Filed under: Steve Jobs, iPad

This is an idea so beautiful in its execution that you wonder why it hasn't been done before -- take Steve Jobs' rapturous introduction of the iPad, and put it over the footage from Star Wars of the Death Star briefing. It's a perfect geeky mashup -- I especially love Han Solo's indifference ("It's just a big iPod touch, Chewie"), and the random jeers from the audience. Also, Google Maps on the Death Star looks a little different than on my phone, but I guess that Pac Man stuff is cool.

Brilliant little short. It's funny how Apple product announcements have become almost as culturally significant as the products themselves. Of course, that's exactly the way Apple wants it, but it doesn't stop us from skewering the presentations with mashups like this.

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWSteve Jobs introduces the Death Star originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 31 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The leading maker of an cutting-edge Bluetooth headsets, Sound ID has announced the upcoming availability of its new customizable Sound ID 510, which the company claims as the world’s first ever Bluetooth headset with its own iPhone App. With the EarPrint App, Sound ID 510 users are allowed to customize their listening preferences, check battery [...]

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Filed under: Cult of Mac

PC vs. Mac flamewars are older than the web itself, but it seems like the more popular/successful Apple gets, the more heated the argument gets on both sides. Almost any debate about the relative merits of one platform or another is guaranteed to degenerate into an all-out shouting match.

In the midst of all the fighting and name calling, the oddest thing happens: almost every time, you'll see a lot of the same points being raised by both sides again and again. Some of these points are so tired and worn out, they've reached cliche status.

In online debates, there's an informal rule known as Godwin's Law, whereby if you invoke references or comparisons to Nazis or Hitler, you've automatically lost the debate. I say the items on this list have become so worn out they've reached automatic rhetorical failure status on their own. I know that every time I see one of these points appear, I immediately stop any serious consideration of any other arguments from the person who brought it up.

I'm focusing on Apple haters and their cliches for this article, but don't get the idea that Apple users aren't just as guilty of cliche-ridden arguments when they argue against using Windows. If, for example, you're an Apple user and you do any of these things:

-- Cite the Blue Screen of Death (or BSOD, as he's known to his closest friends) as a point against Windows
-- Insert a dollar sign into Microsoft's name (Micro$oft, M$)
-- Use "clever" alternate spellings of Windows (Windoze and other less family-friendly revisions)
-- Call Internet Explorer "Internet Exploder"

you're employing a heavily-cliched, Godwin-esque talking point, too.

Read on for the seven deadly cliches of anti-Mac attacks.

TUAW7 anti-Apple cliches that need to die originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 29 May 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPhone

The Sound ID is a Bluetooth headset with its own iPhone app. EarPrint is an app created just to control the sound of the headset -- you can tweak the audio in and out, change volume, and even find a lost headset directly from the iPhone itself. Not exactly revolutionary (personally, I've never really found a reason to use a Bluetooth headset -- when the actual iPhone didn't work for me, the wired headset works fine), but it's a nice bit of added functionality, especially if you know you'll always be using this headset with an iPhone.

The Sound ID is available for $130 (there are many cheaper BT headsets out there, but for the money it's a respectable piece of tech), and the EarPrint app is free.

TUAWBluetooth headset comes with its own iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPhone

OpenFeint has announced that they've reached 25 million users on their social networking service for apps on the App Store. That's an astounding number, and not only does it represent an amazing achievement by the folks at Aurora Feint, but it hints at just how big Apple's official Game Center service will be (whenever they get around to, you know, implementing it). Just for comparison, location networking service Foursquare is still racing to try and hit 3 million users, so in just over a year's time, OpenFeint has picked up many times that number. Those users represent almost a third of the iDevice market and over 85 million devices across 1900 different developers.

The service has also announced that they're bringing out the beta of version 2.5 for developers to implement in their iPhone apps and games. The new version includes a revamped API, which will allow for both turn-based and "action replay" multiplayer (a functionality that Game Center won't yet offer, as far as we know); it's also Game Center compatible, so developers who implement OpenFeint in their games will be able to easily transition to Apple's official service when it comes out (that's what we heard from Jason Citron a little while back, too). OpenFeint 2.5 is in beta right now and will arrive on iPhones later this summer.

TUAWOpenFeint hits 25 million users, announces 2.5 beta release originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Mobile Phones and Verizon Wireless have announced the upcoming launch of the new LG Fathom VS750 smartphone, which combines the notable smart global capabilities with stylish design and full QWERTY keyboard, based on Windows Mobile 6.5.3 platform. Main features of LG Fathom (Verizon Wireless): Speedy 1GHz processor and sliding full QWERTY keyboard Clear 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen [...]

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Filed under: Gaming

The always impressive folks at Valve have released the trailer above, which will be familiar if you've ever seen a very popular Apple commercial before. And at the end, you'll also see why they've done this: Half Life 2 is coming to the Mac tomorrow, May 25, 2010.

That's pretty much all we have to say -- the first-person shooter is one of the best-reviewed and best-selling games of all time, and it'll be running natively on the Mac thanks to the Steam for Mac release from a few weeks ago. If you've never played Half-Life 2, you're in for a treat, even if you never played the classic first title in the series. We haven't yet heard about a price (the PC version is currently at $20, though Valve has a history of dropping prices unexpectedly -- Portal was free for its Mac release), and while a few outlets are saying the two episodic followups to the game will be out tomorrow as well, we don't yet know that for sure. Stay tuned, as one of the biggest classics in PC gaming finally arrives on the Mac.

TUAWHalf Life 2 out on Mac tomorrow originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPhone

According to Boy Genius Report, the iPhone 3G is very likely to be discontinued. Apple has reportedly stopped supplying AT&T stores with the 8 GB iPhone 3G. Additionally, the Australian online Apple Store lists the iPhone 3G as "currently unavailable," and UK carrier O2 has altered its ordering options in a way that makes it impossible to purchase the low-end iPhone.

It's not at all shocking that the iPhone 3G is most likely about to be discontinued. The two-year-old hardware is relatively anemic even compared to its successor, the 3GS. Because of its lower RAM and CPU speed, the iPhone 3G won't enjoy all the benefits of iPhone OS 4.0, particularly multitasking. Once the iPhone 3G is discontinued, one of two things will probably happen -- see them both after the link below.

[Via MacRumors]

TUAWWave goodbye to the iPhone 3G originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 24 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: App Review

"Lace up your shoes (oh, ay, oh, ay!) / Here's how we do / Run baby run / Don't ever look back"

Are you like me? Do you like the running? Do you like running with your iPhone? I love to run, and I need music. Just the right song can turn a mediocre run into something transcendental.

But what was it that separated the motivating songs from the energy-sapping ones? Turns out, it's at least partly the beat. A song that pounds along with my stride is always welcome. For a spell, I tried finding songs that would do that. I even checked out Podrunner podcasts--the 'casts are set to a particular beats per minute (BPM) that you can choose. Problem was, I wasn't that excited about the music. Sure, it was the right tempo, but I wanted my songs.

TUAWApp review: Cadence keeps the beat originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 23 May 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gaming

Our friends over at massively.com, a site all about massively multiplayer online games, have put together a quick roundup of iPhone apps related to MMO games. Inspired by this week's update to the World of Warcraft app, they've got apps for MMOs like Aion, Dungeons and Dragons Online, and EVE, along with a few other MMO-related downloads for you to find. Unfortunately, The Fallen Earth iPhone app still isn't out yet, but it's on the list as well, with more coming soon.

Most of these apps are actually unofficial, ancillary apps; they are usually guides or calculators to help you play the games well. I think there's a lot of potential in this type of iPhone app, though, either as an official supplement to the game (like the Fallen Earth or WoW apps, which allow you to monitor and control in-game information via the app), or as a sort of meta-mini game. One idea would be an app that would allow you to earn in-game gold or play another kind of game, like a tower defense or empire building game, that somehow affected your character in the RPG at large. I think there are a lot of future possibilities for mobile games and their interaction with MMOs and other online titles. Developers have only scratched the surface of what's possible with using the mobile platform as an ancillary service.

TUAWMassively rounds up MMO iPhone apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 22 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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