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The Siri-Controlled TV is Already Here, And Your iPhone is the Remote

Alex Heath ∙ December 6, 2011

We've covered many examples of the SiriProxy in action. We even interviewed the man behind the networking hackery that has allowed people to use Siri to unlock their cars, control their rooms, and talk to their Macs.

There's been a video example of Siri controlling a TV, but we've stumbled across a better video that integrates the TV experience with Siri in a more native way. With rumors circulating that Apple is looking to release a Siri-controlled TV set, we have a hard time figuring out how it could get much better than this setup by Todd Treece...

Off Topic: 27″ iMac Solid State Drive Install in 3 Minutes!

Jeff Benjamin ∙ December 6, 2011

As you guys may know, my main job at iDownloadBlog is to create videos for everything from tweak and app reviews, to product reviews. Millions of people have watched our videos, and the amount of subscribers grow each day.

Considering this, my primary editing machine was getting a bit long in the tooth; I needed something to pep it up to keep up with the demand of video tutorials and walkthroughs. I needed a Solid State Drive.

But I wasn't planning on going to Apple or buying a whole new iMac just for an SSD. Nope, I planned on doing this myself. It wasn't easy, and at times it was downright frustrating. But I did it. To celebrate, I've created a video that showcases the entire 3 hour install in under 3 minutes...

Amazon’s PriceCheck iPhone App Could Save You Some Serious Cash

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

We've already told you about Amazon's price-saving application in our holiday-helper roundup. The software allows you to use your iPhone's camera to scan the barcode of a product and compare prices from hundreds of Amazon resellers.

But the online retailer also offers a standalone iPhone app that allows you to compare prices: PriceCheck. It gives you multiple ways to search prices to make sure you get the lowest one. And on December 10th it can save you even more money...

Giveaway: Kogeto Dot Panoramic Video iPhone Accessory

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

The Kogeto Dot is a 360° panoramic video attachment for the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. We were fairly impressed with its capabilities to take great action videos in our video review of the device.

Since we're finished with our review, we're happy to pass on the 360° panoramic goodness to one of our readers. Check inside for your chance to win your very on Kogeto Dot...

“Here’s To The Crazy Ones” Steve Jobs Poster is the Perfect Christmas Gift

Alex Heath ∙ December 6, 2011

Sebastien wrote a touching tribute to Steve Jobs after he passed titled "To the Crazy One." Apple's co-founder was responsible for some of the most compelling advertising campaigns in history. This particular "Crazy Ones" ad from 1997 opened with the line "Here's to the crazy ones."

A new letterpress poster has surfaced that captures the Crazy Ones mantra in beautiful typography.

Why Apple Released Siri in Beta

Cody Lee ∙ December 6, 2011

Siri has garnered a lot of media attention over the last month. Even hackers with intentions to port the digital assistant to other devices are making headlines. But along with all of the attention comes criticism. There's a lot of folks that feel Siri isn't worth the hype.

Apple has taken quite a bit of heat over releasing Siri, even though it's labelled as "beta." The company is typically known for releasing finely-tuned products that "just work," and Siri doesn't seem to fit that bill. But maybe Apple felt that it had to release Siri...

EFF Pleads to Make Jailbreaking Legal For all Devices

Alex Heath ∙ December 6, 2011

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has asked the US Copyright Office to make legal the jailbreaking of all consumer electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, and video game consoles. The proposal aims to remove jailbreaking, or gaining root access to a device, from being prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The EFF has also asked that electronic companies not oppose the jailbreaking of their products.

In July of 2010 the EFF won its first landmark case for this cause when the US government passed a law making the jailbreaking of Apple's iPhone and iOS platform legal. Now, the EFF wants to make jailbreaking legal on all devices.

Grand Theft Auto III: 10th Anniversary Edition Coming to iOS December 15th

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

We've known that Rockstar is bringing Grand Theft Auto III to iOS and select Android devices for some time now, but we never knew when exactly we would be able to get our hands on it. That changed today, and we're all getting a little over-excited at the prospect of playing a game we already loved playing ten years ago.

As Rockstar announced today, (deep breath) Grand Theft Auto III: 10th Anniversary Edition will go on sale on December 15th. That's just 9 short days away!

The developers also announced the final list of compatible devices across both iOS and Android, with things being decidedly simpler on the side of Apple's hardware...

Steve Jobs Biography Tops Amazon Best Sellers List

Guest Author ∙ Updated May 26, 2017

Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs has become Amazon's best-selling title of 2011. The book made its debut on October 24th, and in less than 2 months it has already outsold many popular titles, including Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, and StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.

The total sales of the bio haven't been released, but the book did remarkably well in its first week, selling more than 379,000 copies. You can find the book in a hardcover edition on Amazon or digitally on the Kindle Store. You can also grab a copy on Apple's iBookStore...

Meet the First iPhone-Controlled Missile Launcher

Cody Lee ∙ December 6, 2011

iPhone-controlled toys have been popping up all over the place this year. There's been helicopters, Drones, and even robots. But we haven't come across a dedicated desktop missile launcher... until now.

The iLaunch Thunder is, well, a desktop missile launcher that can rotate and fire foam missiles at nearby targets. The cool part is that you can control the rotating, and the missile launching, with any iOS device...

Consumer Reports Rates AT&T as Worst US Carrier, Again

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Prior to this year, AT&T was in a pretty sweet spot. As the only carrier in the United States with Apple's coveted handset, generating new smartphone customers wasn't very difficult.

But now that Verizon and Sprint are in the mix, AT&T might want to think about stepping up its game. Consumer Reports just named the carrier the worst in the US in customer satisfaction, again.

Steve Jobs Was Right, Tablet Size Does Matter

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 6, 2011

When Apple decided to bring the iPad to market it came to the conclusion that a 9.7-inch screen was the way to go after testing various different sizes and dimension ratios. Steve Jobs later famously declared that a 7-inch form factor was simply too small to be usable, but that didn't stop the likes of Samsung and RIM from releasing tablets with a screen that size.

Amazon has recently joined the group of companies to release a tablet, and it also went for the smaller form factor for the Kindle Fire. Was that a wise decision?

According to usability fiend Jakob Nielson, Amazon's tablet is simply too small to be truly useful, lending credence to what Jobs and Apple have been saying for the last two years...