LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — Incipio had a hit on its hands here at CES with a free iOS app that allows you to make your own custom case.
Using Incipio’s Bespoke Case Customizer app, you can upload your own photo and have it printed out on a custom case — right from your iPhone or iPod touch. Normally the service costs $30, but Incipio was printing out free cases at its booth instantly. Here’s some video of the app in action.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — The new iChair case for the iPhone 4 comes with a screen protector for both the front and rear screens.
The case includes two transparent screen protectors, front and rear, even though the case itself protects the rear screen. The idea, of course, is to protect the iPhone’s glass back from the case itself.
“Our customers were asking for it because of the Glassgate issue,” explained CEO Vindi Sedey. “We had to have it.”
Glassgate is the debatable issue of trapped dirt scratching or shattering the iPhone 4’s back when used with slide-on cases. The issue doesn’t seem to be real, but Apple is wary of it and has suspended sales of slide-on cases in its stores.
iChair is a new company based out of Dallas, launching its line of iPhone and iPad cases at CES. The iChair features an integrated stand built into the case that functions in both portrait and landscape mode. The cases are slim and well-made — and go the extra mile in protection.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — A lot of people complain about Apple’s stonewalling, but be thankful you’re not iKlear.
The popular screen cleaning company was horrified when Apple retail suddenly dropped its products from the stores — without a word of explanation.
“We’d been with them for more than eight-and-a-half years,” said Monica Younghein, spokeswoman for the family run business.
The company’s business halved overnight. It’s at CES trying to build business back up.
What made the blow especially painful, is that 11 months earlier Apple had chosen iKlear as the exclusive worldwide supplier of cleaning products in Apple stores. Apple retail is now selling similar cleaning products from a competitor. The competing products are inferior, said Younghein.
“It’s a disservice to Apple users to sell products that don’t work well,” she said. “And we don’t know why they did it.”
The Wall Street Journal reported today that the Verizon iPhone will be announced Tuesday, January 11.
The announcement will happen at an event at New York’s Lincoln Center and will be headlined by Verizon President and COO Lowell McAdam, according to the story.
Journalists were sent invitations by Verizon today, but those invitations did not specify what the announcement would be. The Journal says the iPhone announcement was confirmed by “a person familiar with the matter.”
What does it say about the current state of mobile telephony when one of the most exciting booths at CES belongs to a company that makes an app allowing iPhone users to make phone calls?
Line2 makes a tri-mode calling app that uses data, WiFi and even cellular voice connections to make and receive calls on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Start with the 30-day free trial, then the service will cost $10 per month for unlimited calling, unlimited texts and a powerful voicemail system.
In a WiFI area, Line2 uses that connection to make and receive calls and texts. In an area with data (3G or EDGE) available, Line2 uses the data connection for your calls. And it can even utilize your beleaguered cellular carrier’s cell network to make and receive calls when all else fails.
So, for $120 a month you can activate your iPhone with your preferred cell carrier and for just $10 more you can actually make and receive calls!
Isn’t the Future awesome?
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 – I wasn’t planning on ending up at the Case Logic booth, but as I was walking by, something rare happened—a product caught my eye.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — Griffin Technology‘s new Crayola ColorStudio HD ($30) evoked so many bubbly noises while it was being demo’ed you’d think CES had become a popular 3rd-grade field trip destination. And if the fun little gadgapp (yeah, I know, see below) can make a bunch of jaded tech journos grin, you know it’s going to be a huge hit with the kids.
The app works with what’s essentially a jumbo stylus that paints color on the screen in a selected color. Parts of the page are animated, and those animated pieces can be colored in without the color bleeding over the lines. Finished pages can be emailed, uploaded to Facebook or printed.
Oh, about the “gadgapp” thing: So, this year’s CES seems indeed to be the year of the app-enhanced accessory; problem is — as my lamentably lame attempt demonstrates — we can’t seem to come up with a not-dorky term to concisely encapsulate this rapidly emerging new category of gadget. But we think our readers are sharp bunch, and we’re certain one of you can come up with something better. We”ll be announcing some sort of competition with prizes next week, be on the lookout.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — Check out this simply stunning 3D-mapping technology from Swedish-based C3 Technologies that elicited a uniform reaction of “holy %$*@!” from us when we saw it. One reason for its precision is that it was developed from recently declassified missile targeting technology originally developed by Swedish aerospace powerhouse Saab.
There can only be so many good reasons as to why someone would feel compelled to do this, but apparently, some ingenuitive hackers have managed to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread ported to an iPhone 3G.
After several weeks of work, Nick Pack and others have found a way to install the Android OS on an iPhone 3G, using the OpeniBoot software that has been used on previous ports. OpeniBoot is an open source implementation of iBoot for iOS devices, which allows booting of unsigned code, such as Linux kernels, on the device.
Video of the action can be viewed HERE.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — Android tablets have a ways to go — that seems to be the emerging consensus here at CES.
I couldn’t help but notice all the floor chatter going on while people were playing with any one of the dozens of new Android tablets here on display at CES. As I listened, the crowd consensus became clear to me—not only are all the new Android tabs not as good as the iPad, they’re not even close.
Why? Well that’s what I started wondering. I wanted to hear unfiltered reviews on what potential users were thinking. So after hearing the 100th person murmur something like, “this doesn’t work nearly as good as the iPad,” I starting getting nosy and asking them why.
The million people who downloaded Apple’s Mac Store yesterday are turning themselves into PCs, says Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde.
“Apple is going on the path to control computer use,” he told Forbes via e-mail, adding that Steve Jobs’ company is “forcing you to use their App Store to get programs.”
Whether you think the Mac App store makes Apple more like Microsoft or not, the confusion generated by the first iteration of the store – our post on what happens when you try to install apps you already have reads like something out of a Windows joke book – is definitely un-Apple like.
We close out another week of Apple deals with some bargains on hardware and software. First up is a new batch of price cuts on select iPhone Apps, including “Zooloretto,” a zoo management game. Next is a number of discounted iPads, including a 16GB Wi-Fi model for just $429. Finally, we take a look at some MacBooks, such as a 2.16GHz model for $590.
Along the way, we also check out some deals on iMacs (like an i3 with 22-inch screen for $1,019), some assorted gadgets and software for your Mac. As always, details on these items and many more can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
You may want to clear your schedule for February 3. That could be the day Verizon begins selling the iPhone — at least figures one blogger. Why pick that day? Turns out it wasn’t selected out of a hat, but based on several factors.
The Cupertino, Calif. tech giant has “blacked-out” Thursday, Feb. 3rd through Sunday, February 6th, denying any retail employee vacation requests, according to the blog, citing “a source close to Apple.” Earlier this week, a report surfaced that the iPhone maker was canceling vacations for retail workers sometime between late January and stretching into February. The move was seen as indicating a major product announcement was planned.
Seton Hill University in Greensberg, Pennsylvania was one of the first to announce it would hand out iPads to students – launching the program before the device was even available — now it’s the first enter into legal action against a student over one.
Michael Sellers, 18, enrolled in Seton Hill and was handed his school-mandated iPad and MacBook. He left school shortly afterwards for unspecified reasons.
“On Aug. 18, Michael Sellers signed a contract with Seton Hill University that if he left the university … he would return the iPad within 10 days,” along with the MacBook, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — Mophie’s newest case, launched yesterday, incorporates a credit-card reader and allows business owners to process physical credit card transactions through the iPhone. To interface with the case’s reader, Mophie recruited Intuit’s free GoPayment app, which is compatible with Inuit’s flagship QuickBooks small business accounting package.
Even considering Mophie’s reputation for cutting-edge iPhone cases, this one is pretty remarkable — and a challenge to products like Square’s credit card reader for iPhone. The case is available now, and sells for $180.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2011 — In a world grown tired of identical iPod speaker systems, TDK has dared to think different.
Here at CES the company debuted three iPod boomboxes that dispense with the ubiquitous speaker dock in favor of a simple USB port at the back. That means the boomboxes are still iPod/iPhone compatible (via the standard USB cable), but aren’t dominated by a dock on top or up front.
So why dispense with the dock?
“The iPod really dictates the design,” explained TDK spokesman Tren Blankenship. “You have to put it front and center. Losing the iPod allowed us to make something nice and clean.”
The show floors of CES this year seem to be filled with iPad 2 mock-ups being used to showcase new docking and speaker systems, as well as new cases.
Here’s another one that iLounge, who write:
The shell, which has been marked by developer Gopod Mobile with “iPad 2” and “128GB” logos that would not appear on the actual device, is being shown paired with an iPad 2-specific foldable rechargeable battery pack developed by the company, and depicts the revised device’s redesigned curves, ports, and cameras; it is said by Gopod to represent the actual appearance of the as-yet-unreleased thinner and slightly smaller iPad.
I’m starting to think this actually will be the design of the next iPad: Asian case and dock makers seem uniform in their agreement that the rumors of a slimmer iPad with FaceTime, a back speaker and new ports are true. You’d expect there to be more variation, more disagreement if the rumors we’ve heard about the iPad 2 were completely unfounded.
Apple’s new Mac App Store had more than 1 million downloads on its first day, the company announced Friday. Joining App Stores for the iPod, iPhone and iPad, this latest online venue for Mac applications was rolled into the Mac OS X 10.6.6 released for Snow Leopard users.
“We’re amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. “Developers have done a great job bringing apps to the store and users are loving how easy and fun the Mac App Store is,” Jobs adds.
There’s still some confusion regarding the new Mac App Store, and how it works with applications you already own.
The App Store software tries hard to spot which applications you already have installed, but it doesn’t always get this right.
The result is that sometimes the Store will show you an “Installed” icon, but sometimes it won’t even when it ought to. In which case, it will offer you the chance to buy an app, even if you already own it.
As far as I can see, there are several likely scenarios…
If you think 2011 is going to be the year that Intel’s Light Peak standard homogenizes the connections of your iMac into one tidy standard, think again… according to LaCie, it’snot even close to being ready for prime time.
“Intel has been the driving force for this technology. What we know for sure about Light Peak is that we know how to spell it,” LaCie’s senior engineer Mike Mihalik told PC World. “And that it’s intended to be a high-speed interface and it will support almost any protocol for transferring information from A to B.”
What;s the problem? Well, even though Light Peak will, in theory, obviate all other types of connections, including USB 3.0, it’s still just a lab experiment… despite the fact that Intel said it’d be in shipping products this year.
“Development needs to continue and we need to debug before we can turn the technology into a product,” reports Mihalik.
This is depressing news to guys like me, who assumed Apple’s reluctance to embrace USB 3.0 was due to their intent to leap frog directly to the more flexible Light Peak standard. They may still do just that, but it looks like we’ve got a couple years yet before we see it.
You might want to check your iTunes receipts: according to the AFP, hacked iTunes accounts — possibly yours! — are available for sale all over China for prices as low as just a few bucks.
The Mac App Store has been live for less than a day, but already pirates have figured out how to circumvent its DRM to install and run unauthorized paid apps. It’s not Apple’s fault, though: instead, it looks like developers just haven’t been paying attention to Apple’s own app validation advice.
Apple reportedly is looking for a new a new finance chief. Although the tech giant denies it is shopping to replace current CFO Peter Oppenheimer, a Thursday news report suggests the Cupertino, Calif. company is seeking someone with more experience acquiring other firms.
Laurence Tosi, Oppenheimer’s counterpart at private equity firm Blackstone Group was approached by Apple, but has turned down the offer, according to Bloomberg News, citing “three people with knowledge of the matter.” Blackstone is the largest private equity firm, purchasing 30 companies in 2010.
Part the storied mists of time and gaze back far enough and you might remember that MacHeist once promised bundle-buyers the option to play around with Tweetie 2 before release, and even get a copy for free when it finally came out.
Needless to say, that promise came back to haunt MacHeist, as Tweetie was bought by Twitter and Tweetie 2 became the official Twitter for Mac client, which debuted yesterday as a free download on the Mac App Store.
MacHeist hasn’t let us bundlers down, though, as the new Twitter for Mac client has some secret easter eggs that are only available to MacHeist buyers… or anyone who doesn’t feel bashful around a terminal prompt.
Working as a Mac consultant brings me in contact with several dozen different Macintosh systems every month. Many needs and tasks are common – OS upgrades, backups, system slowdowns, troubleshooting startup or WiFi problems. Like any good mechanic there are a few items in my toolbox which I favor above others. From built-in tools like Disk Utility, Network Utility and Console to third-party tools like DiskWarrior, FileSalvage and iStumbler, these items help get the job done.
