iPhone Voice Dial and Instant Messaging

A couple of apps that will help you and your iPhone.

First things first: voice dialing.
Lots of people want it on their iPhones, and now they can have it.

Just get Voice Dial, a paid application that is well worth its cost. But you can also try the freely available   SpeechCloud.

Then, it's time for instant messaging, instead of downloading a chat client for each protocol, just get Palringo (free).

It handles Google Talk/Jabber, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, ICQ, iChat and Gadu-Gadu; all of these at the same time.

Sending texts and images (either from the camera of photo albums) is now a lot easier

You'll be notified of new messages even if you have your iPhone locked and in "standby" mode.

App Store DRM Hacked - the iPhone is Free

Once again the futility of spending millions in DRM protections is proven.

The fairpplay DRM Appl uses in their App store has been cracked and the most popular games and apps for the iPhone are already being freely shared on the Internet.

When will they understand that the only way to end this is to make it not worth it?
Just focus on providing people what they want, without nasty DRM methods, and let people feel happy to pay for it!

How many times, haven't I bought a CD, DVD, game or whatever; *after* I had already downloaded it from the internet?
How many times haven't I downloaded stuff I already own - because I wasn't willing to keep my legally bought gam in the drive everytime I wanted to play that game?

I have no problem paying for the stuff I listen, watch, or play.
I just won't accept being trated like a criminal everytime I press play on the DVD I *bought*;
I won't accept buying a music CD that installs malware and rootkits on my PC;
I won't accept buying a computer game that installs so much crap on it just to "validate" my game.

via [Gizmodo]

Disable iPhone Backup on iTunes for Windows

Ah... the dreaded moment to connect you brand new iPhone 3G to your computer...

iTunes kicks in and... here it comes... the lengthy backup operation begins taking more and more time each and every time you do it - the more stuff you have in there, the more time it takes, until it becomes unbearable.

... until now.

Now you can easily disable this annoying backup process on iTunes and just re-enable it once every week (or whenever you feel like.)

You just need to:

1. Locate your iTunesPrefs.xml file. Usually located in:
   C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes
   or
   C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes
   or (in Vista)
   C:\Users\username\AppData\Apple Computer\iTunes\
   
   Hint: If the folder Application Data does not show up, make sure that hidden files are visible in the Windows Explorer
   
   
2. Backup your iTunesPrefs.xml file
   
   
3. Open iTunesPrefs.xml using a capable text-editor (e.g. Notepad++, Ultraedit, but not MS Notepad)
   
   
4. Search for a section called User Preferences and paste the following snipped into the User Preferences Section after the first <dict>: 

<key>DeviceBackupsDisabled</key>
<data>
dHJ1ZQ==
</data>


5. Save the file and restart iTunes. Backups should now be disabled. To enable backups again delete the XML Snippet from iTunesPrefs.xml file.

(For Mac users, you can find a similar procedure here.)

via [iPhonefreakz]

How to Install Ubuntu on the Eee PC

A frequent question that pops a lot, among Eee PC owners is:

"How do I install Ubuntu on my Eee PC?"

That's right. You may feel comfortable with Ubuntu's Live CD. But, the Eee PC (and most other netbooks) simply don't have an optical drive for you to use.

Sure, you can use an external USB drive - but lots of people don't have any.

So, how should you proceed?
Well... that's easy: you use an SD card to install Ubuntu on your Eee.

For that you'll be using UNetbootin, a simple tool that converts an ISO into a bootable SD card which you'll use on your Eee PC.

You can follow the step-by-step instructions at ArsTechnica.

Hope that helps.

Yahoo to Shutdown DRM Music Servers

As usual, we're back to the same old tale: "Buy our DRM-infested music online! DRM is good for consumers!"
- and then, some years later -

"Ooops, we're shutting down our authentication servers - though luck!"

We've heard it from Microsoft before, but now it's the time for Yahoo to try and pull the rug under their music customer's legs.

Once those servers are gone, everyone with Yahoo music on their computers will be unable to transfer it to a new computer. So, if your computer breaks down... say goodbye to it all.


Their suggestion: "Please burn all your songs to CDs, and re-rip them to have full access to the songs."
ORLY!?!


Well, let's hope this serves a higher purpose, so that no one ever buys DRM'ed music again.

iPhone Haptic Keyboard

So, you love your iPhone but wished the virtual keyboard on its touchscreen would be a little less "virtual"?

Well, it might be easier than you think:

According to a project from the Computing Science Department of the University of Glasgow, the iPhone built-in vibrotactile actuator can be used to provide tactile feedback on the "keys" and buttons on the screen.

Different buttons can have different force feedback envelopes, meaning you'll be able to tell the difference between a keyboard button, a tab, or any other pressable item.

What is Apple waiting for?

via [iPhone-Haptics]

Sony Unveils 200" Display at HQ

Sony unveiled a gigantic 200" HDTV Screen at their Tokyo HQ, showcasing underwater 3D footage.

No further info about the display has been made public (at least none I could find) and so, every guess is a good guess regarding it is an LCD, Plasma, projection (or something more esoteric like Laser or OLEDs, etc.)

Whatever it is, it's HUGE!

Not even I would want one of these at home... unless... just a sec... let me go get my measuring tape... ;)

via [gizmodo]

Mechanical Dragonfly - Surveillance Wet Dream

A machine that resembles a dragonfly, that can fly indoors, with motors, batteries, camera, video transmiter, measuring less that 10cm and weighing 3 grams?

What more can I say: it's incredible!

Next time you spat any bug flying around you, be sure to check if it wasn't one of these. :)




via [Gizmodo]

Water Proof Your Gadgets

No one would think of washing their electronic gadgets under tap water... but if this protective coating from Golden Shellback is as good as it appears to be, then you might very well start considering it.

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain.com on Vimeo.

Sure, it's a bit extreme and no one in their right mind will think of submerging their gadgets - particularly when ON and operating. But if their waterproof coating is good enough to endure that, then think how easily it will handle under normal circumnstances, facing just a few drops of rain or accidental beverage spills.

I just wonder how long it will take until these protective coatings come as standard in every new cellphone, portable music player, and all other "carry-around" gadgets.

ReWalk - to Walk Again

Here's the kind of news we should hear about more often.

Finally, the technological advances in robotics and exoskeletons are reaching the ones needing them the most.

After 20 years of wheelchair "confinement", a man was able to walk again with ReWalk.

Ironically, the man who devised this system is himslef unable to use his own invention.  Amit Goffer is a quadraplegic without the necessary dexterity to operate ReWalk.
(At least, not in this current form. But who knows what the future may hold?)

It also makes us wonder: what could we (as a human race) achieve if instead of wasting billions in weapons, we dedicated all those resources to enhance our lives and the world we live in...



via [Medgadget]

CherryPal Cloud Computer

Here's the sign of things to come: small, efficient, "computers."

Of course, this CherryPal might look nothing like the latest Quad Core computer you bought to play 3D games, but... wasting just a couple of Watts and allowing you to browse the web as easily as you can imagine, you'll soon realize this is more than enough for 90% of your daily computing needs.

You don't even have to worry about operating systems (Windows, Linux, OSX, or any other.) you just plug it on, connect it to an ehternet cable (or wireless via Wifi) and its ready to go.

Its hardware spec can be considered ultra low: a 400Mhz CPU, integrated graphics, 4GB Flash, 256MB Ram. (But hey, we're talking about 2W power here)

You're entitled to 50GB online storage space and lots of well known applications, like Open Office and even iTunes.


via [Engadget]

TransferJet - Short Range High Speed Transfers

Tired of shuffling through WiFi, Bluetooth, Wireless USB, WiMax, WiBree and all other kinds of wireless systems? Well, get ready to handle a new one: TransferJet.

Promissing speeds up to 560MBps in short (3cm) ranges, this protocol would be suitable for large quantities of data like photos, music and video, from cellphones, digital cameras, and media players.

Well, at least they have a impressive supporters list: Canon, Kodak, Hitachi, Matsushita, Nikon, Olympus, Pioneer, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sony.

Just see how this turns out; if it does become a standard, or if it ends up being one more of those "standards" that just ends up screwing customers.
(kind of like all the different "standard" memory cards out there)

via [Engadget]

iPhone Free VNC App

And here it is: we didn't have to wait long to get a  free VNC client for the iPhone.

It's the Mocha VNC Light, a limited version of the full Mocha VNC client that should be enough for most people - if not, you'll find the 4 Eur/5.99 USD to be money well spent.

(Though I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more free alternatives popping up soon.)

I have already tried it and... it works! Works quite nicely in both Wifi and 3G, so... it's approved.

Now can I enjoy the full "power" of my desktop computer from anywhere, just an iPhone touch away. :)


[video]

via [justanotheriphoneblog]

Google Code Jam 2008

Don't forget today is Google Code Jam 2008 day.

I've already done my part, solving the first (and easiest) problem.
Unfortunately, I don't have the time to delve into the remaining two...

Oh well, maybe I can still get a T-Shirt from them. :)

What the iPhone 3G Really Needs

After using it for nearly a week, here's what I find the iPhone 3G lacking (and I won't mention the obvious issues that have been said over and over again during the past year: improved bluetooth functionality, copy-paste, video recording, etc.)

What I miss the most is indeed a very simple thing:

The hability to quickly and easily change "usage profiles."

Basically, we have 3 (humm, make that 4) settings that may require frequent toggling:

1. 3G
2. Wifi
3. Bluetooth
4. GPS

If I'm at home or work, I'll probably have 3G, GPS, and Bluetooth disabled and rely only on Wifi and Edge phone calls.
If I'm driving, I might want to disable Wifi, and have 3G, Bluetooth and GPS working.
If I'm at a fixed remote location, I might want to have just 3G (or just Wifi, if around an hotspot) enabled, and everything else disabled.

Profile	3G	Wifi	Bluetooth	GPS
At Home	OFF	ON	OFF	OFF
Driving	ON	OFF	ON	ON
Outside (static)	ON	OFF	OFF	OFF
Outside(moving)	ON	OFF	OFF	ON

Doing this manually whenever I'm about to get in or out of my car/home/office/etc quickly gets boring.

Ok, some might say: "just keep everything turned on!"
But for users valuing/relying on their iPhone battery life, those "energy saving" profiles might provide a few extra hours of use.

I'm still trying to evaluate just how much each option affects battery life, but that will take some more time to figure out. From what I could figure, some of these options might even have no noticeable impact on battery life - the new bluetooth chip in the 3G iPhone is supposed to save up to 86% power when in idle mode compared to the older one.


What about you? Do you frequently change your iPhone settings? What methods do you use to save power?
Or do you simply don't care, and carry a USB charger - or - charge it whenever/wherever you can?

[Update]


Apparently, the iPhone is well tought of - something I was hoping it would be - and having all services turned on doesn't influence much of its battery life while in idle mode (which will be most of the time.)


In fact, today, since I charged my iPhone at 7AM, used it for about 15 minutes in the morning to browse and email stuff, made some calls, browsed a little more during lunch; it's now 5:30PM and it's still showing full charge. Nice!



So, those "power profiles" can simply be forgotten - and let's get back to talking about TomTom on the iPhone, and the dreaded copy-paste issue! :)

Dell E - Instant On Success?

I don't know if I had talked about the Dell E here already.

It's one more "netbook" that will have to fight its way through the growing armada of Eee PCs, Aspire One's, Wind's, and all the other low cost netbooks out there.

However, there are a few things that might help this small Dell make all the difference.

On the hardware front, things are evenly matched: an Intel Atom @ 1.6Ghz, 8.9" LCD (1024x600), 3x USB, SSD, webcam, wifi, etc.

However, Dell was smart enough to include something the Eee PC should have done from the start (especially considering the close ties Asus has with Splashtop) an Instant On embedded Linux Distro.

There's not much information about what "splashtop-lookalike" Dell will be using in their Dell E, but this will certainly prove to be a strategic step into winning a lot of customers.

That and... its price!
The Dell E will be available soon, for just $299 ($100 less than the Aspire One.)

via [Engadget]

Toms Hardware Apologizes for Bad SSD Tests

Well, it was only natural.

After their flawed SSD methodology test, Tom's Hardware publicly aplogized and presented some new tests that show that SSDs are indeed more energy efficient - even though some still do end up using more power than a regular hard drive.

(I wasn't actually arguing about their results, but how they were flawed in the first place - providing inaccurate results that served no purpose.)

via [Engadget]

Fujitsu Siemens Netbook and Aspire One

Asus began it with their Eee PC sub-notebook, but now everyone else is jumping aboard the so-called "netbook" revolution of small low-cost laptops. And now, Fujitsu Siemens is also joining the party.

Fujitsu Siemens, once the reference in Pocket PC devices (remember their Loox range?) is about to introduce their netbook. A small (8.9" LCD) notebook that is expected to cost between 300 and 400€.

The memories... I still use my Loox 600 as navigator, with a Bluetooth GPS and TomTom. In fact, until TomTom officially delivers a navigator for the iPhone, I'll keep it in my car.



Meanwhile, the Acer Aspire One has finally arrived at our stores and I went to gave it a look.
It is indeed everything I was hoping it would be. Very nicely built and still small enough to be carried around with ease.
In fact, when holding it next to the Eee PC 701, it makes the Asus "look like a toy" - and these aren't my words, but from a father talking to his daughter.

Don't take it wrong, I personally love the Eee PC 701 - and I think the 901 has everything it needs to be one of the best "netbooks" available. It's just that:
1) It still isn't available here - and won't be for the next 5 or 6 months.
2) It's too damn expensive.

This is exactly what the Acer Aspire One has to its own advatange, it's already here and it has an unbeatable price of 299€!

This is the price the Eee PC 901 should have, and it should be out there on the stores right now, to have a chance to win the "war" initiated by its smaller brother.

As for the Acer, the keyboard is a lot easier to use than the Eee's, even it at the cost a few extra centimeters - something most adults will gladly trade for the improved typing speed and accuracy.
As for the OS, it offers you the same basic operations as the competition: Internet, Document, Media Player, Games. I didn't have time to play around with it much. I suppose most "advanced users" would quickly replace for their favorite Linux distro - Ubuntu/Xubuntu being my personal choice.
Nevertheless, browsing the Internet is more pleasant than on the Eee 701, with its higher resolution screen requiring a lot less scroll bar action.

I'm still waiting to see the MSI Wind and see how/if it will justify spending a 100-200 Euros more. After seeing this Acer, I think it will very hard for Wind to pull that off... but I'll give it a fair chance.

As always, there's always something "missing" for it to be just perfect: in the case of Acer it's its small 3 cell battery, offering about 3h battery life. A 6 cell battery would be much more appropriate.
(But keep in mind this is something plaguing most low cost netbooks - most others also come with similar sized batteries.)

via [Engadget]

Batteries that Last

No matter how great mobile devices (like the new iPhone 3G) are, there comes a time when it inevitably runs out of juice - almost always sooner than we hoped for.
(And in a worst case scenario, just when you need it the most.)

However, things might change if MTI Micro keeps its word. The MTI Micro Mobion Fuel Cell has been tried and tested and achieved 2,700 hours of continuous operation. 
Can these micro fuel cells, really revolutionize the mobile market and take it to new heights?
Let's hope so!

"Our test results are a clear indication of the technical progress we have made on performance metrics including life, degradation, temperature, and humidity levels which are required to bring products to market in the consumer electronics industry. To our knowledge, there are no other published results that match ours," said Jim Prueitt, Vice President of Engineering and Operations at MTI Micro.

If you want to learn more: how this technology works and its advantages.

via [GottaBemobile]

Aqua Forest - iPhone Physics

Ok, it's not the first of its kind, but it's the kind of app most people will love to have in their brand new 3G iPhones (or even the "old" ones.)Telemóveis.

Aqua Forest, it's sort of a physics game, not unlike crayon physics, but looking really good.
It allows you to play with particle systems such as water, steam, fire, and lots other properties.



It will certainly increase your iPhone's "wow" factor by a factor of ten. :)

Then new iPhone 3G is HERE

Ok,today you have two options... you either go offline and wait a couple of days - or - you'll be swamped with news about iPhone 3G launch.

While I don't have the pleasure of living in NZ, we also had the luxury of a "00:01" iPhone launch here in Portugal. I'm one of the lucky few that were invited for such an event, meaning I was able to get my iPhone several hours before the majority of population.
(And we all know how "hours" feel like "centuries" when it comes to this kind of gadgets. :)

Unfortunately, not everything is that good.

While our prices are about average compared to the rest of the European countries (300 Euros + 24x 30 Euro) my main gripe with them is the unreasonable low data limit of 250MB per month.
The internet "pack" alone costs 20 Euros for 250MB - while the same operator (Vodafone) offers 600MB for 10Euros in Italy!

Well, that's something I hope will be changed soon... and I'll keep complaining until it does.

That's all for now... let me go and play with my iPhone 3G. :)

[UPDATE]

There was a payment plan change at last minute. Apparently they realized how abusive the 250MB/20Eur plan was and decided to... make it half price!
Now we get 250Mb for just 10 Euros (still far from Italy's 600MB for the same price - but hey, it's a step in the right direction.)

Also, for those choosing to pay the full price for the iPhone (499Eur) the monthly plan drops to a much more interesting 15 Euros - with 100 min talk time, 250 SMS, and the 250MB. NICE!

Elisa Media Center

There are a lot of good Linux Media Centers, like Entertainer and Linux MCE; but there's no such thing as too much of a good thing.

Ben pointed me to a very interesting project called Elisa:

What is Elisa?

Elisa is an open source cross-platform media center connecting the Internet to an all-in-one media player.

And it looks very good too. Just check out the video:



The "browsable" Internet videos feature is certainly handy.
And extra points for showing a Brian Yuzna movie playing... :)

And because everyone hates using a keyboard/mouse... it can be controlled with an Wiimote as well! :)



Here's a "How To" video showing you how to install Elisa on Ubuntu.
(But don't forget it's also available for Windows as well.)

Kinetic 3D Sculptures by BMW

Can't really say much except... it's mesmerizing!

Over 700 metallic balls, moving up and down in the air, suspended by nearly invisible wires. The result is quite impressive and as most of us don't live close enough to BMW's Museum in Munich to see it in person... here's a video:



via [Engadget]

Gmail Multiple Logout

Here's something I've been waiting for a looooooong time.

While some people still regularly work with just one computer, most of us use more that than each and every day:
there's the main computer at home, a laptop as well, maybe even a "netbook", an iPhone or other smartphone, and then there's your computer at work.
So far, so good. These are all yours. However, what if you logged in to your Gmail account at a friends computer and forgot to log out/sign out. Or - even worse - what if your iPhone or laptop gets stolen?

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see what computers are currently logged in to your Gmail account, and optionally sign them off remotely?

Well... that's indeed possible!

If you check the bottom of your Gmail page you'll notice this new line and link (they're still deplying this, it might take a while till it's your turn. :)

And if you click on details about which computers are currently accessing your Gmail account, you get this:

A list of computers and their IP addresses. What more could you ask for?

But like I said, you can sign out remotely by pressing the "Sign out all other sessions" - and you'll finally be able to rest peacefully, knowing no one else is improperly seeing your gmail account.

via [GmailBlog]

iPhone 3G in Portugal - Vodafone

After a lot of speculation (some people were even betting we would only know the prices for the new iPhone 3G after we actually paid for it) Vodafone Portugal has finally issued a press release stating the cost and monthly plans for the latest Apple iPhone.

So the prices in Portugal, on Vodafone are:

No contract:
8 Gb - 499,90 €
16 Gb - 599,90 €

Plan best iPhone 100
8 Gb - 299,90 € + 29,90 €/month
16 Gb - 389,90 € + 29,90 €/month
(100 minutes talk time + 100 SMS + 250 MB internet)

Plan best iPhone 230
8 Gb - 219,90 € + 44,90 €/month
16 Gb - 309,90 € + 44,90 €/month
(230 minutes talk time + 230 SMS + 250 MB internet)

Plan best iPhone 500
8 Gb - 129,90 € + 64,90 €/month
16 Gb - 219,90 € + 64,90 €/month
(500 minutes talk time + 500 SMS + 250 MB internet)

iPhone Internet Pack
(for pre-paid plans)
250MB - 19,90 €/month

Ok, we're used to paying more for this kind of stuff, even though we earn a lot less than most other countries in Europe - but... 250MB per month!?! come on!
What is that good for? Watching one short YouTube video per day?

This special iPhone data plan pack is even more expensive (per MB) than the existing Internet plan that currently offers us some "amazing" 100MB for 7.5 Eur/month!

With people in Sweden complaining they have just 1GB to use in their iPhones, what do you reckon we feel down here?

Even the same operator - Vodafone - offers a much better deal in Italy: 600MB for 10 Euros/month.

How can they justify charging twice as much for less than half the data here in Portugal!?! :(

Gmail Page Turning Pixels?

If you haven't noticed it already, something is lurking behing your Gmai page.

Just watch closely what's on the top left corner... do you see it?

Yes... a very small "fold" which was introduced recently and just sits there unexplained.

As usual, a lot of conspiracy theories are popping up...

Under close inspection, that element turns out to be curious IFRAME, which shouldn't really be needed - or could at least be completely invisible.

Is this a way to prepare us for whatever's beneath Google Gmail service?

Tab Management in Firefox

That's it, I had it.
I was sick and tired of scrolling back and forth across dozens of open tabs in Firefox 3.0 - after trying a couple of add-ons I found TabKit and... it does everything I could ever hoped for (and more): multiple tab rows, colored tabs, grouped tabs, vertical tabs, tree-view... and the list goes on.

Check the video:


It's still experimental and it doesn't work nicely if you have Tab Mix Plus... so... be aware of that.

Eee PC 900 with Touchscreen

While Asus slowly but inexorably "kills" their Eee PC (doing the same mistakes on the new models that they did on the first one - at an added cost!) at least there are some enthusiasts willing to really enhance the existing Eee PCs.

For example, JKKmobile took an Eee PC 900and showed us how to turn a good netbook computer into a better on - adding a touchscreen, just like he did to the Eee PC 701.



Maybe Asus can take some hints from him...

Holographic Google Earth

No matter how good your LCD screen is, it will never be able to match an holographic display when it comes to "Wow" factor. Check how Google Earth truly shines when seen in "almost" real 3D.


Holographic Google Earth from Nicolas Loeillot on Vimeo.

UbiqWindow via Google Earth Design.

Zoomii - Online Virtual Bookstore

Simply amazing!

The idea of using Google Maps API to "fly through" a virtual bookstore is very original.

And that's exactly what you can find at Zoomii.

Besides "Google Maps", Zoomii relies on Amazon services as well, to get all the covers and info about the books - as well as the buying process.

Check the video:



Via [BookPatrol]

Tom Gets it Wrong: SSDs vs HDs

I would dare saying it's almost horrifying to see how a faulty test can cause such mayhem.

The issue is that there was this "test" on Tom's Hardware comparing SSDs with traditional rotating media Hard Drives that showed that SSDs actually cause you laptop to have less battery life instead of more.

What they fail to say is that their "test" run continuously, and the results they get are similar to proving that you get faster to your destination driving at 100 Mph than 50Mph!

The SSD drive drains the battery faster, ok... but how many times did it run the test compared to the traditional HD?

That's a piece of the test they failed to include. If the the SSD run the same number of cycles as the HD did, there's no doubt it would have done so in a lot less time, and you'd still have a powered laptop long after the HD test case drained its battery.

From their own power consumption charts, you can easily see that even if SSD power use in active mode is similar to a HD, you have to keep in mind that the active duty cycle is much lower in a SSD. (Accessing data, reading/writing, which would take 0.5 seconds in a traditional HD could probably be done in 1/5th the time on a SSD.)

So, lets hope Tom's Hardware can run those tests again, but in a way that gives accurate results - or show the missing parts of the test results, to see how more efficient the SSDs were.
Unless they're trying to tell me that, during the time the HD is spinning for the extra 1:30 minutes, the SSD is consuming more power?

via [Engadget] 

[Update] 
Tom's Hardware acknowledges the SSD test was flawed.

iPhone Video Ringtones

If you're worried about the choice people make for their cellphone ringtones, then you'll be pleased to known that you'll soon might be complaining about video ringtones on iPhones.

Well, video ringtones would be a lot less intrusive than loud annoying music ringtones... However, I don't think most people will choose a silent ringtone video for their brand new iPhone 3G.
(only 10 days to go, by the way...)

via [Gizmodo]