Behind the scenes with the iRetrofone’s creator

Filed under: iPhone

I really enjoyed seeing this retro handset base for the iPhone (even if I did mistake the shipping charge for the price -- sorry about that). Now, iPhone Savior has a nice piece up about the base's designer, Florida artist Scott Freeland. Since news about the set went live, he's apparently been bombarded by requests, and he's actually been working on making it easier to make them and deliver them to customers; he's currently working with two resin molds and has tweaked his process a bit. It sounds like the iRetrofone is already a successful product.

When you hear what he has to say about the handset, it's not hard to determine why. The model is based on a 1937 phone, and Freeland says it hit him in the same nostalgic way it does most of us: "As a sculptor, when I need something in my life I make it ... That was the phone I had as a kid. I looked online until I saw a phone that looked like what I had, and then I made it." He's making more, too. As you can see above, he's got pink and clear models being made already, and he says he wants to make about six to eight more versions, including crazy ideas like "a skull with the iPhone in it."

That one doesn't sound quite as, ahem, nostalgic, but it's still interesting. The iRetrofone is available on Etsy for US $195, and while it's on back order right now, the page says it'll be available in about two weeks.

Behind the scenes with the iRetrofone's creator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Behind the scenes with the iRetrofone's creator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple posts new “What is iPad” TV commercial

Apple has released their second iPad TV commercial and it focuses on “what is iPad?”. The voice is older and more gravelly. The music is slower and more deliberate. Just like the iPad, it takes its time. It also focuses the imagery on idealized use cases and puts the attention where it should be — on the features.

iPad is thin. iPad is beautiful. iPad goes anywhere and lasts all day. There’s no right way or wrong way. It’s crazy powerful. It’s magical. You already know how to use it. It’s 200,000 apps and counting. All the world’s websites in your hand. It’s video, photos, more books than you can read in a lifetime. It’s already a revolution and its only just begun.

It’s an interesting direction for Apple advertising. Seems like smart one too.

Video after the break.

[Apple.com via MacStories, 9to5Mac, MacRumors]

YouTube link

UPDATED: And Arnold Kim from MacRumors realized it’s direct homage to a Newton commercial. Awesome:

YouTube link

Apple posts new “What is iPad” TV commercial is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple Gives a Nod to Newton with New ‘What is iPad?’ Ad

Apple started airing a new iPad ad tonight called "What is iPad?". The Ad seems to be a departure from their recent ads with a bit of a gruff narrator walking through what the iPad is. However, it struck me as strangely familiar and I reali...

Padres pitcher uses iPhone to self-diagnose appendicitis

Filed under: iPhone

You're a young pitcher for the San Diego Padres, it's early in the morning, and you're not feeling good. In fact, you feel awful. So what do you do? Pick up your iPhone, point Safari at WebMD.com, punch in your symptoms, and self-diagnose yourself as having appendicitis. Next step? You call the team trainer at 3:15 AM, who does a quick examination and tells you to get to the hospital ASAP. A few hours later, your appendix is gone via a laparoscopic appendectomy, and you're on the DL for a month or so.

It sounds like a script for a bad baseball movie, but it actually happened to Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer yesterday morning. He was able to take a taxi to a hospital in San Diego, where the staff confirmed his diagnosis and immediately scheduled him for surgery.

This isn't the first time an iPhone has helped someone save their own life -- in January, a survivor of the Haiti earthquake used several medical apps to keep himself alive while awaiting rescue.

It will be fun to see if Apple will be able to work this into an iPhone ad. "Self-diagnosing appendicitis? There's an app for that!"

Padres pitcher uses iPhone to self-diagnose appendicitis originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Padres pitcher uses iPhone to self-diagnose appendicitis originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everyone act surprised: HTC countersues Apple

Filed under: iPhone

HTC said it would fight against Apple's patent infringement lawsuit, and predictably, that fight has escalated into a countersuit. HTC has registered a complaint against Apple with the International Trade Commission (ITC) seeking a ban on importation of the iPad, iPhone, and iPod into the US. The ITC began investigating Apple's claim against HTC at the end of March.

Before either Apple lovers or haters get into a lather over this latest development in the ongoing patent infringement saga, it helps to be aware that HTC's complaint is highly unlikely to result in any actual importation bans. Patent lawsuits between large companies are a lot like chess games, with the same sort of move/countermove ploys. Rather than resulting in iPads sitting idle in Shanghai container ships, HTC's countersuit is far more likely to result in an expedited out-of-court cash settlement in the patent infringement matter. Which way the cash will eventually flow remains to be determined; HTC seems to be building its side of the case on being "the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002" if remarks by its vice president are anything to go by.

I'll refrain from any further armchair lawyering other than this: considering the outcome of previous patent battles, probably all that's going to come out of this in the end is a few tens of millions of dollars flowing in one direction or the other. Once money changes hands, that'll most likely be the end of it.

[Via Daring Fireball]

Everyone act surprised: HTC countersues Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Everyone act surprised: HTC countersues Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast to make your iPad a giant remote

The future of TV entertainment has “iPad” written all over it—but not for the reasons you may think.

Next Gen iPhone Prototype: 1GHz Apple A4 Processor, 256MB RAM Confirmed

Confirmation of the Verizon (CDMA) iPhone Manufacturer?

A new report (Taiwanese) seems to identify Pegatron as the manufacturer for a CDMA-compatible iPhone. Translation via Electronista:

Pegatron has been contracted to make a CDMA iPhone, insiders claimed today. The scoop is short but w...

Twitterrific for iPad adds media uploads

Twitterrific for the iPad was updated to version 1.1 Wednesday, featuring support for image and video uploads.

Comcast demos Xfinity Remote app for iPad

Today Comcast demoed Xfinity Remote, a prototype of a web-based remote control that aims to extend their interactive programming guide to many IP-enabled devices such as an iPad. Unlike their current sub par iPhone application [iTunes Link - Free] this application allows Comcast subscribers to have full control over cable boxes.

“The Xfinity Remote, which Brian Roberts demoed today on an iPad at the NCTA show, enables you to search for your favorite shows and movies on television and video on demand, change the channel on your cable box right from your iPad, and set your DVR remotely.”

Comcast also mentions the app will allow for integration into social networks and allow for chatting live while watching a show or send invites to friends to watch programming at the same time.

The Xfinity Remote should be free when in lands into the App Store and while no release date has been given, Comcast promises we will see it before the end of the year.

Video after the break!

[MacDailyNews via Comcast]

Comcast demos Xfinity Remote app for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Verizon Working With Ad Agency On iPhone Campaign

Smartphone Experts S&C retractable cable for iPhone and iPad – accessory review

The Smartphone Experts S&C retractable sync and charging cable for iPhone and iPad [$4.95 - TiPb Store Link] is for those who abhor long cables that always getting caught, tangled and the imposing clutter, the SmartPhone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone is the way to go. Small and lightweight, you can take it with you everywhere and charge/sync your iPhone through the USB connection on your laptop or computer with ease.

The Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone expands to a length of 2 ft. and has a locking feature which allows you to choose which length you would like the cable locked at. A light tug on the cable and it retracts back to its wound state. When wound, the Cable is only 4.5 inches long, making it very easy to bring with you. My regular usb S&C cable was always a tangled mess when I carried it loose in my briefcase. A good deal of time and effort was spent on untangling the cord from whatever it had become attached to. With the Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone, charging and syncing my iPhone is a snap, just take it out of my briefcase and plug it in and when I am done a quick tug and is thrown back into my bag. The cable is quite well constructed and after a month of use it is still working like new.

I would recommend getting this for everyone who charges and syncs their iPhone. I absolutely love this Cable and at $4.95 it is practically free (appeals to my Scottish side).

Pictures and video after the break!

YouTube link

Smartphone Experts S&C retractable cable for iPhone and iPad – accessory review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am BST)

iPhone Live! comes to you LIVE tonight at 8pm ET, 5pm PT (1am BST) so please join Rene and Georgia to chat about all the week’s iPhone news, how-tos, and app and accessory reviews!

http://www.tipb.com/live/

Want to be part of the show?

Grab your iPhone, launch VoiceMemo (or your favorite voice recorder of choice!), and record yourself introducing the show. Tell us your name, where you live, your favorite iPhone app, and finish it off with “…and my favorite podcast is iPhone Live!” Then email it to news (at) tipb (dot) com. We’ll pick one of you, and you’ll be on the show!

• Example: “Hi, this is Eric from Mountain View, my favorite app is Google Voice (Ad Hoc!), and my favorite podcast is iPhone Live!”

Chat with you soon!

iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am BST) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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A4 microprocessor found lurking inside 4G iPhone

Filed under: iPhone

Well, look at that. The newest batch of leaked 4G iPhone photos includes crystal-clear* tear down shots, and one of them reveals what seems to be Apple's own A4 processor. Engadget notes that "339S0084," seen just below the Apple logo, identifies what we're looking at as the A4, according to Chipworks.

The A4 is the Apple-designed system-on-a-chip (SoC) that's manufactured by Samsung and currently used in the iPad. Nearly everyone who touches an iPad remarks on how snappy and responsive it is. Here's hoping that the next iPhone offers similar performance -- and prolonged battery life -- with this thing under the hood.

Engadget further points out that "APL0398" also appears on the chip that's inside the iPad. As for the other markings, well, we don't know what they indicate. We'll let you know if we find out.

*This one's blurry because I blew it up a bit to show the text on the chip.

A4 microprocessor found lurking inside 4G iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A4 microprocessor found lurking inside 4G iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 12 May 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Dr. Seuss’s ABC for iPhone and iPad

The classic board book for small children arrives on Apple's mobile devices in spectacular fashion, with the hybrid app taking particular advantage of the iPad's larger screen.

HTC files complaint to ban U.S. import of iPhone, iPad, iPod

HTC returned fire on Wednesday in the war over smartphone patents. The Android and Windows Mobile phone maker has filed a complaint with the ITC accusing Apple of patent infringement and asked for an import ban on iPhones, iPads, and iPods into the U.S.

Steam for Mac Now Live, Portal is Free Until May 24th

Steam for Mac has officially launched. The Steam store is now featuring Mac content with over 60 launch titles. Customers can browse the Mac store from their web browsers: click to browse. The actual Steam client will need to be ...

Next iPhone: A4 Processor, 256MB RAM, N90 PRO2, Translated Impressions

iFixit confirms that the processor revealed in the leaked 4th generation iPhone is an Apple A4 processor. iFixit was also able to confirm the Samsung DRAM part number indicating that the next generation iPhone will have 256MB of RAM. This is the s...

Another Next Gen iPhone Prototype Discovered; Teardown Reveals iPad’s A4 Chip

HTC counter-sues Apple, claims 5 patents infringed

HTC has just announced that they’re counter-suing Apple for infringement, claiming Apple treads on 5 specific HTC patents.

“As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation. “We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones.”

Apple originally sued HTC for patent infringement on April 2, citing 20 patents in a move widely speculated to be directed towards Google’s Android platform in general. HTC had since agreed to license patents from Microsoft — counter-intuitively — for Android, again speculated to me a move directed towards Google.

Just like the Nokia vs. Apple suit and counter-suit, these types of suits can take months if not years to resolve, especially in the still forming smartphone space.

[HTC via Android Central]

HTC counter-sues Apple, claims 5 patents infringed is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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