A man connects his iPhone to a video transmitter which sits precariously in his handsets headphone jack. Whenever he places the video repeater near a video source, he is able to broadcast whatever is on his iPhone’s screen, effectively hacking video billboards in Times Square.
We can’t vouch for the authenticity of the video but it certainly looks real. What do you think?Image Credit, 9to5mac
Three Little Pigs and the Secrets of a Popup Book (US $3.99) from Game Collage LLC brings something new to interactive children’s books on iOS. The original book was published in 1904 and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke, a popular illustrator of the time. Along with the usual wheels, tabs and spring loaded animated object that move things around, they included X-Ray Goggles (really a tappable button), that lets you see the gears, clockwork, springs and pulleys that make the animations work on most of the pages. This fits in well with the tone of the book, since it was originally published during the second Industrial Revolution.
Just when I thought that publishers had run out of new ideas for this genre, this wrinkle arrives with a lot of fun. Outside of the well-known story, you are given a faux backstage peek of how it all works. Sure, it’s a gimmick, but it’s exceptionally entertaining, even for “older kids.” Often seeing how items are affixed to a gear gives you a good idea of what the page can do, providing a better experience playing with the movable objects after viewing the schematics. There are a lot of objects that can be manipulated either by pushing them around or tilting the screen and having the accelerometer do it.
There is a lot to see. On one screen, instead of a few objects, there are 20 apples, all connected to strings and a tab that feed out or pulls in the brightly colored strings. Looking at the X-Ray, you’ll find pulleys and gears that raise and lower the apples when you push a tab up or down. Another tap brings you back to the story. I would consider this a real benefit for kids who invariably ask “why.” You can compare the graphics and the X-Rays in the gallery below, and then hit the “Read More” link to read the rest of the review and see a whimsical video of how the book was developed.
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Three Little Pigs and the Secrets of a Popup Book brings a new twist to the genre originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you grew up in the 80s or earlier, you’ll likely remember making mixtapes from the radio. Today, the advances in technology have eliminated the need to record using analog tapes but for those of us who miss the old-school process, there’s a way to fill the void.
Stereolizer brings users over 10,000 web radio stations from across the globe and through its retro-style interface, users can create vintage mixtapes from any of the streaming channels.
The user interface sports a sleek-looking 80s style 3-piece stereo equipped with a radio receiver, amp and tape deck. Similar to turning the dials on a real-life system, Stereolizer’s digital stereo enables users to change radio stations and utilize the built-in tape deck controls; record, rewind, stop and fast-forward. It has even included the appropriate sound effects you’ll remember from ejecting a tape –it’s a nostalgic experience.
Radio stations can be browsed by country or in alphabetical order and can be saved to a preset button allowing users to quickly access their favourite stations from the stereo. The numerous stations should keep audiophiles busy for hours, and the ability to flip through thousands of radio stations worldwide is extremely interesting if you’re fascinated by music.
There are a myriad of apps capable of streaming radio stations but Stereolizer is unique in both design and for its ability to record audio. The tape deck is always loaded with a fresh tape so if you hear something awesome, audio can be recorded easily. It will store and save your tape stash and as an added plus, it will additionally post a handwritten label on each tape after you’ve included a title. Recording your own audio tape is also possible within the tape deck using the iPad’s built-in microphone.
Stereolizer has gone all out in design and there is definitely something extra fun about playing digital music on a vintage stereo.
The only obvious drawback is within the sharing feature. While Stereolizer does offer Twitter and Facebook buttons on the stereo, it merely posts the name of the radio station with a link to the app –no title of the song or preview of the track.
Stereolizer is a solid, beautiful iPad app for jamming to tunes, recording audio and discovering world music. The app is available for $1.99 in the app store.
At best, errant tweeting can leave you embarassed. At worst, it can leave you unemployed.
This week, a social media professional accidentally tweeted inappropriately from the Chrysler account he managed, lost his job, and now his agency has lost the account.
But this isn't an isolated incident. Last month, a Red Cross employee accidentally tweeted about a night of drinking; she didn't lose her job after the misfire. And there were plenty of similar cases before that one.
All of these faux pas were honest mistakes, but they show how disasterous inattentive tweeting can be. Realizing that most of these errors occurred while using a phone-based application, we at Luckie decided it was time to put serious thought into a policy to address this issue.
We put our heads together during an all-day, non-billable think tank and came up with an extensive crisis-aversion plan. And now we'll share our ingenious idea with you:
Use separate applications for professional and personal accounts.
Frighteningly simple fix, right? There are dozens and dozens of Twitter applications, and you're probably very fond of your choice application. But simply find a comfortable second option. I'll be using Twitterific and Twitter for iPhone. My colleague David Griner will be using Echofon as his backup to Twitter for iPhone.
Share your favorite applications in the comments, and if you've topped our brilliant resolution to this problem, please share that as well.
Kammie Avant is a social media planner for Luckie & Company. You can contact her by e-mail or follow @KammieAvant on Twitter.
Photo credit: Zac Peckler on Flickr.
When you think about it, an iPhone-based rig that lets anyone carry a decent vocal effects rig around in their pocket sounds like a recipe for disaster. Just look at that gentleman in the promotional image above, for example: for all we know, he sounds like one of the week one American Idol rejects — but thanks to the miracles of modern technology and around $80 in spending cash, he fancies himself the next Clay Aiken. Ah, well, no use trying to stop this train. A new $20 app called VocaLive (there’s also a free version available) from IK Multimedia includes 12 real-time effects that can be chained up to three at a time, along with a recorder that can run up to four tracks for an extra fee. You can use the iPhone’s built-in mic or a handsfree if you like — but for “best” results, you can pre-order the company’s $59.99 iRig Mic that was announced back in January, which plugs into the phone’s headset jack and features a second connector for real-time monitoring. Either way, your friends and family are sure to quickly regret it.
VocaLive, iRig Mic, iPhone conspire to create vocal talent where none exists originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
