Touchpad Pro,the app that makes the iPhone/iPod Touch much more fascinating, enables you to control your computer via your iPhone or iPod Touch. Based upon the VNC technology, your iPhone/iPod Touch can act as a remote screen of your computer and. Let me give you some features of Touchpad Pro1. iPhone & iPod Touch Supported.2. Multi-display, high resolution desktops Supported. 3. Control the mouse and keyboard of your computer wirelessly via your iPhone/iPod Touch.4. Using ScreenView to view your computer’s screen on your iPhone / iPod Touch. 5. User-friendly Touchpad interface for mouse controls.6. able to connect Windows, Mac and anything running a VNC server.7. Easy access to numeric keypad, arrow keys, and function keys via Remote Control.8. Fine-grained control of media player using Touchpad Media Server.

Japan’s Solid Alliance is now selling an Apple iPod cover that’s designed to look like RAW MEAT. It comes in a cellophane-and-styrofoam package just like meat does. It’s what’s for dinner.

via http://www.therawfeed.com/2008/04/new-ipod-cover-looks-like-raw-meat.html

An App called SIP-VOIP is a VOIP software available on jailbroken iPod Touches and the iPhone. Unlike other VOIP applications it has been confirmed to work on both of Apple’s Devices.

Their plan was to make a VOIP compatible with the iPod Touch to bring an iPhone like experience to users without access to the iPhone. Check it out and tell us what you think in the comments.

via  http://www.apple-touch.com/voip-for-ipod-touch-sip-voip-21609.php

Rotem925 created a very cool app, iBuilder.
It let’s you create your own Firmware with all you can desire already installed

the official words from the developer are:

-Its a bundle builder, it will build a bundle directly from the installer,
package it so that the installer will recognize it
-It supports installer sources too

Known BUGS
There is a problem with the directory /private/var
looks like it cant load the carrier plist.

–end developer comments.

the app is still in beta, but this looks like it’s going to be a very very very nice app.

No more installing every single app after a restore, just create the image with all the apps you need, and tata, your iPhone is instantly installed !

You can download the app from here

 via http://iphonefreakz.com/2008/04/20/create-your-own-firmware-with-ibuilder/

Like melon balls wrapped in prosciutto, playing an iPod through such a vacuum-tube amplifier sounds like a ludicrous combination until you actually try it. Perhaps it has something to do with the warm sound of the aged technology of tube amps — which can smooth out the tendency for MP3 files to sound a little harsh — but there’s no doubt that a tube-based iPod dock and a pair of good speakers can deliver pretty decent sound.

Far from being one company’s crazy idea, tube amps designed for iPods have multiplied in recent years. From the elaborate to the sexy to the gigantic, there are now a bunch of ways you can wrap your iPod in thermionic tubiness. Follow the Continue jump to check out a few of our favorites.

10. Fatman iTube: For Skinny iPods

The Fatman iTube is a neat little package, including an ultra-stylish iPod dock with a separate but matching 13-watt-per-channel tube amp. Unlike many of these systems, the iTube’s dock delivers video as well as audio through its composite- and S-video output jacks. It also charges your iPod, and includes a 27-button remote offering control over all of the iPod’s functions. We’ve seen it sold in various combinations both with and without speakers from a little over $400 on up, so it pays to shop around for the package that fits your needs.

Bluebird Music, via Macworld

9. Shanling MC-30: Hi-Fi for the 21st Century

Back when I was a kid, a stereo was a thing played both vinyl records and cassettes, along with an AM/FM radio. Now that I’ve aged myself, let’s check out today’s equivalent. The Shanling MC-30 still has the radio but packages it with an iPod dock and CD player for those old-skool shiny music discs you might still have lying around. The real kicker however is the MC-30’s flealike 3-watt-per-channel output, putting you on the hunt for some mighty sensitive speakers.

Elusive Disc, via Audiojunkies

8. RockridgeSound VTS-384: All-American Tubes, Direct from Japan

Hailing from the wild west region of Japan, the Rockridge VTS-384 puts all you need for music into one box — speakers and all. Think of it as a tube version of Apple’s own short-lived iPod Hi-Fi. Seeing as it has a pair of EL-84 output tubes for each channel, the 4 watts total of rated output seems decidedly wimpy, although I suspect those single-driver speakers are pretty efficient. You also get a remote for your iPod. The Japanese price translates to around $800.

RockridgeSound, via Electronista

7. Lars & Ivan PA-40Ti: Euro Chic Design

While the name and the look might suggest something from a Scandinavian design studio, Lars & Ivan are actually based in Hong Kong. Their PA-40Ti is a hybrid design using a tube line stage in combination with a transistor power amp to deliver a healthy 40 watts per channel from a slinky and stylish package. This is another well-equipped dock with a video output, a remote control and iPod charging included. It’s about $450 bucks.

Lars & Ivan, via Grace Digital Audio

6. Acoustic Research AR4131: Old Tubes Are New Again

AR is one of hi-fi’s most revered brands, with a history stretching back over 50 years to when everybody used tubes. Who’d have thunk that in the 21st century some of us would be hitching their speakers back up to tubes again? The AR4131 BlackVault system includes a subwoofer, which also houses the iPod dock. While it’s officially discontinued, if you look around you can pick one up for peanuts.

ANTOnline

5. Roth Audio MC-8: Mother of all iPod docks

We’ve seen Roth Audio’s cute little MC-4 before, but now they’ve pulled out the big guns. The MC-8 is by far the biggest and baddest iPod dock we’ve ever seen, pumping out 35 watts per channel through a pair of milk bottle-size 845 tubes. Just look at how tiny that iPod Nano looks tucked into the MC-8’s 75-pound chassis. While the $5,000 price seems crazy for an iPod dock, the MC-8 is designed to work as a high-end amp with your other sources too.

Roth Audio, via American Audio & Video

4. The Goldster Audio Concertino: Emphasis on Gold

While it’s generally not in the German psyche to do things by half-measures, some might accuse the folks at Goldster Audio of taking that thinking a bit too far. Their concertino iPod system uses a single-ended triode amp to deliver about 7 watts into single-driver speakers of their own design. While I have no idea what this all sounds like, at about $4,000 it better be pretty darned good.

Goldster Audio

3. Gini Systems iTube: This Gini’s Got a Bottle

I guess it was inevitable, but this is the second system in this list called an iTube. In this case, it also has a visual similarity to another entry on the list, looking pretty much like a white version of the AR BlackVault (WhiteVault?). The main difference here is that the actual dock itself is a separate item, the Gini iConnec. Available individually or packaged together, the combo unit sells for a not-too-hideous $329.

Gini Systems, via Gini Direct

2. DIY iPod Tubes Part 1: Mono Maven

Building a tube iPod dock from scratch sounds ambitious, but Kurtis Berry’s system looks deceptively straightforward. Using existing designs for an 8-watt tube amp and three-driver speaker, Kurtis married the parts together with an off-the-shelf dock connector to create his mono rig. While he originally intended to build a second channel for stereo, he claims that it sounds so good as it stands, that those plans are on the back burner for now.

KurtisB, via hackaday.com

1. DIY iPod Tubes Part 2: The Horny iPod Kit

While it’s not specifically an iPod dock, the Gakken Self Build Vacuum Tube iPod Amp kit was clearly designed with iPod-loving retro-audio fetishists in mind. With a whopping 100 mW (as in one-tenth of a watt) on tap, it’s a good thing it comes with hypersensitive horn speakers. Kits like this that you assemble yourself always bring a smug sense of accomplishment and pride in ownership. The best part? For a mere $150 you get the whole shebang, a downright steal for vacuum tube amps of any variety. Sold!

via http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/top_ten_ways_to.php

The Jensen JiMS-525A is a digital HD radio with a top-mounted dock for iPod and iPhone. It features 2.5W-per-channel stereo speakers, an LCD display with iTunes tagging, dual alarm clock with snooze and sleep functions. There is also a line-in jack for connecting other digital audio devices, and a S-Video line-out for playing videos from your iPod on a TV.

This dock will be available soon and the price will be nearly the same as the JiMS-525 which retails for about $160.

Via http://pmp-world.net/2008/04/17/jensen_jims-525a_docking_system_for_ipod_iphone.html

Grantwood has announced the release of tuneband for iPod nano, an armband product designed to comfortably secure the iPod nano in place during exercise, including Nike+iPod compatibility. The product consists of a comfortable and flexible armband strap that can accommodate both large and small arms, a durable silicone skin that allows access to all ports on the iPod nano, and a low-tack, cut-and-peel screen protector that helps guard against smudges, moisture, and daily wear-and-tear. The tuneband is compatible with all generations of the iPod nano, and the current 3rd generation model has skins available in eight colors: black, gray, navy blue, neon green, pink, purple, red, and teal blue. The tuneband for previous iPod nano models has skins available in black only. The tuneband retails for $15.

Back in 2005 I was suddenly (and inexplicably) struck by the urge to see if I could modify a gramophone (or phonograph, as I believe it’s referred to in the US) to be compatible with devices like my mp3 player or anything else that takes a 3.5mm jack. On investigating, I found a reproduction gramophone for sale on Ebay for £30 (about $50), and in a fit of ‘what-the-hell’ ended up ordering one. With the delivery of one extremely large box I had my gramophone.

Fortunately, I found I was able to produce an excellent result with far less effort or complexity than I had anticipated: if you have a few basic tools, simple components and soldering skills (oh, and a gramophone) you should have no trouble with this build. See below for my reasons and experiences, a summary of how it was built, and an analysis of the final product.

Why?

There are various ways to rationalise it - for instance, since it makes use of mechanical amplification rather than electrical, it doesn’t need batteries or a plug and saves power. In reality, though, I made it because it was fun, and because I liked the idea of adapting an archaic tool to a similar, modern problem. Plus, a gramophone horn has a certain character and style that impersonal speakers lack.

First Attempt

Unfortunately, graduation combined with my usual procrastination to mean I put off the project and eventually led to me doing a fairly shoddy job, which I was never happy with. The initial build was considerably simpler than the final version presented here; while I was thinking about how to construct it, a friend pointed out that the size of a headphone speaker that I’d dissected was roughly equal to the size of the opening to which the soundbox is normally attached. The quick application of some copper tape, araldite and silver paint later and I had a very basic working system. The problem was, it looked pretty ugly (I’d done my bets to sculpt the araldite, but it still looked remarkably like a blob), and the volume left a lot to be desired.

Not being particually proud of the result, it was only a matter of time before I decided to try again. Step one involved several hours with a heavy file to remove the araldite and everything else I’d added, which put me back at the starting point determined to do a better job.

Design and Build

For my proper design, I decided to focus on modifying the soundbox. The way the model of gramophone I have works is that the the record turns, causing a needle held in a groove to vibrate. These vibrations pass up the needle to the soundbox. Inside the soundbox, the end of the needle’s holder is connected to a thin metallic membrane about 4cm across; this is the first stage of amplification, as the vibrating needle causes the membrane to vibrate as well, producing faint sound waves which are amplified by the resonant quality of the small metal casing around the vibrating membrane. The soundbox is connected to the brass horn of the gramophone, which further resonates and amplifies the sound into what is that is then projected into the room.

My gramophone came with an HMV soundbox, the top plate of which is held on by three small screws. Removing these gave access to the inside, which I proceeded to gut, removing the tympanic membrane and snapping off the needle holder by wiggling it back and forth until the metal fatigued and broke, which left me with a hollow metallic container with a somewhat jagged hole at the bottom. At this stage I did some initial tests, confirming that a speaker inside the now-empty soundbox would give me sufficient volume without any additional amplification.

Obviously, I needed something to create sound, replacing the tympanic membrane. Fortunately, Maplin sell some nice thin mylar speakers, and I found the 55mm one suited me nicely; it’s be larger than the original foil disc because it has a solid frame and sits snugly inside the soundbox (whereas the foil could only be held in place by the needle holder, not touching the sides to avoid damping any vibrations), about 5mm closer to the front than the original membrane.

The next step was to smooth and enlarge the hole through which the needle-holder had entered; it was already quite large, so it didn’t take too much work with a small file to smooth it off. I also filed down the thread on the 3.5mm mono jack I planned to use as the input, so that it fitted snugly into the soundbox, leaving the connector poking out nicely.

Since the soundbox had some fretwork at the back and I didn’t particually want the wiring to be visible, I glued a circle of kitchen foil to a larger circle of paper, and glued it to the bottom so that the metallic foil was visible through the metal fretwork. A couple of pieces of carboard glued together provided a platform on which to rest the speaker (which otherwise had a tendency to rattle inside the box when closed up).

I recommend soldering a pair of wires to the jack before soldering/glueing the jack in place (you can push them through the hole as you slide the jack in); I didn’t, which required a degree of dexterity with a hot soldering iron (and some swearing) when it came to attaching said wires. I held the jack in place with the liberal use of superglue before slotting it in, bending the arms outwards so that they would resist any force pulling the jack outwards, and adding a couple of dabs of solder to make sure it wouldn’t budge. The only thing left was to solder the wires to the speaker, screw the top back onto the soundbox, and christen the project by digging out some Elgar for the occasion.

Volume: The volume is mostly good, though not quite perfect: if you plug in an iPod you were previously listening on headphones, then the volume from a meter or so away is a little less loud than when you had the earbuds in - you need to increase the volume a couple of notches to get it back to the same level. It’s only noticeable if you’re doing a direct comparison, though; the gramophone is perfectly able to fill a room at medium volume setting, and maxing out the volume on your portable player produces a suitably impressive racket. The loss is probably due to a decrease in the resonant properties of the soundbox caused by swapping out the tympanic membrane for a speaker. Without adding electronic amplification (which would pretty much ruin the whole point), the only way to increase the volume for a given input is to change the gramophone itself - my one is a cheap reproduction; a different horn might give more volume.

Sound quality: There is a notable difference between the sound produced by the gramophone and a normal speaker; while it’s hard to characterise the exact difference the music from the gramophone does seem slightly ‘flatter’, perhaps because the horn is amplifying the midrange more than the extremes. It’s not unpleasant, though, and definitely gives the output its own tone.

Looks: The final product looks very fine indeed - one advantage I hadn’t anticipated is that when not plugged in the protruding jack rests on the turntable rather like the needle would in a real gramophone (though to play it it has to be turned sideways to make room to plug in a device or extension cable). The only downside is that I’ve found the jack has a tendency to scuff the felt on the turntable, which has left a small but noticeable bare patch; I’ll probably add a discreet piece of plastic to rest it on at some point.

Extensions

Since I’m happy with the result I probably won’t make any modifications beyond this (though I can’t quite rule out a completely new project including a music player build into the base with some sort of archaic display and controls). There were a couple of ideas I had during the build that I discarded as unnecessary that others might want to incorporate:

Active Amplification: When I first started, I was concerned that I might not be able to get the volume I needed for a practical build (particularly with my original setup, where a portable music player needed to be turned up to its maximum volume to get a respectable sound out of the thing). If this had proved to be the case I anticipated adding a small amplifier inside the case, pulling the recharging component from a cheap wind-up torch or radio to power the amplifier (since the turntable is wound up with a detachable crank slotting in through the side). Fortunately it wasn’t necessary, so I didn’t have to dismantle the beautiful clockwork turntable drive.

Volume Control: Until quite a late stage I toyed with including a simple volume control sticking out of the back out the soundbox using a potentiometer. While it would have been a simple addition in the end I decided it was unnecessary since I’d just keep it turned to maximum (and none of the potentiometers I had on hand had a narrow enough knob to fit through the grill).

Conclusion

Overall I’m very pleased with the piece - it looks great, works well and was a very simple build, all things considered. One advantage this design has is that because only the soundbox has been modified it can be used with any gramophone sized to take an HMV soundbox without any need for modification or damage. The only problem now is that it’s pretty big, and takes up rather a lot of space in my flat.

via  http://www.r-hansen.com/tech/gram.html

iMuffs headphones from Wi-Gear improve sound, work wirelessly with most iPods

In the world of iPod accessories—4,000-plus and counting—the ones worth the money are those that improve the listening experience. I have two for you today, one that will be great when the bugs are worked out and a pair of headphones that makes iPod portability even better.

Let’s start with the almost-there product. “Almost” because it worked with some iPods I tested, but not all. I often won’t write about a product proving unreliable, but I really like what this does and, more importantly, I believe that the people building it will soon get it right.

It’s called miShare, and the simple, rectangular gadget is smaller than a standard iPod but bigger than the redesigned Nano (affectionately dubbed the “fatty”). At both ends there is a 30-pin adapter to connect two iPods to transfer songs from one to another.

And it works, mostly.

Plug an iPod with the music to share into the source end. Let’s call this the “pitcher.” (Hey, baseball season is here!) At the other end, plug into the “catcher” iPod to receive the music.

Unfortunately, my 80-gigabyte iPod did not work as a catcher. But as a pitcher, it sent songs to my fatty. With the fatty, I was able to share music—as a pitcher and catcher—with a colleague’s iPod.

That’s why I love this little gadget. It’s designed to swap music between friends, so you can share iPod playlists and tips on new artists. This is very convenient and fast; songs move over in seconds.

There are a few reasons why I had trouble with some iPods.

First, it will not work with the Touch and the iPhone, yet.

Second, the catcher iPod must be in “manual” update mode. When you plug your iPod into a computer to sync it, the default setting is for automatic updates, but it is easy to switch to manual. In manual, whenever you add music, movies or photos to your computer and want it on the iPod, you instruct the iPod to pick up that content.

But changing this setting on my 80 gb iPod didn’t fix my problem.

Third, the miShare developers—two guys working from a Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment—are working out some bugs. My big iPod, for instance, has too much data on it, causing transfer problems. But the fatty, which can hold up to 8 gb worth of content, did not have that issue.

This issue and some others—you can share video and photos too, but not seamlessly—will be addressed in a software upgrade set for release in a few weeks, said co-founder Nathaniel Wice. He called my issue an “intermittent problem” related to the iTunes database.

Another update will follow to address compatibility issues with the Touch and iPhone.

Wice called the development of miShare, which runs on the open-source Linux platform, a “constant” work in progress. “Designing something that’s easy to use is a process.”

When it works, it is easy to use. The device has one function button. Just make an “on-the-go” music playlist on the iPod and press the function button. The songs move over.

But not all songs. To address the obvious legal issues of sharing music between iPods, songs protected by digital rights management software—primarily those bought at Apple’s iTunes store—won’t play on the catcher iPod.

Some people might question the ability to share music so freely, but this is a legal device designed for one-to-one sharing. It’s not a piece of file-sharing software where thousands of people can get a copy of a song.

Despite the early flaws, I recommend miShare. It will only improve, and the software on the device can be upgraded so you won’t have to buy another. It is sold for $100 at www.miShare.com, and discussions are under way with a major brick-and-mortar retailer, Wice said.

A sound enhancement

Regular readers know I often recommend iPod buyers improve the sound with new headphones.

The iMuffs do that plus provide a great wireless connection via Bluetooth. They are made by Wi-Gear and can be bought on the firm’s site, Wi-Gear.com.

The model I tested sold for $150 and paired easily and quickly with each iPod I tested, except one, the iPod Touch. Wi-Gear has introduced a new model, the $180 MB210, which works with the Touch.

I also tested the iMuffs on a TV-playing phone, the Verizon Voyager, and was quite pleased that I could watch live games from the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament while listening with the iMuffs. Beautiful.

So, yes, these work with music-playing phones, except the iPhone. That’s Apple’s fault because it didn’t include a profile in that music phone for stereo Bluetooth headphones.

You might think the price for these headphones is high, but the iMuffs ship with a Bluetooth adapter for the iPod. That’s usually a $40 item sold separately.

Via  http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-tech-buzz-ipod-mishare-imar31,0,7036862.story

Samsung has announced that it’s developed the world’s first 64 Gigabit (Gb) multi level cell NAND flash memory chip. It’s the eighth consecutive year that the density of flash memory has doubled, a feat that bodes well for portable devices like laptops and iPods.

By sandwiching together 16 of the new cells, Samsung says a 128GB memory card is now possible.

Flash to replace hard drives?

Currently, the capacity limitations of flash memory have hampered notebook manufacturers who want to use the technology instead of traditional hard discs. And one of the biggest criticisms of the current iPod touch is that 16GB-worth of storage just isn’t enough.

Samsung’s new chips could be the first step towards changing all that. Samsung says a maximum of sixteen of its 30nm flash devices can be combined. The result would be a 128GB memory card that could store 80 DVD resolution movies or 32,000 MP3 music files.

A 128GB card would also be big enough to replace the HDD in a notebook. Apple was linked with so-called Solid State Drives earlier this year. SSDs are not only lighter and faster than hard drives but they consume less power and are also considerably more robust as they have no moving parts.

Lighter, quieter laptops by 2009

These 128GB memory cards are likely to be very expensive, so the death knell isn’t quite sounding on the traditional hard drive just yet.

Samsung expects to begin production of 30nm-class 64Gb flash devices in 2009. And according to Gartner Dataquest, the accumulated sales for 64Gb NAND flash and higher density devices could reach up to $20 billion by 2011.

By the end of 2009, iSuppli has predicted that 28 per cent of ultra-portable PCs will use some form of flash memory for storage.

via http://www.tech.co.uk/computing/upgrades-and-peripherals/memory/flash-memory-cards/news/samsung-promises-128gb-flash-drives-by-2009?articleid=1180991810