Digital Technology for Digital Living.
May 12, 2008
iPhone 3G Settings [pic]
Still doubt that the 3G iPhone is coming soon?
This settings screen with a 3G toggle switch (see image) was found in the latest beta release of the iPhone’s 2.0 firmware.
Why would you want to turn off 3G? Because 3G drains cell phone batteries very quickly. In this screenshot, Apple has included a toggle setting to turn 3G off, and use AT&T’s slower but more battery friendly EDGE network instead. Probably a very useful feature if you are almost out of juice.
When can we expect to see a 3G iPhone and how much will it cost?
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
April 30, 2008
Who really wants a Macbook Air
Who really wants a Macbook Air
I just had to share this ;-)
No words, just a simple demo of why one product is better than another.
Oh, and the answer to Who really wants a Macbook Air - is ME (despite the video)
Once an Apple Fan, always an Apple Fan!
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
April 21, 2008
Raw Meat iPod Cover
A Japanese company called Solid Alliance is 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. We’ve reviewed plenty of iPod/iPhone cases before, but this one gets bonus points for originality. I wonder what my dog will think.
iPod… It’s what’s for dinner?
More info at rakuten.co.jp and therawfeed.com
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
April 04, 2008
Nexcopy USB Flash Drive Duplicator
The USB Duplicator by Nexcopy is an interesting product to say the least. Granted it wouldn’t apply to the average consumer, but it does have it’s place. In addition, I would say USB flash drives are the #1 most under-rated promotional item business’ have missed out on, so I can see why this product is coming to marketing. Get your company logo branded on there, load her up with data, sales material, promotional videos, tutorials…I could go on and on…
Even if a customer deletes the data off the flash drive, the company logo is still branded on the device. Always in the customers face, always reminded them where they got the drive.
Maybe it’s the process of data loading the information onto the drive on why flash drives haven’t become more popular with companies for handing out information. It’s a very viral gadget. The USB duplicator is an obvious choice for making such a life, much easier. The Nexcopy USB duplicator is a 20 target system and the company says a 5 minute mpeg video (about 30MBs) can be copied in about 40 seconds. This means the USB duplicator can churn out [estimated] 1,200 drives in about 1 hour. I’ll have to back that number down considering swapping the drives, the OS identifying the drive etc. But even so, the USB duplicator turns a miserable task into an easy process.
USB music albums are becoming a much bigger hit these days as well, and having a USB duplicator to make your album definitely speeds up the process from a hub and copy-n-paste. I know you can put the following information onto a CD or DVD, but for the groupies, something unique like a flash drive is just ideal. Putting your band video, back story interviews, lyrics etc. onto USB is a new way to give a bands fans something unique. The other advantage with making a USB album is increasing a bands margin on selling promotional items. Your 20% margin is a lot more in dollars with a $25 USB drive than a $10 T-shirt or $7 CD.
So again, the USB duplicator concept isn’t for the masses, but is a great idea for the select few. Speaking of which - are you [or someone you know] part of the select few? If so check out the USB duplicator from Nexcopy.
Source: GetUSB.info
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
April 02, 2008
Rickrolling Mania Sweeps Across the Internet
Have you been “Rickrolled” yet?
1980s pop star Rick Astley is now making headlines again after years in obscurity thanks to millions of Web surfers being Rickrolled by pranksters. Webmasters and bloggers are purposely redirecting unsuspecting Internet users to a video of Astley performing his hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
How does a Rickroll work? It’s basically a bait and switch. Let’s say I make a link that says Sexy Paris Hilton Video and you click on it. Instead of actually seeing Paris Hilton, you’d be directed to a Rick Astley music video. That’s a “Rick Roll”.
Tuesday YouTube decided to get in on the joke. Several links on the YouTube homepage purposely “Rick Rolled” users. Why? Tuesday just happened to be April Fools’ Day.
The act of Rickrolling has even evolved beyond cyberspace. Pawl Fisher, a student at Eastern Washington University (EWU), recently “Rick Rolled” a March basketball game at his school. Here’s the clip:
So what has this done to Astley’s record sales? They are way up. Even his iTunes sales are up. His record label is trying to get a re-release of Astley greatest hits album out not only to keep up with demand but to obviously cash in on the Rickrolling craze. Astley recently spoke to the LA Times and called the phenomena “bizarre” and only hopes that his daughter receives no embarrassment over it.
Personally I think it’s one of greatest phenomena ever to sweep the Internet. By the way, the error page for MethodShop is a “Rickroll”.
So the next time you randomly click on a link and see a short guy with red hair wearing a black shirt and a tan trench-coat singing… congratulations, you’ve been Rickrolled.
methodshop | Comments (1) | General, Video
March 17, 2008
China Now #1 Internet Market
The United States is no longer the nation with the largest number of internet users. China overtook the US last month in users for the first time, according to the state-run China Internet Network Information Center.
Researcher BDA China Ltd. estimates there are now over 220 million internet users in China, compared with 217.1 million in the U.S. Online ad revenue continues to lag in China, however, totaling $1.3 billion in 2007 compared to e-Marketer estimates of $21.4 billion in America.
Maybe it’s time for me to start promoting the Chinesse translation of my blog.
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
March 13, 2008
Musical Instruments, The Gadget Show
The Gadget Show Critical List: Musical Instruments
The team cast their critical ears over some clever gadget musical instruments, including the USB Drum Kit, the MiJam Drummer and the Odyssey Roll-up Piano.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
March 03, 2008
Rubber Band Gun - The Worlds Largest!
Gadget Show Web TV: Disintegrator Rubber Band Gun
BOYS FUN! FUN! FUN!
Jon takes aim with the DISINTEGRATOR!
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
February 28, 2008
Stop Wasting Water!
2.25 Billion Litres Of Drinkable Water Wasted By UK Households Daily
Some Parts Of Britain Has Less Available Water Per Head Than The Sudan And Syria
Some GREAT TIPS for saving water ;-)
My FAV is for the Rest Room - “it its yellow, let it mellow” - “if its brown, flush it down”
According to research released today an overwhelming majority (80%) of the British public fail to recognise water saving as a key environmental issue.
Stop Wasting Water - TODAY!
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
Virgin Atlantic - The First Airline To Fly on Biofuel
Virgin Atlantic Becomes the World’s First Airline To Fly on Biofuel
The Biofuel Airline?
Virgin Atlantic operates the world’s first airline to fly on biofuel from London Heathrow to Amsterdam
Monday 25th February: Virgin Atlantic has become the world’s first airline to fly on biofuel, on a flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam Schiphol.
The airline flew one of its Boeing 747-400’s using a sustainable type of biofuel, Coconut Oil and Babassu Oil, and it was the first time in the world that a commercial aircraft has run this biofuel in-flight.
Virgin Atlantic hopes this flight will be a step towards reducing the environmental impact of their planes, and is part of a major initiative by the airline to explore sources of sustainable aircraft fuel for the future that do not compete with food and fresh water resources.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
February 05, 2008
How to Reset an iPhone
Occasionally an iPod or iPhone may freeze or fail to respond to your commands. This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a restart much like the way your computer needs a reset once in a while.
Tutorial: How to reset a Frozen iPod or iPhone
Restarting an iPod/iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences.
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
February 04, 2008
Frozen New York Stunt Confuses Grand Central Station
On a cold Saturday morning in January, a flash mob of Improv Everywhere Agents descended on New York City’s Grand Central train station and left the entire concourse in a state of complete confusion.
Flash Mob - a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse.
What did they do that had everyone so confused? This flash mob of 200+ people suddenly froze in place at the exact same second for 5 minutes in the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. The frozen poses ranged from people tying their shoes and eating to someone who just dropped a stack of papers. Everyone from tourists to cops stopped in amazement to try to figure out what was happening around them.
My favorite part is the guy trying to drive his garbage cart. He sounds like such a baby when he gets on his radio to call for help.
{Beep} {Beep} {Beep}
“My cart is stuck. People are standing still.
{Sob}
“I need help.”
If the video above doesn’t load, you can view it here.
methodshop | Comments (1) | General
January 16, 2008
Apple TV Take 2: Movie Rentals, No Computer Required
Steve Jobs announced an update to the Apple TV at Macworld San Francisco this week as well as iTunes Movie Rentals, which were already rumored to be part of his Macworld keynote speech.
Jobs admitted that Apple’s online video plan had been a disappointment and that users didn’t take to watching online video the way Apple had expected. When Jobs first announced the Apple TV last January, Apple’s initial video plan was too complicated for many people. Getting a movie or TV show onto your Apple TV required customers to buy the video from the iTunes Store, download it to their computer, then sync/stream the file using an Apple TV.
Although Apple has already sold 7 million movies, Jobs said: “That’s more than everyone else put together, but it did not meet our expectations.”
Apple plans on overhauling their strategy by making 2 major changes:
- Adding a new online movie rental service
- Updating the Apple TV’s software so that viewers can stream movies direct from the internet sans (that’s Latin for without) computer.
Jobs thinks that viewers would prefer to rent movies, not buy them. As a result, the new Apple TV software will allow users to rent first run films from every major movie studio including Fox, WB, Paramount, Universal and Sony in HD. Jobs called it “A better way to provide movies to our customers.” Blockbuster and Netflix can’t be happy right now.
1000 films ready for rental will be available on iTunes starting in February. Going forward, movies will be available to rent 30 days after they are released on DVD. Broadband users won’t have to wait for these giant movie files to download. Moments after you rent the film using your Apple TV, it will be watchable immediately via streaming. How much are movie rentals? $2.99 to rent older titles, $3.99 for new releases. Add one more $1 to those prices if you want to rent the movie in HD.
Thomas Lesinski, president of Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment, joined Jobs on stage at Macworld and called the rental service a “defining moment” for the distribution of digital video content. “This is really going to take things to the next level,” he said.
The new Apple TV software features will be included in a free Apple TV update scheduled to be released in February. You can update your Apple TV by selecting “Update Software” from the Settings menu.
methodshop | Comments (0) | General, Video
January 10, 2008
The Ultimate Torch | The Gadget Show
The Gadget Show - Torches
Jon takes to a dark and dank warehouse to check out the best torches on the market.
Only Jon could make TORCHES sound so much fun ;-) The MagLite is a vw Beetle !! ;-)
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
January 08, 2008
Mp3 Players | The Gadget Show Critical List
The Gadget Show Critical List: Mp3 Players
On this Critical List, the team look at ultra-portable mp3 players, including the Samsung K5, the iPod Shuffle and the SwiMp3
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
Audi TT v Nissan 350Z
Audi TT v Nissan 350Z - What’s quickest round our track?
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
January 05, 2008
Toyota Tundra | One for the Petrol Heads
Toyota Tundra “Pulley” and “Making of”
One for the Petrol Heads (or Diesel Heads)
This is an awesome vehicle - I want one!
The mission:
Illustrate the Toyota Tundra CrewMax’s extreme towing capacity by Draw Bar Pulling a 6420 lb. shipping container up and over the wall of the Sierra Rock Quarry in Placerville, CA
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
January 02, 2008
iTunes Movie Rentals - Rumors Say They Are Coming Soon
According to reports, Apple is close to announcing plans to make Fox and Disney movies available as online rentals via iTunes (US). Apple CEO Steve Jobs is likely saving the official announcement for his Macworld Expo keynote on Jan. 14.
Customers would pay a fee to download titles viewable on computers, iPods and presumably Apple TV devices that would expire after a short window of time. Netflix, Amazon.com and Blockbuster’s Movielink are competitors in this space.
Wal-Mart, however, has thrown in the towel. Wal-Mart.com quietly pulled the plug on its video download service late last month as Hewlett Packard decided to discontinue the back-office technology that powered it. The service, popular with studios because it offered variable pricing, struggled with compatibility issues. Wal-Mart downloads could not be burned to DVDs or watched on video iPods.
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
December 28, 2007
Online Predator - Taser Accident
Call me crazy, but when a group of Police officers approach me holding guns and start yelling “Get down on the ground,” I’m gonna listen. This guy… not so much.
Watch this clip first from the popular American TV series “Dateline: To Catch A Predator” (dateline.msnbc.com), then read my explanation. I’ve analyzed this YouTube clip frame by frame and watched it like 50 times. I think I’ve got it all figured out.
The perp unknowingly shows up at a “Dateline: To Catch A Predator” sting house looking for a sexual encounter with an underage teen he met in a chat room. After Chris Hansen pops out and basically tells him that he’s on national TV, the guy tries to put on his shoes and walk out the front door to freedom. But the cops are outside.
methodshop | Comments (0) | General, Video
December 21, 2007
The World’s Most Famous Photoshop Fakes
All professional photographs are usually touched-up a tiny bit. Sometimes specks of dust need to be removed, maybe the image needs a little bit of color correction or even a dose of red eye reduction.
Then there are images that get completely ’shopped (aka Photoshopped). For example, look at the terrible image of Oprah to the right from a 1989 issue of TV Guide. Oprah’s head doesn’t even look natural transplanted on Ann-Margret’s body. It’s ridiculous!
While “Photoshopping” an image might be a creative opportunity for artistic photographers and designers, for news editors, it can all be a bit of a nightmare once the public finds out.
Here are 7 of the most famous Photoshop fakes according to Photopreneur.com.
methodshop | Comments (0) | General
