By David Ponce

While we’ve seen our fair share of projectors for the iPhone, all of them work by taking the device’s video feed, amplifying it and projecting it onto a surface. Not so for the HypnosEye. It simply uses a lens and a mirror to project images from your iPhone’s (or iPod touch, we suppose) screen directly to a projection screen. No amplification.

rather than use an ordinary mirror which would result in an unclear image, HypnosEye has implemented a special mirror with a reflection agent on top of the glass surface (rather than behind). As a result, you can show media from your portable device almost anywhere at anytime.

For the full specs, price and a video, keep reading.

Here’s a list of the device’s full “specs”:

Portable wireless projector with screen and stand

Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, mobile phones etc

Projection distance: 0.5-2m

Projection area: from 17-45″ (43-114cm)

Projection focus is adjustable

Material: Polycarbonate (screen) + ABS (stand)

Screen size: 250 x 360 x 1mm (9.8 x 14.2 x 0.04″)

Stand size: 70 x 40 x 25mm (2.8 x 1.6 x 1.0″)

Weight: 80g (screen), 400g (projector and stand).

Manual: Japanese

It’s all of $80 plus $30 for worldwide shipping.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’ve looked at PC cases, power supplies and cooling systems, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the name Thermaltake. However, you may not recognize their new brand, LUXA2. The LUXA2 brand features products that keep simplicity, luxury and unique designs in mind. I’ve had the opportunity to check out one of their first offerings, the H1-Touch.

The H1-Touch is very simply a holder for your mobile phone. Specifically, it is aimed at the iPhone and iPod Touch, but the nature of the design allows it to work with just about any phone. Practical applications range from watching a movie to using it as a stand for charging.

At first glance you’ll notice the beautiful brushed aluminum frame, black pad and the six “fingers” which will hold your device. The designers were going for style through simplicity, and I think that they really hit the nail on the head. The Luxa2 brand name is the only visible marking, which is accented by a pair of Swarovski crystals.

So what exactly does the H1-Touch do? As I said before it really only holds your phone. You’ll set your device on the black rubber pad, and adjust the six fingers (which move together as one) to hold it firmly in place. Once there, you can freely rotate it 360-degrees or tilt it all the way back to the other side.

The H1-Touch does one thing, and it does it well. Setting my iPhone in the cradle takes very little effort, and frankly makes using various functions on my phone a little easier when I’m at my desk. My only complaint is that it is a little too light, so it will sometimes scoot back when I press the home button. That aside, it looks and functions beautifully.

Overall, I really enjoy using the LUXA2 H1-Touch at my desk. It complements my iPhone, and looks great sitting next to my MacBook Pro. Of course its limited functionality and luxury price ($49.99) ($29.99) will likely mean that it appeals to a limited crowd.

Update: We have been informed that the price of the H1-Touch has dropped to $29.99.

[ LUXA2 ]

By Chris Scott Barr

There are a number of reasons why a person might want to jailbreak their iPhone. This list includes data tethering, using it on another carrier and running unauthorized apps. Of course if you aren’t careful, you could leave your device vulnerable to a rather simple attack. Recently a number of people discovered a rather troubling message on their jailbroken phones, informing them that they had indeed been hacked.

The message, seen to the right, was left on a number of people’s phones with a link to the hacker’s website. Originally the hacker was asking for €5 in exchange for a fix, though he has now simply posted the fix on his site. So how did he pull it off? It’s simple really.

He used port scanning on the T-Mobile network (in the Netherlands) to find iPhones running SSH. This is something generally necessary when jailbreaking an iPhone. Armed with the knowledge that many people don’t bother changing the default password, he was able to gain access to a number of phones. He then changed the wallpaper to make it look as though there was an SMS alert being displayed.

It’s good that the hacker changed his tune and made the fix available for free. It does bring up a very, very valuable point. Regardless of what we’re talking about, be it desktop, phone or server; change the root password!

[ mr09 ] VIA [ Ars ]

Whether you can’t afford an iPhone (what are they? like $7 now with a 10-year contract?) and want to look like you can, or you need a prop for a photoshoot or something, iPhoneDummy.net will sell you a non-working iPhone 3G display model for just $19.95 with free worldwide shipping. The iPhone ‘dummies’ as they’re called feel and weigh exactly like the real thing, but don’t contain all the electronicy bits inside that are necessary for them to turn on, make calls, etc. And if you send them videos or photos of your iPhone dummy “smashing/crashing/trashing/microwaving” you’ll get 25% off your next order!

[ iPhoneDummy.net ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Remember that awesome TomTom iPhone car kit that we told you about not too long ago. Well if you’re one that loves to blow unnecessarily large amounts of money on something only moderately useful, you’re in luck. Apple has finally started carrying the overpriced cradle over at their store for the promised $120 price. Don’t hurt yourself in your excitement to order it and purchase the $99 app that goes with it.

[ Apple ] VIA [ Crave ]

Being able to trim clips was a nice addition to the iPhone 3GS’ video recording capabilities, but sometimes you just want to do a bit more before sending your videos off to YouTube for the world to judge them. Now before the original iPhone was released there were rumors that a stripped down version of Final Cut Pro might be secretly included, but that never came to fruition. But the ReelDirector app from Nexvio looks like a pretty decent alternative.

It lets you do everything from adding titles and credits, to editing and re-arranging clips on a timeline, to adding transitions, but what better way than a video to show you what a video editing app is really capable of?

ReelDirector is available on the App Store right now for a mere $7.99.

[ ReelDirector ] VIA [ Twitter @steverubel ]

If you find yourself using the Voice Memos app on the iPhone a lot, or capture a lot of videos, this tiny pseudo-shotgun mic for the iPhone 3G and 3GS claims to provide “10 times better audio reception!” for just $14. It plugs into the iPhone’s headphone jack and can be pointed in any direction for capturing audio directly from the source, and according to Brando it gains 25+ db over the iPhone’s built-in mic.

[ Brando Workshop Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone for iPhone 3G S ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

From the people who brought you the XShot Camera Extender, the pole that makes it easier to snap self portraits from a distance, comes the XShot iPhone case.

Made from durable “chrome plastic” the XShot is designed to fit the iPhone 3G & 3GS and features a 1/4″ screw tripod mount located in the lower left corner which allows you to mount it to basically any tripod on the market, including (surprise, surprise) the XShot Camera Extender! Of course if you’re trying to grab a self-shot that way you’ll also need to find a third-party camera app that includes a timer, since you won’t be able to push the iPhone’s camera button when it’s perched 3 or 4 feet away from you.

The XShot iPhone Case isn’t available just yet, but you can pre-order from the company’s site for $29.95 if you’re already convinced it’s a must-have.

[ XShot iPhone Case ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Keys are one of those objects that seems almost archaic when you think about them. We have so many technologies at our disposal, you have to wonder why we rely on these so heavily. If you don’t have a car with a fancy keyless setup, you can now add a Viper StartSmart system that will let you control your car from your iPhone.

The new StartSmart System won’t have you driving your car from an iPhone, but you can do a host of other functions:

• Lock/arm
• Unlock/disarm
• Remote car starter
• Trunk release
• Panic or car finder

You can do all of the above functions anywhere using your iPhone or iPod Touch, so long as you have either a data connection or WiFi available. The App is free, but you’ll need the Viper StartSmart hardware in your car. The StartSmart kit will set you back $499, and you’ll need to pony up $29.99 a year for service (the first year is free).

[ Viper ] VIA [ Dvice ]

While it’s convenient that the iPhone and the entire iPod line (minus the old-school firewire versions) can recharge over USB, I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all been in the situation where you connected your device to someone else’s computer to charge it, only to have it try and sync with their copy of iTunes. But the Sync Blocker cable solves that problem with a simple switch that can be set to charging & HotSync, or just charging. It’s just $12.99 from USBFever.com and supports all of the iPhones and iPod Touches, as well as the more recent versions of the iPod Classic and Nano.

[ Sync Blocker USB to Dock connector cable for iPhone / iPod ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]