Vinyl record iPod touch app gives you the spins

Vinyl has been on the verge of a big-time comeback for ages now (and for some of us, it never ceased to be the format of choice anyway), so we’re pretty happy to see that even the land of zany iPhone / iPod apps is no longer immune to its charms. The spinning vinyl app by Theodore Watson makes use of the iPod touch’s accelerometer to control the speed that the “record” is played at. The video (which is after the break) might make you a little sick when you watch it, but it sounds great. Analog rules, doesn’t it?

[Via Make]

Continue reading Vinyl record iPod touch app gives you the spins

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Vinyl record iPod touch app gives you the spins originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KT’s Egg gives your WiFi device access to the wonderful world of WiBro

Korea Telecom really wants to get you on the WiBro tip. The aptly-named (if a wee bit uninspired) Egg is essentially a router for connecting WiFi devices (such as the Nintendo DS or iPod Touch) to the company’s wireless broadband network. According to the Korea Times, both KT and SK Telecom (the country’s two main WiBro operators) have mere 170,000 WiBro customers total, “making a mockery” of its “most wired nation” aspirations — so they can certainly stand to expand their customer base a little bit. Subscribers to the company’s flat-rate data plan will get the device for free (trust us, they’ve paid enough). Or you can pick one up for yourself at the Apple store in Samseong-dong or Myeong-dong, the next time you’re in Seoul. This guy should be hitting the shelves sometime in May for ₩220,000 (that’s about $163).

[Thanks, Stafford]

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KT’s Egg gives your WiFi device access to the wonderful world of WiBro originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: Apps like to Movit, Movit

Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Not every company producing smartphones cares much about other kinds of portable devices, but those that do can heed a lesson from Apple. By leveraging the popularity, platform, and distribution of the iPhone, Apple deftly created the market for iPod touch applications. One would now be hard-pressed to name another non-cellular handheld device that has access to as many modern applications as Apple’s flagship digital media player. Under some definitions, it has become the first mass-market Mobile Internet Device (or MID).

Targeting both phone and non-phone platforms has allowed Apple to greatly increase the installed base for iPhone applications. Last month, Apple announced that it had shipped 17 million iPhones, and 13 million iPod touches, increasing the base of devices for “iPhone” applications 76 percent.

Convergent devices like the iPhone and iPod touch are often looked at in terms of their potential to cannibalize a wide swath of other kinds of portable devices. These include the popular (digital cameras, portable navigation devices, handheld gaming platforms), the obscure (remote controls for presentation programs and the Sonos multi-room music system), and the humble (alarm clocks, calculators and pedometers).

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Switched On: Apps like to Movit, Movit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iPod touch tackling “networked warfare” for US military

While the British military has had a love-hate relationship with Apple’s darling, the US armed forces are reportedly warming up quite well to the iPod touch. A fresh Newsweek report asserts that the touch is increasingly replacing far more expensive dedicated devices in the field, noting that it is being used to spearhead the future of “networked warfare.” Equipped with a rugged shell and software developed by language translation firms (among others), the device is being used to aid communications and acquire information from databases. In fact, the US Department of Defense is “developing military software for iPods that enables soldiers to display aerial video from drones and have teleconferences with intelligence agents halfway across the globe,” and snipers are already utilizing a ballistics calculator to add precision to shots. And hey, it’s not like easy access to Tap Tap Revenge is really bad for morale, either.

[Via CNET]

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Apple’s iPod touch tackling “networked warfare” for US military originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dont Like the Look of Your iPhone? Downgrade Today!

zweiPhone iPhone Stickers.jpgLet’s get one thing straight: I covet the Apple iPhone. Someday I will make it mine. And when I do, zweiPhone will give me the option of making it look like the crappy, super-outdated LG number I’m using now.

Ahem:

zweiPhone is a collection of stickers with used and old mobile phones.
Each phone had a specific quality and style. They bring back a piece of
classic design history on the back of blank and impersonal iPhones.

Right. Good to know. zweiPhone’s limited-edition 14-sticker sets cost $14 each at zweiphone.com. Downgrade today!  

[via @notrobwalker]

Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th

To think, it’s only been three months since we talked about Apple’s iTunes store crossing the 500 million download threshold, and now it looks like the gang in Cupertino are gearing up to celebrate their 1 billionth app. To celebrate, the company’s released two lists showcasing the top 20 free and paid iPhone apps, respectively. Presuming these are in order (they’re certainly not alphabetical), that puts Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D for paid apps and Facebook for free apps. Interestingly, Crash shares with Super Monkey Ball the dubious honor of being the only two apps on the list at $5.99, the highest price here. Eight of the paid apps cost $0.99 apiece, and the rest fall somewhere in between. Check out both lists after the break.

[Via i4u]

Continue reading Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th

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Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch just wants your kiss (and $2,100)

While certainly not the most expensive iPod we’ve ever seen, the limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch is definitely amongst the priciest. Sold only as part of an ultra rare kit that includes a luxurious book of Prince photographs from Kraken Opus, this touch (of unknown capacity) comes preloaded with 40 minutes of “exclusive” footage along with a live soundtrack from Indigo Nights. Of course, it’s also doused in purple and splashed with Prince’s symbol ’round back, but even with only 950 kits available, we still say the $2,100 price tag is far too lofty. Hate to break it to ya, Opus, but those hedge funds are no longer partying like it’s 1999.

[Via All Things Digital]

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Limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch just wants your kiss (and $2,100) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP’s MediaSmart ex485 / ex487

HP’s MediaSmart Server ex487 (1.5TB) and ex485 (750GB) both received copious amounts of praise when launched late last year, but considering just how many issues the original two had (the ex470 and ex475), it wouldn’t take much to best ’em. Today, HP is issuing its second firmware update of the year for the series, but the first ever for the newest duo — and make no mistake, it’s a big one. The v2.5 update adds in loads of new features, far too many to cover in this space, in fact. If you’re interested in hearing more, follow us past the break for all the details.

Continue reading Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP’s MediaSmart ex485 / ex487

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Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP’s MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple orders 100 million 8Gb flash chips in ramp up for new device(s)?

Oh Apple, what are you up to? Just like we saw right around this time last year in preparation for Apple’s new iPhone 3G and updated iPod touch, Apple is placing huge orders of NAND chips thereby threatening the supply in demand by other tier-one vendors. This time we’ve got DigiTimes confirming earlier reports that Apple is cornering the market on flash memory — specifically, the Taiwanese rumor rag is reporting orders of “100 million 8Gb (8 gigabit, not gigabyte) NAND flash chips mostly with Samsung Electronics.” That’s twice the size of the order reported last year. The tiny memory chips are then recombined during manufacturing into the larger 16GB, 32GB, and so on capacities we expect to find in our handheld consumer electronics. Anyone still doubting new Apple handhelds in June?

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Apple orders 100 million 8Gb flash chips in ramp up for new device(s)? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Voice App Comes to iPhone and iPod Touch Soon


Google Voice, the recent reincarnation of GrandCentral that gives you voicemail transcription, call control and so much more, is about to hit iPhones by way of an app.

The app comes with a dialer, which dials out (from your Google Voice number), and rings your iPhone to connect both sides. It works with a dialpad or your contact list, plus you can also SMS people the same way. There’s other standard Google Voice features like call log and voicemail, which you can listen to much the same way as iPhone’s voicemails.

iPod touch users, who can’t really take advantage of the dialing stuff, can still use the GV app as a mobile control center to have it ring their standard cellphones. We’ll let you know when the app hits. [Google and Sean Kovacs via 9 to 5 Mac]