Apple

iPhone cell phone charms at last...Yay?

Leave it to the Japanese to finally figure out a way to add cell phone charms to the iPhone, or just about any handheld that doesn't have a little loop for the charm to wrap around (which seems to be a must-have design option in Japan). The answer? Adhesive buttons. Just stick 'em on your phone (iPhone or otherwise) and wrap your strap/dongle/charm of choice to it.

This isn't an iPhone-specific thing of course, but I guess there are a surprising number of people wanting to attach a charm to the iPhone and realizing they can'… Read more

Zune-Xbox gaming device in the works?

The Zune rumor mill has been churning for a while, with leaks of an alleged ZuneHD and maybe even a Zune smartphone. The latest rumor gathering steam is sort a riff on previous rumors: Microsoft is developing a portable digital entertainment device that bridges the gap between the Zune and the Xbox 360.

Team Xbox, which ran a story back in January with a similar theme, is the site behind the gaming Zune rumor. Team Xbox's anonymous source had some juicy tidbits to throw out, saying the Microsoft handheld, which has been dubbed the xYz, will be "unlike … Read more

Microsoft unveils a new Lauren the Laptop Hunter ad

Through its Laptop Hunter campaign, Microsoft has proved there are so many people in Los Angeles looking for a laptop that I am surprised Apple has not responded with an exclusively LA version of its own ads.

You know, 60 seconds of people just talking about themselves and eating wheatgrass, while Justin Long looks on, mesmerized.

So let us celebrate Redmond's takeover of America's cleanest-living city by meeting another Lauren.

Yes, there is more than one Lauren in LA who needs a laptop and scours Craigslist for acting opportunities. This Lauren is about to be a law student. … Read more

E-mail while you walk and the new Star Trek game: iPhone apps of the week

The new "Star Trek" movie hit theaters last weekend and by the time the numbers rolled in Monday, it's become clear that apparently being a Trekkie isn't as nerdy as we thought. Though I'm not a costume-wearing, conference-going "Star Trek" devotee, I've been a fan since I was kid and watched all the movies and most of the TV shows surrounding the "Star Trek" universe.

This week, I decided to check out the Star Trek game for the iPhone, thinking it would probably be a cheap, simple game to provide … Read more

Apple, AT&T, Samsung, Verizon, and others sued over Shazam app

Correction 5/18: Gracenote was incorrectly listed as a partner of Shazam.

Earlier this week, a company called Tune Hunter accused music-finding service Shazam as well as a host of consumer electronics makers, wireless service operators, and digital music retailers of infringing on its patent on a music identification system.

Shazam is named along with Samsung, Apple, Amazon.com, Napster, Motorola, Gracenote, Verizon Wireless, LG Electronics, AT&T Mobility, and Pantech Wireless in a suit filed Tuesday over U.S. Patent No. 6,941,275, which was issued to Remi Swierczek/Tune Hunter in September 2005. The suit accuses … Read more

Secret iPhone codes simplify troubleshooting

Last fall, we told you about Apple's iPhone Signal Strength Placebo, an iPhone code that helps diagnose problems connecting to AT&T's 3G network. Dialing *3001#123456#* and pressing "Call" starts a field test on your iPhone with results that can be used, for example, to gauge signal strength. (It also offers a slew of other information probably beyond your comprehension unless you happen to be a cellular engineer.)

While the above code above is the iPhone's most useful, there are a number of other interesting codes, many posted at methodshop.com. According to … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 974: Black holes are made of people

Well, actually, people are made of black holes. But I couldn't do a Soylent Green reference if I wrote that. We also talk about Natali's Lady Things and the fact that we all wear makeup. Oh, and Sony is broke. And Jammie Thomas is going back to court. So it's not all good news.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 974

Sony Records First Full-Year Loss In 14 Years http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-earnings-sony-records-first-full-year-loss-in-14-years/

eBay wins L’Oreal suit http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ebay-wins-french-court-ruling-in-loreal-case

Not-so-shocking: Jammie Thomas, RIAA unable to settle http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/not-so-shocking-jammie-thomas-riaa-unable-to-settle.ars… Read more

Mac OSX 10.5.7: Better for Hackintoshed Netbooks?

Although Apple doesn't have any clear Netbook plans on the horizon, that hasn't exactly stopped anyone from getting their own Apple Netbook the hacky way. Hackintoshes, i.e. PCs with Mac software loaded on them, hadn't truly started stealing the spotlight until the Netbook phenomenon. For as little as $300 and a copy of Leopard, you too could have the sort of ultraportable that Jobs and Co. would only sneer at.

The downside, besides no official hardware support from Apple, has been battery life, an area where OS X hasn't exactly been Netbook-friendly.

That is, until … Read more

Windows 7 on your Intel Mac - for free!

Most people who read The Download Blog are probably familiar with the coming release of Windows 7. For a full rundown of new features, check out Seth Rosenblatt's hands on post here, but there's plenty of Windows 7 content to pore over.

Judging from many of the comments, people who have used Windows 7 are saying it's the OS everyone hoped Vista would be. So when I read this week that you can easily setup and run Windows 7 in a virtual environment on an Intel Mac, I had to try it out. I can't advise … Read more