Rick Astley iPhone Worm

Reports started spreading this weekend that iPhone users in Australia had been falling victim to “ikee,” a worm that replaces default wallpaper with a picture of Rick Astley, the British pop singer… CNET

According to the article it will only infect jailbroken phones, but you must admit Rick Astley is classic prankster material! Everyone loves Rick Astley including Sirmixalot. Check him out here.

iPhone Killer Again… (heard it all before)

We have heard this over and over. “This phone is the iPhone killer”, yet whenever the phones eventually get released there is always something that doesnt put it into the same class, either its the app store or the simplicity of the iPhone that still keeps it as uncomparable to others. But Motorolla and Verizon are hyping up their “Droid” phone and directly attacking Apple’s iPhone in their ads. The phone will run Android 2.0 and Boy Genius is allegedly the only person to actually get his hands on one.

While those details are unconfirmed by Verizon or Motorola, the DroidDoes.com Web site and the TV ad for the campaign highlight that the Droid offers several important features, including multitasking, a replaceable battery and open development — features that the iPhone has been criticized for lacking. The TV ad attacks the iPhone in various ways, saying the following:

• iDon’t have a real keyboard.
• iDon’t run simultaneous apps.
• iDon’t take 5-megapixel pictures.
• iDon’t customize.
• iDon’t run widgets.
• IDon’t allow open development.
• iDon’t take pictures in the dark.
• iDon’t have interchangeable batteries

Source Computerworld

With Windows Mobile revamping and upgrading their system, Android becoming a real player in the market, and the iPhone still untouchable, the smartphone consumer’s smile just gets bigger and bigger.

Check Boy Genius’s screenshots here.

Kuwait Overrun By Blackberry’s

I know this topic has been beaten to death, but is the only reason the Blackberry is so big in Kuwait due to the BBM? I cannot understand how a hardcore business smartphone can be so popular. With the same amount you pay for the Blackberry service you can add the data package from your provider and install all the instant messaging programs you want, and more. The iPhone at least is a multi-media monster. From applications, to games to the iPod itself. But beyond the BBM, what does the Blackberry provide to the non-business oriented Kuwaiti aged 16-35? I understand the users who are using background syncing for up to date analysis of say oil prices for example, or the stock markets, but other than that ? Any answers?

New iPhone App Causing a Stir

This new app is called “Amp Up Before You Score” and is free from the iTunes App store. Its main objective is to help men ‘score’ with 24 different types of women. From punk to sorority to rebound girl, this app has them all. Check out the video.

link

UPDATE : Pepsi has apologized for this app since it is degrading to women. link

A Taste of Italy

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum.

 I am back from my trip to Italy. I’m gonna leave you with some pictures of the trip and hope you enjoy them. I didnt take my DSLR but used a Nikon 10mp coolpix camera which wasnt too bad. Continue Reading

Are You An iPhone Addict?

Here are the top 5 signs that you are addicted to your iPhone. Plus an added one from me. You gotta love that iPhone.

1. You find that you go into a massive depression and have panic attacks when you get the 20% battery pop up warning.

2. You check the weather on your iPhone instead of looking out the window.

3. You’ve experienced deeply religious “Thank God” moments after finding your iPhone in your other pocket.

4. You just spent the last 4 hours on Facebook.

5. Your partner, husband, or wife bans any mobile phone usage at restaurants, bars and cafes in the presence of your friends and family.

* You start emailing your friends links of yourself singing rap songs using the “I am T-Pain” app.

You can also find a list of the top 10 signs you are addicted to gaming here.

Random Information of the Day : President Obama getting in on the Kanye-Bashing bandwagon by calling him a “jackass”. Check it out on update 2 at the bottom of this post.

The Rebirth of Auto-Tune

After N posted a while back about Jay-Z and auto-tune, iTunes have come back with an app to make sure it remains a major player with vocalists, the consumer vocalists at least. I am T-Pain.

T-Pain burst on the auto-tune scene with his Buy You A Drink song, constantly repeating his name and every other line in the song using auto-tune. Now, you can do it yourself with this application. Available for $2.99 in the iTunes App Store, you can boast  in front of your friends, spitting lyrics out in the auto-tuned T-Pain style voice. You can select from a number of his songs which have karaoke-style lyrics strip at the bottom, and his music in the background, or you can freestyle any song you want. Obviously, I have heard many renditions of T-Pain’s song using this application, but the funniest by far must have been a “Tash ma Tash” one I heard this weekend performed by a 5 year old kid. After done recording you can email it to a friend. Very enjoyable app and worth the $3.00.

Rating:  

Random Information of the Day : if you hadn’t heard of Serena Williams getting penalised at match point and losing the semi-final of the US Open to comeback queen Kim Clijsters for a rant at the line judge, here is a snippet:

“I swear to God, I’ll f— take this ball and shove it down your f— throat,”

Very ghetto-suave. link

Don’t Lose Hope – Fix it Yourself

Ever dropped your cell phone in water? Ever had to replace an iPod because of battery problems? How about spilling liquid on a laptop? These, and many other everyday nuisances occur to us all the time. And we usually end up fully replacing the ‘defected’ object. But wait, I read this article on MSN and it seemed very helpful for alot of these problems. Even stuff like reviving a stuck LCD panel are included. Check out the article right here.

Random Information of the Day : So there was the dotcom bubble, then in Kuwait we had the Sushi bubble and currently we are experiencing the cupcake/cookie bubble. But did you know that our last “bubble” (sushi and sashimi) is in the top 5 list of most foods to contain parasites? Some foods to ponder over here.

Teddy on the Go

“Teddy is an alter ego. He willingly volunteered to be a social experiment to help create a life for someone who is trying to settle back into a society. This person is living vicariously through Teddy by establishing new relations, building a network, starting a new life, and trying new things. Teddy is real, and you can be a part of his life too.”

Keeping with our trend of supporting local blogs/websites/ventures, i had stumbled upon www.yearofteddy.com from Mark. Basically, it will take you through a year of the life of a teddy bear. With a new post everyday with a picture of its latest adventure. Enjoy teddy as he has only begun his journey.

iPhone Information of the Day :  Madden NFL 10 from EA Sports is now available for your iPhone from the iTunes App Store for $7.99 up until the launch of the new NFL season Thursday 8:30 PM (EST). It may cost $9.99 after that deadline.

The Rejects

have you always wondered which iPhones app never made it to the app store, or made it and then got booted out? What were the reasons for Apple not accepting them? From third party copy right infringment, to being defamatory to a public figure, to even “causing confusion to another app”. Most of the apps rejected would not be of interest to most of us either way. Baby shaking, George W. Bush and Google… this list has got them all.

You can find in the link below the top 20 most notorious apps which got rejected from the iTunes Apps store.

http://tech.msn.com/products/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=21124345&GT1=40000

Random Information of the day : “Spotify have released both their iPhone and Android mobile apps, a little over a week after Apple approved it in late August. Premium subscribers to the streaming music service will now be able to access Spotify’s catalog on their iPhone, iPod touch, or any of the Android devices currently available. It looks to have just gone live in Europe where you can now have access to over 6 million songs on your iPhone for roughly $20 a month.” Taken from here and here.