New Potato Technologies, Inc.

Pinball Magic es un curioso accesorio que nos permitirá convertir nuestro iPhone/iPod Touch en una máquina de pinball de las de toda la vida. Lo mejor, es que no solo es “aparente”, ¡sino que también funciona! Dispone de tirador para lanzar la bola, botones para accionar los flippers, y hasta luces para ponernos en situación. No necesita corriente externa, ya que se alimenta del iPhone/iPod Touch y ya es posible hacer el pre-order a precio de 29.99 libras (unos 35€). El accesorio funciona con una aplicación gratuita, que es la que lleva el juego de pinball. Read More

Ein Mac-App-Store-Release von ‘Chopper 2‘ (3.99 €; universal; App Store-Link) kündigt sich an, bei dem, genau wie zuvor die iPad-Version, das iPhone als Controller dient. Die dazugehörige iOS-Anwendung ‘Pinball Magic’ befindet sich derzeit (zum allgemeinen Unverständnis) ausschließlich im US-App-Store (Link). Autodesks Zeichenanwendung SketchBook Pro (0.79 €; App Store-Link) für das iPad ist auf seinem ‘Thanksgiving’-Ausverkauf hängen geblieben und statt der üblichen $8 US-Dollar für ein paar Cent zu haben. Aus den (üblichen) “gut unterrichteten Unternehmenskreisen” verlautet es, dass der Mobilfunkanbieter Vodafone, zu seinem iPhone-4-Start, täglich 7.000 Geräte – insgesamt über 200.000 Telefone – verkauft haben soll. O2 wurde in Deutschland bereits mit 4.000 Einheiten pro Tag gehandelt. Animierte (Jailbreak-)Hintergrundbilder: Kinders, das nuckelt am Akku. 13 Seiten iPhone-formatierte ‘Game-Center’-Geschäftsbedingungen informieren seit dem heutigen Dienstag darüber, dass Freundesanfragen ab sofort mit ‘vollem Namen’ übermittelt werden. Ranglisten oder Mehrspieler-Duelle lassen sich weiterhin unter der Nicknamen-Bezeichnung durchführen. Read More

Up until just a few months ago, I had always used an FM transmitter like this Belkin one to play my iPhone through my car stereo. It was unwieldy and it made my Apple Lossless-encoded music sound like garbage, but at least it (kinda) worked for those long trips. If you are still using transmitters but are looking for a wireless solution in your car, Engadget has the scoop on the new TuneLink Auto from New Potato Technologies. It plugs directly into your cigarette lighter and provides a Bluetooth audio link between your iOS 4.0 or higher iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and then transmits it to your radio via the FM station of your choosing. This way, once you pick your music or start the iPhone NPR stream during your morning commute you can put it anywhere in the car and not have wires dangling all over the place. The front of the device even has a USB port that can charge any electronics you may have taken with you. The TuneLink Auto is controlled by a free app you have to download from the App Store. According to New Potato, using the device is as easy as "PLUG IT, PAIR IT, PLAY IT, SHARE IT!" and is available now for US $99.99. If it works better than the FM transmitters I used for all those years, it may be worth the money. But if you have the option I would definitely go with a wired connection of some sort, as the purpose of having your music in the car is to enjoy it -- not to constantly be changing stations and adjusting wires just to hear it at all. [via Engadget] Read More

I still haven't seen an actual iPad arcade cabinet for sale (all the ones we've seen so far have been made by hobbyists for themselves), but here's a pretty cool case/accessory for your iPhone or iPod touch. Pinball Magic is a little device that you can slide your handheld into, and with the help of a free app, you can play a full pinball game live on a little miniature table. There's a real ball plunger, flipper buttons, a full LED backlit display, and even a Tilt detector, so you can hit all the usual lights and gadgets (albeit in an extremely small form factor) without throwing quarters in at the local arcade. Assuming they still have those local arcades -- I haven't seen one around in a while now. Unlike the cardboard iPad arcade units, this one's on sale and ready to go -- you can pick it up from Best Buy for US $39.99. Sure, that's a little steep (especially since it only works with the one app), but it's a small price to pay to take yourself back to those heady days of reaching for high scores while pushing a little silver ball up and down ramps. If you happen to pick one up and try it out, let us know how it works for you. [via TouchArcade] Read More

The App Star awards are hosted by Appsfire, highlighting up-and-coming apps deserving of more attention. In the second round of awards the winners are: IsoCards, Mixr and LiveRider. We'll have more on these apps in the coming weeks, but here's a rundown: IsoCards: $1.99 for iPad and iPhone. One of my first iPad downloads, IsoCards added the ability to hold your cards in your iPhone (or iPod touch) and throw them onto the table on the iPad. This is just a simple table and cards, but perhaps one of the best implementations of real-world game pieces on the iPad out there. If you want to play cards but are missing a deck, check out IsoCards. Mixr: a DJ app for iPad, it isn't yet available. LiveRider: a free app designed to work with the LiveRider hardware. LiveRider attaches to a bicycle and allows you to record your cadence, speed and session time. It will play music in the background, chart progress and more. Read More

Coupler une station d'accueil en forme de bandit manchot à une application de type machine à sou, il fallait y penser ! C'est ce qu'on fait les gens de New Potato avec le Jackpot Slot, un dock iPhone muni du fameux bras pivotant à tête rouge et accompagné d'une application capable d'en interpréter les mouvements. Le principe est donc le suivant : installez sur votre iPhone l'application gratuite Jackpot Slots (store US uniquement), puis placez l'iPhone sur sa base. Il vous suffira alors d'actionner le bras mécanique situé sur le côté pour voir les rouleaux de l'application tourner sur l'écran de votre appareil et éventuellement décrocher le gros lot. Bon, ça ne vous rapportera pas un traitre centime, puisque vous ne gagnerez que des crédits, et il vous faudra débourser 40 dollars pour acquérir la station d'accueil, mais ça vous permettra peut-être de tuer le temps ? Read More

New Potato Technologies has introduced FLPR, which is a new ‘accessory+app’ that transforms iPhone and iPod touch into a universal remote control! FLPR lets users control multiple electronic devices, including televisions, cable and satellite boxes, stereo systems, lights, ceiling fans and just about anything else that uses an infrared remote control. FLPR is apparently dead easy to set up. After purchasing the FLPR infrared interface and popping it into the iPhone/iPod touch dock connector, users simply download the free FLPR app from the App Store. Once the app is launched, choose the device “type,” select “brand,” “name it” and “use it.” It’s that easy. FLPR comes pre?programmed with over 14,000 remote control codes, including all major electronics brands. FLPR is also a learning remote, meaning you can easily teach FLPR the code for that old relic, creating a brand new remote. The user?friendly, stylish interface of FLPR rivals that of expensive, high?end universal remotes. What’s more, FLPR can be personalized with the included free background skins. The screen for each device you control can have a distinct look so you can instantly tell the remote for the television apart from the iPod docking sound system. FLPR has a range of about 30 feet and is powered by the iPhone/iPod touch. The app itself is free and is available now – the hardware dongle (accessory) has just been released, and you’ll be able to get it from the newpotatotech.com website, and also at Best Buy stores, for $79.99. Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! Read More