Applefreaky’s Weblog

Oh my. Still need convincing that the iPhone/iPod touch is the greatest gaming platform ever made? Then check this video of a couple Japanese researchers playing a game they claim to have put together “in about an hour”: multiscreen, touch-based Pong.

On first glance, it looks like the game is even checking orientation of the iPods, but if you watch it a little further, when things go faster, you can see that it’s actually just pushing the ball from screen to screen as it leaves. Still, if nothing else, a quick demo like this shows that multiple Touches (via a certain website, or on the same WiFi network, maybe, or — hopefully — just in close proximity to one another through Bluetooth or another protocol) can easily be made to connect multiplayer gamers.

As a demo, very nice (and it seems fun as a game as well). Can’t wait to see a full-featured game that takes advantage of all of the iPhone’s connectivity options.

Perennial iPod peripheral maker Griffin announced that their new PowerDockmultiple-iPod / iPhone charging station would be available in June, and now it’s apparently almost here.

Available in two- or four-dock models, the charging station is designed for nerdy families like mine with multiple iPods, or perhaps just gadget freaks. It supports most every flavor of iPod and iPhone, with adapter inserts included, and it’s made of brushed metal which is always a lovely choice.

No word on a street date, but presumably it’s still on schedule for a release this month. The two-dock version will run $49.99 and the four-dock version will be $69.99. 

This is the cutest damned thing I’ve seen in a while. The iClooly, from Japanese manufacturer RockRidgeSound, is a stand for your iPod Touch that makes it look like a lil’ baby iMac — and, as a side effect, serves as an actual useful way to watch movies on your iPod Touch without having to get your greasy mitts all over it.

The iClooly even pivots 90º for landscape/portrait swapping goodness and has a dock connection inside. It’ll be ¥4,980 (roughly $47) 

A recently published patent application discovered by MacRumors reveals that Apple is investigating the use of solar power in versions of their mobile devices — both handheld devices and portable computers. Integrating solar power into a mobile device holds the enormous potential of extending battery life significantly. However, successfully integrating solar panels into these small devices is not without its challenges. 

The major issues described are the limited area available to solar panels, durability, and the “wasting” of space on a portable device. It is due to these problems that solar power has not found its way into mobile devices, not just from Apple, but from all manufacturers. 

The most interesting technique described by Apple, however, is the integration of the solar panels behind the actual LCD screen of a portable device. The solar panel would absorb ambient light that passes through the LCD screen of the device. This could eliminate any additional footprint typically required by the solar panels. If successfully implemented, Apple’s iPhone, iPod and laptops, could require no outward changes in design to add solar power.

Apple’s not the only one exploring this technology as an old Motorola Patent describes the same technique. While several limitations to the technique were described at that time, the issues may have been better addressed in recent years.