Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

For just $14.77 you can turn the crappy digital camera on your iPhone into a crappy digital camera with 6×18 zoom. This lens attachment from Conice includes a clear plastic housing for the iPhone itself, which also serves as a mounting bracket for the lens over the phone’s camera. That way you can easily attach and remove the lens as needed.

Something tells me if your budget allows for an iPhone, you can probably afford a small P&S digital camera as well. Not only will it take far better shots, but it should also include a tripod mount on the bottom, since a zoom lens will amplify any motion in the camera, resulting in blurred shots if you don’t keep it steady. And those hoping to just rely on the iPhone’s camera should also be aware that this lens and its case nearly double the weight of the phone.

[ Conice 6×18 Zoom Attachment for iPhone ] VIA [ technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While my iPhone has been ‘liberated’ I haven’t installed much in terms of 3rd party software. But this new application called Listen, from iPhone super hacker Erica Sudin is pretty tempting. After starting the program you simply hold the iPhone’s microphone near your TV, radio or other source of music. After sampling the tune for 5 seconds, the program contacts an ID server and if successful, will display the name of the song, the artist and the album.

Just keep in mind that Listen is currently “very beta” and I’ve seen reports that the application put some user’s iPhones into recovery mode after successfully recognizing a song. But those users seem to be in the minority, and from what I can tell the application works surprisingly well so far.

You can download the Listen beta directly from Erica Sadun’s website.

[ Test Request: iPhone Audio recognition ] VIA [ The Unofficial Apple Weblog ]

By Luke Anderson

I didn’t get quite as dazzled by the iPhone as some, though I won’t deny that it is pretty cool. One big complaint is that since you do everything by touching the screen, you tend to get a lot of fingerprints and smudges. That’s why you need Phone Fingers. Or not.

The idea is simple, your fingers cause smudges, so cover them up. However, what you end up with are some weird mini-condoms for your digits. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing these for fear of ridicule from my friends. If you’re interested, you can get a bag of 25 for a little under $15. If you get mercilessly mocked for wearing them, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[Phone Fingers] VIA [Crave]

By Shane McGlaun

If you are the old school type that likes to have new gadgets and need a way to mix old and new, Advance Sound Devices has a strange product that might do just that. The device is called the Retro Tune Mini Jukebox and is basically just what the name describes.

You get a mini jukebox with all the style of the 50’s down to the rotating light column coupled with a dock for your iPod or iPhone. The dock allows you to charge and play your iPhone or iPod while viewing the screen.

Other features of the jukebox include an alarm clock that can wake you to music from your iPod or iPhone and a single disk CD player. The device also includes a remote that allows you to control your iPod or iPhone from across the room.

VIA [ Advance Sound Devices ]