Fully-functional iPhone 3GS costume is expensive, bulky, and better than your Halloween idea

What could possibly convince you that strapping a 42-inch LCD TV to your body is a great idea? We don't know, but somewhere between concept and the $2,000 total expenditures -- with "no regrets," mind you -- Reko Rivera and John Savio, with the help of John Matthews, outfitted themselves with the displays used to project images from their iPhone 3GS. Unfortunately, the large screens themselves aren't touch screens, but we probably can't be that picky. Their reward? First prizes at costume parties and minor internet celebrity, which we're happy to oblige. Video after the break.

[Via TUAW]

Continue reading Fully-functional iPhone 3GS costume is expensive, bulky, and better than your Halloween idea

Filed under: Cellphones, HDTV, Portable Video

Fully-functional iPhone 3GS costume is expensive, bulky, and better than your Halloween idea originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vrooooom! Start your car (and more) from your iPhone or iPod touch

Filed under: Accessories, iPhone, Holidays, iPod touch

TUAW reader Ethan pointed us in the direction of something new, cool, and available only for iPhone and iPod touch (take that, Palm Pre and Android phones!)

BestBuy has an exclusive on the new Viper SmartStart System, which can do a number of things for your wheels:

• Start your car with virtually unlimited range
• Warm your car in winter; cool your car in summer
• Unlock your car or truck
• Arm the alarm to protect your car
• Activate panic alarm to protect yourself
• Receive push-button status notifications

It uses a free iPhone app [iTunes link] to give you that remote love, like when you are visiting friends overseas and want to scare people by starting your car up while it's sitting by itself in the airport parking lot. The developers also note that in the near future, a new release of the app will give you push notification if your car alarm goes off.

There are two versions available: a module (SmartStart VSM100 Module, US$299.99) for cars that are already equipped with compatible Viper starting systems, and a fully loaded package (SmartStart VSM4000 System, US$499.99) for the rest of us.

Some of the app reviewers have noted that you're not only paying for the system and your iPhone bill, but there's also a US$29 monthly GSM service bill that you'll have to pay. However, if the money isn't an object and you're already clueless about what to get a loved one for Christmas, this might be an idea to consider.

Vrooooom! Start your car (and more) from your iPhone or iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vrooooom! Start your car (and more) from your iPhone or iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best of Smartphone Experts, 25 Oct 2009

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This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Best of Smartphone Experts, 25 Oct 2009

Unreleased MacBook Pro 6,1 and 6,2 Referenced in Mac OS X 10.6.2

Applesfera reports on the discovery of support files for unreleased MacBook Pros in the latest Mac OS X 10.6.2 developer builds. The 10C531 build was first seeded to developers just a few days ago, and appears to include references to MacBoo...

Got $120? Apple Online Store has TomTom Car Kit for iPhone!

Just bought that ~$100 TomTom iPhone app and have $120 ($199.95 to be exact) bucks more burning a whole in your wallet? What luck! The matching TomTom car kit has just become available via the Apple Online Store! (Shipping in 2-3 weeks!) Yes, that’s $220 total cost of ownership for TomTom lovers, but it’s so hard [...]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Got $120? Apple Online Store has TomTom Car Kit for iPhone!

TomTom iPhone kit now being sold through US Apple Store

American TomTom loyalists, we know what you've been thinking: how dare those fine folks across the pond get first dibs to pick up the iPhone car kit? Well, steam to yourself no longer, it's now for sale online via Apple's US store for the previously-disclosed price of $119.95. Alas, no software's included, but you've had enough time to cope with that. Also, it's iPhone 3G and 3GS only -- iPod touch need not apply.

[Via App Advice]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

TomTom iPhone kit now being sold through US Apple Store originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Found Footage: iPhone costumes are either genius or deeply misguided

Filed under: Humor, Cult of Mac, iPhone, Holidays

You have to hand it to Reko and Bobby for their stick-to-it-iveness; they were behind a similar set of iPhone costumes in 2007, but those didn't have the fully-functional power of these new outfits. Yes, those are LCD TVs on the front (not touchable, sadly) showing content from the (almost certainly) jailbroken iPhones mounted on top; yes, each getup weighs 85 pounds because it includes a car battery to power the display. I can see how the illusion would be broken by a 500-foot charging cable trailing behind them as they trick-or-treat their way around the subdivision.

There's a part of me that wants to tell these guys to apply their wild, inventive energy to more productive pursuits. And yet... there's another bit of reptile brain that simply sits and watches, in awe.

Thanks to John for the tip!

[via MacRumors Forums]

Found Footage: iPhone costumes are either genius or deeply misguided originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Found Footage: iPhone costumes are either genius or deeply misguided originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick App: CraigsMobileList for iPhone

Recently, I have been doing some freelance job hunting and I’ve found CraigsMobileList [$0.99 - iTunes link] to be quite helful in sifting through the craigslist search results. The app also allows you to bookmark searches, post ads, favorite certain results and set filters for your searches. Also, you can keep a recent city search [...]

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Quick App: CraigsMobileList for iPhone

App Review: Card Ninja for iPhone

(Card Ninja Forum Review. For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!) Card Ninja – just the name conjures up interesting ideas as to what the iPhone (and iPod touch) game might be. As it turns out, the ideas may not be that far from the truth. In Card Ninja, you are [...]

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App Review: Card Ninja for iPhone