AppleTap » Entertainment

A new kind of App. Promised Land Of Heavy Metal.

Matt Petch — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:14:48 +0000

Promised Land Of Heavy Metal is an app that I have personally been involved in the creation of. That, however is not why I am writing about it here. I have been involved in a number of apps that have not made it to the pages of this web site.

Promised Land Of Heavy Metal (or PLOHM) is a little different to most, as at it’s heart is a full length, 52 minute documentary film which tells the story of Finnish Metal, Its history and it’s philosophy. A nice looking interface (yep, I did that bit) allows you to access the apps other sections which include A guide book to Finland (the Promised Land Of Heavy Metal), Photo Galleries, Links to travel information, festivals and Merchandise.

Finland is particularly significant in the Metal scene, as it is probably the only country in the world where Metal has become mainstream. As you will see in the film; the Finnish church has Metal Masses, Finland has had a winning entry into the Eurovision song contest with LORDI and even the Finnish President approves of its Metal connections. It is this bizarre and diverse nature of the film that makes it fascinating to watch for the non Metal fan as well as the true Metal enthusiast.

The Film is Narrated by Kimmo Kuusniemi, now a film maker and guitarist for the very influential band Sarcofagus but originally a forefather of Finnish Metal. It also features a plethora of famous faces and bands such as HIM, Killswitch Engage, Nightwish, Alice Cooper, Lordi, Apocalyptica, Blake and Iron Maiden to name just a few.

Without wishing to blow my own trumpet (or should that be play my own axe) This is a nice looking app containing a fascinating and well made film with some great reviews. Perhaps this is the first of a new breed of app which offer full length films with lots of additional media tied together with an interface that gives it a good DVD feel.

iTunes link: Promised Land Of Heavy Metal

Don’t forget that you are able to connect your device to your TV using one of the systems below, which I wrote about in my previous post “Ten Christmas Gifts For an iPod Touch or iPhone User“

The Klipsch iGroove SXT MFI iPod Speaker System which also provides an S-video output.

The Logic3 WIP040 Prodock

A beautiful selection of quality iPhone and iPod Touch accessories

Ten Christmas Gifts For an iPod Touch or iPhone User

Matt Petch — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:52:21 +0000

The array of accessories available for the iPod Touch and iPhone is huge. This gives you a lot of options if you are looking for a Christmas gift but it can be very time consuming to find the best products in the mass of available offerings. Fear not. I have done the work for you and compiled below, a list of Ten different accessories. In each case I have spent time selecting what I consider to be good options. I can’t promise that the products I have selected will definitely be the best but I have tried to make informed selections based on My own experiences, available reviews and ratings, products I already own and simply comparing features to decide which appear to be good value for money. In short I have done exactly what I would do if searching for products for my self. First up is my most used item, the speaker dock.

Speaker dock
A speaker dock is one of the most used accessories I have ever bought. The JBL On Stage IIIP is a highly rated unit with good sound quality. I own a JBL On Stage speaker and have found it to be well made, faultless and produce high sound quality. If you want the added ability to view your video and photos on a television screen you could consider the Klipsch iGroove SXT MFI iPod Speaker System which also provides an S-video output.

The JBL On Stage IIIP

Klipsch iGroove SXT MFI

Alarm Clock
If you are wanting to pair your device with your radio alarm clock; the Sony ICFC7IP Clock Radio for iPod looks like a choice that a lot of people are very happy with. It is a reasonable price and includes a full function remote control. The only thing that some people have highlighted as a problem is the display being too bright.

Sony ICFC7IP Clock Radio

Device stand
If you use your iPod or iPhone at your desk, as an alarm clock or like to watch a lot of video content you may find a stand useful. The Mobis Technology Xtand for iPod Touch 2G or iPhone is a well engineered solid aluminum king of stands.

Mobis Technology Xtand for iPod Touch 2G

Mobis Technology St-188 Xtand for iPhone 3g

iPod Touch microphone
The features of the iPod Touch can be extended considerably with the addition of a microphone. Adding a microphone allows you to make recordings, take voice notes and even use your Touch as a Skype phone. There are a few different microphones available but I feel the tiny ones are most useful. I would like to get a ThumbTack Micro-Microphone but it looks like the Mini Microphone is also a good option.

ThumbTack Micro-Microphone Black for iPod Touch 2g & iPod Nano 4G

Mini Microphone Mike & Speaker for ALL Apple iPod & iPhones

Stylus Pen
Yes I know what you’re thinking; Why would anybody need a stylus for an iPhone or Touch when you can just use your finger. I agree, in most cases your finger is fine but I have a few drawing app which I think could be easier to use with a stylus, as well as a couple of freehand writing apps. Its not easy writing with your finger. I also think if you wear gloves a lot a stylus could be particularly useful. It seems the stylus of the moment is the Pogo Stylus which also comes with a useful clip that keeps it attached to your device.

SELECT Pogo Stylus Pen for Apple iPhone 3G, 3G S (Black)

FM transmitter for the car
Perhaps the most useful FM transmitter is one that not only transmits your music to your car radio but also charges your device and provides a means to hold it. The Griffin RoadTrip 6195-RDTRPB with Smartscan seems to be a reasonable option as does the Cygnett GrooveTransmit. Both of these devices provide a cradle for your iPhone or Touch which is supported by a short flexible gooseneck with a cigarette plug on the end. If you feel you don’t need the charger or cradle you could try TeckNet MT-096 or Griffin iTrip

Griffin RoadTrip 6265-RDTRPB2 for iPhone and iPod

Cygnett GrooveTransmit FM Transmitter/Charger and Cradle for iPod and iPhone

TeckNet MT-096 Apple FM Transmitter For Apple iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S and other iPod Player

Car mount
If you don’t need an FM transmitter but just want to mount your device in your car, perhaps to use as a GPS you may want a simple car mount. The Kensington Car Mount seems to be a simple solution with good reviews. Alternatively the Sunwire – In Car Holder & Charger looks good and comes with a charger. The possible advantage of the Kensington option is it seems it will take a wider range of devices plus you don’t need to remove them from their cases. Macally make a mount that fits into your car cup holder. If your cup holder is rarely used the Macally mCup could be a great solution. Be aware that unless very thin you will probably need to remove your case with the Macally solution.

Kensington Car Mount for iPod and MP3 Players

Sunwire – In Car Holder & Charger – iPhone 3G/3GS

MCUP Adjustable Car cup holder mount for iphone and ipod

AV dock
There are a range of docks and cables that allow you to plug your device into sound systems and/or televisions. In my opinion a dock is a little more convenient than cables as it means you don’t have to fiddle about with…well…cables. The Logic3 WIP040 Prodock is a versatile dock with great reviews on Amazon. If you prefer cables you could try the Griffin HomeConnect – iPod audio / video cable. Please note that the video component of this cable does not work with the iPhone or Touch but does work with other video iPods that can send video through their headphone jacks.

Logic3 WIP040 Prodock for iPhone/iPod

Griffin HomeConnect – iPod audio / video cable (video does not work with iPod Touch or iPhone)

Protective case
I spent a lot of time looking for a case before I settled on the one I currently have. I was looking for one that was quick and easy to use, protected the whole device yet when in use covered the face as little as possible. It also had to look good. I didn’t want film covering the screen, case on the front of the device or the need to remove the device from a pouch to use it. What do you mean I’m fussy? My searching finally paid off when I found the Proporta Leather Style Protective Case. It is a very smart looking leather effect case with a flip up front cover. The iPhone or Touch is held to the back cover of the case by a couple of covered metal grips so when open your device is fully exposed. I have owned this case for almost a year now and still love it.

Proporta Leather Style Protective Case (Apple 2G iPod touch) – Black

Proporta Leather Style Protective Case for Apple 3G iPhone

Additional battery power
The battery on the iPhone or iPod Touch runs down quite quickly when being used for video, games and other graphic or processor intensive applications (See my post on extending battery life here). When traveling, this can become quite an issue. The solution is an additional battery and or solar charger. In a previous post I recommended the Freeloader Globe Trotter, a portable charger/battery system that can be charged by its solar panels. This appears to be a perfect solution but having owned it for a couple of months I find my self unable to recommend it again. If you’re away for long periods of time and unable to find regular charge points you may require a battery with a solar charger. The PowerMonkey Explorer’ Portable Charger has some very good reviews and is an incredible versatile device. If you don’t require the option to charge via the sun I would consider the Kensington Battery Pack And Charger or the mStation Mohpie Juice Pack- Case & Rechargeable 1800mA Battery. The advantage of the mStation option is it takes the form of a case which means you don’t have to worry about separate batteries and cables.

PowerMonkey Explorer’ Portable Charger – Yellow

Kensington Battery Pack And Charger For iPhone And iPod

mStation Mohpie Juice Pack- Case & Rechargeable 1800mA Battery for iPod Touch 2nd Gen

mStation Mohpie Juice Pack- Case & Rechargeable 1800mA Battery for iPhone 3G

There you go! Ten suggested Christmas gifts for the iPhone or iPod Touch user. I won’t be at all offended if you want to send me one of them

The links in the copy above are my Amazon affiliate links. I searched many many different sites for products I would want to buy and in every case the products I selected were available at Amazon and at a lower cost.

iPhone Wallpapers. How to Install Them on Your Device.

Matt Petch — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:09:14 +0000

Short Version:

You can make any image on your device a wallpaper by selecting it in your photo library, tapping the icon in the bottom left corner and selecting “Use as wallpaper”

To get images into your device you need to set iTunes up to sync with iPhoto or the folder containing your wallpaper images if your not using iPhoto.

Long Version:

What sort of image can you use as a wallpaper? Wallpapers can be obtained in a veriety of ways. Any photograph you have stored in the photos app on your device can be used as a wallpaper. You can also download images from a number of places on internet. These have been specialy created for use as iPhone wallpapers and are the correct size and aspect ratio and the images are usualy composed to fit well within the iPhone format. You can download my specialy designed wallpapers here if you wish.

If you are using iPhoto it’s not a bad idea to create a new album to keep your wallpapers in. You can then sync this folder with your device. If you are not using iPhoto, you can keep your wallpapers in a specified folder on your hard drive and sync with that.

Copy the wallpaper images you have downloaded or created to your iPhoto album, designated folder, Photoshop Album or Photoshop Elements. Connect your iPhone or Touch to your computer and open iTunes. In the library column on the left click your device icon. Now click on the Photos tab. Make sure “Sync photos from” is checked then in the pulldown menu either select the folder where you placed your wallpapers or select iPhoto. If you are just syncing selected albums rather than all photos make sure your wallpapers are in an iPhoto album and that it is selected in the list. Press Apply (or sync) and the images in iPhoto or the selected folder will be copied over to your device.

On your iPhone or Touch, navigate to your photos and select the wallpaper you wish to use. You dont have to use a specialy made wallpaper image, you can use any photo you wish. Tap the icon in the lower left hand corner that looks like an arrow jumping out of a box. Sometimes you need to tap the screen once to make the icons visible.?

The menu that follows will contain the option to “Use as wallpaper”. On the iPhone you could also assign an image to one of your contacts.

Halloween iPhone Apps to Make Your Halloween Truly Despicable.

Matt Petch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:01:57 +0000

It’s almost halloween and with nothing but my Mac to guide me I have searched the deepest corridors and loftiest towers of the iTunes store in search of some digital dreadfulness for you to sink your teeth into. I emerge, blinking in the morning light, clutching six, pixel sodden apps that I hope will help make your halloween truly despicable. MMMWAA HA HA HA HAAAAA.

1.First on the slab is Halloween Sounds by Pixel Narrative. Halloween Sounds is a collection of fifteen good quality spooky sounds and a spooky soundtrack that can be played by its self or as a background track to the various scary sound effects that can be triggered by tapping the appropriate tombstone icon. The volume and quality of the sounds is quite good and I can imagine it being a good audio accompaniment to your fancy dress occasion or you could plug it into a sound system at a party and invite passing guests to trigger sounds at will. Halloween Pro which is the pay version of Halloween Sounds offers the ability to trigger sounds remotely via a second device or set a timer so your chosen sound can be played after a set amount of time has elapsed.

2.Hallowcarver by WNRS is a surprisingly good pumkin carving app. You can choose which pumpkin you want to carve and display it on a selection of different spooky backgrounds. The actual carving process works very well, you draw the shapes you want to cut out of the pumpkin with your finger and they are automatically removed to reveal the flickering light within the pumpkin. Once your design is complete you can save it to your photo gallery, post it to a web gallery, share it on facebook or shout it on Twitter.

3.Horror Classics by Alexandru Brie is a collection of classic horror stories contained in a reasonably well presented app. The book reader within the app isn’t as pretty as some but is perfectly functional and offers the usual common features such as book marks, automatic scrolling and the ability to alter the font size. Improvements could certainly be made to the appearance and functions of this app but its still a good collection of classic stories at a great price.

4.Halloween Postage by Rogue Sheep is a Halloween themed postcard app than enables you to take a photo from your library and customize it in various ways before delivering it vie mail or Facebook or saving it to your photo library. It is a nice looking app and very easy to use with quite a good set of features but I think its appeal would be quite short lived. I would like to see a larger selection of postcard styles to choose from.

5.Zombie Pizza by Appy Entertainment, inc is fun and rather disgusting horror puzzle game where you find yourself having to create Zombie pizzas by adding eyeballs, guts, brains, hearts, bones and other such delights to a pizza base and flicking it out of the door before the zombies break in and eat you instead. It is a nicely designed game and despite its unappetizing subject matter is fun for all the family. My little boy loves it anyway.

6.On the subject of horror games; I felt compelled to add Resident Evil 4 by Capcom to this list of six. It is seen as one of the best 3D action shooters on the iPhone, the graphics are great, the controls work surprisingly well and above all it is actually quite scary…or am I just being a wimp?.

1.Halloween Sounds by Pixel Narrative

2.Hallowcarver by WNRS

3.Horror Classics by Alexandru Brie

4.Halloween Postage by Rogue Sheep

5.Zombie Pizza by Appy Entertainment, inc

6.Resident Evil 4 by Capcom

Prey Invasion. Currently my Favorite iPhone Game.

Matt Petch — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:06:07 +0000

Im always on the look out for a good 3D adventure for my iPod Touch. I will be the first to admit that i’m not a very serious game player so this review is for us non pro’s. I love the idea of computer games, but rarely find one that holds my interest for any length of time. Prey Invasion is an exception to this and is currently my favorite game.

After crashing your pickup down a ravine you awake to find Earth is under attack from ferocious aliens. as you progress through the game you soon enter a strange temple and then venture further into an alien facility. It’s apparent these nasty beings are up no good and what’s more have your girlfriend.

Prey Invasion is a First person shooter with the pace of an action-adventure game. By this I mean; you have time to explore. Ive never been keen on games that require you to furiously pound the fire button until you die ten seconds later. On the subject of death; its something that doesn’t really happen in Prey Invasion. If you take too much damage you simply enter a spirit world where you can rejuvenate your strength by shooting a few ghost like creatures. You also have the option to cross over to the spirit world by choice; spirit walking allows you to briefly leave your physical body. This is useful, as there are certain things in the game that your physical body just cant do.

Controls for this type of game have always been a problem on the iPhone. The analogue D-pad thumb controls that are so common on this type of game don’t work in my opinion. Without having tactile feedback its difficult to know where you’re putting your thumb. Luckily Prey Invasion has very customisable controls including the option to select individual directional buttons, which I much prefer. Firing your gun simply requires tapping the screen and you can choose to use a cross hair target or simply tap the area of the screen you wish to target.

The graphics are rich and interesting. There are no real rendered reflections or shadows but the high quality of the texture maps makes up for this. I think it is unrealistic to expect an iPhone game of this type to compare to similar console versions but the makers have clearly tried to get as close as they currently can.

All up I think this is a great game and in my opinion there is little to compare with it at the moment in the app store. I would like the sound to be a little better and perhaps a little more variation to the environments and puzzles, but on the whole I think its good. The graphics are good, it’s nicely designed, the controls are ok and the general game play is a good one.

Make your iPod Touch or iPhone’s Battery Charge Last Longer

Matt Petch — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:03:43 +0000

Before I owned an iPod Touch I owned (and still do) an iPod Photo. The first thing I noticed about the Touch was that its battery appears to drain much quicker. Of course it doesn’t really if I only play music as I did with my old iPod. The touch can do so much more, but the price you pay for all the great energy sapping features of the iPod Touch or iPhone is a pretty short battery life. There are a few things you can do to maximise the battery life and I have tried to compile here a comprehensive list of ways in which you can squeeze as much time out of a single charge as possible. Of course the whole point of having an iPod or iPhone is to use and enjoy it but if you find your self in a situation where you wont be able to charge it for some time you may want to consider some of the following.

Keep it sleeping

Make it sleep quickly.
Obvious, I know but the longer your device is awake the more power it uses. You can help minimise awake time by making sure the Auto-Lock feature is set to put your device to sleep as quickly as possible. Go to Settings > General > Auto – Lock and set it to the default 1 Minute. Don’t forget that you can also manually put it to sleep by pressing the sleep button at the top of your device.

Avoid turning it off
Unless you intend not using your device for quite a long time it is probably best to avoid turning your device off completely. Restarting your iPod or iPhone is likely to use more power than you will save. When not in use for short periods of time just use the sleep mode.

Turn off features you don’t need.

Turn Off WiFi
If you’re not in range of WiFi or just don’t need to use it you could save a bit of juice by turning it off. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and switch it to off. Whilst there you could also turn off “Ask to join Networks”

Turn Off EQ
Having EQ turned on uses more of your devices processor and battery power. Turn off EQ by going to Settings > Music > EQ and selecting Off.

Turn Off Bluetooth
If this is something you dont use much make sure it is turned off. Go to Settings > General > Bluetooth and turn it off.

Turn off Location Services
Decide how often you use this feature and if its not very often, turn it off. Go to Settings > General > and flick the switch next to Location Services.

Minimise the number of times your device performs automatic tasks

Reduce how often your device fetches mail.
Applications such as Mail, fetch data automatically at pre set intervals. You can save a bit of battery life by reducing how often this happens. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and select a longer period of time in the Fetch list. Even better set it to manually. Whilst here you could also turn off Push. Rather than emails constantly being pushed to your push mail accounts they will simply be received according to your Fetch settings.

Stop your iPhone from searching for a network
If you know you are in an area where there is a very weak or no mobile network it may be a good idea to turn on Airplane mode. This will stop your iPhone from constantly trying to find a connection. Go to Settings and switch on Airplane mode.

Turn Off 3G
If you don’t require the speed that 3G offers, you may be able to save a bit of energy by just using EDGE. Go to Settings > General > Network and set 3G to Off.

Avoid bright screens

Turn down the screen brightness
The display on the iPod Touch & iPhone is a major battery drain. When its bright and busy its using lots of pawer. You can minimise its effect on your battery by keeping the brightness down as low as possible. Go to Settings > Brightness and drag the slider to the left as far as you feel comfortable with. You can also make it even more efficient by switching on Auto-Brightness.

Minimise the use of third party app’s
Using app’s that keep the screen illuminated such as games will of course drain the battery. The more you can avoid using these the more your battery will thank you. The most efficient entertainment your device can provide is playing music.

Don’t use colourful wallpapers
If you really want to take this to a silly extreme you could also make sure you don’t use any bright wallpapers. A black background requires little energy.

Avoid excessive processor use

Minimise the use of complex games
Its good to be aware that running many of the third party app’s such as games not only cause lots of battery draining screen activity, but also make the iPods processor work harder. This of course drains the battery.

If all else fails

Use a mobile charger or battery pack.
If you just enjoy using your iPod or iPhone too much to consider many of the above options, or you just need to play high octane 3D video games on your travels; you could always consider carrying an additional battery pack with you. Some battery packs also come with solar panels so you need never be without your iPod or iPhone again. Freeloader make a good range of solar and battery charging combinations. By far the most versatile and acclaimed is the Freeloader Globe Trotter. Take a look at the Freeloader range by clicking below.

Freeloader solar chargers

The Golden Age of video games on your iPhone and Touch

Matt Petch — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:09:13 +0000

Come with me on a geeky journey through time and pixels…

If like me you were born in the late sixties or early seventies you would have experienced the birth and development of video games during your childhood. The early games were simple, but it was an exciting time. Modern games are without doubt amazing and I wouldn’t want to go back to what we had then, but there was a certain magic about those first games that has now been lost, probably due to our familiarity with technology. Remember the film Tron? Well, as children I think we really did wonder what went on deep inside the brains of those emerging computers.

The first known video game was a device called the Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device patented in the US by Thomas T Goldsmith Jr in 1947. It used a collection of vacuum tubes to draw the trajectory of an imaginary missile which could be adjusted with various knobs to hit a target which was a simple overlay stuck to the screen. There was no such thing as computer graphics at this time.

There followed many one off attempts at computer based amusement, mostly run on university computers but It wasn’t until 1972 that the first truly successful arcade video game with wide spread appeal was developed by a new company called Atari. The game was called PONG. based on table tennis, it sold 19, 000 machines and and kick started the games industry we know today.

If you want to relive those heady days of PONG, Breakout, Space Invaders and Pac-Man you can do so on your iPod touch or iPhone. Outlined below are the key games of the 70’s, 80’s and early 90s along with their app store equivalent. Once again you can stand proud in the knowledge that you have saved man kind from the invading armies of flickering pixels.

1972 – Atari – PONG
Pong iPhone Edition. This is quite a nicely designed version of Pong which has been presented in a retro looking frame. Sounds, 2 player mode and Landscape play to come in a future version. Also take a look at Classic Qong Arcade.

1976 – Atari Breakout
Atari Super Breakout for the iPhone wont quite give you that retro feel until you switch it to its old style graphics option. This version is really quite customisable and even allows you to set your own background picture.

1978 – TAITO – Space Invaders
Taito’s Space Invaders on the iPhone is a faithful reproduction of the original set in an arcade cabinet complete with joystick and fire button. You can even switch it to very early versions of the game which were monochrome or used a colour cellophane overlay.

1979 – Atari – Asteroids
Astro Clash is the closest thing I can find to one of my favorites, Asteroids. It was one of the most popular games of its time and has been duplicated many times for many different systems.

1979 – Namco – Galaxians
Space invaders with a bit more interest,; Galaxians presented the added hazard of kamikaze aliens. This iPhone version of Galaxians seems to be the most authentic but check out the reviews before you buy. You could also try BugHunt

1980 – Namco – Pac Man
Namco have recreated PAC-MAN for the iphone which seems to be almost identical to the original. You have a few control options with this which can make game play easier, including accelerometer mode. If you’re not ready to spend the cash you could try the free version here.

1980 – Atari – BattleZone
BattleZone was another favorite of mine. It utilised wire frame 3D graphics to create a futuristic tank battle and is considered to be the first virtual reality arcade game. The Touch and iPhone version is called Vector Tanks and is a rather good recreation or the original.

1980 – Atari – Missile Command
In my opinion this was when games started to get a bit creative. Missile command involved deploying missiles in the path of incoming nukes to in an attempt to save several cities. The iPhone version of Missile command gives you the option of playing with the original original game or a modern, graphically enhanced version.

1980 – Atari – Centipede
A clever variation on the Space Invaders/Galaxians theme; Centipede required you to shoot advancing insects before they reached you at the bottom of the garden. Like the other Atari iPhone games this version of Centipede gives you the option of original or revamped graphics.

1980 – Williams Electronics (who?) – Defender
I had a version of this for my ZX Spectrum called Penetrator, loved it. Planet Defence is the closest thing you will get to this side scrolling classic on the iPhone. Lite version available

1981 – Konami – Frogger
Not one of my favorites but a popular game nonetheless is Frogger. Could this have been the forerunner of a multitude of platform games? Frogger on the iPhone features some pleasant updated graphics which are not too far removed from the original.

1982 – Namco – Pole Position
You know, I’m sure some months back I had a version of this on my iPod Touch that sported the original graphics. Anyway Namco’s current iPhone version of Pole Position has some updated graphics but is otherwise much the same. Prepare to qualify! Lite version available

1984 – First Star Software – Boulder Dash
Unlike previous titles this cave digging, diamond collecting game was released on multiple platforms including the Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Atari 400/800 home computers. Bolder Dash for iphone features a choice of modern or original graphics.

1984 – Tetris
Tetris has complex roots but it was originally created by Alexey Pajitnov whilst working for the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow. Tetris has evolved in a very organic way spawning many variations over the years. Tetris for the iPhone is a recent addition to a long string of Tetris games.

1991 – SEGA – Sonic the Hedgehog
I never had a Megadrive and have never played Sonic the Hedgehog. Now on the iPhone Sonic the Hedgehog is a faithful reproduction of the original of the craze hedgehog themed shenanigans.

1992 – id Software – Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein can be credited as being the forerunner of the first person shooter genre and was released on a multitude of platforms. It is said that secret level 3-10 is a replica of the maze from Pac-Man, including ghosts and power pills. Wolfenstein 3D Classic for the iPhone is is a faithful copy of the original. Lite version available

Well I’m all geeked out now so I hope you have found this brief journey back in time interesting. Please feel free to comment if you feel I have left anything important out. I now return you to the present.

The iPhone, The Future and Star Trek.

Matt Petch — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:28:44 +0000

I’m not a trekkie by any stretch of the imagination, in fact i’m barely interested in the various modern interpretations of Star Trek. But sadly I am rather fond the 1960’s TV series.

There are a number of Rumors going around the internet stating that a modified version of the iPhone will be used as the communicator in the new Star Trek film. Great!..oh actually, not so great.

Almost 20 years ago, I was at Art College spending half of my time having fun and the other half working hard for a degree in three dimensional product design. Towards the end of the course we were given a year to write our thesis. I needed a year and a day… Anyway I wrote about the relationship between product development in the real world and in science fiction and to what degree they effect each other. The conclusion I came to was that science fiction is the place where we first get to put our dreams into practice. It’s where we do what can’t yet be done. It is obvious then that these pursuits eventually filter through into reality. The trick though, must be to think laterally when it comes to designing your future technology so as not to be restricted by what exists now.

When you consider that the original TV series was set in the 23rd century, the iPhone or the iPod touch seem to have out run the dream in quite a dramatic way. The original series of the 1960’s sported the famous communicators. These could of course be seen as a forerunner for the mobile phone. The iPhone however is a communicator, but also takes all those other portable trekkie devices and technologies and puts them into a slim, highly versatile do everything machine. Ok, well it can’t detect life signs or give you a full medical diagnosis. Thinking about it, it can’t even cut and paste (at the time of writing), but you know what I mean. It can provide its user with a wealth of information, pinpoint your location, provide you with detailed star maps, work out mathematical problems and so on. Our ideas of the future seem to be getting closer and closer to the present. The iPhone feels like a futuristic device, but of course its not.

I really love the iPod touch and iPhone, and I would get a little flicker of joy to see it being used in the new Star Trek film. However I would hope that for the sake of the film and our future creative and technical goals, the creators of today’s science fiction could be a bit more creative than to use a device that exists in the present.

Perhaps it is just a rumor.

If you really want to downgrade your iTouch or phone to the 60’s vision of the future you could try some of these apps..

Kirk’s Communicator – iMake Apps (iTunes link)

Turn your iPhone into captain Kirk’s communicator.

TR-580 Mark III Star Trek Tricorder – Matthias Schorer

Scan the environment of the strange planet you have just beamed down to.

Star Trek Phaser – Paramount Digital Entertainment (iTunes link)

Set your iphone to stun or kill mode and fire away.

AppleTap » Entertainment

A new kind of App. Promised Land Of Heavy Metal.

Related posts

Ten Christmas Gifts For an iPod Touch or iPhone User

Related posts

iPhone Wallpapers. How to Install Them on Your Device.

Related posts

Halloween iPhone Apps to Make Your Halloween Truly Despicable.

Related posts

Prey Invasion. Currently my Favorite iPhone Game.

Related posts

Make your iPod Touch or iPhone’s Battery Charge Last Longer

Related posts

The Golden Age of video games on your iPhone and Touch

Related posts

The iPhone, The Future and Star Trek.

Related posts