MacBlender

We’ve been waiting a few months for the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter in order to hook up our 30-inch Dell 3007WFP monitor, but when it got here, it was periodically unusable.

Here’s the issue: occasionally (somewhere between a few minutes and an hour), the screen will look like it’s missing half its display information, like one of its dual “links” has failed. This can only be fixed by unplugging and plugging in ether the Mini DisplayPort connector to our MacBook Pro, or the USB connection (yes, the adapter uses both DisplayPort AND USB).

A quick search found these two Apple support threads, here and here, with a bunch of people that have the same problem.

And this issue doesn’t seem to be isolated to Dell’s displays, users have the same screen distortion with Apple’s 30-inch Cinema Displays as well.

Our own limited testing showed that this happens really quickly (in about a minute) when there’s a USB hub plugged either into the second MacBook Pro USB port, or into the pass-through port on the actual adapter itself. If we have nothing plugged in, the display is fine, but if we have a powered hub plugged in, the distortion hits almost immediately.

Here’s hoping this is an easy software fix. And, we probably just found the reason why the adapter was delayed so long. If you’re looking to buy one of these, hold off until the problem has been fixed.

From: Gizmodo: Apple

Speeek is an app that can recognize up to 1,500 spoken Japanese phrases and translate them into either English or Chinese. Pocket Babel Fish? Yes please.

This is, of course, only for Japanese speakers, and it only covers basic hello/goodbye/where is the bathroom type phrases, but this doesn’t seem like too far of a leap for Google’s voice search app, which would be pretty exciting. Even if it didn’t read the words back to you—seeing your jibber jabber translated in close to real time into any one of Google Translate’s 34 languages, well, sign me up. The app costs around $20 in Japan, and the English and Chinese versions are separate. [BBSS (translated) via DVICE]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

Here’s the new iPhone Pro, something that we don’t expect at MacWorld 2009 at all. However, we do expect something like this to come at a later date. Why? Because it just makes sense.

Click on image above for higher resolution version

This concept started as a Photoshop idea by Giz reader Mat Brady. He wants to get rid of his Nokia N95 but can’t get himself to buy an iPhone for the same reason other people don’t like the current iPhone. Lack of a physical keyboard, lack of a good camera, and not enough storage.

I’ve an iPhone 3G. I love it. In fact, now that I’m in Spain and I can’t use the 3G—because AT&T will nail me for the data roaming at a buck per megabyte—I miss a lot of things, from Maps to Facebook. But even while I can’t live without it, I can see those shortcomings. In fact, I’ve bitched about the camera and the storage quite a few times. Mat made his concept and called it iPhone Elite: an iPhone with 60GB of storage, true 16:9 aspect ratio, slide-out keyboard, one megapixel front camera for iChat, and a high quality camera, with good lenses, optical zoom, and video capability.

That’s good, but we thought it could be a bit better. We fixed the keyboard to make it more rational and compact, losing some unneeded keys. With the space, we added what it’s really needed to make the iPhone a true Nintendo DS competitor: A direction pad and two buttons. For the D-Pad, we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel and just copied Nintendo’s tried-and-proved design.

Is this doable now? Technologically, it is. We’ve seen designs by HTC that get close to this, although they don’t have the software and the final polish that this class of Apple product may have. Would it be more expensive too produce than the current iPhone 3G? Of course. Would we want to pay extra for it? Definitely yes.

Wouldn’t you? [Original design by Mat Brady]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

YouTube superstar Tom Dickson gained massive fame when he turned an iPhone into dust, mocking all of us who don’t have one. Now, he brings his videos to the App Store, with a twist!

The app, surprisingly called “Will It Blend?”, contains 20 of the most popular blending videos, including the iPhone (so meta!), glowsticks, marbles, and Chuck Norris. But here’s the twist: the videos are in stellar quality, filmed with a RED camera, which should let you see the resulting dust more clearly than ever before. It’s available for only $0.99 until the end of the year, so, um, I guess I should tell you to jump on this quick before the price doubles. You can download it here (link opens iTunes). [TUAW]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

Two French tourists were rescued today in the Swiss mountains after getting lost on a ski trip. They managed to contact authorities, but their phone died shortly thereafter. Thank God somebody brought an iPod.

The tourists, a skier and snowboarder, were lost in the mountains of Southeast Switzerland, with temperatures reaching -15 degrees Celsius. They attempted to phone for help, but their mobile phone ran out of juice just after making the connection. Luckily, the faint light of an iPod screen was enough to catch the eye of a helicopter rescue team, who recovered the two sports enthusiasts quickly enough to avoid any more serious consequences than very mild hypothermia.

Reuters reported this story, but didn’t go into the kind of detail that techies like you and I really need. What kind of iPod was it? What generation? What brightness setting was the backlight set to? Is there a difference in helicopter visibility between, say, LCD and OLED? Without that kind of information, I don’t know that I can ever go skiing in remote Swiss mountains again. [Reuters]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

Sure, it’s after Christmas, but the deals keep coming and you guys have a right to know what and where they are. Today we’ve got a solid crop, with deep discounts at PCMall and Steam.

Gaming
• Valve Complete Pack (includes Left 4 Dead, CounterStrike, and Team Fortress) for $74.99 (normally $100).
• Call of Duty 4 for $37.49 (normally $49.99).
• Call of Duty: World at War for $34.99 (normally $59.99).

Portable Devices
• iPod Classic 120GB for $219.95 plus free shipping (normally $250).
• iPod Touch 32GB for $370 (normally $399).
• iRiver E100 8GB for $59 (normally $80).

Home Entertainment
• Sharp 42″ LC42SB45U 1080p HDTV for $779.99 (normally $880).

Miscellaneous
Timbuk2 Bags Up to 65 Percent Off

From: Gizmodo: Apple

While it seems Walmart will no longer sell $99 iPhones to the masses, AT&T is now offering some $99 iPhones of their own—except these ones are refurbished.

Over at AT&T’s online store, you can find the black, 8GB iPhone for $99, or the 16GB iPhone for $199 in white or black. A two year contract is still required, but it still comes with a 90-day warranty, and…like…it’s $100 less. [AT&T, Thanks Matthew!]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

Windows will run soon on the iPhone using Citrix Receiver, a remote screen software that connects to a PC and gives you the illusion you are running Microsoft’s operating systems, including copy and paste functionality.

Why is this useful? It will give you the ability to run full Windows apps in your iPhone over the network. According to Citrix, you will have full Windows capability, including cut and paste inside Windows. And while this is not the first remote screen application available for the iPhone, it is the first one which is actually supported by a big company, which will make corporations happy. [Citrix via Slashdot]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

There are loads of games in the App Store for the iPhone/iPod Touch, but if you want to save money and space, which are the true essentials? Here are our 10 must-haves.

While there are enough good games in the App Store to fill up multiple pages on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you don’t need that many, nor do you need to spend that much money. If you focus on filling certain genres with single games and not doubling up on multiples, you can make yourself the ultimate “games page” of apps. Here’s the list.

Touchgrind: This skateboarding game was designed from the ground up for the multi-touch iPhone platform, and it shows. The completely unique control method of using your fingers as legs on a skateboard immediately makes sense and is totally addicting. As you get better, the new skateboards that are unlocked with high scores continually feel just within your grasp. $4.99

Galcon: Galcon is a space-based strategy game that delivers super-short games, which is perfect for the iPhone. Rather than getting dragged into games you won’t finish, Galcon lets you play a bunch of one or two minute games. You can refine your strategy with each game, and every time you lose it’s just too easy to try again. Lite: Free; Pro: $4.99

Fieldrunners: Many call this the best game in the App Store, and it’s tough to argue with them. A tower defense game with a super-high degree of polish, this is the definition of addicting. Basically, you want to set up weapons to stop soldiers for storming your towers. You earn more cash for more weapons for every guy you stop, and you lose health for every guy who gets through. And then you can’t. Stop. Playing it. $4.99

Line Rider iRide: You’ve probably played Line Rider on the internet in some form or another: you draw a bunch of lines, then a little man on a sled gets tossed down your makeshift track. The controls are simple and work great on a touchscreen, and you can play in short bursts, saving your maps for later. It’s intuitive enough that there’s virtually no learning curve, but you can spend countless hours working on your masterpiece of sledding physics. $2.99

Uno: You know Uno, you love Uno. But here’s a version that involves no pesky shuffling. If you’re more of a poker fan you probably went for Texas Hold ‘Em, which is cool, but if you ask me, Uno is a much more fun card game. After all, what fun is poker when you’re gambling with pretend money? $5.99

Rolando: This is a wonderful, cartoonish platformer that uses simple controls that are easy to learn but are used in increasingly complicated and challenging ways as the game progresses. You control a series of little balls—Rolandos—by tilting your iPhone and swiping up to jump. But you can control many of them at once, and there are also obstacles and switches you can manipulate. It’s got a high degree of polish and will suck you in from the first level. $9.99

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D: This is our favorite racing game, despite not being fully sold on the accelerometer controls of iPhone racing games. But because of that, you really only need one, and this should be it. Great graphics, good stability and plenty of variety add up to make this the essential iPhone racing game. $5.99

SimCity: This port of SimCity 3000 is stunning. This is no gimped version of SimCity, dumbed down for a touchscreen. It’s the full game, complete with advisers and all the building types you can handle, with intuitive touchscreen controls. Finally, you can build the epic metropolis of your dreams whenever you sit down and have a few minutes to kill. $9.99

Touch Hockey: FS5: Air Hockey on the iPhone is just like regular air hockey, minus the high probability of getting one of your fingers smashed with the puck. Simply put your finger on the mallet and try to score some goals. It’s also fun to play with two people, with each person holding an end of the iPhone. And hey, no quarters required. Lite: Free; Pro: $1.99

Trism: This is essentially a modified version of Bejeweled, and if you know that game then you know why you’d want it on your iPhone. It’s a classic puzzle game, one that makes the transition to the touchscreen beautifully. You’re trying to get three pieces of the same color together to make them disappear, and depending on how you’re holding your iPhone, the resulting tumble of pieces will happen in a different direction. It adds a new level of strategy to the game while retaining what made the original so awesome. $2.99

[A Bonus 11th game, From Brian: I’d like to add Motion X Poker Quest to the list for its amazing use of the accelerometer and in game physics used to roll the dice, as well as beautiful graphics and sounds and addicting game play. ]

From: Gizmodo: Apple

Future, Cupertino — After a long and fruitful tenure as CEO, Steve Jobs steps down in early 2009 to fanfare and industry fawning. Apple needs a new leader. It’s time to choose your own adventure.

Much deliberation and coin tossing goes on in the back rooms of Apple. Their board of directors choose a person who they strongly believe can lead Apple into its next phase of growth, a person who can, at the very least, match Steve Jobs’ product development whip cracking, if not his outsized public persona.

The board chooses…

• Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Design. Turn to page 10.
• Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing. Turn to page 11.
• Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer. Turn to page 12.
• Bill Gates, Super Rich Dude. Turn to page 13.
• Yourself, Super Poor Dude. Turn to page 14.

Choose Your Own Adventure is property of CYOA.com.

From: Gizmodo: Apple