It is true that the earbuds that Apple ships with their iPods and iPhones are not the most comfortable. They have gotten a little better, as the newer ones are much less unpleasant than the original earbuds. While I would not say the sound on the earbuds are horrible, they still just do not provide the best sound quality. Thankfully third-party manufacturers have generously stepped up to offload your money in return for some aftermarket ‘buds, but out of the hundreds on offer, which do you go for? Gear Diary’s Chris Chaimberlain has been trying out Comply’s Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers; billed as a middle-ground before you ditch the original ‘buds, can an accessory redeem Apple’s mediocre earphones?
Traditionally you have to purchase high priced head phones to get good quality out of them. Generally, if you want the best quality you are looking at at least $50 bucks. This is for the in ear headphones, which I find to be the most comfortable, and to have the best sound quality. The Whoomp! earbud enhancers can be had for under $20. This makes them affordable enough that it is not unpleasant on your wallet.
The Whoomp! enhancers work by attaching to the end of the earbuds that come with your iPod, or iPhone. They also increase the bass that the headphones deliver, apparently providing more space for the sound to resonate in. They come in black or white, and if you lose one of the pair, a single one can be had for $11.95.
[Via Gear Diary]
Written by Chase Higgins on April 27th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Accessories and Apple iPhone and iPhone archive and iPod and iPod Touch.
Unless you have been living under a rock the last few months, then you know that the 3G iPhone is one of the single hottest news items being discussed right now. This week is no different. One rumor of it may offer a little light at the end of the tunnel though. The 3G version of the BlackBerry has been pushed back. The reason is not confirmed, but the BlackBerry was supposed to launch in June. Some are speculating the delay is due to AT&T not wanting to launch two competing devices at the same time.
A new feature was unlocked for the iPhone this week, the ability to record videos. DreamCatcher has brought their recording application to the iPhone. The feature is much sought after in iPhone circles. DreamCatcher is not bringing this service to the iPhone for nothing though, and is going to be charging $20 for the application.
iPhone developers were treated to a pleasant surprise, when the iPhone SDK beta 4 was released earlier in the week. The new SDK brings OpenGL ES functionality to the included iPhone emulator, which was a much requested improvement asked of Apple by the developers. Apple also took the opportunity to release a new build of the 2.0 firmware beta, called build 5A258f.
This week we also found out that not only can can images be saved from Safari with the new firmware, but so can images sent through email. The feature was discovered right here on iPhone Buzz by Vincent. It works in much the same way as saving images from safari, you hold your finger over an image in the email for a moment, and then you are presented with an option to save the image.
Finally, after much speculation it turned out that the supposed black 3G iPhone photo well-circulated during the past few weeks is, in fact, simply a case for the current handset. Still, apparent confirmation (as if anything is ever confirmed until Steve Jobs announces it to be the case!) of the upcoming device having 3G, GPS and more should make up for any photograph disappointment.
Written by Chase Higgins on April 27th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 3G iPhone and Apple Firmware and BlackBerry and Featured and Software and Weekly Rewind and iPhone 2.0 and iPhone SDK and iPhone archive.
Though there are already ways to control your iTunes, the thought of the ability coming straight from Apple is an all new kind of excitement. A remote control application from Apple for the iPhone would allow it to have all sorts of functionality that Apple would not allow a 3rd party application to have. This rumored application, aptly named iControl, could bring iTunes control to your iPhone.
This code discovered from the latest iPhone firmware build sports these strings, which shows some sort of application, or ability to control iTunes from the iPhone. The application would allow you to connect to a local iTunes library. You would have the a ability to stream and control media from the iTunes application. Just like with the Apple TV, this would all be done wirelessly.
Apple would be building a new navigation client for the application. Supposedly it would function much like the Apple TV’s navigation. You would be able to preview and listen to music, podcasts, and even view videos. There is no time frame for when we might see this application. Hopefully it will show up on the new App Store once the new firmware and SDK come out of beta.
[Via TUAW]
Written by Chase Higgins on April 27th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on App Store and Apple and Apple iPhone Rumors and iPhone archive and iTunes.
TUAW has gotten word that Apple is developing an iTunes streaming application for the iPhone. According to an anonymous tipster, the application will be called iControl and will work similarly to the streaming capabilities already present in iTunes for the Mac and PC.
Written by Michael Johnston on April 27th, 2008 with no comments.
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One thing that would certainly be nice for the iPhone, is some sort of feedback when you press an on screen key. The answer to this, is dilemma, is haptic feedback. This technology has already made it’s way to quite a few touch devices, like the Voyager on Verizon, and the LG PRADA. Haptic feedback provides a type of virtual interaction with with a device, it helps simulate a more traditional key stroke.
The aim of haptic feedback is to make users aware of a touch interaction with their device, such as a key stroke or selection. The technology is most often used by LG for their touch enabled devices. In the game of haptic feedback, Immersion is a major player. They currently provide the haptic feedback for LG devices, several Nokia devices, and even a few non mobile phone applications of the technology as well.
There has been a little executive association between Immersion and Apple as well. Clent Richardson has been appointed as the new CEO of Immersion. Richardson was a former executive for Apple. This may lend this story some more credibility. Haptic feedback would be welcomed with open arms, so lets hope this one comes to fruition.
[Via Palluxo]
Written by Chase Higgins on April 27th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple iPhone Rumors and Carriers and LG KE850 and PRADA Phone and iPhone archive.
