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Cameras, Web

addLib App Simulates Sleek Swiss Style for iPhone Pics

Ever fancied yourself a graphic designer but found that you lack the skills to compose an arresting image? As usual nowadays, the iPhone has come to your rescue. A new app called addLib will translate your iPhone photos into works of modernist Swiss style. If you want your blurry, poorly shot pics to look like the products of design luminaries like Jan Tschichold and Josef Müller-Brockmann, look no further.

The app apparently runs an algorithm that chooses from Müller-Brockmann's grid system, fractal theory, the Golden Ratio, and a facial recognition software to create the new image. The only downside (and it is rather major) is that there is currently no customization available. The compositions are drawn from a set of templates, which are only available at random, and the color palette is quite arbitrary. (Nor can you edit the similarly random text that appears on some of the images.) That being said, the majority of photos we ran through addLib turned out very well -- check the gallery below to see for yourself. The app only costs $2 and, compared to any number of other iPhone image manipulators on the market, it's totally worth the price. [From: BoingBoing]

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Computers

Thin New Film Turns Anything into a Touchscreen

With advancements in touchscreen technology, people are rethinking how they interact with their devices. The days of using an external keyboard and a clumsy mouse could soon be long gone. According to Wired, a Portuguese company called Displax has created a thin, polymer film that can be peeled and stuck onto glass, plastic or wood surfaces -- transforming basically anything (opaque or transparent, round or flat) into an interactive touchscreen.

The film is about 100-microns thick (i.e., really, really, thin), is equipped with a grid of nanowires, can measure anywhere from 3- to 120-inches diagonally, and, most impressively, can detect movement from up to 16 fingers at once on a 50-inch screen. To do so, the film uses a technology similar to what's used on the iPhone; which, as you probably know, is pretty darn responsive to touch. But Displax's film can do something that even the iPhone's screen can't. It can detect your breath (although we're not sure why you'd want to interact with something by blowing on a screen).

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Computers

iPad Vest Takes Aim at Style

It looks like the bandwagon of questionable iPad peripherals is already taking passengers.

Mere days after the device's debut, SeV/SCOTTEVEST has claimed the dubious distinction of "the first & only clothing line with a pocket for the iPad." The company's Travel Vest (for men or women!) features 22 pockets, and can easily carry your iPad, iPod and iPhone; although, sadly, it leaves no room for any fashion sense, or the ability to charge said gadgets.

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Cell Phones, iPhone

'iMussolini' iPhone App Rules Italian App Store With Iron Fist

We told you about one guy who figured out how to make a killing by developing a dirty iPhone application. When you think about it, it's sort of logical that his app sold well. (Scantily clad 3-D girls always equal tons of downloads.) But sometimes, there's just no explaining why an app rises to the top of the download charts.

For example, consider the recent success of the new 'iMussolini' application. Yes, the fascist leader who ruled Italy during World War II. According to Bloomberg News, the app shot to the number-two position on the Italian App Store charts this Wednesday with about 1,000 downloads per day. Now, this might not have even made the news, except that January 27th was also Holocaust Memorial Day. Oops!

So, what do you get when you download 'iMussolini?' For a little more than a dollar, you get a written biography of Benito, as well as video and audio clips from about 100 of his speeches. Because who doesn't want to hear some stirring fascist rhetoric on the morning commute, right?

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Computers

'Magical' Realism: The iPad Fantasy and Reality Check

The iPad

No "One More Thing" this year. Steve Jobs took to the stage and proceeded to rocket past months of tablet hype by finally confirming the 9.7-inch iPad. He concluded by claiming, "[The iPad is] our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price." Once revealed, Apple's entry into the tablet space seemed more like a big iPhone or iPod touch than the print-media-saving-device the hype had suggested. How's it hold up? Read on.

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Cell Phones, iPhone

Man Rides Dirty iPhone App to Retirement


There's an old saying in the relatively new world of iPhone application developers: if at first you don't succeed, create a virtual porn app. Okay, so maybe it's not an old saying, but it is a bit of wisdom that Eugene Lin took to heart. As he explains in this video from Boing Boing, it took Lin several tries to create an application that people would actually want to buy. As he found out, folks aren't too crazy about board game scorekeepers, tossing their phone into the air to earn points, or finding out whether or not they're Michael Jackson. (Yes, Lin actually developed these apps.) But what do people (and, apparently, Japanese people in particular) love more than anything? Virtual, 3-D girls showing off their busty bodies, of course.

Lin's app 'Peekaboo' became an instant hit when it was brought to the App Store in 2009, soon became a top-seller in Japan, and sold well in the U.S., too. In fact, it was such a hit that the profits handily paid for the iPhone and Macbook that Lin purchased when he decided to become a developer. It's a simple (and creepy) concept. Pay $0.99 to download, launch the app, and stare at scantily clad 3-D girls. You can even tilt your phone to get an, ahem, "better view."

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Audio/Video, iPhone, Web

iSandwich 4G: Pretty, But Is It Tasty?

In honor of iSlate iPad Day, Youtubers Jakob and Jon have put together this odd little video in which they make an iPhone sandwich. Yeah, we don't totally get it either, but it sure is fun. They suggest you try to make an iSandwich for yourself at home, but we'd like to remind our readers that what may culinarily fly in Sweden (from where, we gather, these two hail) looks a little gross across the Atlantic. Kiwi and pimento-stuffed olives and coconut on dense, dark bread? More for making than munching, we'd say -- unless you're some kind of molecular gastronome like Wylie Dufresne. But kudos all the same to J&J for their quirky video.

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Cell Phones, Google, iPhone, Webware, Web

Google Voice Finally Comes to the iPhone as a Web App

Google Voice Finally Comes to the iPhone as a Web App
Just as it did with Latitude, Google has circumvented Apple's arbitrary and frustratingly restrictive app approval process by releasing Google Voice as a Web app, tailored specifically to mobile devices like the iPhone and WebOS handsets. Everything you'd expect is present: a dial pad, a text message and voicemail inbox, contact search, and even transcripts of your voice messages.

Most importantly, though, when you dial a contact, the phone connects you directly, rather than calling your phone first and then connecting the call, as was the case with the previous mobile version of Google Voice. (Still, this works by dialing strange numbers similar to Google's 406 text-messaging work around.) We can also happily confirm that the receiving phone correctly displays your Google Voice number on caller ID.

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Cell Phones, Video Games, iPhone

'Sega Genesis Ultimate Collection' Brings Classic Games to iPhones


As kids, we spent countless hours parked in front of the TV with a Sega Genesis controller in our sweaty little palms. Unfortunately, Mom sold the console in a garage sale while we were at college (which we're still not happy about), so we've been without our 16-bit fix for some time now.

But, thanks to Apple and Sega, a blast from the past is headed to the iPhone. According to Gizmodo, the 'Sega Genesis Ultimate Collection' app will bring classic games to the mobile device. Hitting the App Store in early February, this official emulator will be free and come with one game: 'Space Harrier II.' If you want to enjoy other Sega titles, you'll have to pay extra to download them within the app. As of now, the list includes: 'Sonic the Hedgehog' ($5.99); 'Golden Axe' ($4.99); 'Ecco the Dolphin' ($2.99); and 'Shining Force' ($2.99). More titles will surely be released in the coming months though. ('Toejam and Earl,' please!).

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Cell Phones, iPhone

Man Trapped in Haiti Earthquake Credits iPhone App for Survival

Usually, the most we can expect an iPhone app to do is add a few drops of entertainment or convenience to our everyday lives. Few of us, though, could ever imagine the iPhone actually saving our lives -- the way it did for one lucky American.

On January 12th, shortly after returning to his Port-au-Prince hotel, filmmaker Dan Woolley found himself hopelessly trapped under a pile of rubble when last week's 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. Nearsighted and without his glasses, Woolley cleverly used the light on his digital SLR camera to get his bearings, and snapped photos to find his way to an elevator shaft.

In the wreckage, he also opened a first-aid app on his iPhone to help him treat both a compound fracture in his leg and a gash on his head. The app instructed him in creating a makeshift bandage and tourniquet for his leg, and guided him in halting the river of blood that was streaming from his head. Since the app told him not to let himself fall asleep, he promptly set an alarm on the phone to go off every 20 minutes. No less than 65 hours later, a French rescue team arrived to shuttle him away to safety.

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Cell Phones, iPhone

'iTrust' iPhone App Snoops on Snooping Boyfriends and Girlfriends

We've all been tempted to do it, and, let's just be honest, many of us have done it before. Paranoia or boredom grips, and we read through text messages or e-mails on our significant other's phone. But when the tables turn, how do you ensure this invasion of privacy isn't perpetrated? A new iPhone application called 'iTrust' takes an interesting (and possibly ineffective) approach.

According to Mashable, the app displays a fake image of your iPhone's home screen. If a snooping boyfriend or girlfriend comes along, it will record and save any places they touch on the device. Then, you can come back, review the images, and decide for yourself if they were reading a text or trying to play a game. But 'iTrust' isn't foolproof. As the video after the jump demonstrates, press the Home button, and you can go about whatever business you intended in the first place.

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Cell Phones, iPhone

$1,000 iPhone App for Lawyers Becomes 'Most Expensive App'

Like many folks, we've spent our fair share of cash in the iPhone's App Store. From the useful to the useless, it's hard to resist loading up your cell phone with applications. Well, at least until you receive that bank statement at the end of the month.

So, just how much can somebody spend with one touch of the screen, you might ask? Costing $999, 'BarMax CA' is the world's most expensive iPhone app. But according to Tech Crunch, it just might be worth the outrageous cost (well, if you're an aspiring lawyer living in California). The 1-gigabyte app contains thousands of pages of study materials and hundreds of hours of audio lectures to help users pass the California bar exam. Basically, it's the equivalent of carrying a two-month study course in your pocket. If you're still asking why it's worth $1,000, consider the fact that these study courses often cost thousands and thousands of dollars, and hours and hours of your time.

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Cell Phones, iPhone

'Defriended' iPhone App Exposes Your Former Facebook Friends

Everybody is always excited to add a new friend on Facebook (and if you're not, social networking probably isn't for you). But what happens when those cyber relationships turn sour? Feelings are hurt, angry Wall posts might be made, and, in many cases, one person will simply delete or "defriend" the other in order to cut off all communication.

Thankfully, to avoid yet more drama, Facebook doesn't publish defriending information to its news feed. But, if you're a glutton for punishment, a new iPhone application called "Defriended" will. According to Macworld, each time you launch the app, it scrolls through your Facebook friends list. When that's finished, the app compares the new scan with an older scan so that you can see who has ditched you and who has not.

However, after being available to download for just one day, the app was disabled Wednesday by Facebook. According to All Facebook, "Defriended" violated a platform developer policy that stated, "you must not notify a user that someone has removed the user as a friend."

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Cell Phones, iPhone

iPhone Detective: App Ends Inflated Snowfall Numbers at Ski Resorts

Like moths drawn by a campfire, skiers flock to the slopes with the promise of fresh powder. But what happens when you ditch work, only to find that those six inches of fresh snow reported in the paper are more like two inches on the mountain? If you're a couple of Dartmouth College professors, you research why these false reports occur.

According to The Globe and Mail, Professors Eric Zitzewitz and Jonathan Zinman discovered that ski resorts, which usually self-report snowfall totals, were exaggerating numbers. Most notably, resorts were inflating snowfall by nearly 23-percent on the weekends in order to draw more skiers. However, thanks to this research and a new iPhone application, the "weekend effect" is becoming much less common.

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iPod, iPhone, Web

Facebook 3.1 for iPhone Syncs Your Address Book, Adds Push Updates

Facebook's excellent iPhone app just got a new update that brings push alerts to your phone. Because you'll receive an update every time a new friend request, new wall comment, or photo upload pops in among your friends, you'll probably want to adjust the push settings as soon as you install the app. We checked it out early this morning, and it fortunately prompts you to adjust your push settings the first time you load the updated app. Push notifications for new inbox messages, one our favorite functions, definitely saves time from having to constantly jump in and out of the app.

A bit more interesting, though, was the new feature that syncs photos on Facebook with your iPhone address book, much like webOS and Android. We ran it on our phones, and it synced profile photos with address book entries, also adding a Facebook link in the 'home page' field.

Grab it from the app store or upgrade straight from your phone. [From: Download Squad]
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