If you just bought an iPhone, you must be extremely happy at the features it has and how it can be useful to you in daily life. However, there will come a time that you’ll be bored. So how do we alleviate this? Make it more useful than it is! Here are a couple suggestions that we found on the Internet recently.
We mentioned last time regarding an iPhone camera rig that’s supposed to make your iPhone video-making steady, well here’s another one–albeit it’s smaller and portable: the iPhone 3Gs Zacuto Zgrip.
The iPhone 3Gs snaps into the iPhone cradle, the cradle snaps into the Zacuto Zgrip and you are ready to shoot. The handgrip fully articulates, and all of the red levers allow you to adjust every angle to get those interesting creative smooth shots.
Although it would be great to have a steady shot, the problem still remains that the Zgrip is being held by a human hand–and thus the shaky camera video will still remain. Still, it look cool holding it though.
Next up is a USB MD-82 Speaker for the iPhone. A great speaker that not only connects to the iPhone but other gadgets as well. Check out the specs below:
Features:
Volume control design
Built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
On/Off Switch
7-color changing light automatically and continuously
Dimension: 60 x 60 x 87mm (approx.)
Weight: 113g
Specifications:
Loudspeaker: ?40mm, 4?, 2W
Output Power: 2W
Frequency Response: 80Hz~18kHz
Li-ion Battery Output: 3.6V
Li-ion Battery Input: 4.2±0.05V
Package Contents:
USB MD-82 Speaker
3.5mm Audio Cable
USB Cable
With a set up like that bringing this along when you want to share your iPhone’s mp3s with your friends shall surely be a blast! Cool looking too!
Lastly we have something to make your iPhone shine! Swarovski shine! These are handcrafted, 100% genuine Swarovski crystals so don’t expect it to be cheap!
Precious metal plated cover handmade with 100% genuine Swarovski Crystals
Complete access to all vital function buttons
Cutouts for lanyard or decorative charm
Precise molded cover with protective neoprene lining to fit your iPhone 3GS / iPhone 3G perfectly
So next time you use your iPhone, it’ll be blinging instead of ringing!
If you remember that we mentioned that this is shaping to look like a Palm Pre week, we didn’t know it would come true! Well here are some gems that you may just like about your newly bought and hip smartphone.
If you’re familiar with the emulation scene (and let’s be honest, you are reading Engadget), then you know the name ZodTTD — the brain behind some of the best jailbroken emus for the iPhone, including variations on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and most importantly… the TurboGrafx-16. Now the master-hacker has brought his goods to the Pre, cooking up a version of psx4all on the Palm device, with the aforementioned GBA and TG16 ports on the way! Interestingly, he reports that the performance on the Pre is actually better than that of the iPhone 3GS, and of course he’s hacked access to the keyboard, allowing for (more) proper control of games.
It seems that this guy wants to put a PSX emulator everywhere!
Next up on the menu is an easter egg that, besides will make your Palm Pre even cooler, will make it even easier to use your smartphone.
Here’s how: when in your mailbox listing view (i.e. the top of the email app), type in RocknRollHax. It helps if you hold down Shift+ the key for the capitalized letters instead of hitting them in sequence. As Gennadiy writes, type as follows:
Hold Shift + R
ockn
Hold Shift + R
oll
Hold Shift + H
ax
Do that, and suddenly you can rotate your Pre in either the message listing mode or while looking at a specific email and view it in Landscape mode. Very helpful for those HTML-coded messages. Note however that the menu disappears when in landscape mode (just like it does in the browser).
Yes, instead of making it easier for anyone to go to landscape mode, you HAVE to input the code. We don’t know whether Palm thought of just adding this on the last moment or they intentionally buried it.
There you have it Palm Pre for a day. We wonder what else holds for this phone in the next few days. Never worry, as soon as something does happen, whether it be god or not, we will post it right away!
Last week was an almost all iPhone news week, now it’s starting to look like Palm Pre’s getting it’s time in the limelight. Although like the iPhone it’s also getting its bad news as well as you’ll see from the ones below.
Let’s start with some good news for Palm Pre owners. If you own one, most likely you’ve updated to Palm WebOS 1.0.4. So far coming from the official Palm Pre Support Site, nothing much was added:
No new applications in update 1.0.4
Feature changes to existing applications
This release addresses several security issues with Palm webOS software.
Although the site didn’t say much regarding the “security issues”, Engadget was able to confirm what those were:
Update 2: Sadly, Palm’s plugged the hole that allowed homebrew apps on the phone without a jailbreak, though software you’ve already installed on the phone will continue to work. The hole that’s been plugged was admittedly dangerous to leave open (installing apps via a link in email), though rooting and installing otherwise remain unchanged as far as we know.
Next, we’re moving on to the not so good news: someone undressed the Palm Pre and showed that it’s working on a phone that works on GSM SIM Cards. And of all places, they saw it in Vietnam:
Now we’ve got video and images of a GSM-loving Palm Pre on the loose in Vietnam. Why ‘Nam? Easy, as workers gain more rights and higher wages in China, manufacturers of all our fancy consumer electronics are heading further south in search of cheap labor. While this doesn’t mean a damn thing regarding launch, it’s still good to see a functioning GSM Pre in the wild on the way to launch sometime before the end of the year, possibly sooner.
USA ePay was pleased to announce today that their Wireless ePay Credit Card Processing application can now be readily downloaded for free from BlackBerry’s App World as well as the Android Marketplace.
BlackBerry users on any network can now use App World, a fairly new software service provided directly by BlackBerry, to load USA ePay’s Wireless ePay for BlackBerry application on their phones without having to plug their phones into their computer as they did in the past. The same applies to all Android Phone (sometimes known as the Google Phone) users and the Marketplace available on all models of those phones.
“These easy and free downloads allow USA ePay merchants to quick access our Wireless ePay application for their phones,” said CEO Ben Goretsky. “This is a big step forward since merchants don’t have to worry about wires and cables anymore to load their credit card app; they can literally do it from anywhere and anytime.”
USA ePay’s Wireless ePay program is currently available for the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phones and Android phones. The company has also announced that they are currently working on a very large project regarding Wireless ePay for the iPhone 3.0 which will be released later this year and be available for free download from the Apple App Store.
Movies, gadgets, and geeks seems to be the fashion nowadays as some of the more geeky movies have been transformed into the gadgets for fans and weirdos alike.
Star Wars is a classic movie franchise that have spawned a lot of quirky and strange items since its birth. Whether you like the movie or not (come on, almost everyone I know loved the first three movies. The prequels? I’ll get back to you on that one after ten years), the following gadget love you will (yes, that was a tribute to Yoda).
Standing 3-inches tall and made of sturdy plastic, the Star Wars Yoda 2 GB Flash Drive combines a perfect blend of design and practicality into one cool item! Need to store that important file or clip of a movie? With 2 gigabytes of memory, this thumb drive can certainly hold its share of pictures, MP3s, or anything else you need to store on the go! The USB flash drive makes a terrific addition to any Star Wars fan’s collection!
The only thing I’m having a problem here is that you need to decapitate your fave Star Wars character and put its neck into the USB slot of your PC. Yes, very weird and creepy if you ask me.
For those who are more into the romantic, goth, and vampire movies (no it’s not Dracula 2000), then the Twilight 2 GB USB Drive would be the one thing to complete your little world.
Standing 3-inches tall and made of sturdy plastic, the Twilight 2 GB Flash Drive combines a perfect blend of design and practicality into one cool item! It features the design of the Cullen family crest. Need to store that important file or clip of a movie? With 2 gigabytes of memory, this thumb drive can certainly hold its share of pictures, MP3s, or anything else you need to store on the go! The USB flash drive makes a terrific addition to any Twilight fan’s collection!
Nothing weird here although I would’ve wished I could decapitate Edward Cullen’s head and put it in the USB slot rather than Yoda’s.
The iPhone 3G is hot and has been wowing tech lovers all over the world. Unfortunately, Apple has been the target of a lot of hackers since they won’t allow their iPhone OS to go Open Source. Hence the race to jailbreak the latest iPhone is on…
…and it just latest a few days as there has been reports that there’s a jailbreaking program to be released. Here’s some comment coming from the one who did it: Geohot
Earlier today, we got our hands on the bootrom. With the help of chronic, posixninja, and pod2g, I verified that it is still vulnerable to the 24kpwn exploit present in the iPod Touch 2G. This is great news for all of you. Basically, this means if someone makes a tethered jailbreak, it easily becomes untethered, because the boot chain is broken. Expect big things soon
On a personal note, I’m sad. Apple, it took me a week to break through your new defenses. And to let us reuse an exploit like that; 24kpwn was so 5 months ago. Although I imagine it must have been painful watching the devices roll by on the assembly line, knowing they all had a hole in them and you couldn’t fix it.
Bad news for Apple? We’ll see in a few days.
Since the jailbreaking program is still being ironed out, let’s take a look at one of the possible softwares that can be used on a jailbroken iPod 3G: a PSOne and GameBoy emulator.
I believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, and a YouTube vid is worth a million. Watch:
Imagine playing all the PSOne and Game Boy classics on your iPhone! As of the moment, these are considered as illegal downloads and programs, but if the gaming companies out there see this, why not create new games for the iPhone? They’ll earn quite a lot and the iPhone might give the PSP and DS a run for their money as well!This is certainly something to watch out for.
To end the week of iPhone 3G news mayhem, here’s something to make you laugh. Someone created a mock iPhone and changed the icons to something he would really appreciate: his own mug.
Now this could be the start of something good for future personalizations on the iPhone. It may look silly to some but changing or updating icons or even fonts would really make the iPhone great.
The latest iPhone 3G has been quite a hit despite some small but resolvable problems. With the new phone come new third party gadgets to make your little wonder of a phone even more useful.
Taking videos with your iPhone 3G yet frustrated with the shaky video? Then the Professional Video Shoulder Mount for iPhone 3GS should work for you. Here’s a description of the rig:
The setup is fashioned from a professional Red Rocks Micro shoulder mount (priced at anywhere up from $300 for the basic frame), a PED3 Auto iPhone dashboard mount and an LED light panel. Why bother, you ask? Because a small camera like the iPhone can do with some stability. And because, unlike any pro camera costing many tens of thousands of dollars, the iPhone 3GS can upload its video direct to YouTube.
For the gamers and game developers out there who are constantly having a hard time with using the iPhone as a gaming medium can finally rest their wrists and fingers a bit. Enter: The Game Bone Pro.
GameBone Pro is one of the world’s first iPhone OS 3.0 compatible 8-way D-pad 6 buttons game controller to incorporate a 2000mAh battery, both Bluetooth and Apple’s 30-pin dock connector connectivity, built-in speaker and 3.5 audio headphone jack.
The GameBone Pro features :
• Dual connectivity - Connect with Bluetooth wirelessly OR use the 30-pin dock connector cable
• 2000mAh Lithium-ion Battery for additional power for your iPod touch / iPhone*
• LED showing charging state and capacity
• 8-way D-Pad with 6 buttons
• Bluetooth button for pairing and status
• Built-in speakers, mic and 3.5 audio headphone jack
• “Made for iPod” and “Works for iPhone” certification**
Additional, the GameBone Pro will come with a iPod touch / iPhone stand supporting vertical and horizontal positions.
As to why they shaped it into a bone, we’ll never know…
With the iPhone 3G just getting out of the gate, we’ll be expecting more and more third person gadgets to pop up in the next few weeks and we’ll cover the more interesting ones for you guys.
Source for iPhone 3G Shoulder Mount Source for Game Bone Pro
Gaming is now an accepted part of the business world as it has been earning billions of dollars all around the world. It’s not a wonder then that we will look for gadget gems for your gaming needs.
To those XBOX 360 owners, Microsoft has just released the wireless microphone specifically for your karaoke dreams: the XBOX 360 wireless Microphone
With support recently introduced for both Guitar Hero: Metallica and Rock Band 2, the wireless microphone double-packed with copies of Microsoft’s karaoke game Lips are rather conveniently little devices, and they’ll be much more convenient this fall, when they are released as standalone products. The fall release has them hitting store shelves just in time for Lips: Number One Hits and The Beatles: Rock Band, both of which will support the wireless device.
Standalone product is $50, while the Lips bundle is $49.99. Your choice.
Ever strained your hands after playing extensively? Wish your game controller was in another shape that conforms more to the way you hold it? Can’t find a game controller that suits your needs? All of those can be taken care of by the Pro: Motion Game Controller.
Smartfish has expanded it’s patented 3D movement and Dynamic Positioning Controller™ (DPC™) creating a truly unique ergonomic game controller. This innovative device not only provides gamers with quick action controls for high-performance gaming, but a more comfortable and physically healthier way to play their games. It is the world’s first intelligent and healthy “injury avoidance” ergonomic controller that eliminates the risk of RSI and carpel tunnel syndrome which is found so common in both casual and hardcore gamers. Smartfish’s proprietary DPC™ actually studies your usage pattern, and makes periodic, yet imperceptible adjustments to the height, angle and radial position of the device. The Smartfish revolutionary game controller has been designed in collaboration with the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York — the #1 rated Orthopedics Hospital.
Features:
Patented Dynamic Positioning Controller™
Patented 3D movement
Auto motion based on your use pattern
Sleek Design
Aluminum finish
You know you’re in good hands when doctors and gamers approve it.
So there you have it. We know it’s the middle of the week and some of you are weekend (gaming) warriors, but at least this news will give you some time to save up on them!
Want to be a funky gadgeteer? Then you’re in luck as we will be covering just some of the latest and most unique gadgets out there now!
Do you love monkeys but don’t know how to show it? Well, you’ll be happy to know that there are a pair of Monkey Head USB Speakers available on the market! You’ll look cool rockin’ to a set of these babies! Pictures and specs below:
Features:
Recharged by USB
Built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
Simple, just plug-in, no driver install
LED indicator
Apply to any audio devices with 3.5mm audio jack, e.g. PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod, PDA, MP3 player … etc.
Speaker output: 2W
Dimension: 61mm dia. x 53mm tall
Weight: 40g
Contents:
Monkey Head USB Speaker
3.5mm Audio Cable
USB Power Cable
Color
Orange
Yellow
Show your inner monkey! Good thing for you since you won’t need to feed it with a banana!
Next on our list is something for those who want their music while they’re in the bathroom. Presenting the Yellow Submarine Waterproof Radio!
Specs:
Floating submarine waterproof radio
AM/FM frequencies with rubber sealed selection button
Contains a waterproof speaker in the nose
On/off switch with volume control
Propeller tuning dial
Rubber sealed battery compartment
Requires 3 x AAA Batteries (not included)
We’re not sure if the Fab Four had anything to do with it but it sure looks great! Rub a dub dub listening to the yellow sub in the tub!
Our last out of left field gadget belongs to the baseball field! Do you want to know how fast you throw a baseball yet don’t want to carry a clunky radar gun to the diamond? Then the Smart Ball Digital Speed Sensing Baseball would be the perfect gadget for you! Picture below:
It can track your throwing speed up to 120 mph starting when it hits 45 feet in the air. Batteries and bats are not included. Remember, it’s supposed to track your pitch not how strong you hit it with a bat, so be careful! Unless you’re rich, hitting it with a bat might result in it getting damaged.
The James Bond movie and book franchise introduced a lot of cool, and some weird, gadgets; it’s usually small and almost hidden in the most unusual of places. Fast forward to the present, as today those gadgets don’t seem so far away as we have just discovered some that are on the market for everyone to buy.
First off the Spy Video Camera Sunglasses being sold at geekstuff4u.com. Here’s the Product Description coming from the website:
Featuring a small camera recorder in the center of Covert sunglasses, and 8GB internal memory to record everything with a simple push button record on left side of this sunglasses.
Specs below:
1.3 mega pixels pinhole CMOS
Internal 8GB Memory
Extended Memory up to 4GB micro SD card
640 x 480 video res
Internal Rechargeable Battery
Charge via USB
170 x 160 x 40 mm / 6.69 x 6.29 x 1.57 inch
This would be great for those times that your arms are just too tired to manually carry the video cam.
The second super spy gadget for sale is another camera but at an even smaller scale: a car key chain remote.
According to the gadget seller:
This is a truly useful dual-function item that can be used by anybody, anywhere! Place it on your desk, on a shelf, in the background close by - it is the perfect covert device to record footage! Easy to use and practical, this compact and pocket-sized device has been designed with maximum portability in mind so it fits unobtrusively anywhere. This Spy Camera is also a great portable video and photo recording tool for those people who work in the business, education, HR, security, media, press relations, tourism and related fields and may need to make quick, spontaneous video recordings. The CVSD-J12 is in stock now for your single piece or stock orders and is available exclusively from the number one wholesale source for surveillance cameras, Chinavasion.
Here’s the specs of this minute spy machine:
Records video at 640 x 480 (30 FPS)
Takes digital stills
Automatic AVI file encoding
USB storage device
This device will be on sale soon so watch out for it!
It’s up to you on how to use both of these, but make sure it’s for the side of good!
USA ePay was pleased to announce today that their Wireless ePay Credit Card Processing application can now be readily downloaded for free from BlackBerry’s App World as well as the Android Marketplace.
