Today, the media streaming service Orb announced their official iPhone application, OrbLive 2.0, allowing you to stream your media files across multiple devices via 3G, EDGE or Wi-Fi. The last incarnation of OrbLive was launched before the App Store was introduced; thus requiring a jailbroken iPhone. The official application allows for a more intuitive and streamlined experience instead of the traditional browser interface. It’ll save you time from syncing all of those files that you claim don’t exist buried in the dim recesses of your hard drive, giving you just a lil’ more “special time.” Eh, let’s try not to forget special time doesn’t mean it’s “share-with-everyone-around-me” time, shall we? Not unless it involves physical interaction. [MarketWatch]
That was fast. It’s barely Nov. 21 and the iPhone 2.2 update is here, all 246MB of it, as promised. Included in the update, according to the release notes and as we’d heard, are all the new Google Maps features we’ve been waiting for like Street View and walking directions, over the air podcast downloads, mail enhancements, Safari fixes, improved sound quality for visual voicemail, fewer dropped calls (again), and more. Grab it now.
Several Verizon Wireless employees stumbled upon the Pandora’s Box of personal mobile phone accounts, that of President-Elect Barack Obama, and couldn’t help sneaking a peek. Luckily, the account was old and out-of-use, there’s no indication that email records, voicemails or call contents were monitored, and at the very most the employees only got to see billing records, according to Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam. Oh yeah, and the employees are now fired.
If you’re one of those people who really loves their car, or even just loves cars in general, you’ll probably get a big kick out of this car-shaped mouse. Available in a range of different makes and models, the optical mouse comes with a USB dongle for wireless connection to your PC or Mac and has an 800-dpi resolution. The bonnet acts as a left and right mouse button with a subtle scroll wheel in the centre. We’ve got one we’re about to take for a test drive (groan) and we’ll let you know how it handles next week, but if you can’t wait that long you can pick one up for yourself for $70.
[Roadmice]
We here at Gizmodo have been getting interesting missives from several readers about how AT&T’s 3G network has just plumb broke in several areas, like Boston and Hawaii. Any calls made to an iPhone 3G goes straight to voicemail, but with no notification to the iPhone owner. Switching back to the Edge/2G network will get the phone to start acting normally again.
Jalopnik’s Road Test Editor Wes Siler is currently at 35,000 feet, flying American Airlines from LA to NY. Since his Boeing 767 had the recently launched Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi, and since he was already using it to get his work done, we decided to see how far the service could go in terms of in-flight comforts.
And the battle for PVR of choice in your living room rages on, growing more and more violent with each passing week. This time, Foxtel has sent a mortar in the shape of an enhanced online EPG into TiVo’s camp. Foxtel have expanded their online EPG to 14 days, meaning you can check out upcoming TV shows and movies up to two weeks in advance. Plus, they’ve added a whole raft of new advanced search functions to help iQ subscribers find more of the shows that they want to watch, and then send the order to record directly to their iQ remotely.
Unfortunately, the TV EPG is still restricted to 7 days in advance, but watching the way this war is really building up, surely it can’t be too long before we see 14 days become the norm for all EPGs…
[Foxtel]
The Home Chare—yes, that’s chare, not chair—is a combination wheelchair for the disabled and for Jabba the Hutts. This device not only can be adjusted into a bed and standing aid, but also can double as a toilet via a replaceable seatless cushion. We can’t see how this toilet design is convenient though, unless, of course, you rode around in this wheelchair pantless or in a pair of asschaps. Since the Home Chare is currently not on the market, we hope this will give them time to fix the restroom-accessibility situation. [Product Page via Yanko] galleryPost('homecharedesign', 3, ' ');
newVideoPlayer("/iphonebugfsit_gizmodo.flv", 320, 260,"");According to a Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information press release, the eagerly expected iPhone 2.2 operating system update will arrive tomorrow, November 21. The release is expected to bring new features, but the Institute’s note highlights a major security problem that can make your iPhone to place a call when visiting a malicious web site. This date is in line with the previous rumours. Update: here’s the video of the security exploit that the iPhone 2.2 release will fix, according to the Fraunhoferians.
newVideoPlayer("/bruceleenokia_gizmodo.flv", 506, 423,""); A couple of weeks ago, a ten second clip called “Bruce Lee’s secret training video,” featuring someone looking like the famous Kung Fu master completely owning at ping pong with a pair of nunchaku, was uploaded to the Chinese Internet. Now, the entire clip is up and… it’s a Nokia ad! For a Bruce Lee version of their N96! I guess with the rising middle class already getting jaded with traditional marketing, companies in China are starting to embrace virals. Still, in terms of ads, Nokia seems to have hit on a winning formula. I can’t think of many things I love more than Bruce Lee, ping pong and pwnage! [Youku]
