Jason is a brave soul. How can he live without TV? What fills his family’s empty hours between dinner and bedtime? Well, it turns out that my friend has not gone Bohemian and started learning to play the lute while noshing organically grown peppered soybeans (which actually aren’t bad, BTW). Instead he’s simply replaced his…
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iPhone 4 Flip Case Offers Good Protection
The iPhone 4 Flip Case from iKit is designed to offer solid protection for the iPhone 4 and also provide a built-in stand for watching, say, videos in landscape mode. It delivers. This case is just a bit thicker and wraps around the iPhone a little more than the minimalist Incase Snap Case that I…
Microsoft Unleashes Windows Phone 7
HTC Surround Windows Phone 7 (available on AT&T)The OS’s main interface is block oriented, with customizable “live tiles” on a “Start” screen, where users can have quick access to the information they want.For instance, in the image to the left, the HTC device has blocks for phone calls, Facebook updates, text messages, e-mail, streaming pictures…
Installing and Upgrading to Parallels Desktop 6
The Parallels Desktop virtual machine environment for Macs just keeps getting better and better. Incremental refinements make it easier to install, more intuitive and always a little faster. Here’s my report on upgrading to version 6. Parallels Desktop version 6 for Macintosh (PD6) was released on September 14. TMO covered the news, and the story…
iPad: Saying Good-bye to My Paper Magazines
Apple iPadSo I’ve started a pilot project to eliminate most of my paper magazine subscriptions and convert to digital format on the iPad. Of course, this has been possible previously on the Mac in some cases, but the size and portability of the iPad creates a critical psychological mass that allows one to take such…
CEO Critical of Apple to Leave NBC
Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, will be stepping down from his position once Comcast has finalized its purchase of 51% of the media company. Mr. Zucker, who has often been critical of Apple and argued at one time that Apple should have to pay media companies a portion of iPod hardware sales, told employees…
Predators, Mr. Runner, Virtual Table Tenns and More
Predator was a testosterone-laden, cinematic bloodletting that tapped into the imaginations and, after two more movies and countless books, comics, and toys, the wallets of a generation of males, and more than a few females. (Yes, there were two Alien vs Predator movies, but I don’t count them because they were not purely about Predators,…
iPod shuffle 4G: A Welcome Return to Classic Form
The iPod shuffle 4G marks Apple’s return to the classic form of the shuffle 2G. It’s even smaller* and has new features like playlists and VoiceOver that make it better and easier to use. The price is right at US$49, but the product also introduces some new problems that could have easily been avoided. The…
Free Your Hands With Gorillamobile For iPhone 3G/3GS
Based upon the success of their original Gorillamobile product, the tripod for cameras, Joby has continued to expand it’s product line to other hand held products. This particular product comes with the traditional Gorillamobile tripod stand and an iPhone case that fits both the iPhone 3G and 3GS. In the case of Joby, the traditional…
Make Babies on Your iPhone with The Sims 3: Ambitions
From the App Store’s release notes: THE MOST AMBITIOUS EXPERIENCE OF THE SIMS ON THE APP STORE! Now your Sims can turn passions into professions…Build dream homes or businesses…Even have BABIES! Get everything you love about The Sims and more from this all-new member of The Sims family of games for iPhone & iPod touch.…
The I-Zine Edition: Nation Geographic, NASA, Discover, and More
I use my iPad daily, and constantly find new and better ways to get information through it. Writing on the iPad, using either the virtual keyboard or my aging, but handy Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard has been nothing but pure enjoyment. I fire up Pages, unfold my keyboard and tap a key and 2 seconds later…
iOS 4.1: Digging Past The Release Notes
“iOS” is now included in the iPhone’s autocorrect list. HDR Notes When taking photos with iPhone 4, the Flash cannot be used in conjunction with HDR. When you turn HDR on, the flash goes off and vice-versa. HDR also cannot be used with the front-facing camera (i.e. you can only use it with the higher…
Touch Mouse: Free Wireless Mouse app from Logitech
Just what we needed—another reason not to get up off the couch. Logitech’s Touch Mouse turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless mouse, perfect for those moments when you want to do something on your computer without actually touching it. Although the application and its accompanying computer server software is slightly more involved…
Back to School Edition
The source of the strobe was not Devine in nature, nor was Donna Summer mutely sympathizing with bad girls. The light came from a school bus that happened to be loitering outside my home. School is now in session here in Central Florida, and as I made my way to work (TMO Towers South) through…
New App Allows Windows Access from iPad
This, in part, solves the problem of limited capability of the iPad for content creation. “Tablets and other mobile devices are great for content consumption and work well as companions to the PC. However, as the popularity of these non-PC devices grows, computing experiences are becoming increasingly fragmented,” said Mark Lee, CEO and co-founder of…
Newer’s HDMI Adapter Gets Your Mac on the Big Screen
I spend a fair amount of time in hotel rooms these days, and lately, I’ve noticed a couple of trends in in-room entertainment. No, not that kind of entertainment — I’m talking about the increasing frequency of HDTVs and the decreasing quality of the programming available for them. I mean, how many different ways can…
The iPad Space Dock Stand Is Perfect With Your Bluetooth Keyboard
LapWorks, well known for producing quality stands and desks for laptops, has just released a new product called the iPad Space Dock. It is an Aluminum stands that holds the iPad in both portrait and landscape positions and allows display inclines of 58˚, 62˚ and 66˚. iPad Space DockThe six inch long stand, which presents…
Incase Snap Case for iPhone 4 is Clearly Cool
The Incase Snap Case for iPhone 4 is one of the options Apple presented as a free case to iPhone 4 purchasers. I picked it and was very pleasantly surprised by the design and features. This case is thin but durable and flexible plastic. There are two pieces included: the case itself and a small…
Microsoft Embarrasses Itself with “PC vs. Mac” Web Site
When I first sat down to cover this momentous event, I had intended to just write up a quickie news piece and let our readers do the fun bit of deconstructing the whole thing and making mock of Big Redmond. I couldn’t, though. It’s just so bad, so…embarrassing for Microsoft, I couldn’t keep my snarky…
ZooGue Offers New Options In An iPad Case
ZooGue is a new company with a new product and it certainly deserves a second look for anyone who has an iPad and values versatility and safety. A great deal of design thought went into this case and in my opinion it really works. Features It is less than an inch thick with the iPad…
Air Video: Killer App for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch
There’s no doubt that watching movies on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is one of the greatest pleasures of these Apple apparatuses (apparati?). How did I survive before having the ability to bring up the latest episode of “Family Guy” from the comfort of my own bed? Or car, office, Starbucks, airport, or even…
Tawkon Explains its iPhone Radiation App
The Mac Observer was contacted by Josh Winter, a Tawkon media relations representative, who pointed us to this detailed explanation of the app. As we have all learned from Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna issues, the cellular network is complex. So are the methods for determining radiation risk. One may wish to have a thorough understanding…
Everyday Looper is Fabulous and Fun, Too!
The practice of looping by performing musicians has been around for quite awhile. (Check out Andrew Bird, for example.) But recent technology has made it considerably easier for non-professionals and Mancing Dolecules puts the power of looping right in the palm of your hand with its Everyday Looper iPhone app. “Looping” is the act of…
It’s About The Music Stupid! Edition
The fact is, it’s still about the music (stupid), and it’s never been about what Steve Jobs says about Apple’s intentions, it’s always has been, and the foreseeable future, will be about what Jobs does with Apple . It was music that made the iPod popular, but it also made the iPhone, and now the…