prototype posts

RFID coming to iPhones?

by Sang Tang (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009

Photo courtesy of flickr: Thijs Jacobs

Back in April 2009, TUAW's Dave Caolo posted a video showing off the potential (and some of the potential annoyances as well) and possibilities of an RFID-enabled iPhone world via an iPhone RFID prototype by Near Field. And, according to a Near Field Communications blog posting, Apple is said to have equipped prototypes of the next-generation iPhone with RFID readers.

How awesome would it be if, instead of using my Mobil Speedpass, I could turn to my iPhone and swipe that against the gas pumping station to pay for gas? And, because there may eventually be "an app for that," I may also be able to view my current balance and fuel economy statistics. Or, instead of needing to put a FasTrak transponder atop my windshield (which is annoying), I could simply put my iPhone on the dashboard as I cross the toll road. I could then view my balance, as well as fill up my credits on the fly. These are just some examples of RFID applications in use today.

Tags: iphone, prototype, proximity, rfid, rumor

Filed under: Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, Found Footage, iPhone

Found Footage: iPhone prototype

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (RSS feed) on Mar 17th, 2009

Remember the ebay auction of an iPhone prototype? Well here's a video of another prototype from Germany -- although it looks very different from the one in the auction. The UI, still very rough, at least looks more "Apple"-ish in the German video.

There are a few interesting moments too, like seeing a Terminal button (makes sense) and a little demo of the iPhone trying to track a finger as it moves across the screen. While we wait for iPhone OS 3.0 it's interesting to see the pre-1.0 release and realize how much has changed in such a short time.

[thanks to Timothy for sending this in]

Tags: iphone, prototype, video

Filed under: iPhone

iPhone prototype yanked down from eBay

by Megan Lavey (RSS feed) on Mar 10th, 2009

A set of iPhone prototypes from 2006 briefly made the eBay rounds this morning, with bids running more than $2,000 for the two phones (one non-working) before Apple managed to get the listing yanked sometime during the day [although we now have reports that a sale was completed before the listing went down -Ed.]. The seller also made a YouTube video documenting the features on the phone -- while that too was pulled down due to Apple exerting its copyright, Engadget managed to salvage it and now has it up on its site.

The prototype hints at several features that did not make it to the final version of the iPhone, including a possible option for video phone calls and games. The video is well worth watching. Even though the auction was pulled, we still manage to get a peek at the process that led to the phone unveiled in early 2007. We also have a glimpse of the iPhone at its most basic levels, something that will be an asset to developers.

Update: A similar prototype is shown in this Flickr set as noted below.

Tags: ebay, iphone, prototype

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, MacBook Air

Prototype MacBook Air found on eBay

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Nov 19th, 2008

This is probably old news for most classic Mac collectors, but it's the first I've heard of it: a member of the forums at MacRumors.com bought a MacBook Air "as is" on eBay, and when it showed up, he got something even more valuable than the envelope-filler: a prototype version. As you can see above, there's no "MacBook Air" nameplate under the monitor, and hardware inside is dated to May of 2007, which is way before Apple officially announced the machine.

Apparently someone given an early working version of the notebook has already moved on to the new [REDACTED] that Apple is working on, and has sold off their old prototype of the Air. Very cool -- as I said, collectors know that there are prototypes floating around out there still, but this is the first I've heard of the phenomenon. And I like that it's almost a time capsule back into the beginnings of the product we know now as the Air -- the model name given in the software just says "Mac," so this predates the name we associate with the machine. You wonder what would have happened to a system like this if it hadn't actually gone into production and been released.

Tags: Apple, branding, ebay, macbook-air, may-2007, monitor, prototype, version

Filed under: iLife, Internet, Internet Tools, Developer

Take back your iWeb galleries in Firefox 3

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Jun 23rd, 2008

Just as Firefox users were upgrading to version 3 last week, many people started to miss their iWeb-created galleries as they just disappeared. Well, one iWeb user has been doing extra work to fix Apple's? (erm... Mozilla's?) problem. Joshua Ochs has posted an in-depth article on his site describing exactly what is going on -- he also provides a fix in the form of a script to patch iWeb.

Joshua says that the problem is neither with Apple nor Mozilla, but with a JavaScript library called "Prototype" which is used by iWeb. Right now there are two ways to fix the problem (neither of which are supported by Apple): you can use the information on Apple's Discussion Board, or you can download Joshua's script -- both seem to work and are free.

[via ArsTechnica]

Tags: Firefox 3, Firefox3, iLife 08, Ilife08, iWeb, JavaScript, library, Prototype, tweet-this

Filed under: Hardware, Apple History

Flickr find: Apple protoypes group

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Sep 10th, 2007

While browsing Flickr from the luxurious TUAW offices this afternoon (read: That Starbucks on the corner), we came across the Apple Prototypes Flickr group. There's some very cool stuff pictured, including a penlite prototype with duodock and a transparent SE/20.

As the group's administrator notes, prototype Apple hardware rarely sees the light of day. If you've got something cool lying around, consider adding a few shots to this pool (Anonymity will be granted, if desired). Because sharing is caring.

Photograph used with permission from Sonny Hung. Photographer anonymous.

Tags: apple, hardware, newton, penlite, prototype

Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends, Apple

5 Apple products that never made it

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Nov 28th, 2006

The AppleGazette has compiled a list of 5 Apple products that were prototyped but never made it into mass production. I'm sure the basement at Cupertino is just filled to the gills with prototype iPhones and Mac Tablets that were never meant to be.

The five prototypes highlighted are the Apple PowerBop, Apple Paladin, W.A.L.T, Apple Videophone PDA, and Apple PenLite (pictured to the right). More info about all of these prototypes, and more, can be found at the Apple Museum.

Tags: prototype

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