Is the new iOS App Store a step forward or step back for mobile app developers, users, and the app economy overall? Some developers are complaining that since the introduction of the Chomp-inspired App Store redesign in iOS 6, sales have noticeably dropped. Others say the changes are good for indie developers.
Whichever side of the coin you’re on, there are a number of reasons why developers… → Read More
As much as we all strive to build sustainable and stand-alone companies, we’re living in a period of massive transformation and thus, consolidation and acquisition. As a result, many entrepreneurs build their businesses with potential acquirers in mind, choosing to grow at any cost instead of actually building a sustainable business that is solvent and profitable.
GRP VC Mark Suster (and… → Read More
You Americans have all the good stuff. Stuff like BP pumping oil in the Ocean and guns, lots of guns. And then you have Netflix and we people outside the U.S. are wondering what could it feel like to have a service like that. Now I know. → Read More
Instructables has an interesting instruction set for adding a USB port to your car’s dashboard, thereby avoiding the “wall wart” that comes with most USB-charging devices for the car. Obviously you’re only sticking an old USB charger into the dashboard and cutting a hole for the port, but it definitely adds a touch of class to your auto. via Giz → Read More
I did a quick exploration of the syncing and sharing features for the iPad and found them slightly confusing but, ultimately, robust. Here are a few issues/findings I think you’ll be interested in: No PDF support – You can drag ePub files over to your iPad and they will appear in the reader. However, you will need to convert all other formats. You can convert almost any format using… → Read More
Using a foam packing peanut to hold a nail or screw in place is brilliant. I like to think of myself as a pretty mild-tempered person but any time anybody’s asked my wife about the most angry she’s ever seen me, she always tells the story of when we first moved into our apartment here in Boston and I went around the house hanging our window blinds. Shoulda used peanuts. → Read More
In case you missed it, Apple announced the long-awaited iPad yesterday. And while there’s been no shortage of coverage by just about every technology-related blog on the planet, perhaps you’d like to be able to use Google Reader without every third post being about the device. If so, there’s a very simple search trick you can use to filter out all the iPad-related hoopla. → Read More
Gather round, everyone. Gather round. I’m going to show you a trick that 98% of you will never use. But for the 2% of you that actually use the information contained herein, I hope you’ll consider removing at least part of the CrunchGear staff from your “People to Punch” list. → Read More
Before I go defile myself with burgers and beer I wanted to jailbreak my iPhone 3GS for you all. The process was amazingly simple. Using a Windows netbook – it doesn’t work under Windows 7 – I simply installed iTunes and ran purplera1n. It took a second to reboot then it rolled through recovery mode, rebooted, and an app called Freeze appeared. Freeze then installed Cydia and all was right with… → Read More
This project, designed to piss off the creator’s girlfriend, is a tank with a Nerf gun, speakers, and remote controlled base. The resulting tank is pretty cool although the goal – to terrorize a woman who would live with a guy who would build such a magical thing – is a bit odd. Maybe he wants to be alone?
Maybe he can reverse the suction on the Nerf gun. → Read More
I’ve always said that Twitter was for bowel movement and someone out there seems to agree with me. This Instructable shows you how to add a sensor to your office chair that will listen for sounds of gastrointestinal distress and Tweets when it hears them. → Read More
It’s tremendously snowy outside—not unlike that level in Donkey Kong Country. So the urge to go outside and snap, snap, snap away, taking photos of the lovely scenery, must be palpable. You might want to wrap your camera around in a plastic bag to protect it from the elements (that’s an old trick I learned in a class once), or, to look more middle class, slap this plastic shell on it. You… → Read More
I’ve been playing with Windows 7 Beta for a the past week or so and after loading it up on multiple machines I’ve learned a few things:
1. I hate waiting for DVDs to burn ISO images.
2. Half of my computers don’t have optical drives and I don’t want to buy an external one.
3. Creating a bootable USB thumb drive with Windows 7 loaded onto it is more complicated than it needs to be, but… → Read More
Make has a great piece on how to solder, a skill I’m sorely lacking. My buddy Paul actually built me a Nixie clock from scratch, soldering each freaking component on by hand. Impressive, to say the least. → Read More
Capcom released the demo for Resident Evil 5 last week in Japan, but did you know that you, the average American Xbox 360 owner, can play it right now? It’s extraordinarily easy, since all you need is a bank CD or DVD and the wherewithal to burn a data disc. Are you ready? → Read More
I’m just full of helpful hints this week. This one comes after seeing a comment on my other site, WristWatchReview about the BR02, a 1000M diver with a fairly striking design. I liked it when I saw it but at $4,800 I could probably pass. But did you know you could get it for a mere $168? → Read More
This fairly long video shows you how to create a mail trigger in Outlook to shut down your PC or Mac whenever you send a text message to your mailbox. It’s a pretty simple trick – I think I had this running back on an old Linux box when I was still on Sprint in like 2001 – but it’s nice to know it’s still possible. Add this to your friend’s computer and drive… → Read More
It’s been five days since the release of RB2 and the weekend is almost here. Any plans? No? How about you, yes you, host the most kickass rock-n-roll RB2 party this weekend? We will, with the help of Wired, provide you with a handful of options to unleash the maximum potential of your newly purchased RB2 software. → Read More
I’m certainly nowhere near the cusp of 148 apps on my iP3G, but I know some of you are getting close or are already at the maximum. The process sounds pretty tedious, IMO, but if you’re really gung-ho about it then clear out 10 minutes or so of your day. Oh, and you’ll need 9 full pages of apps for this to work. → Read More
The Acer Aspire One netbook. It’s inexpensive, it’s tiny, and the base-level version only comes with 512MB of RAM. I cracked open the case, voided the warranty, and added an extra gigabyte. Watch the above video to see how. More details after the jump. → Read More
Well garsh durnit if this boy didn’t make himself a grammyfone out of a bunch of Legos and a cup. In my day, we used to just rub an old flour can against record and it would play loud and clear enough for all of us to dance at the hootenanny. What will these kids think of next? via Make → Read More
The PS3 has been out for almost two years now, so it’s sorta odd to see a Popular Mechanics article explaining, in painful detail, how to install Linux on the system. But lo and behold, here we are. As you know by now, pretty much all you have to do to turn your PS3 into a fully functional computer—OpenOffice, Firefox, etc.—is download the PS3 version of Ubuntu, backup all your… → Read More
If you’re the tinkering type, then you might want to check out this little slice of heaven. It’s a missile launching robot, I think, that doesn’t tame the savageness of man, but rather entertains you for all of two minutes. The fun, I’d expect, is in making it; the necessary parts are all there for your enjoyment. As I’ve said before, my knowledge of hacking and… → Read More
Attention Men of NYC- It’s Thursday, May 29, 2008, and that unfortunately means tonight is the premiere of the “Sex and the City” movie. Your significant other has undoubtedly begun harassing you about it and she probably already bought tickets for it. If your lady friend really knew you or even liked you, she’d probably be going with her pack of rabid girlfriends, but she… → Read More
http://www.5min.com/Embeded/1945/ Watch more DIY videos on 5min.com Pretty clever, those British. Always caging free drinks. → Read More
[photopress:usenethow.jpg,full,center] If and when the **AA have Usenet shut down after the piece appears, feel free to blame Biggs. He’s making me write it. I occasionally mention Usenet when talking about piracy here, but I’ve never really explained what it is or what it does. I’m still not going to explain what it is, technically, (that’s what Wikipedia’s for), but… → Read More
Holy crap, this almost seems like more trouble than it’s worth but if you’re looking to convert your “old” HD DVDs to Blu-ray, Wired’s How-To Wiki has got you covered. You’ll need a fast Windows machine, an HD DVD drive, a Blu-ray burner, 30GB of hard drive space, money, and a bunch of software. → Read More
http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/1080629/sexy_secret_book.swf I am a single blogger. I have no girlfriend or even anyone I’m actively dating, so this Valentine’s Day I’m going to be drinking whiskey at a rock show here in Seattle with a couple cute girls I know as we commiserate about being in that unenviable position. But you, you’re a stud. You’ve got a wife or… → Read More
[photopress:bttracker.jpg,full,right] Despite my affinity for getting music and movies for free, I never once entertained the idea of setting up my own BitTorrent tracker. Too much risk for my liking. But there are ways to minimize that risk, both on a technical and common sense level. One BT tracker admin gave a list of do’s and don’ts (anyone know the correct punctuation for… → Read More
Well that was quick! A few days after 1.1.3 hit the proverbial streets it’s been cracked wide open for general consumption. To that end, we’d like to discuss a few ways to crack open your 1.1.1 or later iPhone/Touch with a few simple tools. → Read More
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