ever you go. You can even take it around a mates and record stuff off their TV or camcorder, or Sky Digital, in fact you can record off anything that has a RCA jack output. iRecorder does all the compression in real-time, but there is some confusion about the compression rate, in one place it says it can fit a 2 hour movie into 2GB, in another section it says for every 1GB of storage it will get you 3hours of footage. I know which one I would like it to be but I cannot tell you for sure which it is.

One nice little feature is the full video playback which enables you to hook it up to the TV and play the media on the iPod or other device. The iRecorder has an AV out that means you can watch your media on any TV, so if there is a TV handy you don’t need to watch your film on the small screen of your iPod. When playing the media back through a TV you can use the remote control and onscreen menu to control it all.

Features

Here’s a quick round:

size: 11 x 9 x 1.5cm
Records and compresses media from your TV, satellite, camcorder, directly to your portable media device
Stores recordings in Mpeg4 format
Puts recordings directly on any USB device (includes PMP, iPod, USB memory sticks, etc), there is no need for iTunes or a computer to aid the transfer
Compatible with iPod Nano 3rd Generation, iPod Classic, Video iPod. It would appear it is not compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch although iRecorder’s site implies it is
AV-IN jack so you can plug in any device with a RCA jack output
AV-OUT enables you to playback recordings from your device, back on your TV
Remote control (batteries included) that enables you to set the timer so you don’t have to be around when it starts recording
2 sets of 3-1 AC cables
Scart to AV adapter
Female AV to female AV adapter
12 month warranty

The iRecorder currently retails at:

Apple turns your iPhone into a remote control

admin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:34:05 +0000

Our sister-site MobileMentalism.com, recently reported a twist in the use of the Google Media Server which meant you could effectively turn your mobile phone into a remote control. Apple (slightly behind the times) has release a freebie which they are calling Remote… nice to see they thought long and hard about the name. Read on for more details.

Once installed this freebie from Apple will turn you iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control for your Apple TV and iTunes. Apple have reported you can also control iTunes on your PC and Mac, so they have not completely stopped you from using other company’s software. Remote works by using the WiFi capabilities of the two devices to access you media store. Once connected you can access playlists, search your library, and even control your AirTunes speakers.

There is certainly something lacking for me, in a world which is opening up the possibilities, allowing you to access information and applications like never before. Apple is still there saying, you can’t do this, it is ours, we will let you use our software but you will only be able to access the media in your iTunes. This is a mentality which worked once in a while but when you have things like, Google Media Server or Orb, why should you settle for only accessing media in your iTunes when you can access all the media on your PC, Mac or Apple TV.

If all you want to do is access your iTunes then give it a go but keep in mind there are other options out there. If you want to find out some other options open to you check out lifehacker.

[Source: Engadget]

RAmos iMovie T8 has Video

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:16:52 +0000

iMovie…. mmm… now where have I heard a name like that before? Anyway that aside, the RAmos iMovie T8 has the best screen-to-frame ratio in any MP4 player. As you can see from the picture the 4.3 inch touch screen takes up most of the face. Read on to see the video.

The interface generally seems quite slick and easy to use; the video player on the iMovie is similar to what you get on your PC, with the menu at the bottom disappearing when you leave it.

Live TV on your iPhone or iPod Touch

admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:43:55 +0000

Orb is familiar to us for its music, video and TV-streaming abilities, it can even turn your Wii into a media center (update: new article Wii media centers), but now the folks at Orb have moved on to the iPhone and iPod touch with a new application called OrbLive. Everything you could do before can now be done on your iPod touch or iPhone, including streaming live television.

Orb works by indexing the media on your PC and publishing it to a web site which you can then login to from any device that can access the internet. OrbLive goes one step further, rather than having to go to a web page you actually get access to all the media from an application installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. This means you have a nicer interface to search and view your media on and the whole feel and look fits better with your device. One downside is to install OrbLive you will need a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch, but if you don’t want to do that you can still use Orb’s original tried and tested method and just go to the website.

The sweet point is you can get any media to your device, movie, music, picture or live TV without having to worry about the limited size of you devices hard drive space. Now we have overcome one of the great hurdles with mobile devices, namely hard drive space, we just need to solve battery life, anyone know a web site you can stream power from…?

[Source: OrbLive]