iTam Tam iPod Dock Is Strangely One-of-a-kind, Costly [Itam Tam]
March 29, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Close to 99% of all the iPod Docks we’ve ever seen look about the same. This iTam Tam looks nothing like those. Envision making a dock that’s shaped like a stool or a gong, and this is what you’d get. A concave cylindrical thing that’s got a slot for an iPod/iPhone at the top. How does this sound? Who cares! At $570, you’re not buying this for the audio quality. You’re buying this because you need something that screams “I had $570 and I’ve spent it.” [iTam Tam via Branexdesign via Born Rich via DVice]
F-22 Raptor Airframes Falling Apart Due to Bad Glue [No Glue, No Glory]
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
According to a just-released Air Combat Command report, 30 of the F-22A Raptors delivered by Lockheed Martin use “inadequate adhesive” in their airframes. That means two things in plain language: bad glue; and huge trouble.
The report comes after investigators finished looking into an accident that happened last November. Part of the airframe of a F-22A fell off into the engine intake, causing a whopping $1.2 million of damage.
And, while we understand that machines so amazingly complex will always have flaws that need to be ironed out, let’s hope they used SuperGlue with the F-35 Lightning II. Or gum. [The Dew Line]
Runtriz Touchscreen Communication Displays Networks Up Your Luxury Home’s
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
This Runtriz touchscreen is something we’d want in the kitchen area of our home. Not because it’s totally necessary, because it isn’t, but because it display stocks, weather, news, recipes, wine organization, and even send emails and text messages to people on the outside. Why would we use this? One example is to make up a grocery list on the device (assisted by the recipes so we know exactly what to buy) and then emailing it to our phones so we can see it at the store. Or better yet, email it to the person who’s actually at the supermarket so they know what to purchase. That seems more likely. [Runtriz]
Mouse Review
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
my new mouse
HD VISION Sunglasses…Yes, the “HD” Stands For “Hi Def
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
With all the confusion around 720p, 1080i, 1080p, HD, full HD, Blu-ray, HD DVD, ACVHD and the pesky digital television transition, thank goodness we have the fine folks who make infomercials standing in the ready to soothe our exhausted brains. Before watching this very important offer, we had no clue that we’d only been seeing the world in standard def. How humiliating!
With all the confusion around 720p, 1080i, 1080p, HD, full HD, Blu-ray, HD DVD, ACVHD and the pesky digital television transition, thank goodness we have the fine folks who make infomercials standing in the ready to soothe our exhausted brains. Before watching this very important offer, we had no clue that we’d only been seeing the world in standard def. How humiliating!Note: this isn’t a parody. Sometimes the world just feels like one. [Seen On Television]
Gaming News Roundup
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Each week MobileCrunchArcade compiles the biggest news from the world of mobile gaming.
If you can’t wait for the next mobile game that is based on a movie, Glu’s upcoming game Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will be here in October of this year, just in time to get back home from your crocodile hunting trip to the Nile. “’ Madagascar’ was an 
enormous success and created a broad fan base around the world. We’re very pleased to announce this license with DreamWorks Animation to bring the Madagascar brand and its well-loved characters to mobile subscribers worldwide,” stated Jill Braff, Senior Vice President of Global Publishing, Glu Mobile. “Our production team is working closely with the DreamWorks team to create a vibrant and amusing game that contains elements of the movie but has a storyline and game mission unique to itself.”
EA’s Kathy Vrabeck has had some good things to say about mobile gaming this week. “The cell phone is the platform that is leading the way in growing the casual gaming market.” “Games like Tetris, Bejeweled and Solitaire appeal to a broad audience and have been the defining applications on cell phones to date. Newer handsets with larger screens are enabling advanced 3D 
graphics as well as connected and multiplayer features, a dramatic increase from the black and white games of just a few years ago. This evolution will expand the types of games that can be offered on handsets and should attract new consumers to cell phone gaming.” I’d love to thump thumbs with someone like Kathy who states such great things about mobile gaming.
Talking of calloused thumbs, Digital Chocolate has released a game that’s a tribute to one of humanity’s highest forms of art and expression, dance. Strip Club Manager doesn’t put you on the pole but behind the desk of three gentleman’s clubs. You build 
the clubs from the ground up by hiring security, waitresses and dancers, and by buying appropriate accessories. As every good dancer knows, the show is all about the accessories. It’s your job to match the right dancer with the right clientele. Correctly done, wallets that enter your club bulging with money leave empty; but move the bulge to a more centralized position. If you like tycoon type games take your hands out of your pockets and put a smile on your face.
NTT DoCoMo field tested a 3G wireless network that reached download speeds of 250 Mbps and upload speeds of 75 Mbps. Any
faster and we may need to change Einstein’s constant from the speed of light to the speed of 3G. Unfortunately for gamers, NTT DoCoMo won’t have the technology ready until 2009. The Theory of Relativity is safe for another year.
That’s this week’s Mobile Gaming News Roundup. Remember to exercise those thumbs, recharge the battery and never take your eyes off the screen.
Via Mobilecrunch
Communist Cuba to allow Unrestricted Mobile Phone Use
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
The communist dominos are falling as the dictatorship of the proletariat realizes it can’t stand up against the relentless momentum of the mobile phone. Capitalist technology has pushed over one more domino in Cuba. President Raul Castro announced this day 
that the Cuban government will grant unrestricted use of mobile telephones by all Cubans for the first time. Cuba currently has the lowest rate of cellular telephone use in Latin America.
A few Cubans have mobile phone service through foreigners or in their work places. Now the masses will be able to place a phone in their individual names’. According to the Communist Celebration newspaper Granma, the Cuban telecommunications monopoly ETECSA will start mobile service for the general public in the next few days. “To each according to his needs” is becoming “to each according to his or her wants.”
Via Mobilecrunch
The Really Simple becomes Multimedia with Cellyspace
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Like the alchemists of old who converted lead into gold, Cellyspace launched an application yesterday that automatically converts RSS (Really Easy Syndication) to MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) feeds directly to mobile subscriber’s messaging in-boxes.
There’s bound to be gold for someone at the end of this rainbow.
Skycore, the developers of Cellyspace, think the auto-conversion of RSS content will make mobile syndication easier and more readily available. It is hoped that by delivering multimedia feeds rather than short, text-only feeds subscribers will be more fully engaged in the content.
By converting the Really Simple to Multimedia, a feed can be viewed without a subscriber first logging onto a mobile web site or launching a feed reader application. Instead, subscribers are alerted on receipt of the feed and can view it immediately or whenever most convenient since it’s stored in their messaging in-box. This thing is better than having your own Philosopher’s Stone.
The magically converted Easy transmutes into a Multimedia slide show that includes up to eight slides, each with an image, 300 
characters of text and an optional URL link for additional content, info or promotions. MMS Feeds can be billed to the end user as either premium or standard rated feeds. Providers are given the choice to add third-party advertising or promotions to their feed.
“Feeds with both images and text are generally more compelling than those with text alone. Engaging subscribers improves subscription retention and increases their response to any call to action in the feed,” said Rich Eicher, President of Skycore LLC.
I’m not in the advertising or promotion business but this looks like the type of thing that can put some serious gold pieces in your purse if used correctly. Three links are provided below.
Cellyspace
RSS-to-MMS
Short Demo
Via Mobilecrunch
Solar Powered Music, Fake Detection and Flashlight in One [Multitool]
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
I love this weird combo, multi-tool gadget: it’s a mashup between the Solar Phone Charger and the great 5-in-1 Pen. It’s got a solar cell to top up your gadgets with juice (USB connector, or cellphone adaptors), a UV note-checker, LED flashlight and, best of all, an FM radio. Why not an MP3 player? Where’s the tool for getting stones out of a horse’s hoof? Nope, just an FM radio. At least we’ve this reassurance “Security guarantee: There’s not any danger to use.” Yours for $45.99. [GizFever via RedFerret]
Video Camera Karate Sketch is the Stuff of Dreams [Comedy]
March 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
This sketch by Human Giant is about kicking video cameras. It’s funny, and you really should be watching this show. But what I really like is how it was written: in a dream.
It was about a month after I had finished writing for Human Giant and Tom Gianas (the showrunner) called me up to tell me about a couple of my sketches that they’d shot, and some changes that had been made to them during shooting.
Getting that call was very weird timing, because the night before, I had a dream about pitching a sketch, and the subsequent filming of said sketch. I told this to Tom and he asked me what the sketch was about. This is what I told him…
“basically, Huebel is this karate teacher filming a local commercial for his studio, and he kicks the camera off the tripod. He apologizes and says that his foot is a weapon. Everyone is really pissed at him and they begrudgingly set up another camera. BOOM! He does it again. After that, it’s just a montage of him breaking camera after camera, no matter how far away they set it up. He’ll literally run across the room to break a camera. Everyone keeps getting more and more pissed off, but he just can’t help himself.”
Tom cracks up and says, “dude, we’ve to shoot this.” I tell him that I’ll email him the idea so he has it on file, and as I’m typing it out later that afternoon, all I can think is, “this is so stupid. I can’t believe I’m transcribing a fucking dream I had.”
Yes, it’s a slow news day. This is about video cameras! Those are gadgets! And dreams are like the, uh, operating system of the brain! Whatever, just enjoy the comedy. [erockappel.com]
