Latest Gear Live Videos
ZiPhone II USB Telephone
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Internet, USB,
The ZiPhone II USB Telephone from Simple Simon has been drawing a lot of attention this past week, due to the money-saving features and call recording capabilities that is boasts. Even more, we see the hacker / designer aspect of the phone with it’s programmer’s development kit and sample code as well. The phone connects to a PC over a USB connection and utilizes VoIP for communications on that end. It doesn’t stop there though, as it can also connect to a standard land line as well as analog PBX connections as well. What’s fantastic is that it can be managed through any Windows-based VoIP SoftPhone or virtual PBX system on the market. The ZiPhone II runs for $199.95 USD.
[Thanks, sightandsound!]
Read More 
| Simple Simon
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What Will iPhone Gaming Be Like?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Electronic Arts, Internet, Portable/Mobile, Rumors,
The iPhone looks to be one of the first great, albeit pricy, “convergence” gadgets out there. Running a version of MacOS X that will allow you to surf the web, play 4GB worth of MP3s, watch videos (in near-widescreen format), and make phonecalls, the iPhone holds a lot of promise. Still, nothing’s been mentioned yet about the real reason folks will be picking up this $499/$599 monster - it’s a new way to play Snood, Solitaire, and Bejeweled on the go!
Apple may not have announced anything yet, but Gamesindustry.biz is reporting that Electronic Arts is in talks with Apple to produce games for the new gadget. EA has already produced games for the ubiquitous Apple iPod, including translations of Mahjong, Mini-Golf, Tetris, and Sudoku built for its click-wheel interface. Given that the iPhone will have a multi-touch interface, a faster processor, and a nice widescreen display, it seems that EA could be able to produce some really advanced content for this piece of hardware. Perhaps a Madden clone where you can draw-out your playbook on the screen? Or a first-person shooter where you aim and shoot with touch-controls? We’ll have to wait and see how ambitious EA gets, but it’s looking like there’s a lot of promise in this platform.
Read More | GamesIndustry.biz
Steve Jobs Introduces iPhone on Mad TV
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Videos,
We know that millions of you have checked out the recent SNL video on YouTube that featured Justin Timberlake and Adam Sandberg and their hilarious “Dick in a Box”, but we were busy last weekend chuckling at this parody of Mad TV cast member Michael McDonald’s interpretation of “Steve Jobs Introducing the iPhone”. Not as naughty, it is quite amusing nonetheless. We just had to share.
Read More | Mad TV
CES 2007: Cisco Sues Apple Over iPhone Name
Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: Apple, CES, CES 2007,
Cisco, who holds the trademark on the iPhone product name (and already sells an eponymous product) has decided to sue Apple in federal court for use of their trademark. This, after much discussion of Cisco and Apple coming to an agreement.
“Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco’s iPhone name,” said Mark Chandler, Cisco senior vice president and general counsel, in a statement. “There is no doubt that Apple’s new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission.”
Whoopsie. Perhaps Apple can fax the paperwork back to them already and be done with it? (Though, if rumors of the agreement being of a per-unit-sold nature, we all know how reticent Apple is to pay into a royalty structure like that.)
Read More | Yahoo! News
Apple Announces The iPhone, Widescreen iPod, Internet Navigator
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Music, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video,
We have been waiting for this one for quite a while, and Apple delivered on the iPhone rumors that have been making the rounds for the better part of a year. The iPhone is more than just a phone though - this is the next generation iPod, a portable version of OS X, and a portable Internet navigator. Let’s first look at the hardware features.
The new iPhone features a 3.5-inch widescreen tough-sensitive display. The screen is a 320x480 at 160 ppi - that is an absolutely amazing feat, as 160 ppi is going to be gorgeous. The phone itself is 11.6 mm thin, and features a 2.0 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM/EDGE, EiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0. Battery life will be 16 hours for audio, 5 hours for talk time, video, and web browsing. Even cooler still is the built-in proximity sensor, which recognizes when the phone is on your ear so that it turns off the screen to save power. The accelerometer senses when the phone is tilted into a portrait or landscape display, and changes what is seen on the screen as appropriate. Lastly, there are ambient light sensors as well.
On the software side of things, the iPhone runs a specialized version of OS X, with the promise of support for full desktop-class applications. The phone also has SMS session support, which looks to have an iChat-like interface. This allows you to follow an SMS conversation back and forth on one screen. The three way calling support on the phone looks to work easily and seamlessly - if you have two calls going at once, simply hit the conference button, and both calls are brought together. Safari is built in, touted as the first fully usable HTML browser on a phone, and it features on-the-fly zooming that reminded us of the Wii Opera Browser. Photo management is top notch, and the phone even support Dashboard widgets as well, allowing for a whole host of software application possibilities that haven’t even been thought of yet.
Apple also announced support for Yahoo! IMAP email, which will be PUSH email similar to what you find on the BlackBerry. Google Maps is also integrated into the phone in a snazzy way, and that includes satellite map support.
The iPhone is going to be offered exclusively through Cingular in the US starting in June, and hits Europe in the fourth quarter of 2007, followed by Asia in 2008. The 4 GB model will be available for $499 with a two-year contract, while the 8 GB model will sell for $599 with two-year contract. Once it passes FCC approval, the phone will be available for purchase from both Cingular and Apple.
Apple has created a great interactive site that lets you see exactly how a bunch of the iPhone features work, which you can check out below.
Read More | Apple iPhone Product Page
