Between iAno – the newly released iPhone app that turns your mobile into a piano – and the earlier released PocketGuitar, which does much of the same but with a guitar, it is only a matter of time before we see the first iPhone band. That will be awesomely groundbreaking, and what we ask is that you send us the video. We’ll post it, we promise*. Back to the present, iAno installs on Jailbroken iPhones and offers a fully functioning multitouch piano, as you can see in the great video above. A four-octave keyboard is represented in iAno, and the arrow keys at the top are used to navigate around. The software was put together by a developer going by the name of Mr Aardvark, and he managed to pack in polyphonic sound that allow five key presses to be heard simultaneously. Sweet.
In this comic by Roz Chast really sums it up nicely, for grandmas, parents and, let’s be honest, sometimes even ourselves during our darkest moments of troubleshooting.
Macenstein managed to grab a screenshot of the Tiny Code website before it went down showing they are “targeting 1.1.4 Alpha2″. [Macenstein]
Lichtenberg figures are fantastic; they perfectly display branching electric charges that occur within, or on the surface of, certain insulating materials. Sure, that may sound like a whole load of boring, but check the image above to see why you are wrong—they look amazing. Popsci is hosting a video that shows you how to make your very own with some office supplies, a metal point and some shag carpeting.
While the rumour that Dell’s working on an Android phone isn’t new—it was sorta smashed, even—this is a slightly different (and maybe more promising) spin on it. An Alienware-designed Android phone. I’m not sure it makes a whole lot of sense, or hell, even looks that good, but it’s definitely more striking than anything Dell would probably come up with. Would you carry this thing, especially with the much-improved look of the new Android SDK? [Dialaphone via /.]
I’ve wanted to be Batman since I was a little kid, but I’ve never had the billions required to hire Morgan Freeman to construct kickass para-military gear for me to wield an overwhelming advantage over ill-financed and poorly equipped common criminals. So, I’m going to have to settle for projecting my dreams onto my future offspring. Step one: Strap Mattel’s Wayne Tech Mega Cape on him from the day he can walk. The wings spring out with a single touch, instantly readying him to fly down a staircase and into the ER. US$40, June. Health insurance sold separately.
Both Japan’s NHK and Reuters are reporting that Toshiba is going to finally pull the trigger on HD DVD, ending the format war after being punted by Wal-Mart (the US’s biggest retailer), Best Buy and Netflix. The official announcement will come next week, though Reuters’ source confirmed that “We have entered the final stage of planning to make our exit from the next generation DVD business.” RIP HD DVD, you will always have a place on our mantle. At least until we buy a Blu-ray player. But really. [Reuters]
Dark-AleX has just released a hack for the PSP that boots from the Memory Stick, and will allow you to select any firmware version you so choose. The app, dubbed Time Machine, will also boot-up PSPs with destroyed firmware, a second life for you not-so-great hackers out there. It functions via Pandora, and looks a bit tricky to get to grips with at the moment.
