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Because there weren’t already enough accessories for the almighty iPhone 3G available on the market, Incase, creators of protective solutions, announced yesterday a new product which is set to meet the growing power of needs of those who are using the device. The case, launched under the name of Power Slider, will be available this holiday season, being the first accessory of its kind to double the battery life of iPhone 3G, and, in addition, to provide integrated sync and charge capabilities and complete device protection.

Therefore, featuring a low profile, complementary design and innovative functionality, Power Slider serves not only as a case, but also as a power solution. In order to ensure a slim design and maximum power output, the case is equipped with a custom engineered lithium-ion battery with efficient circuitry. The optimized power management system provides continuous charge to the internal battery of iPhone 3G. When you use the phone, the power drains first from Power Slider so that the internal battery of the device remains fully charged and is only depleted once the battery of Power Slider has been drained. This is, and you have to agree, a perfect solution for all of you out there who own the iPhone 3G and face some problems as far as the battery life time is concerned. Because there isn’t a surprise for anyone that many of you have already had some complaints concerning iPhone 3G problems, due to the short battery life.

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In addition, there is an integrated sync mode that allows Power Slider users to easily sync and charge their devices while iPhone 3G is in Power Slider. A five-light LED battery status indicator gauges battery life and also denotes sync mode and charging. The Power Slider also packages a custom USB 2.2 cable that allows for high capacity charging and data exchange for optimal charging and syncing. More than that, Power Slider is compatible with all USB charging ports that provide 5V at 1A output.



“We developed Power Slider for the large and growing community of iPhone 3G users that utilize the device to its full extent as an all-in-one communication and entertainment tool and, as a result, find themselves in need of extended battery life”, said Erik Wahlstrom, President and CEO of Incase. “Power Slider more than doubles the battery life of iPhone 3G in the form of a hardshell protective case, in addition to allowing for syncing and charging without removing the device. These features create a seamless iPhone user experience that enable users to continue to take full advantage of the iPhone 3G as the platform continues to grow in its scope and utility”, he added.



The Power Slider is certified by the Apple “Works with iPhone” program and has been designed to connect specifically to iPhone 3G and meet Apple’s performance standards. Therefore, the case offers up to 330 hours of standby time, up to 26 hours of audio playback, up to 5 hours on 3G network and 10 hours on 2G network of talk time, up to 7 hours of video playback and up to 5 hours on 3G network and 6 hours on Wi-Fi of Internet use.

Power Slider will be available in this holiday season for a suggested retail price of $99.95 (US) through the Apple Store and Apple’s retail stores worldwide, and in the US through Best Buy Mobile and the Incase webstore.

(Source: Techpin)

I don’t know why people tend to become Christmas spirited when there is more than a month until that perfect day (some might say) when Santa will make his appearance down the chimney, bringing all you have asked for. Everything is beautifully adorned nowadays, from your home, the store placed on the corner of your street, to your grandmother, who shows up wearing one of her hilarious reindeer sweaters. I know, this isn’t your favorite picture of them all, but there is nothing you can do. The lady loves Christmas and loves her sweater. Be grateful she has a lousy memory and can’t remember the lyrics of those songs you once had the chance to hear all day long.

Now your iPhone is more than welcome to join the festivities too. These cases from More Thing are designed to match the reflective metallic skin of Christmas tree ball ornaments. Nevertheless, I think that they are attractive enough even outside of the context of the holiday.

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I am sure you’ve already seen the shelves being flooded with a range of iPhone cases, but the Noel iPhone cases from More Thing won’t find it difficult to reach the customers’ hands. These glossy iPhone cases are the perfect outfit for your iPhone. Moreover, your iPhone certainly deserves to be beautifully decked up in the holiday season. With the Noel collection the metallic look of Christmas ornaments is given to your iPhone, so they has been launched just in time for the holidays. They are perfect with Apple iPhone 3G and they prevent and shield the phone from scratches, damages and dust.



Featuring a high reflection metallic finishing, these cases allow access to all controls and ports without removing the case. In addition, free Mirror Screen Protector and Clear Logo protection film are also included. The form-fitting cases are available in a range of colors, such as blue, ruby jeweltones, gold and shiny aluminum and will surely draw everyone’s attention whenever you answer the phone.



You must remember the fact that these cases are super smooth, so if you’re looking for an extra grip on your iPhone, this isn’t the case for you. They’re available now from More Thing for $29.99 each.

(Source: gadgets.boingboing.net)

You must think I’m crazy, isn’t it? The title is way beyond any power of comprehension, because it tells nonsense. There isn’t any Google Earth software for phones, at least not one that you know of, not to mention it’s kind of outrageous for such an application to be launched – inexplicably, as a matter of fact – first on iPhone, not Android.

But it’s true. Google has released a version of its Google Earth software for the iPhone as a dedicated application. Designed and developed as a virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer, it maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. At the moment, it is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality, Google Earth Plus ($20 per year), which includes additional features, and Google Earth Pro ($400 per year), which is intended for commercial use.

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Even before it was introduced back in 2005, the team had a burning dream: to be able to carry the Earth around in your pocket. Well, today that dream becomes a reality as these guys have just introduced Google Earth for iPhone and iPod touch. With just a swipe of your finger you can fly from Peoria to Paris to Papua New Guinea, or anywhere in between. It looks like a fantastic application and is free, and as such will likely become another shiny application with which iPhone users will try to impress their friends.



It may be small, but it brings all the power of Google Earth to the palm of your hand, including all of the same global imagery and 3D terrain. You can even browse any of the 8 million Panoramio photos or read Wikipedia articles.

To conclude, let’s see what you can do with Google Earth for iPhone: you can tilt your iPhone to adjust your view to see mountains terrain, view the Panoramio layer and browse the millions of geo-located photos from around the world, view geo-located Wikipedia articles, use the “Location” feature to fly to your current location and search for cities, places and business around the globe with Google Local Search.



But I have a question, a justified one, if you ask me. I totally agree with the fact that Google is a big company which has lots of product teams. And, most probably, those teams, making software for all platforms, not just its own, have a lot of autonomy. But come on, this isn’t Gmail. We’re talking about a stunning entertainment software that would have made the difference between the Android phones and their competition. Then why would Google Mobile rather distribute it for iPhone first? So, when you’re feeling kind of mixed up, just remember it’s a mixed up world.

I don’t know what’s inside those guys’ heads, but what I know is that a free Google Earth download is available today in 18 languages and 22 countries in the iTunes App Store.

(Source: googleblog.blogspot.com)

Whenever someone takes hold on a precious information about a soon-to-be-released-device, for a long time expected to see the light of the day, people start following every step of the product until an official statement of the manufacturer. That’s what happens when information leaks and everyone feels like being the first to grab and publish the news is an ultimate task.

A couple of weeks ago, blurry pictures and some not-so-very-reliable information about a brand new Sony Ericsson device became public. If at first glance, the phone seemed to lack appeal, things get very interesting as more details are revealed.

The point is Sony Ericsson is working on a new Cybershot model and this doesn’t come as a surprise for anyone nowadays, as some time ago a blurry photo of the new model was leaked on the internet. There’s only one thing that is certain: the fact that the company doesn’t spare any effort in order develop handsets for people to enjoy. The same scenario applies to the Cybershot codenamed Kate.

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These new photos can make us a whole lot happier as they’re clearer than the one people got to see before and are able to satisfy even the most demanding eyes. As seen in the photos, the phone seems to be a medium-sized one, maybe a little bit too thick. Instead, it features a large screen which is meant to make most of the pictures taken with the 5 megapixel camera Kate apparently has; in addition, as rumors go, the camera comes with Xenon Flash, Auto Focus and Smile Shutter options.

There’s a dedicated key on the sides for picture/video switch, along with the volume/zoom key and the round capture key. You can easily see that yet another key is placed there, which seems to allow users access to the gallery of photos. The other side of the device features the traditional Sony Ericsson connector for data transfer and charging.



Have a look at the keyboard now! Don’t you have the impression it’s a Nokia-keyboard-wannabe, given the large keys? Luckily, the design still manages to keep the Sony Ericsson feel, so you wouldn’t have to go through the embarrassment of not knowing what type of mobile phone you own.

Based on the Sony Ericsson’s Java Platform 8.4, the device has no GPS or frontal camera for video calling. Therefore, if you don’t want to put off getting a portable GPS navigation system just yet (in the case you don’t have one already), Kate might disappoint a little bit. On the other hand, it is expected that the device has at least EDGE/UTMS/HSDPA and Bluetooth 2.0 functions, as found on many Sony Ericsson’s mobile phones.

The handset is said to be announced at the end of this month. Rumors go even further, as Kate is priced at 300 Euro or $450. Nothing official yet, so we shall live and we shall see!

(Source concept-phones.com)

Brian Eno, widely known as the father of ambient music and one of the greatest musical minds of our contemporary epoch, is the composer of the music for the Windows 95 project. When he was approached in 1994 by designers Mark Malamud and Erik Gavriluk, he created the six-second start-up music-sound of the Windows 95 operating system, which was called The Microsoft Sound.



There’s a confession in the San Francisco Chronicle, where he said that “the idea came up at the time when I was completely bereft of ideas. I’d been working on my own music for a while, and was quite lost, actually, and I really appreciated someone coming along and saying “Here’s a specific problem – Solve it!” […] “And it must be 3¼ seconds long". I thought it was so funny, and an amazing thought to actually try to make a little piece of music. It’s like making a tiny little jewel. In fact, I made eighty-four pieces. I got completely into this world of tiny, little pieces of music. I was so sensitive to miscroseconds, at the end of this, that it really broke a logjam in my own work. Then, when I’d finished that and I went back to working with pieces that were, like, three minutes long, it seemed like oceans of time”.

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Today, Brian Eno was once again approached by the musician/programmer Peter Chilvers, but this time to create one of the coolest iPhone applications that was ever designed. The project was dubbed Bloom and it’s “part instrument, part composition and part artwork”.

Most music-creation applications take an existing musical instrument and stuff it in a very awkward way into the phone, but compared to those Bloom creates from scratch an entirely new “instrument”, which is, of course, designed for the iPhone and for the iPhone only. A very important aspect is that everyone can play with Bloom, generating and visualizing ambient music. It’s a little bit hard to explain the mechanism, but you’re provided with a colored screen and a quiet drone and you should tap the screen in different places, at random, in order to generate sounds. The sounds you play repeat themselves from time to time, forming a composition.

When you get bored, you can either shake the screen and your work up until that moment will be cleared, or tap anywhere else, so that more sounds are added. If you’re not in an inspirational mood, you can also let Bloom create music on its own and listen to it, especially because the application comes up with a unique piece every time you run it. Once you have something you like, you have the possibility to freeze the piece you’ve created, so new notes will be no longer introduced. In addition, the tones correspond to colored spots appearing on your display and slowly fading.

If you are familiar with Eno’s work you might have expected this application as he has always been interested in exploiting the latest technologies and platforms for his artworks. As a consequence, you can now witness several Eno-inspired tools and toys available on Apple platforms.

Bloom is available on the App Store for $3.99 and addresses to all of you out there interested in ambient music or, why not, music in general.

(Source TheAppleBlog)