Rick Martin

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Stories By Rick Martin

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    Technology
    Technology By Rick Martin

    Marathon man preps for second live stream, with multiple iPhones, iPad

    Readers may recall our report last year on runner and TUAW reader Joseph Tame, who streamed the Tokyo marathon from a head-mounted iPhone. This year's marathon will be held on February 27, and Joseph has found additional ways to make the 42km run even more difficult. Check out the get-up that he's planning to wear for the race (pictured). He has four rotatable iPhones and an Android handset, plus an iPad to monitor the marathon's Twitter hashtag (#tm2011). He'll be streaming video from multiple cameras using either Skype or FaceTime, and he'll have assistance from friends in an off-site studio who will mix the incoming video streams and rebroadcast them via Ustream. He'll be transmitting location and heart rate data, plus temperature and CO2 levels, too. Naturally, he's dubbed the whole contraption the iRun, though I can't help but think that it sort of resembles a Glo-Worm/Optimus Prime love-child. Awesome, by any name. I've gotten to know Joseph over the past couple of years, and this sort of fun geekery is surprisingly normal for him. Recently he has been dabbling in GPS art as well, using Runkeeper to draw the face of Hello Kitty over Tokyo's Shinjuku district, covering 45km in the process. Check out his video demo explaining his iRun below, and stay tuned to his website for more updates as the day of the big race approaches.

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    Technology
    Technology By Rick Martin

    Sony's Bloggie Touch software now available for Mac

    To the delight of Mac users out there who own Bloggie Touch pocket camcorders, Sony has just released a Mac version of the camera's onboard software, which was previously only available for PCs. It allows you to view and edit video, as well as upload it to multiple online platforms, like YouTube, Facebook or Flickr. This software release is for current Bloggie Touch owners, as well as those who buy from the current line before the new models come later this spring (Psst! Wait for the new models!). Moving forward, Bloggie cameras will include the Mac software onboard, just like the PC version. The software can be downloaded from the Bloggie eSupport page. Just make sure you select your particular camera model, which should be written along its side as pointed out in the video below. Of course, if you're already satisfied with your Mac's ability to handle your Bloggie's video, just continue on doing what you were doing. Nothing to see here...

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    Mobile
    Mobile By Rick Martin

    China Mobile says Apple to support TD-LTE

    In an interview with Chinese news portal Sina, China Mobile's Chairman Wang Jianzhou was quoted (Chinese) as saying that Apple would get behind the carrier's next-gen TD-LTE network technology: "Apple has its own problems to deal with and has many things to develop, and currently TD development is not on its timetable," he said. "Apple has been clear that it will support TD-LTE ... These two years we have been discussing the issue. The situation is currently moving forward step by step." If Apple has indeed thrown its support behind TD-LTE, it would be a significant boost for China Mobile as it could prompt other handset makers to follow Apple's lead. Up until now, China Unicom has been the only carrier to officially carry the iPhone. China Mobile has taken some dubious measures to keep customers from jumping on the unicorn Unicom, including providing online instructions (Chinese) for how to activate an iPhone on China Mobile's network, as well as providing SIM card cutting services at many of the company's outlets. Of course, there's much to gain from Apple's point of view as well. The company's recent earnings call showed significant growth in China and the rest of Asia, and Tim Cook indicated that the company would focus more resources there. [Via Reuters]

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    Sports
    Sports By Rick Martin

    Become a sumo wrestler by stepping into SumoBooth

    The facial expression experts over at MotionPortrait (makers of PhotoAvatar and ZombieBooth) have just dropped another fun photo effect application on us. SumoBooth takes your photo and transforms your head shot into a pudgy and powerful sumo wrestler. Once the animated sumo face is generated, you can then have a little fun by slapping him (or her) around a little bit with your finger. Watch the face react to the abuse with various winces and frowns. If you speak, the application will play back what you said in a typically deep sumo voice. SumoBooth comes with some social functions as well, like the ability to take snapshots and video of your new sumo face and then share them via Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. The app will be featured at MotionPortrait's booth at Macworld 2011 for those who want to check it out. If you can't make it, have a look at the following video posted over on Appbank (Japanese).

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    Apple
    Apple By Rick Martin

    Aluminum iMac survives fire, water

    Recent incidents of arson in the city of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia have resulted in many businesses losing nearly everything they had. One fire this past week left a certain business owner with little left to salvage, but there was one bright spot to be found poking out from the ashes. Or rather, there were two... A pair of iMacs survived not only the intense heat of the blaze that night, but also the subsequent water that firefighters used to extinguish the flames. According to our friend Wei who sent us this story, the iMacs were of the mid-2007, 20" aluminum variety. There's no longer that clean, finished exterior, of course, but the computers miraculously still work (see photo on the right) which is certainly a testament to how well they were made to begin with. If this story sounds familiar to you, it should. It's not the first time we've featured an indestructible, fire-proof iMac here on TUAW. About one year ago, a Swedish man was also unfortunately hit by a house fire that destroyed his entire home and everything in it. Everything except for his iMac that is, which was still functional after the ordeal.

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    Apple
    Apple By Rick Martin

    Apple Stores in China contribute to Apple's record quarterly sales

    If you could get past news of Steve Jobs taking a medical leave of absence, Apple's earnings call yesterday was not too shabby. With retail sales records in the last quarter, Apple was led by the four China-based stores (two in Beijing and two in Shanghai), which had the best sales figures of any stores worldwide, and the most visitors to boot. Tim Cook, who took over for Jobs, said that the greater China region -- China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- brought in US$2.6 billion in the quarter, which was four times as much as the sales for the same period in the previous year. Chinese consumers' well-known taste for luxury goods does indeed include all things Apple, as the desire to own the very best is the mark of many of China's newly rich. One devoted Apple user we spoke to in China says that the iPad is doing especially well, and it's "a must for all kinds of awards and prizes, lucky draws, internet activities, promotions, you name it." As great as Apple's sales figures are, China's love for the brand is even greater if you factor in unauthorized sales in the country. Many Apple products sold inside China originate from outside the nation's borders. Apple fared well in the rest of Asia too, with sales in Japan up 83 percent year-over-year. Korea's sales were up as well, driven by strong sales of the iPhone and iPad. With such strong results in the Asia-Pacific region, Cook says the company will be devoting more resources to the area to take advantage of the high demand.

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    Smartphones
    Smartphones By Rick Martin

    Hey, your iPhone's untied!

    In the market for a shoe-phone? iShoes are funky little iPhone cases coming out of Asia that make your phone look like a tiny, somewhat flattened-out sneaker. Recently available for purchase from Japan-based vendor Strapya, iShoes are made by Korean company Play Hello. These colorful cases seem to have been around since earlier this year, but surprisingly, without much foreign fanfare. Strapya is selling the iPhone 4 iShoes cases on site for 2380 yen (or about US$28), and the company will take orders from outside Japan. Cases are available in an assortment of colors: black, blue, orange, pink, red and white. Play Hello has cases available for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, and even for the homegrown fave Samsung Galaxy S, though as far as I can see, the company doesn't ship internationally. If you do want to convert your iPhone into a cute l'il shoe-phone, then this might be for you. I can't help but think, however, that somewhere Don Adams is yelling down at us that we're doing it wrong. Hello, Chief?

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    Accessories
    Accessories By Rick Martin

    Mophie Pulse adds stereo speakers, extra vibration to iPod touch

    Gamers who enjoy playing on the iPod touch can look forward to getting their world rocked by the Mophie Pulse, a sort of "rumble pack" case that Mophie is showing off at CES 2011. The pulse will feature front-facing speakers as well for stereo sound while you play games. If you're worried that sudden vibrations might cause you to accidentally drop your iPod, Mophie has added a rubberized grip to help ensure that your game doesn't get away from you. While there's no word on a release date or pricing just yet, this certainly looks like a fun addition for anyone who likes gaming on the go. We'll try to get a closer look at this unit from the show floor.

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    Apple
    Apple By Rick Martin

    Apple lovers in Japan camp out for 'Lucky Bag' sale

    Retailers in Japan have a New Year shopping tradition of selling "lucky bags," which contain an assortment of items whose value typically exceeds the price you pay for the bag. To the delight of many Apple fanboys here in Tokyo, "lucky bags" are also sold at the Apple store. But at 30,000 yen (about $370), they don't come cheap. Even at that price, demand is sky-high, and only the most dedicated of Apple fans can get them. Shoppers typically start lining up the day before the lucky bags go on sale, because every year at least a couple of people hit the jackpot and get a MacBook in their bag. From those who braved the cold overnight, here's a summary of what most are saying they found in their respective bags. I haven't seen any reports of MacBooks yet: Sennheiser earphones, smart remote with mic (iPod, iPhone, iPad) Mophie Juice Pack reserve iWires 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo plug retractable cable iPod nano OR iPod touch Griffin Slap case for iPod nano Nike+ sensor iHome speaker system for iPhone/iPod red limited edition Apple T-shirt (view at end of video) This is all according to early reports from an assortment of shoppers. Check out Guttyo Blog's picture of the bag plus contents all spread out on a table (above).

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    Apps
    Apps By Rick Martin

    Hackety Hack: A gift to aspiring Ruby programmers

    As a perpetual programmer wannabe, I'm always on the lookout for new tools that make the mysteries of coding a little more accessible. Much to my dismay, most programming tutorials that I've come across assume some prior knowledge or that you're transitioning from some other language. So, I was delighted to discover Hackety Hack just now (thanks to Chris Amico for the tip). It's a fun new Mac app that aims to teach Ruby programming basics to complete beginners. Hackety Hack 1.0 just launched, and in the true spirit of of the holidays, it's open source. From what I can see so far (after playing with it a bit), users can browse through some beginner level lessons, including basic Ruby and basic Shoes, or explore some of the sample programs listed. After making some progress, users who register on the Hackety Hack site can upload code to the website as well. There's a handy "Ask a question" feature on the site, too. Given how hard it can be for beginners to get their feet wet, I really appreciate efforts like this to make learning more accessible. For anyone looking for more beginner Ruby resources, there's also Chris Pine's online book Learn to Program (via Takaaki Kato). And if you're looking for iOS help instead, be sure to check out our Holiday Guide of books for would-be iOS programmers.

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    Apps
    Apps By Rick Martin

    Sleipnir Mobile browser 1.0 for iPhone released

    Here's an intriguing browser for the iPhone coming out of Japan just in time for Christmas. It comes to us courtesy of Fenrir Inc, the same company who brought us the Sleipnir browser for the Mac Windows which is currently on version 2.96 with 3.0 in development. Billed as a "web browser with highly functional tab features," Sleipnir Mobile's tabbed browsing features a couple of fun characteristics. The "Flick Wipe" function allows users to very simply flick a tab (located along the bottom, not on top) off screen by pushing it down out of view. The browser's "Hold & Go" feature lets you touch and hold a link to open it up in the background. A representative with the company tells us that these are the browser's strong points that differentiate it from Safari and Opera. Of course, we don't expect Sleipnir to make any stunning grab of market share, but it's always pleasing to see more options for consumers. A homegrown choice will likely find at least a little support among Japanese users. For a clearer idea of how these tabbed features work, check out Sleipnir's demo video below.

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