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The silly season: No Comment on The iBottleopener
Now I've seen everything. To give lie to the meme that there's an app for that, perhaps a new and upcoming meme will be that there's a case for that. The iBottleopener (US $19.99) is a case for an iPhone 3G or 3GS that has a bottle opener on the back. The video, that you've probably just seen, sets a new standard for cheesy adverts. The tagline of the ad campaign is "a party in your pocket." At least they didn't use "a party in your pants," which shows that the manufacturers do have a modicum of restraint. I'm sure that The iBottleopener is the perfect back to school gift for any college student. And iPhone 4 owners won't be left out of the party, or the pants for that matter, since a case to fit the newest iPhone is on its way. For adding a beery note to your iDevice lifestyle, this case deserves a hearty No Comment. Thanks Zack (I think) for sending this in.
iPhone-controlled 3D display, via ping pong balls and air pumps
I'm not quite 100% sure what this is -- it's supposed to be a "floating forecaster," some sort of 3D display for weather information, but to me it looks more like 30 air guns with ping pong balls sitting in them. I don't really see how the "weather" part of the display works, but what's really cool is that the whole thing is controlled by an iPhone. It looks like you touch whichever part of the grid you want to raise or lower, and then move your thumb up or down to set the ball at a certain level. With a little more software work, there's probably a lot more that could be done here, just creating patterns by swiping across the screen, or even running a game like Pong as the balls raise and lower across the grid in sequence. But as an art installation, it's pretty neat as is. Check out the full video after the break. Thanks, William!
Found Footage: DIY iPhone 4 guitar cam
How we love the ingenuity of Apple fans. This enterprising musician took some scissors and a roll of oh-so-useful duct tape to an iPhone 4 box to create the awesome guitar cam you see above. Inside the iPhone 4 box is a section of plastic that separates the phone from the accessories. There's a hole in the center that allows a small tab to peek through. Gleeful new owners pull that tab to remove the booklet and get at the headphones, USB cable and wall adapter. Our musician friend took that piece and cut it flat on the bottom and removed the top to make room for the iPhone's display. He then duct tape'd the daylights out of it to mount it to his guitar's head. The result can be seen above: a rock-steady guitar cam that stares down the neck. Well done! We love it. Thanks, Dylan!
Found Footage: Case-mate will freak you out with iPhone case commercials
Case-mate has decided to promote its new iPhone and iPad case-making site (one tip, Case-mate: Don't create an iPhone case site that requires Flash) with some videos, and rather than put together images of how great the cases work or how good they look, the ad people decided to just jump right into the deep end of the insane pool. As you can see above, the first concept involves some kind of mystical girl in the mountains who can create objects with her mind, and has six arms, and ... well, just watch it for yourself. I already have a case on my iPhone (and it's not a Case-mate, I just use the iSkin Revo), but honestly, I prefer some crazy ads like this to, say, the FaceTime commercials. I can only take that "Baby, it is so short" commercial so many times. Case-mate tried to tell us that the second commercial they made wasn't quite as nuts, but man, it's even crazier. It's also kind of not-safe-for-work, too (some mild gore and implied nudity), so I'll just link to it by name: Living With Steel Wool Hands (How I Lost My Nipple). No, really. Watch if you dare. I don't know what they're putting in the water over in the marketing department, but maybe they should splurge for bottled.
Found footage: The inevitable Windows 7 tablet vs. iPad video
When Microsoft decided to drop the rather interesting Courier slate concept, some of us here at TUAW expected to see a parade of Windows Mobile Phone Whatever tablets coming out of Redmond. Instead, in a manner somewhat akin to putting lipstick on a pig, manufacturers are preparing a bunch of Windows 7 tablets to compete with the iPad. In this video, you're seeing one of the competitors, a rather thick slate made by Hanvon, going head to head against a stock iPad. The extra chunkiness of this tablet, which appears to boast a 16 x 9 aspect ratio, is due to the addition of a USB port, SD card reader, and ... a camera. For some odd reason, the manufacturer also chose to add a trackpad, which seems redundant considering the device already has a touch screen. On the one hand, the device is fast. It bests the iPad in many of the side-by-side comparisons. On the other hand, it uses the patented Microsoft method of putting all programs into the Start menu, which appears towards the end of this video and looks like it would be impossibly frustrating to navigate. Between the expected flood of Win 7 and Android tablets, not to mention some webOS-based tablets from Palm HP, it looks like there will be plenty of competition in the tablet space. Me? I'm sticking with my iPad. [via Gizmodo]
Found footage: Automate Foursquare with Future Checkins
I'm a fan of Foursquare, the social networking app that allows you to check into locations that you visit. Don't ask me why -- I find it to be somewhat intrusive, but I love the fact that I can be the mayor of a number of places I frequent. The only problem is that if I'm running a lot of errands, pulling out my iPhone to check in at each location can be annoying and time-consuming. Enter developer Tim Sears, who has come up with the perfect solution for Foursquare aficionados. His new app, Future Checkin (US$0.99 introductory price), uses the backgrounding features of iOS 4 on the iPhone 4 and 3GS to constantly check your location and then automatically check you into Foursquare locations that you frequent. No longer do you have to remember to check in -- your iPhone will do it for you. Sears does warn you that using Future Checkin will reduce your battery life as it constantly checks your location. I can see where the app would be very useful if you have your iPhone plugged in while running errands, as the battery concerns would be minimized. Future Checkin is definitely a unique solution to a rather silly problem, and I love the fact that I now have one less thing to remember to do.
Found Footage: Box.net's iPad kickoff at D7 Consulting
A little while ago, I told you that Box.net had brought their iPads out here to California in order to give them away to D7 Consulting (originally given away thanks to a post here on TUAW). They also had a video team on site, and they've produced this little video that will show you what D7 is up to and what they are planning to do with all of those iPads. As I said in our previous post, this will be an interesting experiment. The folks at D7 Consulting are trying to figure out how they can use both the iPads and Box.net (along with a few other common apps) to benefit their business in a profitable and helpful way. This is the first of a few videos that Box.net is producing about the process. We'll also be doing some followup sessions with D7 to see how it is all working out. The iPad has been marketed as a consumer device, and it definitely is. However, it's also a very powerful computer, and it'll be interesting to see how these folks are able to integrate it into their everyday business, both in that office and out on the construction sites. Stay tuned for more.
Found Footage: Four generations of iPhone compared
Here's a fun video of four generations of the iPhone -- original, 3G, 3GS, and 4 -- performing the same tasks simultaneously. From launching intensive apps like Plants vs. Zombies and Google Earth to shutting down and booting up, the differences in task durations are often significant. As you'd expect, the iPhone 4 out-performed its peers on most tasks. For example, it had Plants vs. Zombies ready to play in 8.5 seconds, while the original iPhone took 26 seconds to reach the same point. Likewise, the iPhone 4 had Google Earth ready to go in 21.4 seconds while the original took just over 37 seconds. Now, don't think the iPhone 4 won every contest, because it didn't. The original iPhone was the first to complete the shutdown process at 8.2 seconds, while the 3GS was the first to successfully boot up at 26.4 seconds. You can watch the video after the break.
Found Footage: Beautiful Apple design
In the tradition of the "30 years of Apple in 2 minutes" video we recently featured, here's a well-photographed, albeit incomplete, look at some of Apple's best designs. It starts off with the "beige angles" of the Apple II, Lisa and Macintosh before progressing to the "dark portables" (Apple QuickTake and PowerCD) and "translucent colors" (eMate and G3 iMac). It ends with "glass and aluminum," showing off the current-generation iMac, iPhone 4 and iPad. It's well shot and that ethereal music makes me feel like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are going to pop up at any moment. Well done, Matt's Macintosh! You obviously love your machines, and we can't blame you.
Found Footage: Darth Vader calls Apple Support
The idea of connecting Darth Vader and the iPhone 4 has become a meme. Videos abound on the topic, like the ones found here, here, here, and even here. The newest one comes from Russell Arch. It has its moments, especially the idea of the Death Star being run on a first generation iMac and OS 9. Take a look and see what you think.
FaceTime works from a plane
Loyal TUAW reader Bill G. was kind enough to face chat with us this evening. What made this especially fun was that he was in flight over Arkansas at the time. On the way to Texas via American Airlines service, Bill was able to use FaceTime with the plane's in-flight WiFi service. It was a great connection given the circumstances. Video did flake out a little towards the end of our experiment (although audio continued just fine) and might have re-established itself if we had given it a little more time. All in all, just chalk this one up to the "wow, that's so cool!" list for the iPhone 4.
Found footage: Stop-motion iPhone 4 disassembly
The iPhone 4's insides are no secret anymore. The folks at iFixit alone have done a stellar job of documenting its every bit and bob. Still, the video above is worth watching. Created by repair firm Techrestore and composed of over 1,700 still photos, it's a highly entertaining stop-motion disassembly of Apple's latest gadget. The sound effects are a bit cheesy, but we're willing to let that go since the rest of show is so good. For more on the iPhone 4, check out our full coverage. If you're interested in the device's internal workings, check out this unofficial repair guide put together by iFixit. [via 9to5Mac]
Found Footage: iPhone 4 takes to the skies
Aside from the relative wisdom of rigging the phone and flying it near a working radio tower, the video is actually quite compelling -- there's also a behind-the-scenes clip showing the extended process of building and flying the rig. Thanks Jimmy!
Found Footage: Synergy on iOS
Are you familiar with Synergy? It's an app that lets you share your keyboard and mouse between many computers -- and we at TUAW have been fans of the app for a very long time. We were delighted to learn over the weekend that Matthias Ringwald, otherwise known as the "King of BTstack," has built a BTstack Synergy Client. It works with Synergy to accept remote events and synthesize them on your jailbroken iPad or iPhone. As this preliminary footage shows, you can use your Mac-based mouse to tap on your iOS screen. Keyboard support is not yet available; Ringwald says he intends to add that. When complete, this is going to be an absolutely brilliant tool for debugging. As an aside, Sorin Sbârnea and Nick Bolton started a Synergy+ branch of Synergy last year. The plus branch provides a Synergy maintenance fork, implementing a variety of bug fixes.The original Synergy has not had source updates or releases since 2006, according to Bolton's write-up. Synergy+ implements "many significant bug fixes such as support for Windows services on Vista and Windows 7, and a brand new GUI (based on QSynergy)."
Found Footage: The iPad Comic
Adam Kontras, a comedian who claims to have the longest running video blog ever, has updated his comedy act for the iPad and is now The iPad Comic. Adam's act used to include four TV's that he interacted with. This was sort of video ventriloquism, timing everything perfectly so the screens would seamlessly speak with him on stage. He's now ditched the four TVs and changed his act over to talking with himself on an iPad. Getting the timing right must have been quite difficult, but it really works. His act is not only clever, but pretty funny. This shows a new use for the iPad: performance comedy. Adam is probably the first one to do this, but I'm sure he won't be the last since the idea is a really good one. Enjoy the video. I thought it was pretty impressive and his delivery is just about perfect. [thanks to Jeremiah Rich for sending this in]
Found Footage: Honoring Apple from 1976 to the Italian introduction of the iPad
In honor of the Italian release of the iPad, iPadItalia has created one of the best Apple-oriented videos I've ever seen. In 10 minutes (yes, it's quite long for this type of thing), the video lovingly covers Apple from its origin in 1976 right up to today when those in Italy, and many other countries, can finally get their hands on the magical and revolutionary iPad. The video is totally professional and really deserves recognition. With frenetic energy, just about every Apple product is displayed. It is a valentine to Steve Jobs, even showing him age from 15 to 55, and ending up with rejoicing over the European introduction of the iPad. This is a video that will warm every fanboy's heart and really captures the excitement that we've felt about Apple over the last 34 years. Enjoy!
Found Footage: The great taste of iPad with the delicious crunch of Velcro
Jesse notes that this is an exploration of what's possible, not a recommendation for every iPad owner. I'm not sure I would trust Velcro to hold my iPad solidly in a moving vehicle, but certainly the window or photoframe applications would work pretty well. Thanks Flint!
Found Footage: Alphasmart Neo doubles as iPad USB keyboard
Video from Vimeo. Click link for iPad/iPhone version. When it comes to unexpected functionality on Apple devices, the current leader is the iPad's Camera Connection Kit. The USB adapter dongle has been found to work with plenty of unsupported peripherals, from audio headsets to external storage. Keyboards, in particular, are popular partners; not all of them will work, but quite a few do. We can now add "entire separate computer" to the list of working keyboards, as the video above demonstrates. Eolake Stobblehouse (who was the benefactor behind TidBITS' staff getting iPads) figured out that his Alphasmart Neo behaves just like a powered external keyboard when connected to the iPad. The Neo is the spiritual descendant of one of the original 'tablet' computers, the legendary Tandy Model 100 series. A week's worth of battery life on a few AA batteries! Those were the days. Granted, it may seem a bit weird to carry a second machine along just to type into your tablet, but to each their own. Now, if we could get an import utility that would take text files from the Neo and put them on the iPad... Update: Thanks to commenters who point out that the Neo's 'Send' function will work with any iPad app that supports text input. Direct link to the video for iPhone/iPad is here. This video (not produced by us) is hosted on Vimeo, which supports HTML5 playback on their site but does not support embedding. Thanks to Peter for the tip.
Found Footage: Swarovski crystal Apple rainbow logo iPhone case
Going down the Apple history path for the second time today, we thought those of you who might have a soft spot in your heart for the old "rainbow" Apple logo would love this piece of bling. It's an iPhone case (works with 3G / 3GS) that is covered with more than 1,000 Swarovski crystal bits for that extra sparkly look. For only US$184, you can be one of only 100 people on the entire planet Earth to own one of these ostentatious blingy things. It's sparkly! Did I mention that it's sparkly? If this got your attention and you must have one, head on over to Distinctive Style to nab one of these limited edition glittery rainbows for your very own. You know you want one. After all, it is "perfect for parties and balls," and you'll be able to "represent yourself with luxury & confidence." [via iPhone Savior]
Found Footage: Playing virtual golf in Manhattan with Gigaputt for iPhone
Considering the number of iPhones around the world, I have this sinking feeling that we're going to start seeing a lot of people wandering looking like fools. Well, they already look like fools, but when people start swinging imaginary golf clubs in public they're going to look even more foolish. Gigaputt for iPhone (US$1.99), from Gigantic Mechanic, is an augmented reality app that lets you play golf anywhere. You grab your iPhone, fire up Gigaputt, and it lays down a virtual 3-hole golf course wherever you may be. That could be in the middle of Manhattan, in a suburban shopping mall, in the swamps of Louisiana, or on a mountainside in Colorado. Gigaputt includes support for OpenFeint as well as Twitter and Facebook integration. For two bucks, it looks like a great way to get some exercise and lose all your dignity. Now, where did I put my plaid golf pants?
