Author Archive for shigzeo

Camera and curves – is this the 4th gen iPod touch?

Everyone knows that Apple releases iPod hardware in the Fall. This year, like last year will see new iPod touch, nano and maybe Classic models. New hardware isn’t news at all. Still, when purported leaks fire up the interweb, the rumours-mills churn. We are churning. HardMac came across the above picture of the purported new iPod touch from an accessory maker. As you can see, it sports the often-rumoured rear-mounted camera. It’s also lost its black birthmark. Unlike the iPhone 4, however, the ‘leaked’ iPod touch looks to retain its curves.

More after the gappy:

Bike Repair – a new iPhone app for the tool in the saddle

Would that I had this app a week ago when brake/alignment/power train troubles rocked my wife’s borrowed steed. We got on well enough, but my inept fixes cost us an hour of time in the saddle. Bike Repair may be categorised ‘Sports’ at the App Store, but I think it occupies a higher niche altogether: a utility/sport/productivity/lifesaving God almighty blessed app. Bikers should love it especially whilst on the road and offline. From kids bikes to Cyclocross racers, just about every contemporary bicycle is covered in its tutorials. So too is all major bicycle maintenance – that is, apart from wireless iPhone bicycle speakers! There are 90 quality images to help you through mundane maintenance and lots of helpful fixing hints.

And thanks be to Colagno, Bike Repair costs a mere 199 pennies and is modelled on good ol’ Canadian bikes from designer, Opus Bike. From one former Opus rider to a current Opus rider, I say thank you Atomic Softwares, this is one hot app.

Atomic Softwares, Bike Repair, 5.5 MB – $1.99
Atomic Softwares, Bike Repair Lite, 1.2 MB – Free

Piccies and more after the gap:

Super Badminton 2010 in Review – Not in my backyard

I am a bona fide backyard badminton player who just happens to graduate to university team play in both Canada and Japan. As for strings, I’ve done ‘em all: second, third, and first but I prefer tightly stretched titanium. A cursory glance at the Super Badminton 2010 (SB010) menu reveals all the trappings of good tournament badminton. Unfortunately, it also misses most of the meat.

iPad iOS 3.2.1 scores 127/300 on HTML5 Test

While by no means exhaustive, the HTML5Test by Niels Leenheer, does a good job of showing off how well a browser tackles the web standard, HTML5. As you can see, the iPad has a ways to go, but among mobile devices, it – along with the entire iDevice family – is still on top, losing only marginally to the desktop version of Firefox. In many ways, this test mirrors the results of the Acid3 test, proving that Apple play better by web standards than their rivals. I could not test iOS 4′s Safari on my iPod touch because of a God-awful Wifi router, but I assume it to be equally as OKAY. Here are the results compared to various browsers run under OSX 10.6.4 with all the latest trimmings on a 2007 MacBook Pro.

At Jeffrey Zeldman’s blog, controversy is starting over the inclusion of certain features in the test.

Suing negligence, or competition? Apple VS iPod accessory makers

We’ve all got ‘em: docks, earphones, cases, speakers, keyboards – you name it – the iDevice is a virtual swamp for accessory flora. There are loads of great options out there, but according to Apple, a number of products of ‘inferior quality’ have also crept in. So what? Well, Apple being Apple, have attached a couple of strings to the whole thing.

Yes, the iDevice accessory market is lucrative, but entering it requires Apple’s blessing, i.e., licensing. Unblessed items are now targeted by the turtlenecks in Cupertino on the grounds that they both infringe on Apple’s trademarks and “damage Apple’s products”. Apple’s suit cites faulty accessories such as battery chargers that deplete, rather than charge Apple products. Remember, this is the same Apple who are responsible for exploding iPhones and faulty iPhone 4 antennas. I think the real issue, however, is illuminated pretty well over at Bloomberg:

The suit is an example of the tight grip Apple keeps on its products, including approval of accessories and applications. Apple has a program called “Made for iPod” under which manufacturers get a license to sell accessories for devices. Apple collects a royalty of 20 percent to 25 percent from each sale of a licensed accessory, according to Shaw Wu, an analyst with Kaufman Bros. LP in San Francisco.

“If you sell speakers for $100, Apple gets $20 to $25,” said Wu, who has a “buy” rating on Apple shares and doesn’t own them.

From a consumer’s perspective, I don’t get it. If I buy a Made for iPod accessory, I know it will work. I also know it will cost more money. My money can go elsewhere, to knock-off brands or my own DIY work – who cares? Right, poor Apple miss out on 20-25% of their bottom line and the chance to play babysitter for their poor, naive customers.

Pioneer Audition XW-NAS3-K – iPhone/iPod touch audio/video – kitchen sink included

Pioneer are the latest in a long line of well-known audio/video companies to release a fully iDevice-integrated speaker dock. “Been there, done that”, you say? Think again. Pioneer’s Audition may be another 2.1 device, but comparisons can stop there. Once plugged in, the Audition strips the iDevice’s cheap DAC, processing music digitally instead. Users can also enjoy A2DP Bluetooth audio from their iPod touch 2-3G, iPhones, and other mobiles. That, my friends, is a step up from both the Bose SounDock and the now legendary Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin and the Zeppelin Mini. It’s also got component and composite video outputs and a Bluetooth adapter port.

At 449$, it certainly isn’t cheap, but Pioneer’re obviously aiming pretty high with the Audition’s long feature list.

It is compatible with the following iPods and iDevices:

iPod Classic, iPod Nano (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Generations), iPod Touch (1st and 2nd Generations), iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS

Full spec and more piccies after the gap:

Motorola Droid X and Hitler cozy up in goose-stepping iPhone 4 hate

Last week, Hitler’s iPhone 4 badmouthing was the rage. This week, it is just cute. Motorola, you know, the Google Nexus-shafted maker of the Droid, has a new phone coming out. It looms LARGE (and I do mean large). Its 4,3 inch screen is big enough to encourage b-boyism everywhere; its Adobe Flash compatibility should be enough to wet the panties of porn-fans everywhere – but that’s not all. Sure, it’s got a noise-friendly 8MP camera and it is black. The real killer, however, is its two antennas; these bunny ears alone will make dead-palming their handset nigh on impossible.

Thanks El Reg

Brushes for iPad makes speed portraits possible

Kudos to DaringFireball for finding this lovely example of how the iPad can be used for content creation. The portrait, which used Steve Sprang’s Brushes, took 3 hours, but this YouTube video has mercifully been sped up to a blinding 10 minutes. While not exactly DIY, the works of artists like David Kassan and Michael Koerbel are inspiring in other ways.

For reference, check out TouchMyApps’ review of Brushes for the iPhone.

Seller: Steve Sprang , Brushes – iPad Edition – $7.99

Steve Sprang, Brushes – iPhone Edition – $4.99

DIY iPhone 4 Tripod Case/Plate

I reckon that Michael Koerbel must have used something like this DIY panner to make his excellent video, Apple of my eye. Considering all the expensive accessories Apple want iDevice users to dish out for, it’s nice to see fans actually make stuff rather than just consume.

a-Jays Four iPhone headset – powerful, stylish, sexy

The ever-stylish Jays have got a new piece of eye-candy headset for music-loving iDevice owners. The new headset is based on the a-Jays Three, a bass-driven earphone for music/movie lovers on a budget. The new a-Jays comes in the following models: One, Two, Three. The headset, a-Jays Four is a natural extension of the new line. The a-Jays Four has a beautifully designed remote/microphone pill built into the cable.

TouchMyApps will be reviewing the a-Jays Three in a couple of weeks.

More information after the gap: