Have you ever been tapping keys on your iPhone’s screen and wished there was some tactile feedback? Me neither, but if I had, this unique clear cover for the iPhone screen might have fit the bill. The 4iThumbs is basically a clear plastic cover for the screen of the iPhone that has indentations where the keys are situated when the onscreen keyboard is in use.
By James Kendrick, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 09:01 PST
Not happy with three honeycombed application rows in Windows Mobile 6.5? How do four, five or even six vertical rows of icons grab you? You’ll need a sizable screen resolution if you plan to cram a half-dozen rows on your handset, but it can be done, courtesy of XDA developers. Pocketnow says this should work on WVGA devices as well as VGA units, but you’ll want to try different CAB files to see how many rows hits the sweet spot for you.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Tuesday, November 24, 2009 09:01 PST
I had not heard of this phenomenon before, but it is being reported that Firefox is causing systems to run harder than other web browsers. This is allegedly due to web pages that have a lot of Flash-based content which makes the CPU run harder and longer. It seems the system heat goes up and causes the fans to go into overdrive to keep things cool.
By James Kendrick, Monday, November 23, 2009 10:42 PST
Our readers in Europe will be happy to hear this news — Spotify’s music streaming service is now supported on Symbian handsets from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, TechRadar reports. The mobile client joins Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch as well as Google Android devices in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United Kingdom, France and Spain. The entire list of supported devices is right here, and it’s interesting that a few of them include support for Nokia’s own “Comes With Music” service. That’s what I like to see — no restrictions on competing apps; let the best software or service win.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Monday, November 23, 2009 06:00 PST
It’s fairly difficult to find a sale on Apple notebooks on desktops. Apple rarely discounts its computing line, and online resellers usually require a rebate, if and when they offer a worthwhile discount. But last year, I took advantage of a pre-emptive Black Friday sale at Best Buy — that’s when I picked up my unibody 13″ MacBook with a $150 discount over Apple’s pricing. There was no rebate, and I walked out of the store with MacBook in hand.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Monday, November 23, 2009 05:19 PST
MoTR 190 is 37:49 minutes long and is a 34.7 MB file in MP3 format.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Friday, November 20, 2009 07:33 PST
Using Gmail on a Mac? Then you may already know about Mailplane — if not, and you’re looking for an email client to use with Gmail, Mailplane is worth a look. The standalone software integrates seamlessly with multiple Gmail accounts and can make email wrangling far less of a chore. Version 2.1 is fresh out of beta and adds useful features like support of offline Gmail using Gears and image insertion within the text of your mail. Don’t forget that Google recently added a feature allowing you to tame your offline email — you can specify which folders appear offline and how much of that mail you really want to tote around. Also included in this release is support for multiple rich text email signatures.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Thursday, November 19, 2009 06:35 PST
Did you buy one of those geeky Smartpens from Livescribe and are now looking for more things to do with it? There’s an app store for that. The Smartpen is a digital pen that captures handwritten notes in a format that can be used in a variety of ways. The new store has apps that range from simple games like Hangman to foreign language dictionaries. A quick look around the store shows quite a few apps for 99 cents, and others ranging up to $30.
By James Kendrick, Thursday, November 19, 2009 05:45 PST
There is a big work force that works out of their cars, driving from meeting to meeting and trying to keep up with stuff in between. I did that for years and more than once I longed for a simple, cheap way to use my laptop for quick work sessions from the driver’s seat of my car. The Laptop Steering Wheel Desk spotted on Gearlog would have been just the ticket for me, and may be for those in a similar situation.
By James Kendrick, Wednesday, November 18, 2009 07:30 PST
This is firmly in the unverified rumor department, but a Chinese source is claiming that netbook maker ASUS is in talks to buy the notebook division of Toshiba. The source of the rumor is reported to be none other than ASUS CEO Jonney Shih, so there may be some truth in this. ASUS has done well in the netbook business since starting the phenomenon with the Eee PC, but its notebooks have yet to catch on with the buying public.
By James Kendrick, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 05:56 PST
Adobe Labs has released beta versions of Air and Flash, bringing new features and opening up both for better developer support. Both Air 2 and Flash 10.1 now have support for multitouch and gestures, and Flash can use hardware to better handle H.264 video.
By James Kendrick, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 04:41 PST
The smartphone sector is one of the fastest moving sectors in the mobile tech space. New phones appear almost daily, and the resultant race for the latest and greatest is a hectic one. Savvy consumers may be the only ones concerned about technical details such as OS version installed on a given phone, but it can make a big difference when it comes time to make a purchase. It is not always a given that smartphone X will get the next big OS upgrade, and even if it does the timing of said upgrade is not always fast. That leads to the question — how fast is fast enough for smartphone upgrades?
By James Kendrick, Monday, November 16, 2009 08:30 PST
This is usually the season for door-busting sales, but I think this one has to do with reducing inventory more than anything. MSI is touting a new online promotion in India, the UK, Australia and Italy, and although I’m not near any of those parts, I checked it out. The promotional link took me to a deal for a free MSI Wind netbook with the purchase of an X600 notebook. The free netbook is the same U100 model I purchased in 2008 and is worth roughly $350. To get the deal, you actually have to print out the online coupon and take it to specific vendors.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Monday, November 16, 2009 07:00 PST
Sony’s old PRS-500 eBook reader gains a new trick with the addition of ePub format support, says MobileRead. Oh, but it’s quite a trick to get the support. While one would expect this to be a simple firmware update, it isn’t. Well, it’s either that or it’s a way for you to get a new model — you be the judge. To get ePub support, you’ll need to send in your PRS-500 to a Sony Service Center. Sony will “update the firmware” — so it is just a firmware update, yes? — and return your reader to you within 14 days. Plan B is to trade up. Sony will give you $50 off of the $199 Reader Pocket Edition or $75 off the $299 Reader Touch Edition if you trade in your older device. Both of the newer models already support ePub, so you gain the new format as well as a newer device if you go the trade-in route. Don’t wait too long to decide — Sony is migrating its eBook platform and store to ePub before the end of the year.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Monday, November 16, 2009 05:35 PST
This morning finds me back at the car repair shop that I visited a couple of days ago. It’s not that I find it a comfortable place to work — no, that’s not why I’m here. They had to order parts to finish the repairs to my old Volvo, and this morning the work is being done.
By James Kendrick, Friday, November 13, 2009 08:25 PST
Augmented Reality (AR) is one of those cool technologies (subscription required) that fascinates me. The ability to merge what is seen through a phone camera into the real world and leverage it in useful ways is awesome. When the cool factor settles down, I’m left with the reality of AR, and that is trying to find real-world uses for it that add benefit. Car Finder by Intridea is a good example of a real benefit that AR can bring the user in everyday life.
By James Kendrick, Thursday, November 12, 2009 06:45 PST
Many moons ago I used SPB Wallet on my Pocket PC. And by many moons, I mean not long after Y2K — you kids will have to look that one up on Wikipedia. The application stores passwords, credit card numbers and other personal data in a virtual wallet. There was also a Windows desktop companion program, which made it easier to access and edit information. At long last, SPB announces support for Mac OS X, and it looks pretty slick and just as functional as its venerable Windows counterpart.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Thursday, November 12, 2009 06:05 PST
Microsoft just released Windows Mobile 6.5 last month, but already, there’s talk of testing Windows Mobile 7. That might explain why 6.5 is more of a minor bump after all the time between it and the prior version. WMPowerUser caught wind of the “Maldives” WinMo 7 tester program, allegedly slated for the first quarter of 2010. Now by “tester program” I mean testing by handset manufacturers, not for average Joes and Janes. And there’s no indication that Windows Mobile 7 will hit any earlier than the third quarter of 2010. But it’s a positive sign as other mobile operating systems have caught up to, and in many ways passed, Windows Mobile over the last two years alone.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 07:05 PST
Say what you will about Palm Pre owners, they are by and large an innovative lot. An enterprising (and electrically savvy) Pre owner has extended the homebrew scene from apps to the physical and built a car mount for his Pre using the Touchstone charger.
By James Kendrick, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 05:43 PST
The folks behind Firefox are still hard at work on Fennec, the mobile version of the popular browser. A new beta version 1.0b5, known officially as Firefox for Maemo, is out for the Nokia N810 and N900, and our buddy Matt Miller is taking it for a test spin. It sounds like the most significant change with this beta is it now has official Firefox branding, hinting that the full version can’t be far behind.
By James Kendrick, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 04:28 PST
Kevin and I have been using Dropbox for a long time, primarily to exchange large files. The service provides great file-sharing and syncing features to keep all your devices up to date. One of the confusing things about Dropbox has been the web home. Due to a domain problem, the service has always been found at getdropbox.com. We received word today that it has resolved this issue, and the new home is dropbox.com, as you would expect.
By James Kendrick, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 07:40 PST
Did you pre-order a Nokia N900? You’ll want to check your mail for a tracking number today because Nokia confirmed that the first shipments of its Maemo phone are on the way. SlashGear got the official word at a Nokia event earlier today and also got a sneak peek at the latest new features and functions. Check out the video presentation they captured, which is actually most impressive — the on-screen presentation is done with a Nokia N900 using the included video-out cable.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 06:56 PST
The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and it’s always a delight when companies give back to us in the spirit of the season. Our friends at GottaBeMobile are pointing out not one company giving back, but three. It seems that Google is filling up 47 airports in the U.S. and flights on Virgin Air with free Wi-Fi through Jan. 15. Yahoo is lighting up Times Square all year in NYC with Wi-Fi action, and Microsoft is partnering with JiWire to give Wi-Fi in airports, as long as users make at least one search with Bing. ‘Tis the season to stay connected.
By James Kendrick, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 05:40 PST
Looks like you can add Toshiba to the ranks of netbook brands going the subsidy route. Over the weekend, jkOTR reader Hector Gomez and I both saw the deal in this week’s Best Buy circular — which is actually square, not circular at all. The standard $399 price for a Toshiba NB-205 looks like it got jacked up by $100 because the netbook alone is advertised at $499. I suspect that’s simply to make the subsidy deal look more attractive, because this configuration is routinely $399. In any case, you can nab the NB-205 for $299 with integrated HSPA service through AT&T for the next two years. If you’d rather go with integrated EVDO on the Verizon or Sprint network, you’ll pay $229. In either case, you’ll be paying $1,440 over the next two years for your service, so don’t overlook that budgetary point.
By Kevin C. Tofel, Monday, November 9, 2009 06:25 PST
Like you, I have found myself inundated with cool gear-related products to spend my money on this holiday season. One such product actually looks like a useful addition for those who have an iMac or an Apple Cinema Display. The BackPack from twelve south is a little shelf that attaches to the back of an iMac or a Cinema Display where it adds a spot to store things. It’s the perfect size for an external disk drive or other peripheral, and it’s perforated metal so it should provide good ventilation for whatever you put there.
4iThumbs — When the Screen Is Not Enough
Broadsheet
War Room
Glenn Greenwald
