Adding an RFID reader to an iPhone allows all sorts of possibilities, and this video shows how everyday objects can trigger a video related to that object.
In the example, with an RFID reader attached to the iPhone, when holding the iPhone in close proximity to a certain object, that object tells your iPhone to play a particular preloaded clip.
There might be any number of nice applications where content could be pushed to a phone to act as, say, a flexible museum guide, or instruction manuals or videos could be played to remind you how to program your washing machine, or even cook a particular dish.
So it’s Sunday, but that doesn’t mean much for Internet entrepreneurs. Just like Jason Calacanis wants, we spend too much time in our office. But there’s room for fun too. Just now, for example, Robert Gaal showed me the coolest useless iPhone app ever, RjDj.
This iPhone gimmick records sounds from your environment with the iPhone headset mic and remixes them in a playback loop, randomly adding delay, echo effects, and taking certain parts of it.
Involuntary MC’s
I went outside with if for a bit and walked a couple of blocks. Listening to the music the RjDj app produced which was a completely different experience that the regular iPod one. The street noises became part of the music I was listening too, which sometimes can be simply amazing. I’m telling you, a Spanish tourist scared the hell out of me by talking a bit too loud. An ordinary pedestrian turns into an involuntary MC.
(warning: this can cause weird situations, as I started to walk really close to other pedestrians to record their conversations)
There’s a free version with only one “scene” (which isn’t too good compared with the others). The $3 version has six “scenes”, of which the “Loopinger” is my absolute favorite.
Here’s six-minute video demonstration
Where’s the hype?
It actually surprises me that there hasn’t been a RjDj hype, as everybody here in the office is absolutely raving about after the first experience. Yet if you look at this Technorati chart, you’ll notice a buzz is absent. Let’s see if we can get something started here (don’t forget to stumble)
The iPhone App store is one of the many great features of the Apple iPhone. Hundreds (thousands?) of developers are tinkering away on apps that when launched are sure to bring riches and fame to its inventors. All you have to do is browse the ‘Whats New’ section on your iPhone or iPod Touch on a daily basis and you will be able to choose from a wide variety of innovative new apps. Some useful and some funny.
But there is more. A lot of ‘would-be’ developers are posting their ideas for the perfect app to their blogs and posting mock-ups of next generation interfaces to Flickr. These apps are nothing more than ideas waiting to be implemented and sometimes ideas mainly waiting to be ignored. Either way, here is a selection of inspiring ideas that I found on Flickr:
1. Fancy GPS app
Ricky Romero presents a screenshot, with a big proud smile, of his upcoming GPS app. What will it offer? We can only guess:
2. Parmesan cheese grater
This app is an example of some of the more frivolous designs. From the comments: “In my quest to find the best iPhone apps out there, I submit a Parmesan grater application for your approval. Steve Jobs has not returned my calls, but I think this is a pretty cutting edge idea. Pecorino plug-in sold separately.”
3. Horizontal keyboard outside Safari
A really simple concept for a horizontal keyboard. Of course, this one is already implemented by Apple but only used in Safari when you tilt the iPhone. Wonder when it becomes available for Mail and other apps that use text input.
4. Keep an eye on electricity in your house
A very cool concept which helps you manage energy consumption for your house: “Current State is a real-time energy use monitoring system and timer for powered devices combined into one. The Current State system is made up of two parts, a mobile application for you cell phone, which allows you to control and monitor electricity use from anywhere, and a series of Plug-Ends that give you control over the products around your house.”
5. Scan offices for certain rooms?
I have no idea what this is supposed to be and how it would work. But hey, it looks cool!
6. DJ on the move
This one shouldn’t be that hard to build for someone with Xcode experience. Right?
7. Take presentations to another level
One of the first Apps I bought was Stage Hand. It turns your iPhone into a remote control for Keynote. You can see a preview of your slide and highlight stuff on the screen or read your notes, all on the little screen in your hand. This concept takes it even further and it also look better:
8. Virtual ruler
This one might be one of the most interesting concepts I have seen so far just because it makes me wonder if it could actually work. What do YOU think? “Would be nice to display a virtual ruler over the camera picture to roughly measure distances. Certainly doable as we know the characteristics of the iphone lens. It could use the accelerometers to adjust the perspective (tilt, etc).”
There are a lot more impressive designs for imaginary iPhones, iMacs and iPhone Apps here.
What would your imaginary iPhone app do? Make coffee? Get you hot dates? Yeah, all that. But what else? Let us know…
After using an oldtimer phone for too long, I feel liberated today due to my recent acquisition of the iPhone. Ok, I realize this might sound awkward, as the shiny object is one of the most lockedin devices of this era – yet some of the new phone possibilities just really turn me into an even happier guy than I normally am. The most recent example? Truphone’s latest iPhone app.
Truphone is a similar service like Nimbuzz, Fring, and a dozen of other mobile VoIP start-ups, and the first one to launch a VoIP application for the iPhone 3G. This is absolutely marvelous, as it allows you to save a stack of euros on calls abroad. Calls to any landline anywhere in the world are just 6 cents per minute, to mobile is 15 cents per minute. Note please that we’re talking about dollar cents here, so we basically get a 30 percent discount on the fare. On one condition though: you need to have access to wifi, as iPhone VoIP apps aren’t allowed to use 3G.
Screenshots from iPhone app store
After the simple activation process – confirm a call, login on the Truphone site, and validate email – I gave the app a shot. To keep it simple and clear, here’s a list of pro and cons.
Pro’s
Truphones merges into the iPhone seamlessly, as it has almost the same UI as the iPhone’s phone application
The sound quality is really good, sometimes crystal clear.
Contacts are imported, so you can easily dial up your friends
You get a four dollar credit to start with, thanks Truphone!
A friend told me that when I called him with Truphone, he saw my regular number on the screen.
Cons
When you receive a regular incoming call, your Truphone conversation is instantly killed
Your elite contacts, “favorites”, aren’t imported
No speaker phone option
Although the pro’s list is somewhat longer, the first con really sucks. I have to start every Truphone conversation with apologies, as the call might be terminated by an incoming call. Hence I won’t use the Truphone application for important calls abroad.
All in all, the Truphone iPhone app is a first good try and it will certainly help you to save money, especially when you live in Europe. Let’s hope they can find a way to stop those incoming calls, so Truphone can say they’re the iPhone 3G VoIP winner.
Written on 16th April 2009
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