The mystery object in Monday’s contest is an Apple IIC. This time, we weren’t even trying to make it especially hard, but kudos to everyone who noticed that it was a European version.
We picked it out of the line-up of fabulous Apple products from yesteryear from Paolo Tonon’s flickrstream. Paolo took the shot of it and others, including a Macintosh Portable and Newtons, from an Italian retrocomputing group.
Winner named after the jump.
LocFinder is an augmented reality app that boasts it will always let you see which direction is home or find your car, even if you’re halfway across the world.
LocFinder costs $0.99 on iTunes and while isn’t the first augmented reality app to tackle parking lot amnesia — we recently wrote about Car Finder — it sounds like a compass on steroids.
It has a bevy of features that may end those ping-pong SMS messages to set up a meeting, make stopping to ask for directions a non-issue even when you’re lost in Paris — or let you know exactly how far away you are from Cupertino at all times.
More on what it does with video after the jump…
Hilton Hotels just launched an iPhone app that lets customers book and modify reservations at over 520 hotels in 76 countries.
Offered gratis on iTunes, the Hilton Worldwide app could come in handy for stranded travelers thanks to a feature that lets you find hotels near you, by address or airport, and gives you directions from your current location.
The hotels at hand also include all of those in the Hilton network — another 3,000 + including the Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Home2 suites chains.
The app will also let you choose bed and pillow type — plus if you don’t think you’ll have the strength to make a request once you get in, you can put your order for room service in via iPhone, too.
Sounds good, but it still has to compete with Priceline.com’s app (which boasts William Shatner as the icon) already iTunes’ fifth-most-downloaded free app after launching a week ago.
What do you think, handy or meh?
Via USA Today
Transport in Switzerland not only runs on time, but you can buy tickets with your iPhone.
The latest version of the SBB mobile app lets travelers buy e-tickets for trains and all public transport, so you can get off the train in Lugano and catch a bus for Mendrisio without missing a beat.
Users first register with the railway company site to buy tickets via credit card for trains and buses, including day and bike passes.
The app, offered gratis on iTunes, comes in German, French, Italian and English. It also offers timetables, a “take me home” GPS function and has a crowd predictor so you know when to stop in a cafe and wait for the next one.
This is your last chance to correctly name a mystery Apple item to win a T-shirt.
Not just any T-shirt: choose from the Apple-inspired designs at might tees, which include the I Love Lisa we wrote about, a retro-style logo and Steve Jobs in typeface.
Programmer John Carmack helped bring Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake into the world.
Getting his games on the iPhone was not so easy.
“My relationship with Apple has been long standing, but it’s a roller coaster ride,” he told web site Kotaku. “At the highest level of Apple, in their heart of hearts,” Carmack said. “They’re not proud of the iPhone being a game machine, they wish it was something else.”
However, the popularity of gaming on the iPhone has forced Apple to think different(ly).
And, now that former collaborator Graeme Devine has gone to work for the iPhone Game Technologies division, iPhone games may get the respect they deserve.
Carmack calls Devine his “man on the inside…a real developer and I understand everything he is saying.”
Via Kotaku
Pssst: If you want to get in on the iPhone app business, there’s one for sale on eBay.
The starting bid for JBMJBM, LLC. — an app factory with 87 approved ones so far — is $100,000 and ends Saturday, Nov. 14
Top-selling titles include Friday Night Lights, iSpy Game, iReferee, iSexyRef (pictured above, which helps muddled sports fans remember the rules), iSexyRef2, Pro Rodeo Fan, Sit Up Counter and Shake 2 Count.
Buy the developer out and you get 87 applications currently listed on iTunes plus all application assets which include source code files, website files and all collateral.
The mystery object in Monday’s contest is a Quadra 700. (Yes, the image was flipped in an effort to make it a slightly more challenging).
Winner named after the jump.
Virgin’s new Flying Without Fear app — an interactive guide to easing panic — left us with a few questions that we got answered by Mickey Beyer-Clausen, who co-developed the app for Mental Workout.
CoM: Can you use the app during take off and landing?
MBC: Unfortunately, passengers cannot use any electronic device – including the iPhone in airplane mode – during take-off and landing but the app is developed to prepare users for flight whereby making the brief “no electronics” period at the beginning and end of the flight more manageable.
The panic button is intended to be used during the flight when turbulence is encountered or other events occur which make the user uncomfortable.
The Fab Four still haven’t made it to iTunes, but if you want to shell out $280, you can have some of their stuff on a limited-edition USB stick.
Collectors may crave 16GB key that comes with 14 stereo titles, plus re-mastered 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes.
The USB “core” pulls out of an apple, recalling the Granny Smith from the record company founded in 1968. Some 30,000 keys are available from the online store, from December 7 in the UK and December 8 in North America. (You can also pre-order online now.)
If you’re more interested in their music, it sounds like slim pickings for a hefty price — at least one fan, alluneediscash, on the site argued:
“But the BOX SET is only $219! ($179 at amazon) no one loves the beats more than me, but shouldn’t they charge LESS for the usb?”
Which raises the perennial question of when this icon of Brit pop will finally make it to iTunes. Although the Beatles settled the marathon trademark dispute with Apple two years ago, the use of this apple key, meant as a nod to Apple Records, might stir the embers of animosity rather than hasten them for Apple downloads.
The swivel goodness at the base of the iMac G4 had a near-human flexibility and was nicknamed the iLamp in a nod to Luxo Jr., star of a short Pixar film.
Now, one of those aging bases from the early 2000s is living out its retirement as a lamp.
Creator Nicolas didn’t tell hardmac exactly how he did it, but did say it was easy:
“I decided to recycle my old iMac G4. With some spare parts, one can easily transform it into a nice lamp fully articulated thanks to the famous arm.”
Another illuminating idea courtesy Apple.
Via hardmac
Virgin Atlantic Airways recently released an app for flying phobes. Called Flying Without Fear it’s modeled on the company’s brick and mortar course which they claim has a 98% success rate.
What do you get for $4.99? Well, a reassuring message from Mr. Hot Air Balloon
Sir Richard Branson himself, plus relaxation exercises, answers to fear-based questions, fear therapy and a handy inventory of on-board noises so you know everything’s ok.
Whoopie Goldberg recently got her wings back after an airplane hiatus of over 10 years thanks to the Virgin course:
“The program works, I was a skeptic. I hadn’t flown in 13 years but after doing their program, I understood that while my fear was real, there were many things I didn’t know or had misinformation about, which they were able to clear up. So what happened? I now fly. It’s that simple.”
While not everyone can attend Virgin’s £199 ($326) full day course, it’s worth wondering whether an iPod app can substitute the real thing.
I once had a co-worker for whom flying was a real drama — he ended up in such a state he regularly had to be taken off planes and usually booked multiple times before able to stay aloft in the friendly skies — and I don’t know if passengers more than a little discomfited by air travel would benefit by a few reassuring words and games.
Hearing his story, I also wonder if you’d be able to use the app during take off and landing, which seemed to be the critical moments.
Nothing like a customer service tale with a mostly happy ending: Nathan switched computers and lost everything he bought from iTunes (music, ringtones, movies) as a result.
So he wrote to Apple (iTunesStoreSupport@apple.com) and they agreed to let him re-download all the music he bought at no extra charge:
I understand the titles you purchased from the iTunes Store with account [redacted] were lost. I know how upsetting that can be. My name is Jesse and I would be more than happy to help you with this today.
Seeing that you have been a loyal customer since September, 2004, the iTunes Store would like to give you the opportunity to re-download (at no charge) all the titles you purchased on this account that are still available. This does not include any item that has been modified or removed from the store since you purchased it. Please note that you may download your purchases only once, so this is an exception. Also note that Apple does not offer protection for the loss of data from your hard disk, so I recommend that you back up your iTunes library as soon as possible…Full email from Apple at Consumerist.
Nathan was also able to re-download ringtones, but not movies though the rep did not provide an explanation for why not.
The fourth in a series of five t-shirt giveaways, correctly name this mystery Apple item and you could win a T-shirt.
Not just any T-shirt: choose from the Apple-inspired designs at might tees, which include the I Love Lisa we wrote about, a retro-style logo and Steve Jobs in typeface.
Just a week ago, the iPod celebrated its eighth birthday. It wasn’t long before defunct versions of the now-museum piece took on new life as something else.
Here a dear, departed iPod (dock connector, circa 2003) gets new life as a clock thanks to the addition of a quartz drive movement. It runs on an AA battery.
It costs $40 on Etsy, but creator pixelthis, who also made the G4 clock, says: “I am always looking for any kind of cool junk, computers, cameras, watches, you name it! I am especially fond of anything Apple. Let’s make a deal.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOivcvcEDfw
The official iPhone launch in China was greeted with shorter lines than expected due to lousy weather and because about a million early adopters have already bought them on the gray market.
People did stand in line, just not super long ones — check out the empty red ropes — and a persistent drizzle certainly didn’t entice buyers to be the first to get their hands on an official iPhone.
Also contributing to a less than hysterical welcome were the fact that the official market 8G iPhone has no wi-fi (a bow to the country’s regulatory demands) and costs about $730 dollars without a service contract.
From there, prices levitate to a heady $1,024 for the iPhone 3GS.
Gray market versions, found in many electronic marts, cost about 20% less, with wi-fi.
China Unicom has said any handset that supports its 3G mobile standard will be able to use its network, so gray-market iPhone users can buy service contracts just like users of the official handset. The carrier refused to provide info on how many customers had reserved iPhones.
Via MacWorld
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPY-63_gaU
Lee Clow, the man behind Apple’s groundbreaking 1997 “Think Different” campaign and chief creative officer of Chiat announced he is stepping down.
Here the jeans and base-ball cap wearing Clow, now 66, is interviewed about the days he was the only ad guy not wearing a three-piece suit — by Alex Bogusky, the Mac-using brainchild behind Microsoft’s “Laptop Hunter’s” series, which has been poking a few holes into the sometimes tired “Mac vs. PC” ads.
Apple abandoned the “Think Different” campaign in 2002 for the “switch” concept, but it never really caught up with Clow’s creation.
We stand corrected: Ken Segall, former Chiat creative director on the Apple account wrote in to say:
“Lee is/was the chief creative officer at Chiat, and as such doesn’t actually create this stuff — he’s an inspiration and ultimately responsible for the output. Interestingly, the words “think different” were actually written by an art director. His name is Craig Tanimoto. Not bad for a guy whose first responsibility was design.
Also, Think different was not replaced by the Switcher campaign. At some point (I can’t even remember when), it was decided that the “think different” words simply didn’t need to be said anymore. They became more or less embodied in the brand. This, just as Nike dropped “Just do it” and started using only the company’s famous swoosh.”
What do you think Apple’s next iconic catch phrase should be?
The mystery object in Monday’s contest is a Personal Laser Writer 300 from 1996, belonging to our own Tim Cox.
About it, he says: “I got it from a guy on lowendmac.com for 15 bucks. I couldn’t find the original selling price for these printers but I think it’s close to $6,000.”
The picture is from the side of the printer and it’s a awkwardly designed cubby to hide where the power cord connects to the printer. There’s one on the other side for the printer cable. ”
Winner named after the jump.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_WbL2xYquw
This is a hard one to watch: a 1984 Mac 512K meets its end in an industrial microwave oven.
Watch as it goes up in flames — then witness the after effects of the burning on the keyboard, screen.
It’s the work of Dovetastic, aka Kenny Irwin, who has been zapping everything from 1960s telephones to gas masks in the microwave on YouTube since February 2006.
Ouch. After it comes out of the oven, hours later, it keeps sizzling!
Need a stiff drink to get that happy face in charred plastic out from under my eyelids before it haunts me forever.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs04IBr-8L4
Here’s what might happen if Apple invented an iPhone called the 4G Talk. Except, unlike what you would expect from Apple, it talks and doesn’t have anything nice to say.
Put your headphones on — as it taunts the poor guy trying to use it, the phone also doesn’t say stuff you’d want your co-workers to overhear.
Props to spoofsters Back of the Class for giving it an Apple-like voice.
Hat-tip to CoM reader Robot Emperor for sending it our way.
The King of Pop Michael Jackson’s posthumous album, This is It, launched yesterday on iTunes and almost immediately went to the no. 2 spot and 10 spots on the list of hot-selling albums.
As of this writing, it was second only to the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga, the New Moon.
The widely-anticipated album almost didn’t make it to iTunes.
Jackson’s last effort contains only one new song, the title track, and Jackson’s estate did not want to sell the album, as per Apple’s policy, on a track by track basis.
Fans who shell out $13.99 for the whole enchilada also get four demos and a poem with the 15 tracks including “They Don’t Care About Us” and “Billie Jean.”
The uneasy compromise: the new single only comes with the complete album.
As commenter yippiyyip noted: “The lone fault is that the title song is not being sold separately. Buy the album for the song? No thanks.”
Would you shell out for an entire album to get just one track?
On October 3, a collector bought a rare Apple 1 on eBay for $18,000. The computer, one of about 50 thought to be still in existence, had an estimated value of $14,000 – $16,000.
Back in July 1976, the Apple I sold for $666.66; there were 200 of them hand made by Steve Wozniak. Sold in a kit, it came with 4KB standard memory, you could bump up to 8KB or 48KB with expansion cards. You had to add your own case, keyboard and display. (If you’d like to see one, check out the Smithsonian.)
The seller of this Apple 1, Monroe Postman, wasn’t even sure if it would still work.
So, who would pay $18,000 for an Apple I?
A self-defined “PC person,” who believes that today’s Macs are overpriced. The collector, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, may one day launch a computer museum.
And perhaps trade that PC for a modern Mac.
Interview by Leander Kahney.
CoM: Why did you buy it?
I have been collecting vintage computers for number of years. Obviously, original Apple I is a dream for any serious computer collector and for me, this dream came through.
I have 150+ vintage computers in my collection, which I try to maintain in working order. Occasionally, I take some to local middle and high schools to show to the students. I have an exact working Apple I replica, which is always a hit. Students love playing Lunar Lander.
CoM: What are you going to do with it?
One of those days, I am planning to open a real “museum” for public and the Apple I will take one of the central places.
CoM: What does your spouse/significant other think of it?
Even though my wife is in the computer business herself, she does not pay much attention to my hobby. Obviously, $18K raised her brow, but she understood it in the end.
More pics, full interview after the jump.
The third in a series of five t-shirt giveaways, correctly name this mystery Apple item and you could win a T-shirt.
Not just any T-shirt: choose from the Apple-inspired designs at Mighttees, which include the I Love Lisa we wrote about, a retro-style logo and Steve Jobs in typeface.
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is bringing cartoon icon Tintin to life in a movie, calling the shots via iChat.
Jackson was unable to trade his native New Zealand for the California set where flesh and blood actors are filming Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
So he told them what to do via iChat.
“Steven was on the set and Peter was in Wellington and he had lots of live links via iChat,” explained English actor Nick Frost, who plays one of the hapless Thomson detectives.
“I’ve never been directed before via iChat, which was an odd and not totally unpleasant way of doing business, just a bit strange.”
“Because of the time difference Peter would stay up all night and tinker and get in the sort of position that he was ready to shoot,” Frost said.
“Peter kind of re-wrote the scripts most evenings because he was in New Zealand, and so you would go in, in the morning with three or four pages of new dialogue and they were like, ‘Shooting this in 30 minutes, so get ready’.”
Also being told how to emote and where to stand via iChat are Daniel Craig, who plays a pirate, and Billy Elliot star Jaime Bell as Tintin.
This is the first of a Tintin trilogy slated to hit theaters in 2011; Jackson will direct the next one solo and team up with Steven Spielberg for the third.
Via Stuff
Today is the 8th birthday of the iPod and yes, though it hasn’t reached even a decade of life, it’s already the object of several museum exhibits.
Back in 2007, London’s Science Museum put out a national search for a first-gen iPod — CoM reader Joe Weiss answered the call.
Last year, his donated first gen iPod, together with all the original packaging plus unopened earbuds and software to the museum for posterity.
See it in the museum, find out what firewire had to do with it and whether he regrets giving over his iPod after the jump.
