If there’s one thing I’ve always missed about MacBooks it’s the lack of gut-thumping bass. I mean the kind of bass that curdles your insides and causes them to blow out in a wet, pink slurry. I’m talking about bass that will make your parents come down into the basement and ask just what do you think you’re doing and then when they come down they’ll be all like “GLARGGLE!” and then they’ll melt like the Nazi’s in Raiders of the Lost Ark .
It stands to reason that a general purpose mobile computing platform, like the iPhone or iPod Touch, will engender a host of special purpose niche applications. Pet Acoustics is one such application: “Pet Acoustics music has been specifically designed for the hearing sensitivities of your pet, both in frequency, volume and rhythm to calm and soothe your pet anytime, anywhere.” This $1.99 app includes music for dogs, cats, and horses, and includes a timer feature for scheduled playback.
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Does there need to be an app for that? Pet Acoustics, the music app for pets
Here’s the latest HourTime podcast, my little side project with Ariel Adams . Note, there’s a special surprise near the middle of the show so take a listen.
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HourTime Podcast… plus a contest
This is certainly something all museums should attempt; not only does it allow for easy browsing of the museum’s pieces, as you see here, but if correctly done it could have maps, lectures, and all sorts of other stuff going on as well. It’s pretty easy to get lost in a labyrinth like the Louvre or V&A, but a system like this could both put people where they want to go and get them to buy more prints and mugs
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Italian Surface-esque museum display combines Cover Flow with a huge touchscreen
World of Warcraft turns 5-years-old today. Back on November 23, 2004, a year before the current generation of video game systems even began (with the launch of the Xbox 360), Blizzard released the massively multi-player online game at a time when massively multi-player online games were still largely the haunt of hardcore gamers, people with fast Internet connections who were willing to pay $15 per month for access to a game that they already bought. Who can forget the message board threads: Why do I have to pay for a game that I already paid for at the store?
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Celebrating 5 years of World of Warcraft
Apple’s Mac Pros are pricey desktops designed for prosumer applications, so it’s not often you see them in a person’s home. But the speedy new iMac could render Mac Pros irrelevant even in offices if Apple doesn’t upgrade its high-end desktop soon. Benchmark testing by Macworld found that the top-of-the-line iMac, which features a 2.8-GHz Core i7 processor (one of the newest Intel chips using the Nehalem microarchitecture) and a 27-inch LCD display, is faster than the two Mac Pros available — a quad-core 2.66-GHz model and an eight-core 2.26-GHz version.
Several airlines have been offering Wifi for a while now. United Airlines wants to ensure that people are actually trying it out and so through the end of the year, you can get one free session if you create a new account with Aircell’s Gogo Inflight. The offer is only good on United’s 757-200 flights between New York Kennedy and the airline’s Los Angeles and San Francisco hubs.
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United Airlines & Gogo offering try-before-you-buy in-flight Wifi promo
You’ll recall that Microsoft recently banned a bunch of people from Xbox Live because they had modded their 360s. Modding is against the rules, don’t you know? Microsoft told VentureBeat not to believe the numbers being thrown around—the number most relayed is 1 million banned 360s—because it never releases numbers to anyone.
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Microsoft defends decision to ban modded Xbox 360s (but says it didn’t ban 1 million of them)
I’m not really sure if this is good or bad news for end consumers, but a couple of Japanese companies have developed a technology that makes it possible to transmit information from blinking LEDs fixed on advertisements to cell phones – using only light. The companies involved in the development include some big names such as Toshiba or NEC. With this new system, Japanese cell phone users don’t have to scan the ubiquitous QR codes anymore to access more information on a certain product or to get coupons but can obtain the data without being physically close to the ads
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Blinking LEDs transmit information to cell phones via light
Using the Gas Cubby iPhone app to increase your fuel economy and keep your vehicle properly maintained can save you money and help the environment… but, if you’ve learned anything from CrunchGear, it’s that saving money isn’t much fun unless you can blow it on something cool and completely over the top. Well, one lucky CrunchGear reader gets to have their cake and eat it too. App Cubby, the developer of Gas Cubby, is giving away a Viper SmartStart kit to one lucky CrunchGear reader
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Monday Giveaway: Viper SmartStart iPhone Kit, Brought to you by Gas Cubby
Nintendo started offering a video distribution service for Japanese Wii owners this May, attracting about 800,000 customers by late September in this country. In the same month, Nintendo promised their free channel will be made available to Non-Japanese Wii owners next year , at the same time announcing they’ll start offering paid content (in Japan) very soon. And since the weekend, we have that fee-based streaming video service [JP] over here.
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Nintendo Japan launches (paid) on-demand video service for Wii
It seems that a few Apple warranties have been deemed void due to the fact that the owner was a a smoker, and consequently their Macs were contaminated . The Applecare contract says nothing about this, and the list of toxic materials includes other such dangerous household items as talcum powder and isopropyl alcohol. There’s a long discussion of consumer rights and nanny laws and all that sort of thing just waiting to be pulled out of this story, but let’s not and say we did.
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Can smoking void your computer’s warranty?
With all the gadgets, remotes, and thingamajigs piling up on your coffee table, finding the right remote can sometimes be a real pain. But thanks to a few heroic Android developers, there are tools to consolidate some of those pesky remotes … into your Android phone. While you can’t use an Android app to turn your TV on or change the channels (because of the lack of an infrared emitter in the Android phones on the market today), the following apps let you control a home theater PC, Tivo, Squeezebox and other devices via your phone
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5 Nifty Apps That Turn Your Android Into A Universal Remote
Short Version: A universal notebook adapter with retractable cabling that extends to almost ten feet in length, comes with nine adapter tips, and features two USB charging ports. Features: 90-watt universal notebook adapter Nine adapter tips Retractable cables extend to provide 9.5-feet of total length Includes two USB charging ports MSRP of $99.99 Pros: No tangled cables Built-in USB charging ports Decent system compatibility Cons: Not all that compact, despite marketing claims that it’s “up to 60 percent smaller than competitors.” Review: When it comes to universal notebook adapters, it’s important to keep a couple things in mind.
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Review: ReTrak Universal 90W Notebook Wall Charger
Target will be running a special Sunday-to-Wednesday circular this weekend full of pre-Black Friday deals. Most of the deals are okay, if unspectacular – 32-inch LCD TV for $398, $20 giftcard with Wii system purchase, etc. – while the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One netbook ought to sell out pretty quickly at just $199 (although don’t forget that Office Max will be selling a similar machine on Black Friday for $150)
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Target leaks pre-Black Friday deals: Acer netbook for $199
Turkey Day is just around the corner, which means that the annual American tradition season of losing one’s mind in exchange for slightly discounted goods will officially begin a week from today. Yes, I speak of the infamous day that is Black Friday . The very same day in which hundreds of thousands of Americans transform into penny-pinching-zombies who will do whatever it takes to score a cheap fix.
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The More You Know: An Overview of the Major Carriers’ Early Termination Fees
You may recall that back in early September, we brought you news of this steering wheel table. Well, the customer reviews on Amazon’s product page are pouring in and it looks like this may be the sleeper hit of the season! Just take a look at what legions of fans are saying about the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk: “Wow is this thing great! I use it as a “mini-bar” when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next.
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Rave reviews for steering wheel table!
If you prefer warm, indoor shopping to cold, outdoor, middle-of-the-night Black Friday shopping, then you may be happy to hear that Best Buy “is bringing the excitement of Black Friday a week early this holiday season.” How is this possible? How can one retail store bend the fabric of the time-space continuum in such a way? According to a recent press release: Effective November 19, 2009, Best Buy will move the everyday low price on all entry level 32-inch Dynex LCD HDTV’s to $299.99 and 40-inch Dynex 1080p to $499.99.
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Best Buy drops everyday price of 40-inch 1080p TV to $500, 32-inch 720p to $300
Velcome, darling! Look what we have for you! Sergey Brin wearing VFF KSOs, CrunchGear’s favorite, as Greg calls them, “crazy monkey shoes.” I’m personally a VFF convert and I’m very impressed that Sergey is willing to walk around in these. For those not in the know, Vibram Five Fingers are ultralight running/sports shoes with separate pockets for each toe
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This season, crazy monkey shoes are the new hotness at the Chrome OS event
While you won’t be able to sense it at first, expect to feel a high frequency buzz from the direction of Redmond in the next few months. That’s the Windows 7 and Office group fearing the rise of a new juggernaut on low-cost computing hardware, ChromeOS. ChromeOS may not be powerful, it may not play Far Cry and it may not run Microsoft Office but it’s a game changer.
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What ChromeOS Means For Netbooks And Why Microsoft Needs To Be Scared
Imation today officially starts shipping “the world’s first Wireless USB external hard drive,” the Imation Pro WX. It’s a 1.5TB hard drive with an MSRP of $450 — too rich for my blood but it may be able to find a home in small businesses or larger households. Seeing as though you’d need a special wireless USB connector attached to each computer, a network hard drive will still make a bit more sense for most people (no special equipment needed, longer range, etc.) until the prices of these wireless USB products start to fall
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Imation Pro WX wireless USB hard drive now shipping: 1.5TB for $450
Funnily enough, the Malcolm Frontier promo video showcasing its “iMojito” all-in-one iPhone case and wallet (naked girl on a scooter, naked guy on fixed-gear bike, naked guy running, all SFW) demonstrates my first thought about this case: At the end of the rather nice video spot, the naked guy (on foot) grabs the wallet (cash, cards, iPhone) from the naked girl on the moped (she’s carrying it in her mouth.
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iMojito: The Vegan Friendly iPhone Case and Wallet