iPhone Savior

Obama 'Spock' Action Figure is Brilliantly illogical

By now every Obama zombie out there more than likely owns a few Barack Obama action figures, originally released in a White summer suit (sold out) and Black power suit. A companion John McCain action figure was also released at the same time as Obama by Jailbreak Toys.

The Obama action figure scene instantly morphed from ho-hum novelty into "freakin sweet" when Jailbreak Toys hosted a unique "Art + Action = Obama 08" auction of specially designed Obama figures by over 80 artists. The results ranged from artsy epic to painfully ridiculous. My faves were the classic "Star Trek" homage with "Obama Spock", "Super Obama" by Brett Clisch, "Death Rock Obama" by renowned toy designer Voltaire, Mega Man and the ghetto fabulous "O-Boma" tagger by Phetus.

 

It's possible that these highly customized Obama-Bots could become valuable collectibles should "Super O" become our nation's next president. Or not! Jailbreak Toys also sells a DIY Obama figure blank to paint your own "priceless" Obama-Bot original.

 

[Photos by Steve Talkowski]

Connecting iPhone To Free AT&T Wi-Fi At Starbucks

After a few epic failures, AT&T has finally launched their free Wi-Fi service now available at thousands of hotspots nationwide including Starbucks. The service was originally promised to iPhone subscribers months back. AT&T released an SMS text message announcing the plan. Did you get the memo?. Since most Starbucks locations offer free AT&T Wi-Fi and the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, that's where I chose to test my connection. Complete steps and screen shots are included after the break.

Steve Jobs Steers Clear of Handicap Parking?

 

CUPERTINO, CA - Ok I'll admit it, the Steve Jobs handicap parking thing is one topic we've covered ad nauseum. That said, it's only fair we reveal newly discovered proof that El Jobso may have finally steered clear of the mysterious handicap that allegedly required him to occupy blue parking on the Apple campus. A shocking revelation to many of us on the iPhone Savior news team as well.

An obligatory photo of Steve Jobs' Mercedes SL55 AMG was taken recently by some Machead playing "Spot The Jobsmobile" game while visiting One Infinite Loop on October 27. A growing spectator sport we reported on a few weeks back. The photo (above) clearly reveals the fantastical possibility that Jobs might have deliberately avoided the handicap spot.

One bystander described the parking news as; "Spectacular! I'm so happy Steve is finally rehabilitated. Hallelujah!" said Cupertino resident Elam Nikserof with a slight lisp, "Goodie for him."

It appears that we'll have to begrudgingly cross off one crucial line of criteria from our own "Spot The Jobsmobile Checklist". For now that is. Let's hope this is not the start of some new trend for SJ.

Thanks to email tipster Ally for the photo submission.

[photo by Calculator]

iPhone Demand In Congress Wildly Exaggerated

It turns out that rapidly circulating news of iPhone becoming the new gadget of choice for hundreds of House members in the next Congress, due to strong demand over the BlackBerry, may have been wildly exaggerated according to a new report by Jordan Golson of TheIndustryStandard.com, contradicting an article posted by TheHill.com entitled "iPhones are a must-have for Congress"

The TheHill.com report written by Jordy Yager, quickly became the headline for many Mac centric websites with some claims stretching far beyond the real facts. "That's not exactly how the story unfolded last week, as dozens of news sources--including yours truly, unfortunately--ran with TheHill.com's report that the iPhone was under serious consideration by the House." said CNET's Tom Krazit in his own report.

"Fake Steve Jobs" Still Hottest Costume Alive

 

Believe it or not, "Fake Steve Jobs" is still one of the hottest costumes alive, packed with enormous cool factor because it can be worn anytime of year. Since the old "Fake Steve Jobs" is now officially dead, there's room for an entire army of Jobsian clones to arise. Why wait when you can be like Steve right now?

We've linked to all of the essentials you'll need to front as Apple's beloved CEO. Start with a handy household screwdriver and remove both of your license plates. Then buy your mock-turtleneck, your 992 New Balance sneakers, your Levi 501 Jeans and scare up a pair of round spectacles. Blammo! You're Steve Jobs broseph. Why not start a snarky blog too? For authenticity, dangle a firewire cable from your back pocket to make any true Apple fanboi ROFL.

For an added twist, dabb on some white face make-up, black out around your eyes, add a few bloody gashes and transform your El Jobso into the walking dead, as a "Night of the Living Jobs" zombie. No matter what version of Fake Steve Jobs you choose, dead or alive, the hotties will dig you and the guys will wish they could be you. Because everyone is dying to be like Steve.

[original design by Marco Pakoeningrat]    [photo by Dana Lacey]

Google Earth Makes First iPhone Debut

Google Earth has made its triumphant debut on iPhone, providing a touch sensitive way to navigate the entire planet from the palm of your hand. A couple of sweet features include the use of iPhone's accelerometer, allowing pan and tilt of landscapes along with viewing a nice a collection of 8 million geo-tagged Panoramio photos. A useful feature that helped me find the bronze statue of Jimmy Hendrix on the corner of Pine & Broadway in Seattle's infamous Capitol Hill neighborhood. Geo-tagged Wikipedia articles are also included so anyone can explore the earth with a virtual encyclopedia and compass in hand.

I tried locating the Space Needle from the Jimi Hendrix statue and found Google Earth to be spot on, methodically making its way over to downtown Seattle without too much lag time. The ability to instantly tilt and pan over to the horizon to view the landscape has some authentic wow factor.

Like several other iPhone apps, the 'location' feature is a very useful tool. I found Google Earth to have instant cool factor that can wear off fast if you're not in the mood for playing 'Dora The Explorer'. This app on 3G was a tad slow, crashing several times, especially during use of the Panoramio photos. When I switched my iPhone over to WiFi the experience was less frustrating. Restarting my 16GB iPhone 3G did not seem to help matters. I'm sure updates will improve the experience.

Overall, Google Earth is an impressive free app that will take some time to navigate well and equal patience when roaming around the planet. Traveling the world has never been easier. A few failed attempts should be expected along the way, but the spectacular views are so worth the effort. Chime in with comments on your first impressions. Earth to iPhone users! Hello?

[watch Google Earth video]

America Loves Obama and Palin 'Dancing With The Stars' On iPhone

Barack Obama and Sarah Palin "Dancing With The Candidates" has become one of the most recognized and beloved images in America, featured on both CNN and ABC News. The image was only recently sized and posted as an iPhone wallpaper which has been downloaded over nine thousand times in just a few short days.

The original "Dancing With The Stars" photo was skillfully remixed by a Tampa Bay graphic designer named Martin Rice. Rice sent over his Photoshop image to three friends featuring Obama dancing with Palin. Days later the photo has traveled electronically around the globe and back. "I just thought, regardless of how sad it may be, this is what a lot of the country would rather see. It just seemed timely." Rice told Creative Loafing.com. 

"Our country is going through a very difficult time right now," said Dotty West, from Tampa Bay, Florida, "It's nice to see Obama and Palin working so closely together, enjoying their celebrity. It does my heart good. I hope they both win."

The idea of these two highly visible candidates joining hand-in-hand to compete in a wildly popular dance competition has captured the hearts and imaginations of many Americans. Americans who are quick to argue over which one is sexier, who's the sharper dresser or the more cunning linguist. Obama and Palin have become bigger than life persona's that may end up serving us all better as delightful caricatures rather than being ready to serve as our new leaders in the White House.

"They're both lovely people from what I see on TV," said West, "I hope they get offered a talk show. Obama could be the next Oprah with how good he talks. At least we won't have to watch him getting fatter every other week."

[Dancing With The Candidates Wallpaper]    [Creative Loafing]

Bogus Steve Jobs iReport Posted By Teenager

In the early morning hours of October 3, a fake story claiming Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack was posted on iReport, a citizen-journalist website hosted by CNN. An investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has revealed that the person responsible for posting the bogus news was a teenager who's motives are still unclear according to the full report on Bloomberg.com.

Share's of Apple's stock dropped down as much as 5.4 percent on Oct. 3 when news of the story gained steam in the media. The stock later recoverd slightly when the iReport was deemed to be a hoax, but still closed down 3 percent. The original iReport headline, was posted by an 18-year-old under the name "Johntw,'' claiming; "Steve Jobs rushed to ER following severe heart attack." We were able to gain a screen shot of the bogus iReport before CNN eventually pulled it down [here].

[Read entire Bloomberg report]   [via Roughly Drafted]

Revisiting iPhone Predictions By Dummies

It was bound to happen. Someone had to take a hard look back at the history of ridiculous iPhone predictions and properly pull the down the underpants of those ego maniacal shaved apes who were keenly bent on forecasting the demise of Apple's iPhone long before it launched.

MacDailyNews accomplished the above mentioned "pantsing" with stealthy, Ninja-like skill. So much so, that it caught the attention of Philip Elmer-DeWitt who writes for Fortune under the Apple 2.0 banner. DeWitt's post is appropriately titled; "Dumb iPhone predictions: A look back".

Here's one of my favorite failed predictions from the (22) naysayers in the buffoon parade: "I'm more convinced than ever that, after an initial frenzy of publicity and sales to early adopters, iPhone sales will be unspectacular... iPhone may well become Apple's next Newton." - David Haskin, Computerworld, February 26, 2007

iPod Shuffle Pimped Out In Four New Colors

Apple has pimped out their wildly popular iPod Shuffle with four new fantastical colors just in time for election day on November 4th. Anxious Republicans are sure to be doing the "McCain Shuffle" with tongues wagging all the way to the voting booths. Capture the world's most wearable music player in vibrant blue, green, pink, or red for $49 dollars 1GB and $69 for the 2GB model.

Then go out and buy John McCain's brand new dance CD, "The Way He Walks", set for release on October 31st. There will be no shortage of McCain zombies lining up to grab a little piece of ancient history. The Village Voice called McCain's version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", "Unspeakable horror. Even worse than we ever imagined."

Download the entire CD from iTunes with an exclusive ebook showing step-by-step instructions for doing The McCain Shuffle plus get two bonus tracks, "Walking On Sunshine" and "Jump". Supplies are unlimited.

[album design by Peter Breuer]