Peripherals
Give your iPhone 3G a telephoto lens
From the “really strange looking iPhone accessories” department, we present for your inspection the mobile.brando.com.hk Apple iPhone 3G Mobile Phone Telescope. Dave mentioned this in passing a few days ago, but since Apple noted it today we went back and took a closer look. This product definitely wins the Apple award for the longest name for an iPhone add-on. In case you’re wondering what the function of this device is, the website says it all — “Overcome the short coming of camera cellphone that can only near-sighted, it also makes distant view for you at the moment.”
The idea is to take this plastic “crystal” case, put it on your iPhone 3G, and then put the telescope onto the case. This gives your iPhone a 6X telephoto lens. But it does more! Once again, from the website — “The new design to run of rays can effectively avoid the contortion of image, and makes the super wide angle, the larger luminous flux, the higher visual acuteness, good for color reduction, which makes the high quality of photography.”
Huh?
If you really need a telephoto lens for your iPhone 3G and don’t mind the abuse from friends, you can order one for the bargain price of US$19 plus shipping. For more mind-boggling details or to order the telescope, click the Read link below.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Eye-Fi and SmugMug team up for geotagging
The Eye-Fi card is an SD card with a difference — it has Wi-Fi built into it for easy camera-to-internet transfer of photos. It comes in three different flavors; Eye-Fi Home, Eye-Fi Share, and Eye-Fi Explore. The latter card (US$129) includes free Wi-Fi access at Wayport hotspots, unlimited geotagging using Skyhook Wireless (the same service Apple and Google use for location data on pre-3G iPhones and iPod touch handhelds), and an unlimited WebShare service for sharing photos.
Eye-Fi and SmugMug (an online photo sharing site) announced a partnership providing a year of geotagging and hotspot access for SmugMug members using an original Eye-Fi Card or the $US99.99 Eye-Fi Share. SmugMug provides standard (US$39.95 annually), power user (US$59.95 annually) and professional ($149.95 annually) accounts, all of which provide ad-free, backed-up, and secure hosting of your photos.
Do you use an Eye-Fi card with your digital camera? If you do, what service do you upload your photos to, and do you use the geotagging capability? Leave us a comment.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Review: Richard | Solo Smart Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod
If there’s anything I’ve learned about the iPhone 3G since July 11th, it’s that the battery life is horrible. If I’m just texting and making the occasional call, I can survive for a day, but if I try to play games or use 3G I know it’s going to go to the dreaded red battery icon quickly.
That’s why there are a growing number of manufacturers who have extended battery packs for the iPhone on the market. For example, I looked at the Kensington Mini Battery Pack and Charger (US$49.99), but the website doesn’t show that it works with the iPhone 3G.
My next choice was the Richard | Solo Smart Backup Battery. This US$49.95 lithium-ion battery pack has saved me from running out of juice prematurely more than once!
Read the rest of this entry
Popularity: 9% [?]
Jawbone: Get ticketed, get a discount
Who says crime doesn’t pay?
Aliph, makers of the ultra-cool noise-reducing Jawbone Bluetooth headset, have come up with a great marketing scheme. If you live in California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, or Washington — all states with laws requiring hands-free use of mobile phones — and receive a ticket for yapping with your iPhone plastered to your ear, Jawbone will deduct $20 off the purchase price of one of their headsets.
You can’t get a discount on the Silver Tongue model, but the prices for the Goldy Lips and Blah Blah Black versions end up at $129.99 and $109.99 respectively. All you need to do is go to the Jawbone website, look for the Hands Free Ticket Processor, and enter your state and ticket number. $20 is taken off the original purchase price, and you’re ready to go.
This is one case where I wish I did live in a nanny state that was forcing me to use a hands-free kit! [jawbone]
Popularity: 9% [?]
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: 13% [?]
