Mac notebook and other portable computing is
covered in The 'Book Review, and
general Mac news is in Mac News
Review.
This is the last iNews Review of the year - Low End Mac will be
closed from Christmas through New Year's Day. We'll be back with more
iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV news in two weeks. We wish you and yours a
joyous Christmas and a blessed 2008.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
iPhone News, Reviews, & Opinion
iPod News, Reviews, & Opinion
iPhone Add-ons
iPod Add-ons
iPod iPhone Deals
iPhone News, Reviews, & Opinion
Land Rover LRX Concept Using iPhone for More than
Just Audio
MyTablet.com's James Allan Brady says:
"Sure, there
are 2 iPhone docks inside this concept vehicle, on in the center
console next to the driver, and one in the removable speakers in the
rear, but I'd be willing to wager that by the time this thing hits
production one or more of them will be missing. But, the coolest
feature, the iPhone when placed in the center console can be used as a
key to start the car."
Link:
Land Rover LRX Concept Using iPhone for More than Just Audio
iPod News, Reviews, & Opinion
Recycle Your iPod or Game Console and Get Cash
PR: Brett Mosley's BuyMyTronics.com (formerly
BuyMyBrokeniPod.com) offers a fast, easy, and eco-friendly way to get
cash for broken, new, and used iPods, iPhones, Zunes, and game consoles
(including Nintendo Wii,
Microsoft X-Box 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, and older models).
BuyMyTronics.com also recycle cell phones, started buying Zunes and
iPhones recently and have launched a gaming subsite.
When your electronic gadget breaks or is no longer used, there is a
place to get cash for it.
The website has increased the types of products it purchases and
revamped its website. The new website buys your used, broken, or
otherwise unwanted iPods, iPhones, Zunes, and game consoles of all
types, in any condition, for top dollar.
BuyMyTronics.com is green-minded, recycling your electronics and
keeping harmful materials out of landfills while filling your pockets
with cash.
Consumers looking to sell old, broken, used, new, damaged, or
otherwise unwanted electronic devices can now get top dollar via check
or Pay Pal within 48 hours of receipt. It's the easiest way to get paid
for unwanted consumer electronics at better prices than those found on
sites like eBay, Craigslist, or other buy/sell sites.
The user-friendly website and customer service help make the usually
challenging process of unloading electronics more convenient.
BuyMyTronics.com provides a second life for unused electronics by
recycling, repairing, or reselling the products they receive. They also
offer a way to dispose of older models of game consoles such as
PlayStation 1 and Super Nintendo in an environmentally safe manner by
offering free recycling. The eco-friendly nature of this site is the
real deal. BuyMyTronics.com reuses packaging and keeps its offices near
shipping facilities to minimize the need for transportation.
By selling electronics to BuyMyTronics.com, consumers can keep
unwanted electronics, and the heavy metals and leads they contain, out
of landfills while putting cash in their pockets. Types of gadgets
currently purchased by BuyMyTronics.com include: iPhone, iPod Touch,
iPod Classic, iPod Video, iPod photo, iPod nano, iPod mini, iPod 4th
-1st Generation, iPod Shuffle; Microsoft Zune, Nintendo Wii, Game Cube,
Super Nintendo, Nintendo DS Lite and GameBoy Advance; Microsoft X-Box
360 Elite, Premium, Arcade, Core, and Microsoft X-Box Original; Sony
PlayStation 3 (PS3), 2 (PS2), 1 (PS1) and PSP.
It doesn't matter if you have a sad faced iPod Video, or an X-Box
with a disk read error, BuyMyTronics.com claims to offer the most
money, fastest payment, and simplest web interface.
Founded in 2006 and privately owned, the company has headquarters in
Denver, CO. Brett Mosley says the company intends to expand its market
to include other electronics such as laptop computers and cell phones
in the near future. "We are excited about the success of the site and
are thrilled we can already offer these new services to our customers,"
Mosley says. "Check back soon and often for information on new
changes!"
Link: BuyMyTronics.com
iPhone Add-ons
Zannel Launches Next Generation Mobile Website for
iPhone
PR: Zannel, Inc., the mobile industry's first Instant Media
Messaging service that allows people to instantly update their friends
and start real-time conversations by sharing video, picture, and text
updates from mobile phones, has created a mobile website with
sophisticated technology optimized for the iPhone.
"The success of the iPhone demonstrates that the next wave of mobile
communication has arrived, and the ecosystem is ready for true mobile
web applications like ours," said Braxton Woodham, CTO at Zannel.
"We're excited about moving beyond the simple list formats inherent to
WAP and creating a mobile website that a device like the iPhone
deserves."
Unlike traditional WAP sites, Zannel's iPhone mobile web interface
retains sophisticated design elements commonly found on the Web, such
as persistent navigation and seamless transitions between sharing,
viewing and discussing content. Beyond the application's elegant
design, Zannel combines the active messaging and always-on presence of
mobile with the rich media experience commonly found on the Web to
bring a more compelling communication experience to users.
To get the service on your iPhone, simply type Zannel.com into the
phone's browser. The service requires no download and launches
instantly.
Founded by the team that built the largest mobile media storefronts
in the US, the Zannel platform supports a variety of messaging formats
including both SMS and MMS, and leverages these to share rich video,
picture and text messages for instant updates and messaging. Zannel's
media capabilities include a best-in-class mobile video transcoding
system that supports the native video codecs for more than 500 US and
European handsets. When a user views media with Zannel, the system
automatically selects the best quality format for the particular
handset and network in use. For the iPhone, Zannel optimizes the video
formats for WiFi and EDGE connections. Beyond mobile phones, Zannel
allows users to communicate through custom widgets that are available
for MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites and blogs.
Link: Zannel
Take Control of Your iPhone
PR: Get the most out of your iPhone! Avoid trouble, solve
problems, and use your iPhone like a pro. Save $5 with our intro offer
through December!
The iPhone shoehorns a lot of snazzy features into a shiny package,
but if you want to feel more in control of core features like synching
to your computer, setting up Mail accounts, and connecting to wireless
networks, Take Control of Your iPhone explains what's happening under
the hood so you can use your iPhone more effectively and with less
hassle. If, for instance, you have questions about activating your
iPhone, the nuances of the touchscreen and virtual keyboard, or
customizing the settings for applications, this book has the
answers.
Written by best-selling Mac troubleshooting author Ted Landau, where
this title especially shines, where it outdistances what's found in
competing books, is in its coverage of solving problems. Should your
iPhone experience be less than stellar, you'll benefit from Ted's many
years of experience, whether you're suffering a synching feeling,
having trouble getting a charge out of a battery, or need to
resuscitate a dead iPhone. The ebook walks you through dozens of
step-by-step problem-solving procedures, while offering tips for smart
ways to use the iPhone along the way.
For the adventurous, Ted also covers iPhone hacking and how to deal
with updating (or not updating) a hacked iPhone.
Link: Take
Control of Your iPhone
USBFever iPhone Portable Power Station
PR: If you are long away from office or home, how
you can give juice to your mobile/cell phone, it is easy, either bring
a second battery with your or have an portable charger.
However, if you mobile phone/cell phone is iPhone, how you rejuice
it? The only way probably is to bring a portable charger with you.
However, it is too bulky.
Here we have an alternative for you, to have a portable power
station for you iPhone. Yes it is still bulky, but it is an alternative
and hope it is a less bulky one.
Features:
- Recharge your iPhone in a convenient way
- still access to key buttons and ports.
Specifications:
- Input Voltage: DC 5V ~ 5.5V
- Input Capacity: Max. 1.8A
- Output Voltage: DC 5.1V ~ 5.5V
- Output Capacity: Max. 1.2A
- Capacity: 2200mAh
- Li-Polymer
Package Includes:
- iPhone Portable Power Station x 1
- Silicone case for the iPhone Portable Power Station x 1
Note:
$44.99
Accepting pre-orders, to be shipped in 6 to 8 weeks (around end of
Jan. 2008)
Link: USBFever
iPhone Portable Power Station
Phone Wallpaper X Adds Integration with Address
Book
PR: Polo Planet Software announces the release of Phone
Wallpaper X version 1.1. The update adds integration with Apple Address
Book, new Reflected Tile Core Image-based filters, ready-made
wallpapers, Sparkle auto update functionality as well as improvements
in user interface and fixing of minor bugs.
Integration with Apple Address Book allows using the contact photos
in Photo Caller ID and Photo Call functions of mobile phones. Add fun
effects to your digital photos with the latest Reflected Tile Core
Image-based filters which are available in Leopard OS X. You can also
upload ready-made wallpapers which fit the phones with the stated
display resolution - it will make your first acquaintance with Phone
Wallpaper X easy.
Pictures editing is easy due to the adaptable graphics editor that
allows to crop images in accordance with the defined exact position and
size. As soon as the wallpapers are ready, they can be placed in
Wallpapers Gallery. Uploading to cell phones in batch mode is easy due
to direct connection with the device thought Bluetooth. Wide range of
devices is supported by providing USB connection ability. Information
on acquiring with a device is saved in preferences - this allows to
make the process easy and clear.
Changes in version 1.1:
- Apple Address Book integration added;
- New Reflected Tile Core Image-based filters added;
- Flexible ready-made wallpapers added;
- Sparkle auto update functionality;
- Predefined display resolutions for popular phones;
- Bluetooth connection fixed;
- Current picture name is used when exporting;
- Other improvements in user interface;
- Fixing of minor bugs.
System requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.4 or higher (Leopard OS X compatible);
- At least 35 MB of free disk space.
Phone Wallpaper X is full functional shareware with trial watermark.
Christmas offer price: $11.95
Link: Phone
Wallpaper X
Titan Clear iPhone Case with Holster
PR: GizMac Accessories, designer and manufacturer of
innovative products for the iPod and iPhone, announces that their Titan
Clear iPhone case with holster has started shipping.
GizMac's Titan Clear for iPhone is a protective case that can
be used alone or combined with the included quick release holster. The
Titan Clear case protects the iPhone with its tough, crystal clear
polycarbonate shell, but still allows the Apple iPhone's striking
appearance to show through. The addition of a thin film screen
protector completes the Titan Clear case protection by keeping the
iPhone screen safe as well as clean. A unique approach for standing up
the iPhone comes from retractable horizontal and vertical kickstands
that are built into the Titan Clear iPhone case. These innovative
kickstands can be used to adjust the horizontal and vertical angles of
the case for optimum iPhone viewing. Movies, videos, calls, messages
and more can be better viewed when the angle of the screen is finely
adjusted for personal preference.
"GizMac set out to develop an Apple iPhone product that lives up to
the high standards set for all our previous and future products"
explains Ken Vitto, Director of Marketing for GizMac Accessories, "We
believe the Titan Clear for iPhone exceeds the form, function and value
criteria we engineer into our products for our customers."
The final piece to the Titan Clear for iPhone, the rotating belt
clip holster, is also versatile and stylish. Not only does the Titan
Clear iPhone holster securely hold the case face out, but also face
inward for added iPhone screen protection. The Titan iPhone holster is
made of lightly frosted clear polycarbonate for a sleek look that
compliments the Titan case and does not cause a fashion distraction.
The Titan Clear for iPhone has a US retail of $34.99 and can be
purchased from authorized resellers or directly through the GizMac
website.
Link:
Titan Clear for iPhone
iNdependence iPhone Jailbreak Software
PR: iNdependence is a Cocoa-based application for Mac OS X
which provides an easy-to-use interface for modifying your iPhone
iNdependence is a Cocoa-based application for Mac OS X which
provides an easy-to-use interface for jailbreak, activation, SSH
installation, and ringtone/wallpaper/application installation on your
iPhone. It's open source under the GNU v2 license.
The source code for interacting with the iPhone has been broken out
into a library (libPhoneInteraction) so that it can be easily reused by
other applications.
Documentation is now available from the Help menu within the
application itself. Please read all of it before you post an issue,
email me, etc. I can guarantee that 99% of the problems you will
encounter are answered there. The rest are likely well documented
already in the issues section. So please also check for duplicate
issues there before posting a new one. I just don't have the time to go
through the multitude of issues there (many of which are duplicates or
simply usage questions and not real issues).
News: Reports are coming in that iNdependence works with OTB 1.1.2
phones.
Notes: This program does not work with the iPod Touch
Link: iNdependence
iPod Add-ons
Shine with the Latest Apple 3G iPod nano Cases from
Proporta
PR: If
Santa didn't know what an iPod nano was a few months back, he sure does
now. The world's most popular music player allows the lucky owner to
enjoy movies and TV shows, not to mention music, on a two-inch display
that's an impressive 65% brighter than its predecessor. Proporta know
that something this sleek and colourful needs accessories to suit and
are pleased to present their latest creations: The Shine (Apple 3G iPod
nano 4 GB and 8 GB) and The Mini Mod (Apple 3G iPod nano
4 GB and 8 GB) are now available from Proporta.
Dress to Impress
The Shine (Apple
3G iPod nano 4 GB and 8 GB) is available in a choice of two
colours (black or red), is made from high-quality patent leather and
comes complete with a fully removable lanyard. It also features an
internal mirror, meaning you could almost look as good as your iPod
nano surely will, and is the ideal accessory to complete any outfit as
well as protecting your precious device against scratches and scuffs
from everyday use.
Rock Your
Pocket
The Mini Mod (Apple 3G iPod nano 4 GB and 8 GB) fits your
Apple 3G iPod nano perfectly, offers maximum protection and is
available in red or black with a stylish white stripe. As the name
suggests, this case exudes style and trend at its best and with
aluminium lined protection to save your screen from crushing and impact
shocks, it's pretty tough too.
Rock on up toproporta.com and become part of the cool gang with
these funky cases.
P.S. Worried that your 3G iPod nano might start to get a bit chilly
this winter? Proporta's Mini Mobile Device Socks will keep your
precious device as snug as a bug in a - you get the idea.
