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Siri Controls an Entire Room Using the Power of Voice

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 28, 2011

We're just going to right come out and say it: we're pretty much in love with SiriProxy, and we're not ashamed to admit it.

Created by Pete "Plamoni" Lamonica, SiriProxy lets Siri interact with pretty much anything on a network, and people have done some pretty awesome things with it, ranging from opening car doors to launching apps on a Mac.

As is so often the case with such hacks, the clever people of the internet have not stopped with new ways of using SiriProxy, and a new video just popped up on our radar that we think you'll like, especially if you've ever been a fan of Star Trek...

Add a Touch of Cool to Your iPhone With a Clear Back Panel From iFixit

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 9, 2018

Are you tired of your iPhone looking like all of the other millions of handsets out there? These new transparent back panels from iFixit should do the trick. They add a touch of cool to your handset by giving you insight to your iPhone's insides.

Typically, these see-through panels go for over $50, but for a limited time iFixit has them on sale for just $29.99. And you won't just get the back plate, iFixit is including the tools to install the thing, a screen protector, and a wet bag...

Zagg Hosting Major Sale, 50% Off Everything!

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2011

It's Cyber Monday, a day brought about by online retailers to generate the type of sales that brick and mortar stores see on Black Friday. While you generally won't find the "door buster" discounts that surface over the holiday weekend, there are some decent deals.

We've come across one sale in particular that could potentially make your day, depending on what you're looking for. The folks over at Zagg.com, the makers of the InvisibleShield, the Zagg Sparq, and other accessories, have just taken 50% off their entire inventory...

Brazil Sells the Most Expensive iPhone 4 in the World

Sébastien Page ∙ November 28, 2011

The new 8GB iPhone 4 was supposed to be a low cost iPhone. At least that's what it's like here in the US. It's a whole different story in Brazil, where the device is selling at a hefty price, making it the most expensive iPhone in the world, as reported by TNW.

Indeed, carriers Vivo and TIM just started selling the iPhone 4 8GB in Brazil for a whopping R$1,799 (US$970) without a data plan. [...] As for their competitor Claro, it only does slightly better with a Rs$1,650 price tag (US$888). [...] While subscriptions make smartphone prices go down dramatically in most countries, it is not the case there either; at Claro, subscribers will have to pay no less than R$270 per month (US$145) to get their phone for free.

That's even more expensive than India's iPhone 4S!

Exclusive Interview with Pete “Plamoni” Lamonica, the Creator of SiriProxy

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

SiriProxy has been making the headlines as of late. The server technology makes it possible to use Siri to unlock your car, interact with apps, and even set your thermostat.

The man behind SiriProxy, Pete Lamonica, has taken Siri and shown Apple what it looks like to think outside the box. If enthusiastic geeks have the technical knowledge, the possibilities of SiriProxy are nearly endless.

Pete has let iDB in on the development process for SiriProxy and explained what his motivation was for putting the proxy together. This is his first official interview since SiriProxy went viral...

iPhone Sets Itself On Fire Aboard an Australian Flight

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 28, 2011

If there is one thing you really don't want to happen, it's your iPhone setting itself on fire. If there's something you really, really don't want to happen, it's the aforementioned combustion happening on an airplane!

During a flight between Lismore and Sydney, Australia, a passenger's iPhone began to emit "a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow," which apparently isn't a good thing to happen mid-air.

The fire was extinguished and the flight landed safely, but the poor iPhone has certainly not survived...

Beautiful Concept of an iPhone Camera

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

According to some excerpts from Steve Jobs' recently released biography, the ex-CEO wanted to "reinvent" three markets: television, text books, and photography. The first is still a rumor, the second is happening as we speak, and the third is still up for discussion.

Looking at the image upload data from Flickr shows that the top four most popular cameraphones are iPhones, and the most popular camera overall is the iPhone 4. So is this what Jobs was talking about? Or did he want to build an actual camera, like this one?

SiriProxy Plugins Arrive for Controlling Mac Apps and Google Voice

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 27, 2011

Barely 12 hours goes by without a handful of new SiriProxy plugins surfacing that blow our minds, and we've come across a few more that we thought might blow your minds, too.

Put together and shown off on YouTube by Ian McDowell, these new plugins bring the power of Siri to Google Voice on the iPhone, but more impressively, allow the launching of, and interaction with apps on a Mac. Sending messages using Google's telephony app is one thing, but launching apps on your computer is a completely different one.

The control of a Mac towards the end of the five-minute video certainly has a Star Trek feel to it, even down to the "Computer" prefix added to Ian's commands...

Siri Dictation Now Available For Free On the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, iPhone 3GS [Video]

IDB Staff ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Hackers have been trying to port Siri to older iDevices since the virtual assistant was announced alongside the iPhone 4S. Siri doesn't technically require the new handset's A5 processor and increased memory, so limiting the technology to the 4S is clearly a marketing maneuver.

We've already seen Siri running on an iPhone 4, so we know it's possible. But those instances required special circumstances, and we didn't know if we'll ever see a public release. Siri's dictation feature has now been made publicly available in Cydia for the iPhone 4, and it actually works.

Meet Romo, the iPhone-Powered Robot

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

We've seen multiple iOS-controlled helicopters and other robotic accessories over the last few months. Apparently, using your iDevice to remotely control a bite-sized vehicle is becoming quite popular.

But even though the RC market is getting crowded, there is still tons of room for innovative products. Romotive proves that with Romo, the first iPhone/iPod touch-powered (and controlled) robot...

Dev Team Working on “Very Promising” iPhone 4S Unlock

Alex Heath ∙ November 27, 2011

Dev Team frontman and unlock guru MuscleNerd has given an update on a new unlock for the newly-released iPhone 4S. According to MuscleNerd, a "very promising" unlock for the new handset is "in the works."

While iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 owners with older basebands have been able to unlock after jailbreaking for awhile now, there's a whole set of newer basebands waiting for an UltraSn0w update.

HTC Loses Money Thanks to Struggling Economy and Competition From Apple and Samsung

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Out of all of the Android manufacturers, perhaps no other company has benefited from Google's mobile operating system more than HTC. The Taiwanese handset-maker created some of the world's first smartphones, and the company has really taken off since Android hit.

In fact, HTC has been nearly unstoppable since it launched the first Android handset back in 2008, experiencing a sales growth streak that spanned nearly two years. But in the face of stiff competition and an ailing economy, its streak has finally come to an end...