A recent Stanford University study unveiled what some may have already known: Apple’s iPhone can be (and in some cases is) addicting.
200 Stanford students have participated to the survey. They all own iPhones, with 70% of them having the smartphone for less than 12 months.
The students were asked to rank their iPhone dependency on a scale of one to five. Only 6% of the students said they weren’t dependent at all. 10% admitted they’re fully addicted, while 34% ranked the addiction as a four on the given 1 to 5 scale.
89% of the questioned students use the iPhone as their alarm clock, 85% use it as their watch, 75% fall sleep with it in bed next to them, and 69% are more likely to forget their wallet than the iPhone when leaving their homes.
41% of those surveyed said that losing their iPhone would be “a tragedy”. 30% consider it “a doorway into the world,” while 15% believe the iPhone turned them into a media addict. 3% have even named their iPhone.
Despite all this, the so-called iPhone addiction is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, the smartphone made 70% of the students more organized, and 54% of them said they’re more productive. Also, 74% admitted the iPhone made them “feel cool”.
You can read more about the Stanford University survey at Live Science.
Way before Microsoft jumped on the ‘Hero’ bandwagon came this app on Apple’s side of the fence, which doesn’t really turn chores into a game so much as impose a ratings system as cheap trick motivation. The name of the game is of course Chore Hero. I wonder, if Rock Band came out first, would we have Ribbon Band and Chore Band instead?
As I said earlier, Chore Hero isn’t really a game, nor does it turn chores into games. It’s really a productivity app: users create profiles for their family/housemates/roommates and then assign chores to each member on a weekly basis. Multiple members can be assigned to one chore, and of course multiple chores can be assigned to one member. The app can even assign a chore at random.
The carrot on a stick? “Players” earn titles, e.g. Chore Leader, and virtual points. You can then determine what the points translate to in real life – money, gaming hours, time off from chores, you get the idea. Tricking your family into doing chores and then revealing that the points mean nothing will most probably ensure that the “game” is over.
Chore Hero is compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch and requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later. You can get it for a mere $3 (USD) at the App Store (link opens iTunes). There’s also a free, ad-supported version (opens iTunes), which I think has a limit on the number of chores that can be listed.
This incredible ammo box iPod dock was created by Thomas Spaans. He turned the old metal box into a high-end portable iPod amplifier.
It’s called the A-Box and it’s designed for docking an iPod or mp3 player, which can connect on the outside or the inside of this box. It’s great for listening to music and to protect your iPod from incoming bullets. Each A-Box is made from 1mm steel plate, fortified with 6mm trespa on the inside, and a layer of vibration dampening material to keep it sounding great.
The A-Box comes in two versions. A lighter one with 2 × 25W amps and woven fiberglass speakers, and a heavy version with 2 × 70W amps and woven Kevlar speakers. Both versions include dramatic indicator lights inside the speaker cones. They’re both on special right now with introductory prices of $339 (€250) for the light version and $475 (€350) for the heavy one right here.
There are number of car mount solutions available for iPhone but this accessory from Taiwan-based Just Mobile is different. Dubbed as Xtand Go, the accessory can mount various gadgets in addition to the iPhone and can be mounted on windshield and dashboard of cars.
There’s a big, bold question mark at the end of that title for one simple reason: this really is a mystery. The truth of the matter is, that we literally have only scraps to go on here, plus a lot of word of mouth. No, this isn’t the same word of mouth from “people familiar with the matter,” but it’s pretty close. What is the Elan? We don’t know. Is it the bigger-screened, slate-style handset that people want? We just don’t know. But, there are some hints that could give away to a clear image, somewhere within all this mobile madness.
Count this the second handset that strikes more confusion than anything else. The first is, not surprisingly, another one from Palm, actually. Codenamed the C40, it’s been sitting in Sprint inventory screens for quite some time now. And now, we have the Elan. Where’d it come from? Well, over at PreCentral, we have TopTongueBarry who is an AT&T IT person. Apparently, he confirmed previously that the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus had both gone through the testing phases of AT&T, and now a third device, the Elan, was going to start being tested as well.
It doesn’t stop there, however. No, another member, Shadow360, took it upon themselves to start digging around, and they hit the jackpot (more or less). Apparently there were accessory manufacturers creating things for the Elan. Furthermore, the Elan’s accessories are compatible with the iPhone. Also, TopTongueBarry added that testing for the Elan should begin in about two weeks, will rock a “soft keyboard,” and be released in Europe, but could see an unlocked version here in the States. Yes, that last part has us scratching our heads a bit, but if Palm is planning to serve up an unlocked device with AT&T’s 3G network, it makes complete sense. Otherwise, there’s really no reason why AT&T would need to be testing the Elan.
As we mentioned from the start, this isn’t even technically a rumor. We’ve got, as you can see from the screenshot above, that the word ‘Elan’ exists, and that accessories were indeed made for it. But, the entire project could be scrapped, or it may never grace the network of AT&T at all. There’s still too many questions, to be honest. However, there’s no arguing that Palm needs to get a new device out there, and one with a bigger screen (in the more slate-style of handsets) would be a dream come true for quite a few people out there. So let’s hope that Palm is already working on it. Either that, or succumbs to peer pressure.
Maker Thomas Spaans built this rugged looking high-end portable iPod amplifier into a military ammo box. Housing two 70-watt amplifiers and woven kevlar speaker, the A-Box is as aggressive as it looks. [via RetroThing]
The iPod/mp3 player can be connected on the outside of the A-BOX as well as the inside so you can listen to your tunes while running around with the A-BOX for example or just protecting your iPod from bullets and stuff.
As technology progresses, people are going to be faced with all sorts of questions. Like, do you really want to get up from that couch? After all, you’ve got vacuums that pick up after you without you needing to push them around; you’ve got video game consoles that turn off and on without the need of you actually pushing a button on the box; and now the home automation market is on the verge of climbing to a brand new level. Considering the iPhone’s capabilities, there’s no wonder that this is happening at all. Just plug in a simple IR dongle, and you’re off to the races. Or, perhaps quite the opposite.
New Potato Technologies is based out of North Carolina, and they’ve created a new infrared dongle that plugs into your iPhone (or iPod Touch, if you’re so inclined). But, unlike the multitude of other IR dongles out there, this one from New Potato plugs into the dock connector. And much the same way that you’re standard IR remotes control the products in your home, the FLPR can tell your stereo equipment, fans, and lights exactly what to do. All from the comfort of your 3.5-inch touchscreen.
As an added bonus though, the application that New Potato Technologies has created for the FLPR also contains over 14,000 device codes, so that connecting to all your IR-based devices should be a relative breeze. If this is something that you’re dying to have, for no better reason than you want a legitimate excuse to use your iPhone upside down, you can go ahead and order one from the company’s website today. It will cost you a cool $79.99 for the IR dongle. If you’re more inclined to wait, retailers such as Best Buy should be ready to sell you one by March 28th.
