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Filed under: Accessories, iPhone

Get a Quirky Beamer for your iPhone (hint: it's not a car)

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Nov 9th, 2009

TUAW has introduced several Quirky projects to you in the past. Quirky is a community of folks who come up with really cool ideas, and then the best of the ideas are fine-tuned by the folks who run the site and readied for manufacturing. Once a minimum number of customers commit to buy the product, it is put into production.

While looking at the headline for this post, you might think that we're talking about an oddly-painted BMW, but the Quirky Beamer is actually a case for the iPhone. Not just any case, mind you, but one with a built-in bright LED light that can act as a real flashlight or provide illumination for your nighttime photos.

Compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the Beamer uses replaceable lithium coin cell batteries to provide up to 10 hours of illumination without chewing up your phone's batteries. Pressing the button on the case once turns on the light for 10 seconds, enough to find your keys or take a picture of your buds. To turn the light on for an indefinite amount of time, press the button twice. A third press turns it back off.

Quirky won't produce the Beamer until 500 commitments at $32.00 are received on the site. As of 9 PM on Sunday night, 106 people had committed to the product. If you're looking for a way to flash your friends and not get arrested, the Quirky Beamer might just be the answer.

[Thanks for the tip, Chris T.]

Tags: case, flash, flashlight, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, Iphone3g, Iphone3gs, photography, quirky

Filed under: Humor, iPhone, App Store

Tweetie 1.2 for iPhone adds Instapaper, enhanced functionality and some hilarity

by Christina Warren (RSS feed) on Jan 16th, 2009

Tweetie, my current favorite Twitter client for the iPhone, has just been updated to version 1.2 [iTunes link]. While the update offers a slew of enhancements, new features and improved functionality, what makes this release memorable and unique is the sly dose of humor developer Loren Brichter inserted in the latest version of the app.

Updates and Improvements

Because Loren was nice enough to let me into the Tweetie beta, I've had the opportunity to watch some of the new features evolve and improve over the last month or so. What was already a great app is now even better, thanks to new additions and refinements to existing features.

  • Instapaper support. Now if you see a link in a tweet that you want to save for later, you have the option to save it to Instapaper, in addition to e-mailing, tweeting or opening the link in Safari.
  • Block/unblock from the app
  • Remember scroll position on relaunch and refresh
  • Twitpic linking for photos
  • Optional landscape keyboard (note: if you choose this option you will have landscape mode regardless of how your device is held.)
  • Switch account from the "compose" menu (super helpful if you manage accounts that have some overlap in followers)
  • A new "Swipe to reply" shortcut
  • Drafts persist after relaunch
  • Nearby radius control
There are even more features and enhancements, and you can see the whole list at the developer's blog.
(A note: To access some of these new features, you'll need to go to the Tweetie pane in "Settings" on your iPhone or iPod touch and then select or change your preference.)

Popularity EnhancEr = Hilarity

We love it when developers have a sense of humor. Not content with having Tweetie become popular just because it is a quality app, Loren Brichter decided to bring a taste of the more popular -- if inane -- App Store apps: farts and flashlights.

Enable the Popularity Enhancer and not only do you get a nifty flashlight, the new swipe to reply feature will make a hilarious wet fart sound.

Brilliant.

Tweetie 1.2 [iTunes link] is availalbe in the App Store for $2.99 US and of course, existing users can download the update directly from the device or from iTunes.

Tags: fart, flashlight, iphone, tweetie, twitter

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Productivity

Omni Group introduces OmniDazzle - "mesmerizing mouse movements"

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 2nd, 2006

After weeks of ambiguous hints and torturous teasing, The Omni Group has unveiled their newest product, and it definitely isn't a Sweedish meatball maker. Introducing: OmniDazzle, a "set of fun and useful enhancements that help you track the location of your mouse pointer and provide options for highlighting certain areas of your screen". Basically, it's like one of those mouse-trailing toys tools with some actually useful goodness baked in. For example, OmniDazzle can place a spotlight on your mouse, dimming the background and helping you or your audience focus on what's important. It offers other interesting tools for pinpointing your mouse and even drawing on screen for those times when crayons just won't do. In fact, there's a lot of quirky (and handy) stuff OmniDazzle is capable of, so why not check it out while it's in beta?

Tags: center, dazzle, draw, find, flashlight, lost, mouse, omni group, omnidazzle, OmniGroup, pinpoint, presentation, scribble, spotlight, tool, track, trail

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