iPhoneKit

2008-04-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

March has been a month full of good surprises in terms of music in LA. Popular bands from the 80’s and 90’s reuniting, touring, and recording new CDs. In this category are included Wasp playing at the Key Club, Black’n’Blue at the Knitting Factory, and Winger at the Crash Mansion in downtown Los Angeles.

One day before the Winger concert, a friend of mine who used to play with the almost forgotten ‘Hair Bands’ warned me that the band was good and the singer, Kip Winger, was an amazing singer, besides of being ‘gorgeous’. Even after his comments I had not a lot of expectations about this show.

Winger reunited last year to record a new CD and for a tour. The band just released a DVD and CD called “Winger Live”, and if you are interested you can buy it at WINGERBAND.COM.

Back to the concert, the band – formed by Kip Winger (bass, keyboards and vocals), Reb Beach and John Roth (guitars), and Rob Morgenstein (drums) – was a good surprise. Winger showed that, besides of the good looks of singer Kip Winger, their success also had to do with their talent as musicians.

The band played most of their biggest hits like “Easy Come, Easy Go”, “Madeleine”, “Seventeen”, “ Headed For a Heartbreak”, “Hungry”, “Miles Away”, “Can’t Get Enough”, "Down Incognito", "In The Heart Of The Young", among others. Kip Winger is also a great entertainer, making sure the crowd was singing and participating during the whole show.

Even though Winger played in a somewhat small venue – it fits about 1,000 people – each band member had the right to a solo act taking the crowd back to the old times. Times when solos were a important part of the big concerts for thousands of people.

In the end, after a loud ovation, Kip Winger makes sure he shakes hands with the fans that were closer to the stage. Is it a comeback for the Hair Bands?
We will see…
Text and photos: Silvia Mendes

That is one Hip Case

2007-06-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

The DLO HipCase has a clean design that works well for work or play. This is more than likely the one I will get for myself.

"The stylish and durable leather HipCase combines sleek protection with easy, convenient access to the iPhone. A horizontal belt-clip, the HipCase provides the utmost in comfort and accessibility. As with other smartphones before it, the iPhone's dimensions virtually require a horizontal waist holster for optimal comfort. The HipCase features a Velcro tab and cut-out center notch to provide quick, simple, one-handed iPhone pick up. Corner notches ensure unobstructed access to the iPhone's headphone jack - regardless of which hip it's worn on or which way it's placed in the holster, thus allowing you to listen to music or answer the phone while keeping the iPhone safely cradled in the HipCase."

DLO

Now that Jacket is Jammin

2007-06-25T20:04:00.001-07:00

The DLO Jam Jacket has an awesome industrial design and will be available on Friday when the iPhone goes on sale.

This is what DLO has to say about the Jam Jacket. "Providing a strong, gripable layer of stylish protection to your iPhone, the Jam Jacket for iPhone is made of superior quality, lint-resistant silicone and comes in four colors - clear, black, vibrant pink and cobalt blue. The silicone case also includes the same industry-acclaimed Headset Management System as DLO's Jam Jacket for iPod. Featured on the back of the case, the Headset Management System allows users to neatly stow earbuds when not in use, as well as take up extra slack while headphones are in use. This feature is particularly useful in the iPhone, where the music player/headset use is a part-time feature on a full-time phone. The Jam Jackets also feature full access to all iPhone controls, dock connectors, headphone jack, and touch-sensitive screen".

DLO

Apple, I want to see your cards

2007-06-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

File this one under I hope we see it. Scenario Software has developed a software game that can potentially run on the iPhone. Scenario Poker is one of those games that you will find yourself making excuses to play. An example could be arriving at your next Board meeting an hour early to get a few hands in. Like most other online poker games Scenario Poker is very addictive and could create vast time Black Holes.

Scenario Poker began it's life as a dashboard widget and was created using Dashcode. The game does face some challenges due to limits that Apple may place on the iPhone's ability to run Web 2.0 applications. We have yet to see how robust the iPhone's JavaScript engine is or how the rumored five second runtime environment will effect the game. At any rate we hope the game makes it to the iPhone.

If you are interested in playing the game stop by their site.

Scenario Poker

Get a Bikini for your iPhone

2007-06-23T22:09:00.001-07:00

Incipio has managed to create six quite attractive cases for the soon to ship iPhone. The Cases have such names as Bikini, Hipster, Silicrulic, Executive, dermaShot, and the ranger. According to their website the company is Committed to Quality & Customer Satisfaction. "Incipio Technologies has been focused on selling high quality products, backed by solid customer service, and guarantees we stand behind. A customer service representative is always available to help, simply drop us a line anytime".

Without ever having the benefit of seeing or using their products the first impression I get from the website is the products are of good quality.

Incipio iPhone Accessories

Can you hear me now

2007-06-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ambient noise is often an issue with many headsets and can make conversations difficult in noisier environments. The Jawbone Bluetooth headset with Noise Shield technology uses an advanced, military-grade noise-canceling system that continuously adapts to users' changing environments to deliver unparalleled audio quality.

"Jawbone is the first Bluetooth headset that adjusts and optimizes both incoming and outgoing sound so you can conquer the problems of a noisy, unpredictable world," said David Christopher, Vice President, Product Management, Cingular Wireless. "Today's consumers may often find themselves having conversations in less than ideal environments. With Jawbone, our customers can now make phone calls comfortably in high-traffic, high noise locations. We are pleased to be the first wireless carrier worldwide to bring this unique, best-in-class product to market." This is by far one of the best complements to the Apple iPhone

Jawbone Bluetooth headset