Hardware
Found Footage: iPod glove liner offers new hope to snowbound music lovers
Jason W. has submitted a video demonstrating his latest innovation: a glove liner with magnetic contacts which functions as a wintertime remote and looks like a sweet way to geek out your cold-weather gear. It might quite possibly also be a less-expensive solution than some previously available winter gear.
Jason designed the interface — which assigns functions to each finger and is activated by touching that finger to a receiver — after watching a snowboarding friend repeatedly remove her gloves to control her iPod. I spend a fair share of time in the cold, and know the inconvenience well. I also happen to lack the ninja skills needed to control an iPod located in some of the awkward positions that armbands and winter jackets can place one in, which only heightens my interest in this invention. The subtle nature of the glove-bound controls promises a chance for me to look like that much less of a dork when attempting winter sports.
I haven’t been able to determine whether this is compatible with an iPod touch/iPhone yet. I would find it infinitely more useful with a touchscreen than with a clickwheel, which I had actually become relatively adept at using upside down and backwards before the advent of the iPhone. Some older remotes work fine, so perhaps this might already be an iPhone match.
You can see the video of the iPod glove liner on YouTube and revel in the chilly possibilities. [youtube]
Popularity: 11% [?]
Open Tech plans to release Mac clones
A few years ago, I was walking through downtown Boston with my Burger King bag and Coke. I ran into a friend in Kenmore Square who was on his way into a pizza joint. He asked me to join him and we both sat down.
As I unwrapped my Whopper, anticipating the greasy goodness that would undoubtedly shorten my life, the owner began shouting from behind the counter.
“Hey!” he said with a heavy Boston accent. “You cahhn’t eat that in here. Go pahhk it someplace else!” You see, I was eating the competitor’s food in his shop. Or, in geeker terms, running their software on his hardware. That’s a no-no in some circles.
Someone tell Open Tech.
Unfettered by Psystar’s recent run-in with Apple Legal, Open Tech has announced their new hardware lineup, including a desktop able to run XP, Vista, OSX Leopard and Ubuntu, featuring
- Intel Pentium D 945 3.40GHz Dual-Core Processor
- 500 Gb Hard Drive
- 3 GB of DDR2 Ram (667 MHz PC 5400)
- CD burner
- 802.11g Wi-Fi.
Pricing and availability has not been announced. The main difference between Open Tech’s model and Psystar’s is that Open Tech is not selling computers with Leopard pre-loaded. Instead, they provide an OS-free machine and instructions for installing the OS of your choice.
Still, we are talking about Apple’s Whopper in Open Tech’s pizza joint.
Personally, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to run whatever OS I please on my own machine. Sadly, that’s not the way things are. [Via MacNN]
Popularity: 10% [?]
iPhone 3G extended battery options
Fellow propeller-head and all-around nice guy Joel Evans over at Geek.com let me know that they had published a short post about a couple of iPhone 3G extended battery options. Since the 3G has a tendency to suck battery power like a vacuum powered by a Pratt & Whitney PW-4000 jet engine, several vendors have come out with plug-in battery extenders to make sure your App Store browsing isn’t cut short by a lack of juice.
I’ve got one more to add to the list — the RichardSolo Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod (pictured at right). If you are using your iPhone 3G as much as I am, you either need one of these extended batteries or have a really long extension cord.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Apple demands Psystar recall Mac clones
We noted yesterday that the Mac clone maker, Psystar, was sued by Apple for copyright infringement, among other things. According to a recent ZDNet post, Apple wants Psystar to recall all of the Mac clones sold since April. “Psystar’s actions have been committed with intent to damage Apple and to confuse and deceive the public,” Apple claims.
“As a direct and proximate result of Psystar’s infringing conduct, Apple has suffered and will continue to suffer lost sales and profits in an amount not yet fully ascertained in an amount to be proven at trial,” Apple notes.
I really don’t see how Psystar will be able to recover all of the Mac clones sold since April. But, if you bought one, would you send it back? I certainly wouldn’t. Engadget, our sister blog, is also looking deeply into this high-profile lawsuit. They take a look at what each allegation means for both Apple and Psystar.
Popularity: 16% [?]
Apple sues Psystar for license violations, copyright infringement
Like we didn’t see this one coming: Apple is suing Psystar for copyright infringement. Psystar is the interesting little startup Mac-clone maker who allowed Mac OS X to run on their systems without the consent of Apple. In its license agreement, you are not allowed to run Mac OS X on any non-Apple hardware.
Apple filed the complaint in a federal district court in California saying that Psystar violated its shrink-wrap license and trademarks. Apple is also alleging copyright infringement. In recent months, Psystar had begun cloning Mac OS X servers, which definitely made us feel a little uneasy about this small company. [via Engadget]
Popularity: 10% [?]
