iPhone

Molly Wood is back in New York for a new Web show on CBS called Eye on Parenting, so of course we invite her on the show to chat with us about Gmail voice calling, the new Digg layout, and an ironic Twitter post from Gizmodo's Brian Lam that segues into a live in-person Molly rant!

Google just announced that it's adding the ability to place real live phone calls and send text messages straight from your Gmail window. Internet calling isn't new by any means, but where you formerly had to arrange a specific time to … Read more

Netflix has hit the iPhone.

The popular video subscription service just updated its Apple app to support the iPhone and iPod Touch, which now join the iPad in offering streaming videos. Netflix members can download the free 1.1.0 version to watch their favorite TV shows and movies.

The Netflix app lets you access your Instant Queue to view videos you've already saved. You can browse by genre or search for specific titles from the service's growing library of streaming content. You can also stop a video and then resume where you left off, whether you're … Read more

Imagine walking into your favorite cafe and instead of waiting in line to place your order for a large iced nonfat latte and handing over your debit card, you submitted your order and authorized payment from your bank account via an application on your phone.

You can't do that now. But it's very possible that some day you will. It will be a big leap forward getting banks, credit card companies, retailers, and cell phone makers--not to mention consumers--on board with this idea. But a few companies are beginning to provide digital stepping stones to what someday could be a wallet-less future.

On Thursday, Intuit and Mophie (maker of the JuicePack battery for iPhone) will introduce the Complete Credit Card Solution, which fits over the iPhone 3G and 3GS like the JuicePack and has a credit-card reader that uses Intuit's 18-month-old GoPayment mobile payment software. It will be available as an iPhone accessory in Apple Stores.

The idea is to allow small businesses or anyone who needs to process payments that doesn't have a permanent place to plug in a cash register to be able to accept something other than cash on a device many people already have. The hope is consumers would find this more convenient than keeping cash on hand when they want to make a purchase, even from a nontraditional retailer.

While plastic and cash are still the way the vast majority of retailers do business, that could change over the next few years as smartphone usage continues to skyrocket, and more personal finance details are being taken care of online and on the phone. Hardware makers, banks, and payment processors are at least dipping a toe into the water by participating in trials or offering new ways to pay people without using plastic or cash. … Read more

Sony may have lost the MP3 player battle, but it still knows a thing or two about making small, powerful speaker systems.

As evidence, we have the newly announced iRDP-X50iP, a portable speaker dock made for the Apple iPhone and iPod that boasts 40 watts of power in an elegant, minimal design.

With an asking price of $199, the iRDP-X50iP includes a bass reflex speaker design, aux input, remote control with full iPod control functionality, Mega Bass audio enhancement circuitry, soft-touch controls, and certified compatibility with the iPhone and recent iPods.

Sony's press release for the iRDP-X50iP emphasizes its … Read more

You know you have a hit single when Jeff gets off his antiboogie butt and dances to it; such is the case with Cee-lo Green's latest single from an upcoming album titled "The LadyKiller."

The song title described by the Washington Post as a "two-word, Anglo-Saxon, hortatory phrase whose first word is typically rendered by dashes or a string of nonsense characters from the upper levels of a keyboard," rhymes with "Cluck You" and has already racked up over 2 million YouTube hits since its release earlier this week.

The up-tempo beat is … Read more

The Wall Street Journal reports that iAds may appear in iBooks as publishers watch their profits dwindle amid technology advances like Apple's iPad. The publishing industry has been less than supportive of these advances and the result could come at the expense of its content.

From a business standpoint, though, this makes total sense. Ads have been queued and served in every other form of digital technology for as long as I can remember. Why not add them to books? With heavy competition in the e-book market, prices are dropping and with it, profits. Enter Apple's iAds.

With … Read more

I've never been afraid to write a blog post for The 404 Podcast before, but I'm expecting a world of pain after this morning's broadcast. Full disclosure: most of the first half is Jeff and Wilson getting mad at me for a long list of classic movies that I stubbornly refuse to watch. After the ammo runs out, we also talk about the new Google movie just announced, a clever viral marketing campaign for "The Last Exorcism" exploiting pervs on Chatroulette, a turtle skeleton in King Bowser's likeness discovered 3,000 years later, and … Read more

This week, a heated argument breaks out over the cable TV regulatory landscape (we're sure you were just thinking about that as well). Plus, check out footage of a new laser weapon ready for use at LA County jails, and groove to some live music on the YouRock MIDI guitar.

More importantly, this may sound a lot like the classic "dog ate my homework" excuse, but it appears that the gremlins in our broadcast facility actually did eat the video version of this week's show (which aired live on Monday at 3 p.m. ET).

While we attempt to recover the video file, this episode is only available as audio at the moment (see the "Listen Now" player at the bottom of the page). If you need some visual stimulation while listening, feel free to flip through this slideshow of Scott and Dan modeling back-to-school backpacks.

… Read more

What's the Chinese word for Antennagate?

There isn't one and there isn't going to be one if China Unicom can help it.

Sources at the carrier tell Caixin that when Apple's iPhone 4 debuts in China on September 16, it will be sold with a complimentary case, presumably intended to head off the death-grip drama that troubled the device's launch in the States and ultimately forced Apple to give out free cases to all iPhone 4 owners and extend a liberal return policy.