Tim Cox - page 2

iRetrofone: Vintage Rotary iPhone Dock

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Man, I want one of these. It would look so good next to my pack of Pall Malls and Royal Portable Typewriter. Freeland Studio sure knows how to cast resin around my heart’s desires. Too bad it’s on back order for 3 weeks, priced at $195 and doesn’t let me talk on my iPhone with that gorgeous handset.

But it would be fun to Bluetooth it up and just pace back and forth holding that thing in a heated conversation about one of the Apollo missions.

The iRetrofone Base is available in clear, black, and pink. I wonder when this will come out in Commissioner Gordon Red?

Via iPhone Savior

Dilbert On Top Secret iPhone Prototype

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Scott Adams, the evil henchman behind the Dilbert Comic Strip, posted two comics about the drunken misplacement of the iPhone Prototype today on his blog. What’s cool is that these strips will never reach the funny pages and are exclusive to Adams’ blog. Thanks for sharing, Scott.

I’m never one to lol when reading print material, but the third frame of the top comic is priceless. Definitely loled.

Rhapsody First To Bring Subscription Music To U.S. iPhones

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Rhapsody has released an update to its iPhone/iPod Touch music app that does what Spotify in Europe has done for ever: you can download any song you want to your iPhone for a flat $10 monthly fee.

Rhapsody’s music subscription offers virtually limitless musical selections from a library of about 9 millions songs available. And you don’t have to be online to use it. You can create downloadable playlists that play whether you have an Internet connection or not.

“This is the first time Apple has approved this capability for a music app — at least in the U.S.” said Rhapsody spokesman Matt Graves. “While Apple has previously approved apps from many streaming music services, including Rhapsody’s, until now it has never okayed downloading subscription music to its devices.”

Graves noted that Steve Jobs was famously dismissive of the music subscription model, calling these services “bankrupt” in a 2003 interview with Rolling Stone. Of course, subscription models compete with the per-song download model of iTunes.

You don’t even need to pay their reasonable $10-a-month fee to try it out. Rhapsody offers a free trial of their service.

I recommend signing up with your computer: it seems that if you register using a non-mobile device, you get a 14-day free trial. I signed up on my iPhone and only got a 7-day trial period free. Weird.

Jon Maples, Rhapsody Product Lead, brags about his experience using Rhapsody’s Downloadable Playlist feature on the Rhapsody blog and it makes for an interesting read.

My main beef with Rhapsody is the audio quality. I wasn’t able to use Google to divine a solid source for audio quality, but I can tell you it’s not 192-256 kbps which is what it should be.

MONDAY GIVEAWAY: Tweet To Win Monster Jamz and ScreenClean

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Geeze, one week we’re giving away app codes and the next week $120 Headphones and $17 Screen Cleaner courtesy of the guys over at Monster.

Monster’s Jamz In-Ear Headphones look to be rugged. There’s a video below with some guy going to town on them with various weaponry. I like that Monster goes for “accurate and clear audio.” None of this tweaked out bass bottomed garbage kids are listening to nowadays.

Monster’s ScreenClean just does what it says and keeps multiple Apple screens looking clean. Also posted a video below if you want to watch a guy clean his stuff.

Wanna win some swag?

Turn Your iPhone Into a Wireless Hotspot and Enable Tethering using MyWi [Jailbreak Superguide]

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If only we could have experienced the iPhone in all of its glory from the initial release. 3G has only recently been opened to multimedia streaming. Tethering is still not available though the iPhone is fully capable. Why are we not video chatting with our loved ones these almost perfect devices?

Jailbreaking that iPhone is currently the only way to tether your device to you Mac and get that sweet 3G data access to you 13″ Macbook. In fact, with MyWi, a jailbreak app from the Cydia Store, you can create your own WiFi hotspot similar to the Verizon MiWi. Better charge up that battery now.

How To Remove 3G Limits for Applications – 3G Unrestrictor [Jailbreak Superguide]

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Even with a little boost to 20MB over a 3g connection, and VoIP recently being allowed thanks to an SDK update, the iPhone’s potential continues to be impaired by data restrictions set by AT&T. If you’ve taken the plunge and jailbreaked your device, there’s a $2 app that will let you stick it to the man with unlimited data access over 3G. Incidentally, 3G Unrestrictor was one of my reasons to jailbreak way back in 2009.

MONDAY GIVEAWAYS: Win Eight Sweet Apps on Facebook

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I would try and come up with a great package theme for this week’s giveaway, but there really is no correlation between these apps. Great bundle, though.

To enter to win these eight sweet apps, just tag us in your Facebook status. Contest ends at 5pm EST Tuesday and we’ll pick 5 random status taggers to win these 8 apps:

Economy: This app gives you a snapshot of the US economy (and also for individual states) by providing the latest economic indicators and tracking the history of these indicators across the past few months, years, and decades.

Gas Cubby: Gas Cubby is the ultimate tool for tracking gas mileage and vehicle maintenance. Whether you’re a hypermiler, or just want a reminder to change the oil, Gas Cubby will save you money and keep your vehicle operating at its peak.

DefenderMan: Sets you in the cockpit of a fast paced vertical shooter. Fight off the robot invaders as they swarm from all directions.

ReactorBots: A real-time strategy game that puts you in command of several robots with a single mission – wipe out a viral robot infestation that has overrun the power mines.

WebToolbox: Ever wish you could get more out of the Safari browser for iPhone/iPod Touch? Now you can!

Rocket Taxi: It’s never been easier to get a Cab! Rocket Taxi uses your current location (by GPS or WiFi) to find the nearest taxi companies around you for a quick service. Rocket Taxi is ideal for the frequent traveler or the occasional taxi user.

TouchPad: Tired of having a keyboard and mouse laying around in your living room? Get rid of that lousy setup with TouchPad! Use your iPhone or your iPod touch to remotely control your computer through WiFi (wireless network). With TouchPad’s intuitive use, you’ll feel right at home if you have already used a track pad on a MacBook. It’s almost like having a micro laptop in your hands!

Feathers: Decorate your tweets with Feathers!

Monday Giveaway: Entertainment iPhone App Bundles

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Speed Forge Extreme for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Our Monday giveaway is looking pretty good! This week we’re giving away eight apps aimed at keeping you entertained to six random Twitter Tweeters.

Make sure you follow @cultofmac on Twitter and tweet this to be entered to win a sweet app bundle of fun:

All the true gamers go to @cultofmac for Monday Giveaways! #cultofmac

Contest ends today at 8pm EST and we’ll announce the winners on Twitter tomorrow. Here’s the app bundle with description excerpts from the App Store:

Monday Giveaway: 10 Free iWraps and Exclusive Discount

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It’s Monday and that can only mean one thing: Cult of Mac is bringing you yet another sweet Facebook giveaway.

This week we’re giving away 10 iDevice covers from iWrap.  Their covers protect everything from iPhones to Nintendo DSes so we’ll give the first 10 to tag us with “Drink the Kool-Aid, Become a Fan of Cult of Mac” in their Facebook status $19.95 in the iWrap store. Make sure your privacy settings are set to “Everyone” so that your tag shows up on our wall.

Even if you missed out on the first 10 tags, head over to our Facebook Headquarters and you can get a coupon code for 25% off any item in the store valid today only.

Monday Twitter Giveaway: SyncMate

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Eltima Software has graciously given Cult of Mac 10 SyncMate licenses to give away.

We’ll post an official contest tweet on @cultofmac at 11am PST (2pm EST, 7pm GMT). The first 10 non-bot retweets of the official contest tweet will get their very own SyncMate license.

Of course, if you don’t win, you can pick up a copy of SyncMate from Eltima Software for $39.95.

Netflix CEO: Instant Streaming On iPad Not A Priority

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Thanks for the Flickr Photo, Ross Catrow

Netflix instant streaming on the iPad? Not any time soon.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says, “Until we get our TV ubiquity and our Blu-ray ubiquity and we’re getting close on video game ubiquity, then we would next turn to the small screen. It’s just not a primary movie-watching (option). So it’s something we will get around to but it’s not in the near term.”

Even with iTunes’s thumb in the movie rental pie, Netflix instant streaming on the iPad needs to happen as soon as it drops. If I’m going to pay $15 for Wi-Fi on a plane I need to watch a couple episodes of Due South for it all to be worth it.

(via Yahoo! News)

iPad Will Change The Way We Watch TV

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Photo courtesy of Gizmodo

Watching that MLB.tv demo on the iPad had me thinking: The iPad is going to add some serious interactivity to my live TV as long as they can figure out how to get live tv onto my iPad.

As we’ve seen, sport fans can benefit from the live stats and home/away team announcers, but how far can we take this?

Am I going to be able to vote my favorite American Idol on to the next round while I’m watching?

We’ll have to start seeing networks with their own apps and subscription fees like MLB.tv, but if Rachel Ray shows me a recipe for ribs and the iPad lets me download the recipe while watching- that’s what we in the business like to call a game-changer.

iPad Will Change How We Make Music

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Thanks for the Flickr Photo, Joshua Schnable

We have seen an electronic instrument renaissance with the introduction of the iPhone. Apps like DopplerPad, RjDj, Beatmaker and the new synth Argon have shown the potential of a multi-touch device in a live performance setting. The only thing keeping professional musicians from diving all over these devices for music performance and production has been their size. The iPad changes everything.

The monome, pictured above, goes for a lot of money on ebay. If you buy one of these babies new it will set you back $500-$600. What’s worse is the device is very limited release so they sell out, you have to go on ebay and the price gets jacked up. The iPad would replace this midi controller instantly.

While everyone got wild and crazy with the Leaf Trombone and Ocarina on the iPhone, the iPad is large enough to be a legitimate synthesizer/virtual instrument. Also Korg has a line of Kaoss effect pads that the tablet could easily replace.

Not only live music but recording and production: ProTools, Reason, Abelton Live. All could have versions of the software for the iPad or use it as a control surface to make the best use of multitouch.

DJ tool too. Create live techno joints. Hip Hop. Flava Flav. Boyeee

iPad Will Make The Most Of Cloud Computing

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The iBad? Defective by Design's take on the iPad.

iTunes’s acquisition of LaLa.com and the cheap(ish) data plan from AT&T may be signaling a significant change in the way Apple would have us access our media. If so, the iPad is going to fit perfectly into their little plan.

Even if this isn’t the case, apps like those from Simplify Media allow me to access my photos and music from a non sleeping computer as well as stream media to my Xbox 360.

I’m hoping I’m right on this one, but I think the 16GB iPad is going to be enough to cover my must have media and I can access the rest when in range of 3G or Wi-Fi.

Is $9.99 the New Price of Software for iPad?

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Photos courtesy of Gizmodo

With most pay apps in the App Store running at $0.99 could most apps for the iPad be $9.99?

iWork for iPad will be $9.99 per app. That means you can have at Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for under $35.

With developers delivering quality content at such a low price point, can we see the same low prices if this low priced iPad becomes widely adopted?

I say it’s $10 for an app and $30 for a Grand Theft Auto Irish Mafia.

iPad Apps Look Awesome

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Photos courtesy of Gizmodo

The iPad is revolutionizing the way we use email, the web, play music, browse through images, and watch movies/tv. Here’s a preview on how they look on the iPad:

Cult of Mac Giving Away $2,900 in BumpTop Licenses

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BumpTop Mac_ Reinventing your Mac desktop.

UPDATE 2: We’re giving away 100 more codes!! Posting on Facebook and Twitter at 1:45 PST

Update: Sorry, but all the licenses have gone. It looks like they went before we even posted this story — maybe the URL was hacked. We’re looking into it and we’re going to ask BumpTop for more licenses. We’ll keep you posted.

Today at 12pm PST we’ll be giving away 100 licenses to BumpTop for Mac.

We’ll post a link on the official Cult of Mac Twitter and Facebook pages to a secret site where the first 100 to enter their emails get a shiny new license for BumpTop for Mac valued at $29.

So you could say we’re makin’ it rain with $2,900 worth of sweet mac software. Follow us or become a fan so you don’t miss out on freebies.

Today Only – Macworld 2010 Passes For $10

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IDG World Expo- Macworld Deal of the Day | Groupon San Francisco

Oh Groupon, you bring us such wonderful deals with your hyper local bulk buying business strategy. And today, of all days, you tell me I can pick up Macworld tix at incredible discounts? Tell me more.

Check out the San Francisco Groupon site for $10 3-Day General Admission tickets to the Macworld 2010 Expo $25 value). They also have Macworld Users Conference tickets for $50 ($105 value).

Groupon is like a woot! for events and services. Apparently they offer unbeatable deal a day in 30 cities across the U.S. They do group buys so they can offer tickets to events or spa certificates or car washes for a hefty discount. The discount is only good if they get enough people to sign up, which for this deal happened at 9am EST so you’re good to go.

Facebook Giveaway: How Dirty Is Your Keyboard Edition

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We’re at it again, bringing freebies to your Facebook world. Put down that virtual hoe (Farmville) or ho (Mafia Wars) and post a picture of your dirty keyboard on our wall!

We’ll pick 5 random pictures of dirty keyboards posted to our Facebook Page to win an iSkin ProTouch anti-bacterial cover for your MacBook (Pro/Air) or full size aluminum keyboard. So take a picture of your keyboard in all of it’s coffee stained, pizza grease, sugar sticky glory and upload it to Facebook for a chance at improving your chances at staying flu free this year. Be sure to include which type of keyboard cover (MacBook Pro-Air or full size aluminum) you want when you post your photo.

Contest starts immediately and ends at 3 pm PST tomorrow, January 19th.

How To Survive The Holidays Without Your iPhone

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Thanks for the Flickr Photo, joiseyshowaa

I hope you’ll never have to use these tips, but in the freak moments when you just can’t go back and pick up your iPhone because you have a plane to catch and you just realized you left your iPhone at home while parking your car in Lot B at LAX these steps might come in handy.

Consider it a Holiday Blessing

Though I think everyone should own and use an iPhone because it’s the most powerful computing tool you can fit in your pocket, it’s nice to take a break for a while. My wife was able to hold conversations with me and I didn’t google something or check to see what made my phone vibrate.

It was also entertaining to see how many times I would try to reach for my absent phone. I use it for everything. So when I needed directions to a restaurant or wanted to know the time, I had to use the Yellow Pages and a GPS or find a clock. Not fun, but I felt like I was being all nostalgic or something. Using a clock… that’s old school.

Another fun activity is noticing how many people are consumed by whatever is happening on their smart phone. For the past five days, I was able to look down on these people as the poor addicted souls that they were, and I felt pity. I wanted to drop a couple coins in their empty starbucks cups and tell them to buy themselves a life, or a better marriage/relationship. Then I would ask them for the time and if they could pull up a terminal map so I could find the nearest McDonalds.

News To Me: Call Forwarding is Free

The last time I used call forwarding AT&T charged me $.75 a minute and I ended up paying $125 in fees. When I arrived in Cleveland, I called them up and asked to set up forwarding and Customer Service Associate Matt told me the forwarding is free. Minutes are charged twice, but other than that my calls went to the wifey’s phone penalty-less. This doesn’t help with SMS messages, but your incoming calls are covered. You might want to change the voicemail on the phone you’re forwarding to so you don’t confuse people.

When you get back to your forgotten iPhone, you can turn off call forwarding in Settings>Phone>Call Forwarding.

If You Use Google Voice, You’ll Be OK

If you receive incoming calls and SMS through Google Voice, you can just add another phone to your account and direct incoming activity to the newly added phone.  Once you add the number, Google Voice will call the phone and ask for a confirmation code. Just dial the numbers (mine was two digits) and you’re good to go.

It’s a good idea to just embrace using your Google Voice number as your one and only number. Sure, Google owns another part of your communicative life, but convenience is worth it even if you’re bringing the apocalypse one step closer with every call/email/document/wave/search/checkout.

My MBP Saved Me

I don’t like to bring my notebook with me on trips involving family because I’ll typically ignore people when I’m using my phone and I don’t want to double ignore them while on my Mac. But since I forgot my phone, my Mac gave me just enough of the internet to hold me over. My nephew scored an iPod Touch for Christmas and I was able to show him my app library in iTunes for ideas on what to download. I didn’t have to open the Yellow Pages for an address to plug into the GPS–thank you baby Jesus. And photo and video sharing ends up being more enjoyable on a 15″ screen rather than 2″x 3″.

Hopefully, this article is useless to you because you’ll forget clean underwear before you leave your iPhone at home. That said, I think I enjoyed my time at the in-laws a bit more without my iPhone ant it’s nice to know that life is ok without it.

Twitter Holiday Giveaway: Win Star Walk For iPhone

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Tis the holiday season and we want to give your iPhone a present. Star Walk, my childhood dream of an iPhone app, has given us 5 codes to give away to Cult of Mac Twitter followers.

Send us a tweet on Twitter with your favorite night sky memory by December 23rd at 2 p.m. PST and we’ll pick a winner at random. You must include @cultofmac in your tweet to be counted in the contest.

Here’s an example: “I remember driving through West Texas at night and softly weeping at the vastness of space @cultofmac”

Get creative even though we’re selecting at random. You can pick up Star Walk, the iPhone astronomy app, from iTunes for $2.99.

Facebook Giveaway: Win Personalized Signed Copies of Books By Leander Kahney

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Let’s get a little Facebook groupthink going to help you with forming and fulfilling those pesky holiday wish lists.

First, become a fan of Cult of Mac on Facebook. Then, post a status update with your top techie geek gizmo to Facebook and tag the Cult of Mac Fan Page.  We’ll pick 3 random winners to receive a personalized signed copy of  Inside Steve’s Brain Expanded Edition, The Cult of Mac, or The Cult of iPod.

To tag our page use the “@” and start typing Cult of Mac in your profile status update window. You’ll see the page pop up in the selection window. Hit enter to tag our page.

Facebook | Tim Cox-6

Then finish your update with your top tech holiday wish. Here’s mine as an example:

Facebook | Tim Cox-7

We’ll pick 3 winners at 2:00pm PST tomorrow and announce them on Facebook.

TWITTER GIVEAWAY: Win An Epson Artisan 710 Printer

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We know that some of you are still sporting a dot matrix printer in your office.  Sometimes its rattle and hum almost puts you to sleep.  But for those of you that want to forge ahead to the 21st century, we have a great giveaway for you on Twitter.

The Giveaway: 1 Epson Artisan 710 printer with a retail value of $179.99.  If you need some convincing that this printer is worthy of your printing projects, check out Eli’s review of this printer here.

How To Enter:

  1. Follow us on Twitter.  Why?  Because we said so, that’s why.
  2. Tweet this:  “Follow these Mac techies: @cultofmac and get exclusive content, promotions, and giveaways #cultofmac” (you don’t need to include the quotation marks)
  3. Remember to include the hash tag #cultofmac because that’s how we’ll track who enters the giveaway.
  4. You’ll have 24 hours to enter the giveaway, and it’s 12pm EST. right now, so no more entries will be accepted after 12pm EST. on Wednesday, December 2nd. We will announce the winner on Twitter the following day.

Cyber Monday has come and gone, but it’s Giveaway Tuesday at the Cult of Mac.  Ready, Set…GO GO GO!