Hasta La Gadget!

Ok, so the name isn’t great, but the Voomote One is actually kinda neat. It’s not the first universal remote adapter we’ve seen for the iPhone and, unlike the Surc IR case, you probably wouldn’t want to leave this bulky add-on attached to your handset when not in use. But, the app does have some convenient features, like the ability to create custom layouts that can easily be switched based on the devices in a particular room. So you can setup a living room profile to control your big screen and cable box, and a separate bed room one for your more modest set and a stereo. You can also create command macros that fire up multiple devices with the tap of a single virtual button. The Voomote app is available for free in the app store, but the actual IR-blasting sleeve will set you back $99. Check out the gallery below and head on after the break for some PR.

Continue reading Voomote One turns your iPhone into a well organized universal remote

Voomote One turns your iPhone into a well organized universal remote originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ICam lets the iPhone hook directly into a real camera

Finally, somebody has invented the camera I have always wanted. Or at least, Turkish designer Zeki Özek has invented the camera tech I have always wanted.

Ozek’s iCam is a way to integrate your iPhone with a proper camera. The camera would have a cutout in the back into which the phone slots, hooking into the camera’s brain via the familiar 30-pin dock connector. The phone’s screen takes the place of a dedicated LCD, and photos are recorded direct to the iPhone’s internal storage.

Thus, the camera is downgraded to a dumb, light-processing terminal.

The iPhone’s camera is pretty good for a phone-cam, but nothing compared to proper, purpose-made cameras. Ozek’s iCam lets you shoot with proper lenses and large sensors to get much better images, but uses the iPhone as the brain so that you can edit and upload your photos immediately.

Imagine having Instagram and an always-on Internet connection in your DSLR and you’ll see what the excitement is all about.

While Zeki’s concept is shown using a Sony NEX 5 as a host, the more obvious system is Micro Four Thirds. It’s a fairly open standard, in that any manufacturer can join in, and there is already a good range of lenses (and lens adapters).

This weekend I took a trip away and carried my iPad and Panasonic GF1 with me the whole time. I took just one photo on the camera, and a whole bunch on the iPad, despite its truly awful camera, mostly because of Instagram and other apps. I doubt any existing manufacturer is going to relegate its range to a dumb photo-pipe anytime soon, but the potential for a proper iCam is huge. In fact, Zeki’s design has been accepted as a candidate for the prestigious Red Dot awards.

iCam. Connect iPhone directly to Camera [Rexplore via the Giz]

See Also:

• Ear Mounted iPhone Camera Is Like Tivo for Your Life
• QuadCamera for iPhone: Time-Stuttering Camera App
• Why the iPhone 4 Camera Is So Promising
• Hipstamatic Gentrifies iPhone Camera

Personal Audio sues Apple again, targets iPhone 4, iPad 2 and newer iPods originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Plant a photo, watch it grow.” Photovine’s tagline is just as catchy as the concept behind its launch — a mobile app-based picture sharing service that groups images together using common photo-driven themes. These groupings, called vines, let you connect with strangers while sharing photos of everyday items that you wouldn’t otherwise have any interest in photographing. You can have a vine focused on Swingline staplers, or magazine covers, or bottle caps. But as clever as this concept may seem, it’s difficult to ignore Piictu, which budded several months before the Google app. It’s certainly not uncommon for duplicate services to sprout, all based on the same underlying concept. But Photovine doesn’t stop there — the app’s design is also remarkably similar to Piictu, down to page layouts and even main category tabs. For Piictu’s “Following” tab, Photovine has “Watching.” Piictu’s “Latest” section is matched with “Fresh,” and Photovine didn’t even bother searching for a synonym for “Popular,” which you’ll find in both apps. Jump past the break for a deeper look, along with statements from the makers of both apps.

Continue reading Did Google’s Photovine sprout from Piictu?

Did Google’s Photovine sprout from Piictu? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unless you’re a True Blood diehard, the idea of bleeding yourself intentionally shouldn’t really seem all that appealing. So imagine how most diabetics feel when they’re forced to prick their fingers seven times a day in the name of health. Well, soon they might not have to thanks to a nanosensor tattoo and… an iPhone? Developed by Prof. Heather Clark and her Northeastern University team, this injection of subdermal nanoparticles combines “fluorescent dye, specialized sensor molecules…and a charge-neutralizing molecule” that attach to glucose, releasing ions and altering the tat’s glow in the process. The researchers had originally designed a “large boxlike” tattoo-reading device, but an apparent Apple fanboy on the team modded an iPhone case with LEDs and a filter lens to make the whole affair a bit more stylish. Next up for the team is, you guessed it, an app for that — although this one’ll focus on sodium.

Fluorescent nanosensor tattoo monitors glucose under the iPhone’s glare originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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