Mac notebook and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review, and general Mac
news is in Mac News Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News, Reviews, & Opinion
Apps & Services
Accessories
iPod and iPhone Deals
These price trackers are updated regularly.
News, Reviews, & Opinion
iPhones and iPods Really Are Bad for Kids
MacLife's Jan
Hughes reports:
"It's official. There are imminent dangers lurking right under our
children's noses. Turns out all those hours spent playing on gadgets
are just as harmful as we suspected. Aside from the obvious dangers of
obesity, isolation, wasted time, and the potential of your kids living
in your basement until they're 35, there are other threats lurking in
the iPhone and iPod....
"According to the American Society of Hand Therapists, typing out
messages with your thumbs causes tendinitis [sic] and carpal tunnel
syndrome, and nearly 4 million people a year get carpal from
texting....
"...texting while walking across the street is common enough and
hazardous enough to have warranted an official warning from
emergency-room doctors across the land....
"...there are dire warnings that texting can actually impede your
child's development... in school....
"According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, iPods are
responsible for accelerating hearing loss in young adults....
"On a related note, headbanging is now proven to harm your
brain...."
Link:
Warning: iPhones and iPods Really Are Bad for Your Kids
Gmail Tasks Launched for iPhone
MacNN reports:
"Google has expanded the reach of Gmail Tasks to include the iPhone,
Android or any other XHTML-enabled platform. The mobile version
provides an interface that has been optimized for the lower resolution
and size of smaller screens...."
Link: Gmail
Tasks Launched for iPhone, Android Platforms
Tasks: Paper vs. iPhone
Gmail Blog's Michael Bolin says:
"Among the world's leading productivity tools is an advanced
technology known as paper. Many of the world's top corporations and
most active Internet users have adopted paper as a method of organizing
their daily lives. When they think of something they need to do, they
write it down on a piece of paper and keep that piece of paper with
them.
"Though some advances have been made in paper's effectiveness - such
as the addition of a sticky section that allows you to attach a piece
of paper to your monitor, your desktop, or even another piece of paper
- it turns out that paper is pretty hard to improve on, and reigns as a
leading task management technology....
"When we set out to build Tasks (now in Gmail Labs), one of our
goals was to improve upon paper. With the version of Tasks in Gmail, we
focused on making editing very fast and simple - as close to paper as
we could. But despite dual-core CPUs, 30" monitors, and high speed
internet connections, many Googlers still found themselves using paper
to track their tasks.
"We did some competitive analysis and here is what we found...."
Editor's note: I still draft most of my columns and reviews longhand
before entering them (mostly via iListen) as digital text. I do my
income tax with pencil and paper, and I keep most incidental notes on
paper. I agree that it's tough technology to improve upon.
cm
Link: Tasks:
Paper vs. iPhone
Adobe, Apple Working Together on Flash for
iPhone
AppleInsider's
Aidan Malley reports:
"Once thought to be building Flash for the iPhone mostly on its own,
Adobe has mentioned at the World Economic Forum that it's not only
continuing work on the animation plug-in but has teamed up with Apple
to make it a reality.
"In an interview with Bloomberg at the Davos, Switzerland event,
Adobe chief Shantanu Narayen describes development as a complicated
two-way process rather than maintaining the previous image of a
one-sided effort that would depend on App Store approval before it
could launch...."
Link:
Adobe, Apple Working Together on Flash for iPhone
How Will Apple Persuade 100 Million iPod Users to
Trade Up to an iPhone?
Apple 2.0's
Philip Elmer-DeWitt says:
"How will Apple persuade 100 million iPod users to trade up to an
iPhone? That's the problem Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi tackles
in a report to clients Wednesday.
"His answer: Make an iPhone that comes without a data plan -
currently $30 a month in the United States.
"The opportunity for Apple is so attractive that he puts the odds of
such a thing coming to market before the end of the year at better than
50-50...."
Link:
The Great iPod Migration - How Will Apple Persuade 100 Million iPod
Users to Trade Up to an iPhone?
Cheap iPhone a $7 Billion Opportunity
Barrons'
Tiernan Ray reports:
"Apple's iPhone sells increasingly more units the cheaper it gets,
and therefore Apple should offer a really cheap version that doesn't
require a cellular data contract, in the opinion of Toni Sacconaghi
with Sanford Bernstein, in a note to clients this morning.
"Says Sacconaghi, the iPhone's biggest limiting factor is the cost
to consumers of adding a data plan to a cell contract, pushing monthly
costs above $70. Without a data plan-free phone, Apple is confining
itself to the smartphone market, just 17% of the total worldwide
cellular handset market, writes Sacconaghi. (Mind you, smartphones are
estimated to represent units of 225 million this year - not bad if you
could get a decent portion of such a niche.)"
Link:
Cheap iPhone a $7B Opportunity, Says Bernstein
Analyst Toni Sacconaghi Says Apple Should Sell
Crippled iPhones
iPod
Observer's Bryan Chaffin says:
"Analyst Toni Sacconaghi with Sanford Bernstein decided Wednesday
was a good day to demonstrate to his paying clients yet again that he
has no clue what Apple Inc. is about, how they operate, what their
goals are, and what direction the company has consistently taken in its
pursuits of the cell phone market.
"This is the sort of topic we normally cover in the form of a news
article, but Mr. Sacconaghi is just so far off base with his latest
thoughts about what Apple should do with the iPhone, I had to lay into
him with a column...."
"...that's his premise: Apple can't tap into the cheap cell phone
market - the part of the market where everyone and their corporate
brother is losing money - without offering iPhones that aren't iPhones,
and they'll need to do so in order to preserve the part of the
company's business represented by the iPod, as clearly no one is going
to want to carry a device dedicated to playing music and videos in the
future."
Link:
Analyst Toni Sacconaghi to Clients: I Still Don't Understand
Apple
Next Generation iPhone Revealed in Firmware
MacRumors'
Arnold Kim reports:
"MacRumors has discovered that Apple's iPhone 2.x Firmware has
evidence of the next generation iPhone which has been designated
'iPhone2,1'....
"This new model number can be found in the
USBDeviceConfiguration.plist in an unencrypted firmware."
Link:
Next Generation iPhone Model Revealed in Firmware
Third Gen Apple iPhone In Development?
Register Hardware's
James Sherwood says:
"iPhone fans, hold onto your hats. A block of XML in Apple's latest
phone firmware has reignited rumours that a new version of the
handset's in development.
"Apple's firmware refers to 'iPhone2,1'....
"Based on Apple's previous iPhone model identification system, it's
reasonable to assume that this firmware update could be some sort of
preparation for a new model...."
Link: Third-gen
Apple iPhone In Development?
Major Architectural Changes Suggested by 'iPhone
2,1'
AppleInsider's
Zach Spear and Prince McLean report:
"Various clues on the next version of the iPhone are being collected
that point to a major architectural overhaul that could bring
dramatically improved graphics performance to Apple's popular
smartphone.
"Recently, the new hardware identity string 'iPhone 2,1' began
turning up within the logs of an iPhone software analytics tool as well
as the recent iPhone 2.1.1 firmware. The label identifies a new
hardware version that hasn't yet shipped...."
Link:
Major Architectural Changes Suggested by iPhone 2,1
Why Mac Users Might Want the G-Phone
MacLife's
Carol Pinchefsky says:
"When we first held the T-Mobile G1 phone, feeling its bulk with
up-turned noses, we were reminded of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The iPhone
looked like the iconic Monolith . . . and the G1 resembled an
ape's club.
"But after experiencing its integrated touch screen and keyboard,
Bluetooth and WiFi, and a light-as-air trackball, we were surprised to
enjoy the G1-phone and its open source operating system, Android, as
much as we did. The G1, known colloquially as the "G-phone," has been
touted as a potential "iPhone killer." But with a music and app store,
as well as a checklist of nifty features, it's the first phone to
challenge the iPhone with any degree of success.
"But we're Mac users, and so we're very particular (some would say
obsessive) about our tech. So the real question for us is this: is the
G1 phone a real contender for our affections?"
Link:
A Look at Why Mac Users Might Want the G-Phone
Free Music on Your Mac, iPhone, or iPod touch at
Home, in the Car or at the Office
AppleHits
says:
"If you love music and use it to help achieve relaxation and a sense
of tranquility at home, in your car or at your workplace, then
providing musical content that is both inexpensive and with limited or,
better still, nonexistent irritating advertisements is a priority. This
would eliminate traditional AM/FM and satellite radio options and
positions your Mac, iPhone or iPod touch in the forefront of this
challenge. There are numerous choices at your disposal via exciting,
even a few free, digital services!"
Link:
Free Music on Your Mac, iPhone, or iPod touch at Home, in the Car or at
the Office!
Apple TV: Time to Get Serious
BusinessWeek's
Arik Hesseldahl reports:
"Ever since Apple TV hit store shelves in early 2007, company
executives have insisted on calling this curious little box-shaped
gadget a 'hobby.'
"In 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs used the label to describe this
device, which lets users transfer to a TV programming that has been
downloaded onto a computer. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who has
been running Apple while Jobs takes a six-month leave of absence, used
the term as recently as Jan. 21, during a conference call discussing
fiscal first-quarter results.
"It's time to drop the hobby talk. First-quarter unit sales of Apple
TV tripled from a year earlier, in part due to a software update
introduced a year ago that lets users rent movies, including some in
the ultra-crisp high-definition format. Version 1.0 of Apple TV let
users watch programming purchased from iTunes or downloaded off
Google's YouTube."
Link: Apple TV:
Time to Get Serious
Gloves with Fancy Fingers for iPhone Use
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iPhone Most Social Brand of 2008
Ad Age's Abbey Klaassen reports:
"Pop quiz: What was the brand or branded product most often
mentioned in social media at the end of last year?
"If you guessed the iPhone, as probably 90% of you did, you'd be
right. But you might be surprised at just how dominant Apple and its
brands are in terms of online chatter: iPhone is joined by Apple and
iPod in the top 10 most mentioned brands or branded products list.
"The analysis is from social-media-services provider Vitrue, which
launched a social-media index last year. It measures the conversation
volume around 200 brands on a variety of social-networking, blogging
and micro-blogging sites. This survey stuck to a pretty rudimentary
metric - it measures mentions, not the sentiment of those mentions or
the word pairings."
Link: iPhone Most
Social Brand of 2008
Apple Planning Video-Call iPhone
InformationWeek's Alexander Wolfe reports:
"Recent stories on Apple's iPhone patent have focused on Cupertino's
threatened legal action against Palm, which is launching the
iPhone-like Pre smartphone. But a closer examination of the Apple
patent yields much more interesting news. Namely, Apple is considering
adding a video record feature to the iPhone - an omission users have
long complained about - and it may soon become a handheld videophone
platform, with support for mobile video-conferencing calls...."
Link:
Apple Planning Video-Call iPhone
Next iPhone Will Rule at Gaming
Wired's Brian X. Chen
reports:
"The next upgrade to Apple's iPhone will have a strong focus on
gaming, analysts and developers agree.
"That's because the gaming market is an increasingly juicy segment
of the mobile multimedia space - and it's one that Apple's phenomenally
successful iPhone is well-positioned to dominate.
"'The iPhone and iPod touch are becoming a major new handheld gaming
platform, and if you look at the App Store and look at what's doing
well, that's reflecting,' said Bart Decrem, CEO of Tapulous, developer
of the popular Tap Tap Revenge iPhone game. 'I would look forward to
improvements in the device as a gaming platform both for the phone and
iPod touch.'"
Link: Apple's
Next iPhone Will Rule at Gaming
BlackBerry Storm Costs More to Build than
iPhone
Cnet's
Marguerite Reardon reports:
"Market research firm iSuppli has taken apart the BlackBerry Storm
and discovered that the sum of its parts is worth more than those of
Apple's iPhone 3G.
"Components used to build new Research In Motion smartphone cost
about $203, according to iSuppli. Verizon Wireless, the exclusive
carrier of the Storm, sells the device for $199 after rebates and with
a two-year service contract. Meanwhile, the total cost of components in
Apple's 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G, which was introduced last summer, is
$174. AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive carrier, sells the 8 GB
device for $199 with a two-year service contract...."
Link: BlackBerry Storm
Parts Pricier Than iPhone's
Apps & Services
Valentines 1.0 for iPhone
PR: Dejal Systems, LLC introduced Valentines version 1.0 for
the iPhone. Celebrate Valentine's Day with a fun valentine message and
a photo in a heart-shaped frame! Any number of valentines can be
created, using existing photos or take ones with the iPhone's camera.
Customize the message text. Show the valentines on your iPhone or iPod
touch, or save to the Photos app.
Dejal Systems, LLC today introduced Valentines version 1.0 for the
iPhone. Valentines enables you to create special Valentine's Day
messages for the love of your life, or messages for multiple people.
You can swipe through the messages to see them all. Your custom message
text is displayed above a custom photo enclosed in an attractive
heart-shaped frame.
You can show the valentines on your iPhone or iPod touch, or use the
camera button to save the displayed valentine to your Photo Library. A
tap of the info button flips the valentine over to reveal a field to
edit the message, plus buttons to change the heart photo.
You can enter your own valentine message, and choose an existing
photo from the Camera Roll or Photo Library, or take a new photo with
the iPhone camera. The photo can be moved and scaled as desired. The
new photo is stored in the Camera Roll, so you can import it into
iPhoto or use it elsewhere if desired.
While editing, a Valentines button displays a list of Valentine
messages in the order they appear on Valentines' main side. You can
change the order, delete them, or add any number of new ones.
Dejal is a long-established independent Mac software company, now
expanding into iPhone software.
Minimum Requirements: iPhone version 2.2 or later
Valentines is available for 99¢. It is immediately available on
the iPhone App Store. For-review coupons are available to the media;
contact Dejal to receive one.
Link: Valentines (available through
the
iPhone App Store)
TrueFlirt Valentine's Day Special for iPhone
PR: Viximo announced the launch of its TrueFlirt Valentine's
Day Special, an offer whereby iPhone users can receive a free iTunes
Gift Card simply for downloading TrueFlirt from Apple's App Store and
sending a digital 'Flirt' directly to Viximo. TrueFlirt combines text
messaging with gorgeous 2D animations that respond to user interaction
and enable users to flirt with immediacy, fun and style. The app comes
preloaded with 10 irresistibly interactive Flirts.
Provider of virtual goods and social networking applications for the
iPhone and iPod touch, Viximo, today announced the launch of its
TrueFlirt Valentine's Day Special, an offer whereby iPhone users can
receive a free iTunes Gift Card valued at $10 simply for downloading
TrueFlirt from Apple's App Store and sending a digital 'Flirt' directly
to Viximo.
A highly engaging and fun iPhone app, TrueFlirt combines text
messaging with gorgeous 2D animations that respond to user interaction
and leverage breakthrough iPhone technologies, like the accelerometer
and innovative Multi-Touch user interface, to enable users to flirt
with immediacy, fun and style. The app comes preloaded with 10
irresistibly interactive Flirts.
Users can, for example, offer the object of their affection a
virtual Love Potion that bubbles and pours when they tap or shake the
device, or they can even "set the mood" with an over-the-top-kitschy
bachelor pad Flirt, where users can tap objects in the scene to uncover
sexy essentials like a hidden waterbed and disco ball. New Flirts and
Flirt Collections are added regularly and automatically to keep the
interaction fresh and exciting, with some featuring popular musicians,
movie characters and pop culture icons.
"Flirting and Valentine's Day go hand-in-hand," said Rob Frasca, CEO
of Viximo. "Move over cards and candy. We're excited to bring a whole
new way to flirt with style to iPhone users."
During the TrueFlirt Valentine's Day Special, TrueFlirt is only
$3.99. To get a free iTunes Gift Card, users simply purchase and
download TrueFlirt to their iPhone. Once installed, they select their
favorite from 10 preloaded Flirts and send it directly to Viximo at
617-460-3269. Users must be sure the Flirt includes their email
address. Viximo will then send an iTunes Gift Card Code directly to the
email address listed in the user's Flirt. Supplies are limited to the
first 500 Flirts received by Viximo, so users are encouraged to act
quickly.
Link: TrueFlirt
(available through the
iPhone App Store)
1-800-FLOWERS.COM Announces Mobile Gift Center
App
PR: 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, INC., the world's largest florist and
gift shop, announced the launch of the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Mobile Gift
Center application on the Apple App Store. The application provides
iPhone and iPod touch users with easy access to a variety of the best
and most popular 1-800-FLOWERS.COM gift ideas and is ideal for mobile
consumers to shop for last minute Valentines Day gifts. The application
is updated daily and provides access to great gift ideas including
product descriptions and full-color images, exclusive offers and
special promotions for frequent customers.
"Providing our customers with the best and easiest way to shop for
gifts no matter where they are is a key driver for us," said Jim
McCann, CEO and founder of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "The new Mobile Gift
Center for iPhone and iPod touch delivers a fast and convenient way to
gift shop and we're excited to be on the Apple App Store."
Developed by Digby, a leading mobile commerce platform provider, the
1-800-FLOWERS.COM Mobile Gift Center application is a fast and easy way
for consumers to browse and shop for gifts from their iPhone and iPod
touch.
"We are very excited to deliver the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Mobile Gift
Center application to the revolutionary iPhone and iPod touch," said
Dave Sikora, CEO of Digby. "The Mobile Gift Center provides iPhone and
iPod touch users with immediate access to the same great selection
found on 1-800-FLOWERS.COM."
1-800-FLOWERS.COM Mobile Gift Center is available worldwide for free
from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, INC. "Gift Shop" also includes gourmet gifts
such as popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory; cookies
and baked gifts from Cheryl&Co.®; premium chocolates and
confections from Fannie May confections brands; gourmet foods from
Greatfood.com; wine gifts from Ambrosia; gift baskets from
1-800-BASKETS.COM and DesignPacsm; Celebrations, a new premier online
destination for fabulous party ideas and planning tips; as well as Home
Decor and Children's Gifts from Plow & Hearth, Wind & Weather,
HearthSong and Magic Cabin.
Link: 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (available through
the
iPhone App Store)
Mark On Call Interior Design App for iPhone/iPod
touch
PR: M.O.C. Interior Designer, LLC today announced the release
of Mark On Call, their virtual interior designer for iPhone and iPod
touch. M.O.C. allows the user to create and share detailed floor plans.
Created by an interior designer for interior designers, their clients,
and do-it-yourselfers alike, M.O.C. makes room planning and design fun
and easy.
Sold exclusively in the Apple App Store, the Mark On Call virtual
interior designer by M.O.C. Interior Designer, LLC, is a fun-to-use,
all-in-one design tool.
Based on the book, "What Would You Do With This Room?" by interior
designer Mark Lewison, M.O.C. allows the user to create and share
detailed floor plans. Created by an interior designer for interior
designers, their clients, and do-it-yourselfers alike, M.O.C. makes
room planning and design fun and easy.
The user of the Mark On Call application can create rooms in
accurate shapes and sizes, lay down flooring, and add and place
architectural features, appliances and furniture.
Additionally, colors and textures - fabric, wood and stone -
automatically scale onto items in the room using pre-set options, the
iPhone's camera, or any saved picture from the user's photo
library.
Shopping lists can be made in local currencies, notes taken, and an
invaluable checklist can be consulted to make sure the user's room
follows Mark's ten commandments of interior design as featured in hisbook.
Finally, the user can share their rooms and notes with clients,
designers, vendors, friends and family to make shopping and planning
easy.
"We are really excited about our M.O.C. iPhone application that
allows anyone to furnish a room using images of actual colors, fabrics,
flooring and surfaces from their favorite manufacturers. It will
revolutionize room design!" says creator Mark Lewison.
A serious design tool, the application is also seriously fun to use.
Whether designing a big project or a small one, a real project or one
just for fun, M.O.C. will make the process easy and immediate.
Link: Mark On Call
(available through the
iPhone App Store)
SlotZ Racer Updated: Share Your Tracks with Friends
PR: Freeverse announced that SlotZ Racer, the ultimate slot
car racing game for the iPhone and iPod touch, has received a major
update. Among many other improvements, this update allows players to
share their custom designed race tracks with friends, via email or
directly over WiFi.
New in version 1.1:
Major Additions:
- New Track Manager page. Email custom designed tracks to friends, as
well as send tracks directly over WiFi.
Scenery
editing: Spruce up your track designs with grandstands, hills, bridges,
tunnels, gravel traps; Grass and Dirt baseboard textures added.- 5 new camera modes: plan view, helicopter view, 2 new moving views
and driver view. - Shake feature. In any menu, shake to return to the
main menu. In the main menu, shake to start a quick race. In the
editor, shake to undo.
- CPU Oops factor added. Adjust how often the computer players make
mistakes and fall off the track.
- 4 New cars: CitruZ, TypeZ Drift, Mulsane and the Vontara XT.
- New "Strict" championship option. When set, doesn't allow players
to restart individual races during a championship. Trophies won in
strict mode unlock new car types.
- 4 bridge heights for serious multistory fun.
Minor
Additions:
- Lines in the editor show the size limits of the spare room and club
house.
- You can now name user created tracks and you can now store 32
tracks (previously 16).
- New "none" room style for when you just want to focus on the
track.
- Editor now has extra navigation functionality so you can hop
straight to a track piece. - Double tap to zoom in/out of the track in
the editor.
- In single player mode the whole screen now works as the
button.
- In single races, you can change tracks and cars from the pause
menu.
- Added fuel warning and last lap flashes to in-game display, along
with race position next to button in single player.
- Race intro sequence can be skipped by tapping the screen.
- Screen flips over 180 degrees so you can play with iPhone upside
down.
SlotZ Racer
lets players race against the computer or friends; a unique control
system allows up to 4 people to race on a single iPhone! Compete for
laps or against the clock in Time Trials, drive an endurance race,
(with simulated days and nights), 
or play a 'Quick Race' to jump straight into the action.
SlotZ Racer features an intuitive track editor to give the player the
ultimate freedom to design their very own courses, and offers a wide
selection of cars to race. The game also includes unlockable new
circuits, cars, track locations and championship challenges to keep the
action exciting and fresh! Players have the option to play with lane
changing, or fixed lanes for the racing purists.
SlotZ Racer is immediately available for $2.99 from Apple's App
Store on iPhone and iPod touch.
Link: SlotZ Racer (available
through the
iPhone App Store)
iPhone Sales Tax Calculator Adds Rates for All US
States
PR: Berble Studios have released b-Tax 1.4, an update to
their highly rated Sales Tax and VAT calculator for iPhone and iPod
touch. For the first time the application ships with sales tax rates
for all American states built right in. In addition to the United
States, b-Tax has gone global with rates included for the United
Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, India and the
Netherlands. b-Tax can now be used in any Country, State or Region,
anywhere in the World.
iPhone App developers, Berble Studios have released the new version
1.4 of their highly rated Sales Tax and VAT calculator - "b-Tax". For
the first time the application ships with sales tax rates for all
American states built right in.
In addition to the United States (USA), b-Tax has gone global with
rates included for the United Kingdom (UK), the Republic of Ireland,
France, Germany, India and the Netherlands. In addition to this, a new
"Custom Country" feature is also available for users to add their own
sales tax rates. This significant enhancement to the software means
b-Tax can now be used in any Country, State or Region, anywhere in the
World. All tax rates can now also be edited by the user; making it
trivial to update the sales tax rates for any country should they
change in the future.
Result for both plus tax and minus tax are calculated simultaneously
as the user types on their device, using Berble's "InstaCalc"
technology. The b-Tax application has been designed to produce these
values without the need for any additional key presses. This time
saving feature, along with a clean and logical user interface design
means b-Tax provides the fastest, easiest method to calculate sales and
value added tax calculations.
Berble's b-Tax v1.4 is available now from the Apple iTunes apps
store at the introductory price of 99¢/$0.59 and works on any
iPhone or iPod touch running software v2.2 or higher.
Link:
b-Tax (available through the
iPhone App Store)
Accessories
Jam Along With Your iPod with Alesis JamDock
PR: Alesis,
a leading manufacturer of professional audio equipment and studio
electronics, announces JamDock, the first dock for iPod designed
specifically for practicing musicians.
JamDock is the cleanest way for musicians to integrate an iPod into
any practice or live music setup. Musicians can connect and mix in
nearly any instrument, including electronic drums, and send the
resulting mix to the stereo outputs and headphone output. Nearly every
musician has an iPod, but until JamDock, there has never been an easy
and clean way to integrate an iPod into a practice or stage setup.
JamDock enables musicians to mix their iPod and instrument and
practice or play backing tracks live. JamDock has two 1/4-inch inputs
that work with both line-level sources and high-impedance guitars and
basses. The inputs sum to mono when there is only one side present, so
the musician hears their guitar centered in their headphones. A pair of
1/4-inch outputs feed amplifiers or PA systems and a 1/4-inch stereo
output feeds headphones.
Musicians can use JamDock on a flat surface, such as a guitar amp,
or mount it on a drum rack or stand using the e-percussion Module
Mount, sold separately.
JamDock comes with a free minusDrums.com music-track subscription
for fun play-along sessions.
"Now, musicians can jam out with the only iPod dock designed for
musicians," said Gregg Stein, Director of Marketing, Alesis.
System requirements: Compatible with iPod 3G, 4G, 5G, classic; iPod
nano 1G, 2G, 3G; and iPod touch
Link: JamDock
Sync and Charger Cable for iPhone/iPod
PR: Want something simple? Want something pocketable and want
your cable not tangled?
This cable could be one of your choice.
You can attach it to your cases or put it in your suitcase, due to
its unique design, this cable will not tangle with other cables and
even itself.
You can take it out anytime, anywhere at your convenience.
Features:
- Unique ergonomic design, cable never tangled.
- Pocketable
- As a cable for Synchronization and Charging
- Light weight and compact
This accessory is compatible with:
- iPhone 3G (or iPhone 2.0)
- iPhone 2G (or iPhone 1.0)
- iPod touch 1st & 2nd
- iPod classic
- iPod video
- iPod nano 4th
- iPod nano 3rd
- iPod nano 2nd
$10.99
Link: Sync and
Charger Cable for iPhone/iPod
5-in-1 USB Cable with Dock Connector for
iPod/iPhone
PR: Specifications:
- USB - Dock (for iPod/iPhone) for Sync and charging
- USB - PSP for Charging
- USB - NDS Lite for Charging
- USB - NDS for Charging
- USB - SP for Charging
- Mini USB 5 pin for other applications
This accessory is compatible with (for Sync and Charging)
- iPhone 3G (or iPhone 2nd Gen)/iPhone 2G (or iPhone 1st Gen)
- iPod touch 2nd
- iPod touch 1st
- iPod nano 4th/iPod nano 3rd
- iPod video (5G)
This accessory is compatible with (for Charging)
- PSP
- NDS Lite
- NDS
- Mini USB 5 pin for PDA, Mobilephone... (e.g. Motorola V3)
Note: You may not charge 2 or more devices at the same
time.
$12.99
Link: 5-in-1
USB Cable with Dock Connector for iPod/iPhone
3-image Lens for Mobile Phones/iPhone
PR: You can now create special effects with your
mobile phone/compact digital camera.
Features:
- Portable and detachable, you can take photo with your device at any
time
- 3 images in one photo with no photo-editing
- Compact and lightweight
- Crab-like claw to hang on your phone
- Tethers to hang on your phone
- One lens for all or your device (see compatibility below)
How
to attach the Lens to your device?
- take away the cover, then push the sticky jelly to your
camera/mobile phone
How to use?
- Remove the lens cap from the adhesive pad
- align the center of this lens to the center of the camera lens
- Confirm the position of the lens on the screen
- Rotate the lens to adjust the position of the images
- Take a picture and see the amazing result
- put the lens cap back in position after each use.
This accessory is compatible with
- any camera's aperture lens under 10 mm diameter
- e.g. iPhone 1st Gen, iPhone 3G (2 Gen), Nokia 6120...
- The 3 image lens will fit most standard phone cameras. However, if
you phone camera has a large aperture lens or if the area around the
aperture lens has an uneven surface, the 3-image lens may NOT be
suitable for. Please check your phone camera prior to purchase.
Specifications:
- Dimensions: inner diameter, 12mm approximately
- Dimensions: outer diameter, 18mm approximately
- Thickness of self-adhesive jelly (Jelly glue): 3mm
approximately
- Lens Construction: 1 element in 1 group
- Weight: 4g
Notes:
- The lens is made of hard plastics and soft jelly glue
- When the adhesive weakens, gently clean it with soapy water
- You should determine by yourself that if it is suitable for your
cellular phones or not.
$14.99
Link: 3-image
Lens for Mobile Phones/iPhone
