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Join sisters NinJaSistah and Pandalicious and the rest of the ESH Crew each day as they discuss video games, tech gadgets, anime, manga... pretty much everything within the geek chic lifestyle.

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    Douce's TweetDeck Review for the iPhone

    posted @ 6/17/2009 02:46:00 PM by Douceswild


    I tried TweetDeck on my desktop and didn't like it, because it seemed like too much information was right in my face, which is what most people like about it removed it after about five minutes. Today TweetDeck shows up in my iPhone App Store, so I figured what the heck. I might as well try it out. Ironically, after five minutes of playing with it, it has replace Tweetie. Check out my review on the free iPhone and iPod Touch app, TweetDeck.

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    Comics on the Go

    posted @ 5/05/2009 09:27:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Dark Horse Comics today announced the launching of their mobile comic iPhone reader app featuring the Terminator: Death Valley! title.

    While I have never claimed to be a fan of the Terminator series, I am a fan of comics on the go, and the promise of other titles becoming available through the app, and you have my attention... and not just because I would love to have The End League on my phone. Dark Horse plans to make each comic episode available for $.99 cents a piece.

    Now if I could just get some of the DC properties on my phone... yeah D.C Comics I'm looking at you!

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    What's Vodafone Trying To Say?

    posted @ 10/08/2008 01:20:00 PM by Douceswild


    Anyone else see anything suspicious about this image printed on the official marketing material posted by RIM's Blackberry Storm (9500) launch partner, Vodafone.



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    Return to the Days of Yesteryear With T-Mobile's G1

    posted @ 9/23/2008 02:44:00 PM by evermore
    The marketing for T-Mobile's alleged iPhone killer should include the following motto: "G1 -- It's Not Just A Phone -- It's a Time Machine."

    Unfortunately, that's not a good thing.

    You see, while the G1 is able to get and send information on Wi-Fi, 3G and the Edge networks, just like Apple/AT&T's iPhone, all that networking capability comes with a big caveat:

    "If your total data usage in any billing cycle is more than 1GB, your data throughput for the remainder of that cycle may be reduced to 50 kbps or less."

    That's what it says in small, but bold text on this page on the T-Mobile website.

    That's right. Use too much bandwidth and your web-hopping world suddenly transforms you back to 1999 -- the magical land of blink tags and framed pages, a world of screaming 56K modems that would eventually update a web page in a minute, or maybe five minutes.

    Back in The World of 1999, you didn't have any use for games or music or movies. It took 10 minutes to download an MP3 song at 56K. Those were the days when an animated GIF was plenty of entertainment.

    The opening of the TV show The Lone Ranger said it all: "Return to the Days of Yesteryear! The 50K Download Rides Again!"


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    Cheaper Stuff For JesusPhone?

    posted @ 8/27/2008 02:44:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    If you do, PangeaSoft would like to offer you a reduced price on their game Enigmo for a limited time. And I do mean "limited."

    Starting today at 9am PST, [that's 12pm for those of us on the other coast] through 9pm on Wednesday, September 3, those that purchase the game for their iPhone or iPod touch [running version 2.0 software mind you] will receive a special promotional price of $5.99, which is a four dollah drop from the normal $9.99 price point.

    If you don't know, Enigmo is a 3D puzzle game in which to complete each level the player has to manipulate various streams of flowing liquid so that the droplets can reach their ultimate destination. Liquids (water, oil, and lava) fall from droppers, and will bounce off walls based on the player moving various types of bumpers, sliders, accelerators, and sponges. Your job is to divert the flow of the falling droplets, and the faster you complete each level the more bonus points you receive. Sounds simple right? Wrong.

    Enigmo is a challenging, frustrating, and ultimately fun little iPhone diversion. Just make sure you don't miss your stop off the train because you have to solve this one damn puzzle like I do.

    If you want to buy it, click here

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    In The Beginning: It's A Drug

    posted @ 8/17/2008 01:09:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    I have spent weeks trying to ignore games on the iPhone mostly because the last thing I need is another portable gaming device, but then I heard about this game Aurora Feint: In The Beginning and I got sucked in.

    Aurora Feint reminds me of Tetris and Puyo Puyo Pop in that you spend the bulk of your time trying to get three or four items of the same type in a row in order to explode them and clear out space. In AF you spend your time "mining" elemental substances that allow you to gain new skills to level up your player. Sounds simple and light right? Wrong. AF is one of the most engaging and deep games that I have played on the iPhone. Many a metro stop have I missed as I was in the middle of mining earth stones in order to unlock a new skill or magic to make it over to the tower.

    What makes AF so deep is it's gameplay. Unlike the puzzle games to come before it, part of solving the puzzles that make up AF is that the accelerometer in the iPhone is taken advantage of and used as part of the puzzle itself. In order to get three or four in a row you will at times have to push the puzzle along by rotating the phone so that the element stones will shift and more quickly reveal the next line of stones. You can only move stones horizontally at any time, so rotation of the playing field allows you to link more stones together and get a higher bonus. I used AF to get through waiting in line for "The Dark Knight" iMax [both times] waiting to board my plane to Mass, even getting through some long phone conferences that I had to participate in last week.

    Aurora Feint: In The Beginning is a solid game, and is crazy good for being free... and now that they are through being "delisted" on the iTunes store for grabbing user info in a non-secure manner [it's been removed from the game] it's a definite on the "DOWNLOAD WORTHY" list.

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    THQ Brings the iPhone to the Dark Side

    posted @ 7/17/2008 10:37:00 AM by Douceswild
    Ever since the release of the iPhone last year, I knew that it was only a matter of time before more in-depth and detailed mobile games would make their way to the device.

    We've seen full 3D games that make use of the iPhone's accelerometer (Super Monkey Ball and Kro-Mag Rally) in the iTunes App Store which was opened last week. Well THQ Wireless has taken mobile gaming a step further with their demo of Stars Wars: Force Unleashed at this weeks E3 conference. Before I began watching the video, I was a bit skeptical as to how the gameplay would pan out on this device, but after seeing it in action, I'm sold. I will definitely buy this when it releases September 16, 2008.



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    Live 3G iPhone Tinkering

    posted @ 7/12/2008 11:27:00 AM by Douceswild
    I've upgraded my 2G iPhone to the new and improved 3G version (even though 3G won't be in my area for a couple of months), and I want to share it with you guys.

    I''ll be streaming live in the Geek Aggro group here. If you're curious about the new firmware 2.0 features and want to see it in action then come have a look. The stream will start at 2pm CST/3pm EST. If you have a profile page on Collective Geek, then I'll be answering questions in the main lobby of the chat box. Come check it out!

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    App. Store Open! Well, Almost

    posted @ 7/10/2008 08:06:00 AM by Douceswild
    There are new additions to your regular old iTunes this morning. If you do a search, you'll find some of the new iPhone applications! Don't believe me? Then check out the AIM Application (iTunes Link).


    Unfortunately, none of the the apps can be used until we get the 2.0 firmware update for iTunes, but it's still awesome to see them showing up. I'm almost positive that as the day progresses, we'll see more apps show up in iTunes.

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    Apple's WWDC Announces 3G For Me

    posted @ 6/10/2008 12:02:00 AM by Douceswild
    Ok. You guys must be tired of me going on and on about the new iPhone. Well guess what? I got MORE news about the upcoming new iPhone and you don’t want to miss this. The release date has been announced!

    So, Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference started yesterday and will commence through the week. A lot of people predicted that Steve Jobs would announce the new 3G iPhone along with the release date and they were not mistaken. Mr. Jobs also released pricing info, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
    First, let’s talk about some of the features Apple has in store for us starting with the App Store in early July. This will be the main attraction for the 2.0 update. Some of the available apps talked about at The WWDC were:
    1. Super Monkey Ball ($9.99)
    2. Auctions – Ebay tool on your phone. Check listings, winnings, and bid from the phone. (free)
    3. Loopt – a location-aware social network. Displays a map with pins representing where your friends currently are. User profiles show show a log of where the person has been and the photos they’ve sent in. You can call or text them from the app. (free)
    4. TypePad – blogging tool for the iPhone (free)

    These are a few of the apps announced. You can see the entire keynote here.

    Here’s the most important part though! Finally!! A look at the new iPhone, release date, and pricing!!

    Here's Steve doing the honors…

    You know ya’boy Douce has a bit more for you. The prices announced will be with a 2yr service agreement with AT&T. Here’s a bit of info from the inner-circle of AT&T. The 3G data plans will cost $30. That’s ten bucks more than the 2G plans. OMG…They raised the prices again…YOU BASTARDS!!

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    Product Review: iPhone Defender By OtterBox

    posted @ 3/31/2008 11:37:00 PM by FreeLoader
    When it comes to listing the current sexy [and expensive] cell phone gadgets, there's no denying that the Apple iPhone is seated firmly at the top of the list. If you have an iPhone and are terrified of damaging it, then this post may be helpful for you. I'm going to review the iPhone Defender case for the iPhone by OtterBox.

    There are a lot of different cases made by a plethora of different companies that serve can project your precious device in various ways. If you carry your iPhone in your pocket then you probably are looking for a case that doesn't add a lot of bulk to your device, and that will protect it from the other items you may have in your pocket. If you carry it in a bag, you may look for a case that will keep your iPhone from being dented by the heavier items in your bag, or from liquids that you carry along with you during your daily commute. After a month with the iPhone Defender Series case by OtterBox, I can say that the Defender series can be a great protective case for your iPhone. Like many of the cases that OtterBox is known for creating, the iPhone Defender is a water resistant hard case with protection in mind. It features a silicone membrane that slips over the main hard case which aids in your gripping the phone so it doesn't slip out of your hand, or off the dashboard of your car. The hard case itself is made up of two interlocking pieces that once closed leave the headphone jack and dock connector area of the iPhone exposed for easy connection to your peripherals. It's good to note that the iPhone is not dockable when in this case. The texture of the membrane is keeps the phone comfortable in your hand if you have to hold the phone for long periods of time, which you are familiar with if you've ever used the google map feature for driving directions.

    The Defender comes with a hard plastic holster with swivel clip that complements the case, but add quite a bit to it's overall bulk and is the first negative thing I have to say about the Defender. While the holster is solid, and firmly locks in place as you swivel, it's hard to overlook how much it affects the footprint of the iPhone. The clip of the holster is broad and not easily swayed from the pocket or belt you clip it on. While in the holster, you will only have access to the sleep/wake button at the top of the phone, the headphone jack, and the volume controls on the side of the device. This is where my other major complaint about this particular case comes in. While a great amount of detail went into this case, you have no access to the silence switch at all while your phone is encased in it. The only way you can turn sound on and off is by using the settings controls on the phone which is tedious at best.

    All in all, the OtterBox iPhone Defender Case delivers everything it promises: protection against light precipitation, bumping, dropping, dirt and dust for your 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB iphone. It is not as affordable as some of the other cases that offer similar protection, but $49.95 is a small price to pay for extra protection of your $399 or $499 iPhone.

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    What Are You Bumpin'?

    posted @ 2/07/2008 04:51:00 PM by Douceswild
    Podcasts are becoming much more popular with every passing day. I listen to tons of them throughout the week. They’ve become the main source for much of my gaming, anime, and tech info. I’d like to know which podcasts you guys can’t get through the week without.

    I first discovered podcast almost two years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I can’t start my day if I don’t have all of my podcast updated and ready to put on my iPhone. My playlist consisted of only about five shows in the beginning, but now I’m up to almost fifty shows. There’s a variety of shows that I listen to. They consist of music podcasts, video games, anime, technology, etc. The list goes on and on. The funny part is, with all the shows that I have on queue, I’m still looking for more. That’s where you guys come in.

    I’d like to know what podcasts you guys are listening to and watching. List your top 10 or 5 if you don’t have that many. Maybe there’s an awesome podcast that I should be checking out. Hook me up guys. Here’s mine:


    1. Achievement Junkie
    2. Diggnation
    3. Distorted View
    4. Electric Sista Hood
    5. GeekBrief.TV
    6. The Instance: World of Warcraft Podcast
    7. Massively Online Gamer
    8. Radio 538: Tiesto’s Club Life
    9. Tekzilla
    10. Totally Rad Show

    That’s ONLY a few on my list. What are you guys bumpin’ on your mp3 player?

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    WhoseSpace?

    posted @ 1/17/2008 05:22:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I put a lot of effort into not turning this website into my personal rant space. I'm not the only member of the ESH Crew. My pet peeves may or may not be shared by the other editors or even you, our loyal readers, but something happened yesterday that to this very moment still pisses me off to no end. Allow me to explain.

    If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know that I [like most of the ESHer] work a day job. This "do this in order to get your bills paid" obligation requires that I use the D.C. mass transit system to get from my humble apartment into the district. While most people tend to hate mass transit, I have been one of the few to totally embrace and love it.

    I love riding the train in and out of work.

    My commute into work [which is shortly over 40 minutes] is something I look forward to each day I go into work. The train I catch starts out just late enough to miss the morning rush hours, so I always get a seat. People soliciting for their respective religion/magazine/money have all left the station by the time I get there so it's a simple and smooth transition from point A to point B. I take my seat, pop in my earbuds, and watch some video on my iPhone or listen to some podcasts. It's great. Let me rephrase that. It's normally great.

    Yesterday, I was running late leaving work and just barely caught the train. And by just barely I mean I had to run to make it to the end of the car in front of me. There was no place to sit, so I had to stand over the in the corner. No big deal, as the next two stops are usually the most popular stops for people exiting the train. So I, following my routine, proceed to whip out my earbuds and iPhone to start watching some video on my way home. I had started a movie in the morning and was picking up where I left of. The movie I started was SuperBad [which I'm loving by the way] and realizing that it probably isn't the best movie to watch in the wide open space, I backed myself into a corner to keep the screen from reflecting off of any surfaces and decided to not sit down at all during my trip home. I didn't want any of the people sitting behind me to be forced to see anything that they may find upsetting.

    When we got to the next stop at least twelve people exited the train like normal, but a bigger bunch got on. I think a lot of people were running late because of the bad weather that was heading our way. So the train car became a little crowded. A very tall guy and his "lady friend" ended up standing near me. There were a couple of single seats available, but I guess they decided to stand until two seats together were available. I dunno, and now I don't really give a damn. Anyways, the tall dude is the closest too me and from the corner of my eye I'm able to see that he's looking down over my shoulder at the movie. I can hear him chuckle a bit, and think to myself, "oh cool, he "gets" this movie too," and decide to pay no more attention to him. I focus back on the movie. I'm at the part where Seth finally realizes what the stain on his pant leg is. It's a priceless moment really, but just then I catch more motion out of the corner of my eye. It's from the couple near me. Turns out I wasn't the only one that heard the tall dude chuckle, his "lady friend" heard him as well. Curious as to what he was laughing at, she moved in closer to me [she was also taller than me... what can I say, I'm mad short] and peeked over my shoulder at my screen. She however, did not "get" the movie, and started a tirade of what I can only call verbal diarrhea that in some circles passes for conversation not only with her "man friend," but eventually with others on the train as well.

    It seems that this "lady" had taken huge offense to what I was watching on my iPhone. From the early bits of her little public speech I was able to gather that she felt that I had invaded her private space by having my video on and that my watching content "like that" in public just goes to show what little I care about the world I'm surrounded by. When her man friend only silently shrugs in total fake agreement, she gets louder and tries to recruit a couple of the people around her in her cause. "Well I don't think it's right to watch porn in public? And I doubt anyone on this train will either!" And, I'd agree with her on any day. Pornography in public is never a good idea. Kids are everywhere these days, and where there are kids, there should NOT be porn.

    But I wasn't watching porn, I was watching a comedy.

    I was watching said comedy on a device whose screen is less than four inches wide. I was listening to said comedy using a set of in ear earbuds, so there wasn't an audible noise coming from me. I never invaded "her" space, if anything she invaded mine. I was off in a corner by myself. I had my back to a non-reflective surface. Each of those people had to move from their original positions to look over my shoulder to view what I was watching. I didn't invite them over. At no time did I walk over to them and shove my iPhone in their face like, "Look! Look! You know you wanna watch my movie! If you're good I'll pause on the frame with the nipples!" So why am I looked down on, and made to feel the villain here when I've done nothing wrong. Who the hell are you to pass judgement on how I get through my daily commute? Who the hell are you to pass judgement on any person keeping their entertainment to themselves? Why does anyone person feel like they get to enforce their will on another on the basis of disagreeing personal opinions?

    When she doesn't get the uproar that I guess she was looking for from other patrons on the train, she looks back down at me as if to shame me into turning my video off. The sad thing, is for a moment I was about to do it. I don't like rocking the boat unless it's really necessary. "NinJa" is just part of my pen name. I'm a gamer and not a fighter.

    As I moved my fingers over the screen of my iPhone I realized that if I stopped this movie from playing, I would have let this "lady" completely bully me into doing something I didn't want to. I'm a grown ass woman, and I don't have to do a damn thing I don't want to. So instead of turning off my movie, I just turned my volume up and shifted my weight.

    That "lady" wasn't pleased at all. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and whipped out her Blackberry. One thing that I'm fairly sure of, whatever she was looking at on her Blackberry wasn't nearly as entertaining as my movie.

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    App Developers: Start Your Engines

    posted @ 10/18/2007 11:36:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Here's a big yay for you kids...

    Third party apps are coming to the iPhonenext spring.

    I saw this note on the Apple hotnews page and then a post on Wired and I got all happy in the pants area. Then I realized it was just because I was getting a text message on my iphone and I had it on vibrate. Whoopsies!

    So, for all the people bitching about there not being a GPS app on the phone without cracking the sucker [thus voiding their warranty] quit yer bitchin' and get to coding. I want to see a true NES emulator and blogger native app by the summer.

    That is all.

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    iPHONE PRICE DROP ALREADY!

    posted @ 9/06/2007 12:15:00 AM by Douceswild

    We all knew it was going to happen, but not even I suspected it would be this soon. A price drop on the iPhone was inevitable but why so soon after its release a mere two months ago?

    Steve Jobs had plenty to announce at Apple'€™s September 5th 2007 Special Event, but the announcement that sent people running to their nearest AT&T and Apple store was the $200 price drop on the iPhone.  The 4gig will now sell for $299 and the 8gig is priced at $399. AT&T announced the price drop to employees this afternoon as effective immediately.

    This huge price cut has people asking "WTF?". At the top of the list of puzzled people are those who stood in line for hours and even days to get the phone at its extravagant release price of $499 and $599. Some say it'€™s because the iPhone sales have slacked since release. Others say it'€™s because Apple has something else up their sleeves. If you ask me, I'€™d say it's a bit of both. It'€™s a fact that iPhone sales have slowed considerably but with the holidays approaching, sales might have picked up a bit. If I was a betting man, then my money would go towards the price drop being due to the other products that were also announced at the event, such as the new iPod Nano and iPod Touch

    Whatever the reason is, now is an excellent time to pick one up if you haven'€™t already. If I were you, I'€™d move quickly, especially if you were hoping for the 4gig, because AT&T also tagged that particular model as "€œwhile supplies lasts"€. They will no longer be carrying the 4gig, which to me, was pointless anyway seeing as how $100 more gets you double the memory. 

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    Your Thoughts on the iPhone?

    posted @ 7/29/2007 11:12:00 PM by Douceswild
    The iPhone launch has come and gone. People all over are finally able to see and actually touch what is being called “the most anticipated cell phone in history”. I picked one up and I love it, but instead of focusing on what I think, let’s flip things around.

    On June 29th millions lined up outside of AT&T and Apple stores around the U.S. to purchase the iPhone. You were probably one of those people or watched the videos on YouTube of others paying big bucks for prime spots in line to get one. I was fortunate enough to get one and I can say that I have no regrets about the purchase. I will say that the phone is overpriced when compared to some other phones that do a lot more than what the iPhone does. Although you can use third party java sites to make the phone instant messenger capable, I would have gladly traded the built-in YouTube application for an instant messenger application.

    What I’d like to know is now that most of the hype about the iPhone has died down, what do you guys think about the phone? If you picked one up, do you think it’s worth it? If you didn’t get one then I’d like to know why. This is your chance to let me know how crazy or smart I was for grabbing one on launch day. Let me have it people.


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    Ya Otter Box That iPhone

    posted @ 7/19/2007 10:26:00 PM by evermore
    I've seen people drop them and try to scratch them. I've even seen a guy put it in an industrial blender and turn it into dust, but I want to make sure my iPhone doesn't meet that sorry fate.

    I don't have my iPhone yet -- it should be just a few more days. But that hasn't kept me from investigating my options for protecting it from myself. I've been very fortunate with my previous cell phones and iPods. I've had a few minor mishaps over the years, but nothing that has ever resulted in real injury.

    When I heard that Otterbox was releasing a case for the iPhone, I was relieved. Their stuff has always been top notch, so I expect their case for the iPhone won't be any different. You can see photos of the cases on this page, but don't expect to see them in the field for "several months," according to the press release that we got here at ElectricSistaHoodquarters.

    Remember what the Sistahs say: Always bring protection.


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    Exclusive First Look: Nano iPhone with TouchDial™

    posted @ 7/11/2007 02:35:00 PM by evermore
    ElectricSistaHood gives you the exclusive first look at the future of digital interfaces -- the new TouchDial™ that will be part of Apple's next iPhone model.

    The TouchDial™, seen here, is a revolutionary new interface that expands on Apple's legendary ClickWheel interface, giving you a tactile feel for operating a telephone that is beyond compare!


    Note the round interface with 10 smaller round openings that allow for easy operation. This GlideAround™ motion allows your finger to simply glide around the center of the interface, giving your finger the sensation of flying. And the rugged StopGlide™ mechanism gives your finger a positive place to discontinue the glide-around motion.

    Note that the TouchDial™ not only includes numbers, but letters as well, making it easier than ever to keep those SMS messages as short as possible. You'll never want to use an "T" or a "Y" in your messages again! (Note also that some letters are no longer represented -- you didn't really want to use a "Q" or a "Z" in your messages, did you?)

    The TouchDial™ will be used on the Nano-sized iPhone, to be announced at some point between tomorrow and January 2012.

    Also rumored is a voice-activated interface for the Shuffle-sized iPhone that will utilize a unique human-based system that is similar to the one used by Barney Fife when he calls "Sarah" at the "Phone Company" to connect him to another party on The Andy Griffith Show, to be trademarked under the name LadyOperator™.


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    UMG Cuts Off Nose, Face Feels Spited

    posted @ 7/09/2007 12:40:00 PM by evermore
    What are the three most important things in retail sales? Location, location, location. That is, unless you're Universal Music Group.

    UMG announced this week that some artists it currently promotes will be denied availability on iTunes. Supposedly, this is to punish Apple for making iTunes the overwhelming No. 1 way to buy music online.

    So who will it be, Universal? Will you ban the Black Eyed Peas from iTunes? I saw Diana Krall perform in Vegas last month. Will her records be stricken from the iTunes library? Or how about the Pussycat Dolls? Maybe you should forget about putting those girls on your iPod.

    Will George Strait find himself straight out of the iTunes library? Or Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem? Could be Eve or Gwen Stefani or Melissa Etheridge or Mariah Carey or Sheryl Crow or Shania Twain or Reba McEntire? I'd suggest Universal refrain from keeping Reba off of iTunes. She's from a rodeo family. She could beat them up.

    I saw Erykah Badu in 2004 at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Surely they wouldn't strike her from iTunes. Or bands like blink-182, Bon Jovi, Fall Out Boy, Godsmack, Hoobastank, The Killers, 3 Doors Down and Weezer. No iPod access for you while you're available only in Windows format.

    Ashlee Simpson! She's a UMG act! Please say it's Ashlee Simpson that you're keeping out of iTunes!

    But as for Stevie Wonder, Sting, Elton John, The Cardigans and Wolfmother, UMG could seriously damage their careers by keeping them out of an iPhone.

    UMG might as well go and tell Best Buy to shove it. Or maybe they should start making music discs that are playable only in a Sony PSP.

    That angry noise you hear in the background is UMG's face as the company takes a knife to its own nose.


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    Top Secret...For Your Eyes Only

    posted @ 6/28/2007 10:32:00 PM by Douceswild
    The iPhone goes on sale tomorrow afternoon, but guess what ya boy Douce has got for you already. You guessed it. E.T. better wait his turn in line, because ain’t no one phoning home before “iPhone” home.

    Thanks to some connections inside AT&T who shall remain anonymous, I was able to get my iPhone before all of the madness began. I’m not going to talk about the interface just yet, but trust me, I’ll be bringing that to you soon. One thing I can say is that the phone feels very comfortable in my hand. It’s about as thin as the Blackberry Pearl and as about the same length and width of HTC’s 8525, with most of the front reserved for the screen. It’s not heavy at all which is something I was worried about. The phone weighs about the same as the video iPod.

    If it seems as though I’m being a bit vague, it’s because I am. I can’t go into too much detail about it just yet. I just wanted you guys to see what it looks like in an average size hand so you can get an idea of the size. Keep checking the site in the next few weeks. We’ll be bringing you more info on the iPhone as the launch madness reaches it's peak.

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    I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want

    posted @ 6/22/2007 11:33:00 AM by evermore
    There is was, staring me in the face this morning. It was all over the internet. I'm sure you saw it, too. The Spice Girls will be announcing their "future plans". Next week. Thursday, June 28, to be exact.

    Of course, the other news is that the iPhone will be released next week as well. Friday, June 29.

    A Spice Girls reunion and the iPhone release in the same 24-hour period. Could this just be... coincidence?

    I think not. We at ElectricSistaHood, in a Top Secret communique, are releasing a fragment of lyrics from the Spice Girls' next sure-to-be top-selling hit, tentatively called, "Wanna-iPhone":

    I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want,
    So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
    Want iPhone, want iPhone, want iPhone, want iPhone, want iPhone
    Really really really want iPhone.

    If you wanna be my iPod, you also gotta be my phone,
    Make it last forever. Phoneship never ends.


    Number 1. With a bullet.


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    Don't Unpack That Sleeping Bag Just Yet

    posted @ 6/16/2007 08:34:00 AM by Douceswild
    For the past few months, I’ve been keeping you updated with the latest news on the iPhone. Well I have some info that will definitely save you guys some time, trouble, and maybe even some money.
    A lot of you who are interested in buying the iPhone on launch day, June 29th, are probably making preparations to camp out the store on the night of the 28th, and wait in line all morning for the doors to open so you can get the phone. I’m here to inform you to STOP THOSE PREPARATIONS! AT&T has announced to their employees that the iPhone will not go on sale until 6pm in all markets (areas). The stores will open at the regular time but will be closing at 4:30pm to begin stocking the iPhone accessories (which they already have in stock, but are not putting out on the sales floor until June 29th). The stores will re-open from 6pm-10pm to sell the iPhone.

    Another piece of info that has NOT YET been confirmed is that the 2yr contract price of the iPhone may be cheaper than what we originally were led to believe. We’ve been hearing that the 4gig model will sell for $499 and the 5gig model will sell for $599 with a 2yr contract. AT&T employees received an email earlier this week hinting otherwise. The email stated that those prices are actually the retail prices of the device. So the 2yr contract prices may be almost $200 cheaper.

    I’ll have more info and possibly some clarifications as we get closer to the launch date. Keep checking the site because, if we know it then you’re gonna know it.


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    Cingular (The New AT&T) Really Raises the Bar

    posted @ 1/31/2007 11:28:00 PM by Douceswild
    This years Macworld brought news of what is sure to be one of the hottest gadgets of 2007, Apple’s iPhone. It was also announced that Cingular would be the only cell phone company carrying the phone for a long time. Douce is here to fill you in on what Cingular has planned for its release.

    I’m sitting at CC’s drinking a cup of coffee and pecking away on my laptop when I hear a guy and a girl sitting one both over from me talking about Apple’s new iPhone. I’m going to use fictitious names because even though I was eavesdropping, I have no clue what their names are. I hear Pete tell Sue that he can’t wait until the iPhone comes out in June. Sue says she’s seen it and she can’t wait to pick one up either but she’s not sure if the phone will work with her T-Mobile service because the phone will be exclusive to Cingular. Pete assures her that if she just goes in to a Cingular store and purchases one at retail price then he can get it unlocked for her. Pete goes on to say that he has Cingular service but isn’t eligible for an upgrade until the end of 2008, meaning that he renewed his Cingular contract at the end of 2006 for two years and received a discount on a new cell phone. He will not be eligible for another discount for two years.

    As I listen to Pete and Sue make plans to get the iPhone in June, I can’t help but snicker to myself for a number of reasons. There are a few kinks in their plans that I wanted to make them aware of but I didn’t because it was so darn funny. Here is what Pete and Sue will find out about the iPhone sooner or later, but hopefully sooner.

    1. Cingular is not allowing the purchase of the iPhone WITHOUT a two-year contract. In other words, you no get Cingular service, you no get Cingular iPhone from Cingular store.
    2. Even if you currently have Cingular service, if you are not eligible for an upgrade then you cannot purchase the phone. Again, no two-year contract, no iPhone. Retail purchase is not an option.

    Cingular may decide to change these regulations as the release date gets closer, but as of right now, all I can do is snicker at Pete and Sue and shake my head.

    Poor Pete. Poor Sue. Cingular raised that bar even higher. I hope you can jump.


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    Is This the Next Great Mobile Gaming Device?

    posted @ 1/09/2007 11:44:00 PM by evermore
    What would you think of a mobile gaming device with these specifications? It's only 0.46 inches thick. It has a speaker, a microphone and a camera. Held horizontally, its screen is 480 pixels wide, just like the PlayStation Portable, and 320 pixels tall, nearly 50 pixels taller than the PSP's 272 pixels. At 160 pixels per inch, its screen is the most dense of any standalone portable gaming device. It's got up to 8 GIGABYTES of RAM (compared to the PSP's 32 MEGABYTES). It's got touchscreen controls. It has 802.11 b and g Wi-Fi capabilities (PSP has only b) and Bluetooth built in.

    Oh yeah, it's also a mobile phone, an internet browser and an iPod.

    The iPhone, announced earlier today during Apple's MacWorld keynote speech, is a whole lotta things. Most people are going to buy it because it's an amazing mobile phone combined with an iPod. But there are a lot of reasons why it could become a force among gamers.

    First of all, its mere specifications make it better than any standalone mobile gaming system. Although the screen is not physically as large as the PSP (the iPhone's screen is only 3.5 inches, compared to 4.3 inches for the PSP), it meets the PSP in pixel width and exceeds the PSP in pixel height -- the PSP's pixels are simply larger and, as a result, coarser.

    The iPhone is half as thin (0.46 inches vs. the PSP's 0.9 inches) and half as heavy (135 grams vs. the PSP's 280 grams). Held horizontally, it is a third less in width (4.5 inches vs. PSP's 6.7 inches) and a half-inch less in height (2.4 inches vs. PSP's 2.9 inches).

    There's just one problem: no games.

    The gaming market for the Macintosh dried up when the computer's 10th operating system OS X arrived in 2000. But the iPhone is exactly the catalyst that could turn things around for gaming on the Mac.

    The iPhone shows great potential in this area. It has Google Maps and the Opera browser built in. It has "push" email, provided by Yahoo, which gives it email capabilities similar to that on a Blackberry. It is able to run Apple's Dashboard widgets, which should at least allow for simple games when it is available in June. Everything else is a big question mark: How much RAM is there? What is the graphics card? Is there stereo Bluetooth support? Will third-party Dashboard widgets work? Is there going to be a Software Development Kit to allow high-end game makers access to the device?

    Perhaps few people will even care. With the Nintendo DS and PSP slugging it out on the high end and LG, Samsung, Nokia and other cellphone makers battling each other in that arena, maybe no one will take a second look at gaming on an iPhone.

    But the sheer combination of all those different technologies sure is intriguing, isn't it?


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    I Spy an iPhone, but not THE iPhone

    posted @ 12/25/2006 10:28:00 PM by Douceswild
    You’ve heard about. You’ve dreamed about it. Kevin Rose said on the Diggnation podcast a few weeks ago that it wasn’t as far away as you might think. Well it’s finally here! The iPhone is on the market, but it didn’t come from who we thought it would.

    Last Monday, December 18, the highly talked about iPhone was released to the world…all seven of them. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Apple that brought it to us. Linksys is responsible for the phone that has been getting thumbs up so far. It toggles between Skype, Yahoo! Messenger (voice), VoIP, and regular landline services all with one button. There’s no sign of the awesome click wheel that we were expecting.

    So how is it that Linksys puts out the iPhone and not Apple? Well it’s simple. The iPhone name was registered in 1996 by a company called Infogear. Cisco Systems acquired Inforgear in 2000. They then acquired Linksys, a maker of consumer home networking products in 2003.

    It’s a fact that Apple is still hard at work on their own phone, but they will have to call it something else. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what Steve Jobs and Apple decide to call their phone when it releases. It will still probably be the best cell phone ever made.

    Keep checking back here for more information and reviews on the iPhone as it becomes available.


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