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News, Reviews, & Opinion
Apps & Services
Accessories
iPod and iPhone Deals
These price trackers are updated regularly.
News, Reviews, & Opinion
1 in 4 Mobile Users Admits Texting While
Driving
Computerworld's Matt Hamblen reports:
"Despite laws against driving while texting in some states - and
support from cellular carriers for stricter laws to curb the practice -
about one in four mobile phone users still texts when driving,
according to a recent survey of nearly 5,000 US consumers...."
Link:
Survey: One in Four Mobile Users Admits Driving While Texting
Cheaper iPhone Plans Coming from AT&T?
BusinessWeek's
Olga Kharif reports:
"The exclusive US iPhone service provider is considering cutting the
price of its monthly service package or offering a range of
lower-priced plans, say people with knowledge of the company's
thinking. One plan that could be introduced as early as late May would
include limited data access at a $10 monthly reduction, the people
say."
Link:
Cheaper iPhone Plans from AT&T?
1 Million Downloads for Stanford iPhone Developer
Class
Cult of Mac's
Nicole Martinelli reports:
"One million potential iPhone developers downloaded Stanford's dev
course since it started in April. The 10-week course from the Palo Alto
university's school of engineering is offered gratis on iTunes."
Link:
Stanford iPhone Dev Class Hits 1 Million Downloads
iPhone Tips for Teachers Launches
6th Grade Science Teacher Andrew Morris, a former Low End Mac contributor, has launched
the new iPhone Tips for Teachers website.
Advice in grouped into the categories of three ways your iPhone or
iPod touch can be used in the classroom to your advantage: for
Classroom Management, as an Instructional Tool, and as a Multimedia
device.
Link: iPhone Tips for Teachers
Apple Warns of Static Shock from iPhone, iPod
Earbuds
In a new Apple Knowledge Base
article entitled "Apple Earbuds and static electricity", Apple Support
says:
"It's possible to receive a small and quick electrical (static)
shock from your earbuds while listening to iPod or iPhone."
And notes that:
"When using headphones in areas where the air is very dry, it is
easy to build up static electricity and possible for your ear to
receive a small electrostatic discharge from the headphones. Receiving
a static shock from a pair of earbuds does not necessarily indicate an
issue with the iPod, iPhone, or earbuds.
"This condition is very similar to dragging your feet across a
carpet and receiving a static shock by touching a door knob. However,
instead of the static charge building up on your body, the charge
builds up on the device that the earbuds are connected to. Likewise,
instead of the static buildup discharging through your finger when you
touch a door knob, it discharges through the earbuds."
Link: Apple Earbuds and Static
Electricity
The Art of iPhone Photography
TidBITS' Doug
McLean says:
"It's common knowledge: the iPhone's 2 megapixel camera is nothing
special. It was unimpressive when it shipped, and every day it suffers
more and more in comparison with modern point-and-shoot cameras, or
even the latest camera phones....
"But, as we'll see, the iPhone camera's technical limitations
haven't prevented some artists from making great art with it, much the
way artists have long produced amazing images using old or unusual
photographic equipment."
Link: The
Art of iPhone Photography
Future iPods Rumored to Get Cameras, Like
iPhone
AppleInsider's
Katie Marsal reports:
"Apple may be planning to add camera functionality to a couple of
its next-generation iPod models, according to a new report, which also
claims that upcoming iPhones will retain the handsets' existing form
factor."
Link:
Apple's Future iPods Rumored to Get Cameras Like iPhone
Apps & Services
Pollen.com Launches Allergy Alert iPhone/iPod touch
App
PR:
Pollen.com, the most visited allergy site on the Web, announces the
availability of Allergy Alert, an application for the iPhone and iPod
touch devices. The alert provides one-day alerts and four-day forecasts
for four different conditions: allergy (pollen), asthma, cold and
cough, and ultraviolet sensitivity.
Available for free at the iPhone App Store, the Pollen.com Allergy
Alert application allows users to take advantage of the advanced
capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch user interface.
"The iPhone application provides users with greater access to
information that they've come to rely on from Pollen.com," said Glenn
Connery, associate director of the application development/Web group
for SDI, the company behind Pollen.com. "Having this instant, portable
access for their conditions helps users plan their day or week
ahead."
Features of the Pollen.com Allergy Alert iPhone application
include:
- One-day alerts and four-day forecasts for four different
conditions: allergy (pollen), asthma, cold and cough, and ultraviolet
sensitivity - customized down to individual ZIP codes
- Indexes indicating severity for each condition ranging from 0.0 to
12.0
- Easy-to-read user interface with color coding for easy focus
- Access to the Allergy Alert application support page on
Pollen.com
- Compatible with any iPhone or iPod touch with operating system
version 2.2.1, the application was designed by SDI's Pollen.com
development team.
Pollen.com recently received the Health On the Net Foundation's Code
of Conduct certification (HONcode©), identifying Pollen.com as an
internationally reliable source of health information. Certification by
HON, the most widely accepted reference for online health and medical
publishers, denotes that Pollen.com provides sound, authoritative
information; data confidentiality and privacy; proper attribution of
sources; and transparency, such as a clear delineation of advertising
and editorial content.
SDI developed Pollen.com's proprietary forecasts and also
manufactures Rotorod®, the leading tool for pollen count
measurement. For more than 10 years, SDI has helped to set the
standards by which scientists, researchers, and doctors operate their
samplers, and by which they analyze their pollen samples to obtain
accurate and consistent counts.
Link: Allergy Alert (available through
the
iPhone App Store)
Read 2 Me Brings eBooks to Life on iPhone/iPod
touch
PR: Retinal Media today announced Read 2 Me 1.0 for iPhone
and iPod touch. Read 2 Me gives users the ability to listen to e-text
files read aloud, using Acapela-Group's text-to-speech synthesis
technology. It also allows readers to import any plain .txt file into
the synthesizer from any URL based location on the web. Acapela's
natural voices give users a way to turn the smart iPhone into a
friendly storyteller with the ease pressing a button.
"Read 2 Me", from Retinal Media, is a successful deployment of
Acapela-Group's text-to-speech technology, and offers both productivity
and accessibility features. Acapela's natural voices give users a way
to turn the smart iPhone into a friendly storyteller with the ease
pressing a button.
"Read 2 Me" users can easily import .txt files from the Gutenberg
website (which includes over 27,000 e-texts), or can create their own
.txt files by converting word docs or PDFs. Read 2 Me's FAQ page on the
"Read 2 Me" website explains various methods of accomplishing
conversion.
David Hoofnagle of Retinal Media states, "Our goal was to create a
product that rivaled other text-to-speech synthesizers at a nominal
cost, in order to give accessibility features to those who can benefit
from this kind of technology in a mobile phone. Having a device that
can 'mimic' human voices with such incredible realistic and natural
tones is an exciting step in the merging of mobile media and
entertainment technologies."
Read 2 Me Version 1.0 features include:
- Optimization for Gutenberg.org plain text ASCII files
- Optimization for ANY.txt file (UTF-8, ASCII encoding) at any
web-based URL
- Prev/Next custom bookmarking navigation
- Elegant scrolling text view of imported text with line break
optimization for ease on the eyes
- Automatic scrolling of the spoken text
- Easy navigation of sections of texts, saved bookmarks, and library
content
System Requirements: iPhone or iPod touch 2.2.1 or later
Read 2 Me is available immediately from the Apple iTunes App Store
for a one-time fee of $6.99 and includes 4 high quality voices (UK and
US female and male voices) from Acapela-Group.
Link: Read
2 Me (available through the
iPhone App Store)
Glu Mobile Launches Deer Hunter 3D for iPhone/iPod
touch
PR:
Glu Mobile Inc. announces the launch of Deer Hunter 3D for iPhone and
iPod touch on the Apple App Store. Deer Hunter 3D is based on Atari
Inc.'s Deer Hunter franchise which is the biggest hunting game
franchise of all time, leading the hunting genre in gaming since 1997.
This is Glu's first Atari title for iPhone and iPod touch.
"Glu is excited to be working with Atari to provide the most
authentic hunting experience on iPhone and iPod touch," said Jill
Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu Mobile. "The
stunning graphics and innovative gameplay of the latest version of Deer
Hunter will quickly engage fans of the franchise, while also creating a
captivating experience for those new to the brand."
"Launching Deer Hunter on the Apple App store is another big step
for our renowned and hugely successful franchise," said Jim Wilson, CEO
Atari Inc. "For Atari it's vital, with such an important franchise, to
deliver outstanding gameplay with impressive graphics and Glu has done
a great job on both counts with this app."
Features include:
- 3D Graphics - a virtual hunting simulation with realistic 3D
visuals
- Two Play Modes - get straight into the game with quick play mode,
or embark on a full hunting experience
- Upgrades - unlock new weapons, accessories and skills by bagging
the biggest animals
- Realistic Targets - seven types of animals with true-to-life senses
and behaviors
- Varied Locations - 27 different locations set across three
destinations worldwide with changing seasons and weather
conditions
- Trophy Room - view your best kills and achievements in the trophy
room
Deer Hunter 3D is now available worldwide for $5.99 from the Apple
App Store. For live updates, follow Glu on Twitter at www.twitter.com/glumobile or become
a Glu Mobile fan on Facebook.
Link: Deer
Hunter 3D (available through the
iPhone App Store)
Accessories
6" USB Data Sync & Charge Cable for
iPod/iPhone
PR: On your desk, you have USB Cables, FireWire 1394 cables,
Audio cables. Is it a mess, or will you find that there is too many
cables on your desk? It is worse still that if they are tied up with
each other.
If you have this cable, then you just take them out whenever you
need them and put them inside drawer whenever you don't need them.
It is specially useful when you are out that you don't want to have
too many cables and you cannot afford to have too many cables.
Features:
- Optimal length (6" or 15.5cm approximately)
- Never get your cable tied, no more mess.
- Compact and lightweight
- For Charging and data sync
This accessory is suitable for:
- iPhone 3G (or iPhone 2.0)
- iPhone 2G (or iPhone 1.0)
- iPod classic (120 GB)
- iPod touch 1st & iPod touch 2nd
- iPod nano 2nd, iPod nano 3rd, iPod nano 4th
$6.99
Link: Mini
USB Data Sync & Charging Cable for iPod/iPhone
6" USB Data Sync & Charge Cable for 2G/3G
iPod shuffle
PR: On your desk, you have USB Cable, FireWire 1394 cable,
Audio cable. Is it a mess, or will you find that there is too many
cables on your desk? It is worse still that if they are tied up with
each other.
If you have this cable, then you just take them out whenever you
need them and put them inside drawer whenever you don't need them.
It is specially useful when you are out that
you don't want to have too many cables and you cannot afford to have
too many cables.
Features:
- Optimal length (6" or 15.5cm approximately)
- Never get your cable tied, no more mess.
- Compact and lightweight
This accessory is suitable for:
- iPod shuffle 2nd
- iPod shuffle 3rd
$4.99
Link: USB
Data Sync & Charge Cable for Apple iPod shuffle (2nd &
3rd)
iPWR, 1800mAh Apple Certified iPhone/iPod Backup
Battery
PR: Compact iPhone/iPod battery with
a capacity of 1800mAh battery - Official product certified by Apple for
"Works with iPhone" and "Made for iPod" logo.
Feature Highlights
- Official product certified by Apple for "Works with iPhone" and
"Made for iPod" logo.
- Smallest dimension with highest capacity. There are two other
backup batteries on the market with capacity of 1000mAh and 1200mAh.
Capacity for this battery is 1800mAh, which has at least 50% to 80%
more power compared with those products.
- Models supported: all iPhone models, including iPhone 3G and iPhone
(iPhone 4 GB, iPhone 8 GB, iPhone 16 GB, etc.) It also
supports all iPod models with 30-pin connectors, including iPod touch,
iPod classic, iPod Video, iPod nano, etc.
- User doesn't need to carry adapters or bulky cables. When power is
needed, user can insert backup battery into the iPhone/iPod to continue
phone call, web surfing or movie watching.
- Complete protection for iPhone/iPod with circuits that avoid
overcharging, over-discharging, output-shorting, etc.
- Compact size and lightweight: only 1.6 oz (45g). This is the
lightest with such a large capacity.
- Specifically designed cap to cover the 30-pin connector. User can
conveniently slide it into pocket or carry it together with
iPhone/iPod.
- Stylish design. Shiny surface finish, just like a black diamond
matching iPhone/iPod perfectly.
- Bright green and red LED to indicate charging and working
status.
- 180-day warranty from Wirelessinput.com
To charge iPhone 3G, iPhone and iPod, open the cap and slide the
switch to "On" position. Green LED turns on, plug the iPWR into iPhone
3G, iPhone or iPod, charging will be initiated instantly. When green
LED turns off, all energy in iPWR has been transferred. iPWR must be
recharged before using it the next time.
To charge the iPWR backup battery, using a MiniUSB cable (included)
to connect the iPWR backup battery with computer or USB charger (USB
charger is included in iPhone's retail box from Apple); Red LED on
backup battery will be turned on indicating that charging is in
process. When Red LED turns off, charging is complete. It may take 4-8
hours depends on the charging rate to fully charge the backup
battery.
Compared with those emergency chargers in market using AA batteries,
the advantages of this mobile power are:
- Stylish design. Compact size and lightweight enough for attaching
to a key chain (850mAh model). It will be your most convenient portable
chargers.
- Users don't need to carry any adapters, just plug & power
- It is rechargeable, user can just use his/her current cellphone
charger to charge it. No need to purchase additional charger.
- High capacity. We have 850mAh Li-Polymer battery inside as power
source. It can add up to 10 days (240 hours) standby time, up to 8
hours of talking time.
- It is pretty. Each model has colors blue/red. For those folks using
cell phone a lot, this is a perfect gift (for both her/him).
Satisfaction is guaranteed.
- 100% protection for your cell phone: overcharge, over-discharging,
output-shorting circuit, etc.
Product Description
- High capacity of 1800mAh mobile power that can charge iPhone/iPod
on-the-go.
- Supports iPhone 3G, iPhone and iPod touch, Video, Nano, Classic,
etc. Complete protection for your iPhone/iPod.
- Elegant and stylish Design. Shiny finish matches iPhone/iPod
perfectly. Compact size. Truly portable.
- It is rechargeable, user can just use a USB cable connecting to
PC/USB charger to charge it.
- Apple certified product which is imprinted with "Works with iPhone"
and "Made for iPod".
Technical Specification
- Capacity: 1800mAh
- Input voltage: 4.75V-5.5V
- Output voltage: 5.0V
- Output maximum current: 1A
- Color: Shining Black
- Weight: 1.6 oz (45g)
- Dimensions: 2.4"x2.3"x0.5", 62x60x12.9(mm)
iPWR for iPhone 3G, iPhone and iPod sells for $59.95
Link: iPWR for
iPhone 3G, iPhone, and iPod
iPhone 3G Fuel: Rechargeable Battery Pack
PR: Here's your iPhone's new best friend . . . the iPhone 3G
Fuel. It's a protective case, carrying solution, and extended battery
life all in one. So from here on out you're good to charge on the go.
So the next time you're rushing to get to the airport at 6 AM and you
forget your charger . . . relax, your iPhone 3G is taken care
of. Now you can focus on hitting up Starbucks and get to recharging
yourself.
For a limited time, purchase an iPhone 3G Fuel and get a $5
Starbucks gift card!
Extended Battery Life Features
- Talk time: up to 9 additional hours beyond standard iPhone 3G
battery life
- Internet use: up to 7 additional hours beyond standard iPhone 3G
battery life
- Video playback: up to 8 additional hours beyond standard iPhone 3G
battery life
- Audio playback: up to 24 additional hours beyond standard iPhone 3G
battery life
- Stand by time: up to 250 additional hours beyond standard iPhone 3G
battery life
Additional Features
- Power on/off button makes more efficient usage of the fuel by only
engaging when you decide to
- Rechargeable through a standard 5-pin USB cable (included)
- Fully supports synching while iPhone 3G is docked in the fuel
- Fully ratcheting 180-degree belt clip
- Easy slide in/out access to your iPhone 3G
Specifications:
- battery capacity: up to 2300mA
- battery charging current: up to 450mA
- battery max discharging current: 2A
- power consumption: 5v/2.5w
- battery operational temperature range: 5°r;F to 122°r;F or
-15°r;C to 50°r;C
The iPhone 3G fuel has a 2300 mA battery, more than any other
battery pack for the iPhone. Also, the lithium polymer battery is a
superior battery because of it's capacity and discharge rate.
The iPhone 3G fuel is not designed to work with the iPod touch but
will work with the original iPhone. Since the 1G iPhone is a few
millimeters wider that the 3G iPhone the fit is a little tighter on the
device.
Price: $79.99
Link:
iPhone 3G Fuel
Leather Case for iPhone 3G (Ready for Car
Windshield Mount)
PR: If you have an iPhone, where you should place when you
are on the road?
Yes, there is car windshield mount for iPhone, but they all require
to take off the case, it is a hassle and not so convenient. What's
more, placing your iPhone in a car windshield mount with a case will
make it not tight and some while later, it may even drop down.
Here is a solution from us! This Leather Case for iPhone 3G could be
directly mounted Bracket, it is so convenient.
it eliminates the troubles that you have to take off the case when
you want to mount it to a custom-made mount for iPhone 3G. While it is
perfect fit for iPhone 3G that other universal mount could not
compare.
It can mount to bike, air vent, windows bracket, lighter
sockets (note brackets are sold separately)
Note that the item in this product page is just the leather case,
the bracket is SOLD SEPARATELY.
Features:
- As a part of your Car Windshield Mount (directly mounted to
Windshield bracket)
- Unique ergonomic design, custom for iPhone. No need to take off
your case before placing to your windshield mount.
- Comfortable
- Good hand feel
- Protected from bumps and scratches
- Easy access to all the vital controls and switches
- High-grade textured leather
- Secure
Compatible with Apple iPhone 3G
The following Windshield bracket Mounts are ready to mount the
Leather Case in this product page
- Bicycle Bracket with strap to lace up & Locking Tip with
360°r; Swivel Head
- Air Vent Mount (2)
- Lighter Socket Mount with Power output
- Twin Flexible Bracket Mount with 68mm Suction Cup
- Super / Triple Flexible Bracket Mount with 68mm Suction Cup
- Flexible Arm Car / Windshield Bracket
- Firm Arm Car / Windshield Bracket
Color: Black
$22.99
Link: Leather
Case for iPhone 3G (Ready for Car Windshield Mount)
