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What’s Next For the iPad? A Tabletop iPad, According to Xerox PARC Circa 1991

Way back in 1991, just as Apple was transitioning from 68k to PowerPC chips, the braniacs at Xerox PARC were predicting it’s entire iPod, iPhone and iPad strategy. And next up for the iPad is a blackboard-sized device.
Nearly 20 years ago, just as personal desktop computers were taking off, researchers at Xerox started thinking about [...]

iPhone App Arms Users With Silent Panic Button

A new app called Silent Bodyguard features a panic button that sends an SOS distress signal with GPS coordinates to potential rescuers without alerting onlookers.
While the $3.99 app, available on iTunes, isn’t the first ICE (in case of emergency) app, this one is backed by Dr. Clint Van Zandt, former FBI chief hostage negotiator and criminal [...]

Early Apple Employees Auction Killer Collectibles

If there’s a good thing about the recession, it seems to be bringing some fine Apple memorabilia out of storerooms and closets.
Cliff and Dick Huston — ex-Apple engineers, for the record employees 27 and 25 — have decided to part with a treasure trove of Cupertino collectibles by auctioning them on eBay.

What’s on the block:

Apple [...]

Video: There’s Sexy Technology, Then There’s This…

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You’re all going crazy with your iPad ordering. Meanwhile, over on Vimeo, BrewBeau has some craziness of his own going on.
BrewBeau writes: “I’m a recent PC convert who waited patiently while Apple worked out the kinks with their latest iMac release of the 27″ Intel powered 2.8GHz quad core i7 iMac. It’s a thing of [...]

Set Your iPhone to Stun with Star Trek Communicator App

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Image credit: iPhoneSavior

If you haven’t seen the latest Star Trek movie yet, or if you’re interested in rocking a genuine Trek look on your iPhone or iPod Touch anyhow, you will seriously want to consider picking up Talkndog’s super-cool 99¢ Star Radio Communicator (App Store link) app.

Its trillium mesh cover flips out and animates open with a flick of the wrist, exposing the communicator interface. The opening action is accompanied by the familiar “chirping” sound known to old-school Trekkies the world over. Under the mesh antenna “cover” you get a hypnotic spinning black-and-white spiral, with three blinking colored lights and two metal buttons below. One button actually loads a working retro-modern iPhone dialer, complete with sounds that will make you think you’re punching in a star date.

[iPhoneSavior]

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About the author

Lonnie Lazar

Lonnie Lazar is a writer, musician, web designer attorney. He writes about Apple for Cult of Mac and Mac|Life, and about VoIP and telecommunications for Voxilla. Follow Lonnie on Twitter @LonnieLazar, join the Cult of Mac on Facebook, and find Lonnie's photos on Flickr.

Email the author | Read more posts by Lonnie Lazar.

4 comments

    Have you actually tried this? I bought it based on this post saying it was “just like the original”.

    Umm, have you ever watched Star Trek TOS? Everyone who ever watched TOS knows that sound and this is NOTHING like it. How can you have an app like this without the correct sound effect?

    Plus, the graphics — especially the dialer — look very amateurish. Not worth even 99 cents. Please, Cult of Mac, you can do better.

    There is an update to this app with much improved, lot more more authentic sound effects. It’s appearing at the app store as soon as it’s approved by Apple (submitted June 10). If you’re looking for something that’s “just like the original,” you will be very pleased with the update.

    “much improved, lot more more authentic sound effects.”

    Unless it’s the actual sound, which everyone has memorized, forget it. Perhaps the sound is copyrighted and you can’t use it, which I understand. Then why bother. I’ll have to hope Paramount makes one of these with the real sounds, or someone licenses the real sounds from them.

    It has a nice appearance, the sound effects bite. I feel like I wasted my money. I think that everybody deserves a more athentic update.

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