iPod Touch used for taking orders in a seafood restaurant

Like Sammy who's currently in the big city of New York, I am also in the big city of my own country: Jakarta. Just arrived yesterday for running a small errand and having a(nother) week off before a crazy month full of works ahead, for the next week I'll be having the busiest month of the whole year at work. A very good reason to have a week off for myself, don't you think? *wink*

So here's what happened: Me, my big sister and her husband went to this new seafood restaurant near their home. It's a new establishment, everything is new and shiny including the tables and the chairs, along with the awkard new trainees who were serving us. But what really attracked me right away was not how yellow the color of the waitress' teeth (yes, I took notice of the small thing like that), it was the shiny iPod Touch hanging on her neck.

Soon enough after we sat down on the un-comfortable chairs, the waitress immediately held the iPod Touch and began playing with it as if she was browsing the music in it. Apparently, the waitress was preparing a list of order for our dinner, she kept flicking the iPod Touch while she asked on who's name the order should be. I couldn't hold on my curiosity no more, so I deliberately stood up so I can have a clear look on the iPod's screen.

And what do you know? The restaurant has installed a special app inside each and every iPod Touch carried by the waitresses, for taking orders of the customers with it. Neat. The app is very simple,seemed to work and look like the mobile Safari. It shows many lists of menu available in small fonts, making the waitress to zoom in/out using the pinching finger gesture feature. After we finished ordering, the waitress pressed a print button and our order is quickly printed out with a small printer nearby the counter. Again, pretty neat and impressive. WiFi plays a great deal in transferring data across the crowded room, both for mobility and ease of use.

I tried to take a picture with my Trēo™ 750v, but unfortunately the manager politely asked me not to. Perhaps they are affraid competitors will try to steal the ideas, or the designs...

When I was paying for the dinner at the cashier, I asked the owner on why he uses a cutting edge device like iPod Touch for his restaurant, and he told me that way he managed to cut off half of the hassle of having to write down the orders again to the kitchen. That does make sense, and if I may say that method is working. Customers were pouring into the restaurant like rain, there were no long waiting to order the food, except of course waiting for the food to be served; it's a proof that the diners are pleased with the quick service.

But here's the thing that still bothers me even until now after we left the restaurant: is it profitable enough to use iPod Touch for a restaurant that offers foods priced below average like that one? You see, that seafood restaurant is offering foods priced below the average price of other restaurants in order to attract customers. It's not a fancy restaurant that charged high price, heck there's even no service fee included in the bill (it's supposed to be a mandatory in big cities). The price of the food is indeed quite cheap, comparing to the other restaurants in the capital city.

While the iPod Touch itself is roughly priced around US$315 in here, and if I'm right on the head count of the waitresses in the restaurant; there were about 10-12 of them who carried iPod Touch around their neck. It can be considered a big investment for a start up business which hasn't yet have a constant customers flow... Have in mind though, using traditional method: paper & pen is by far cheaper than a cutting edge device like the iPod Touch. And you have to think about a unit replacement whenever one gets broken, or worst get stolen. Because in real life, business is all about profit: more income and less spending.

Does the use of iPod Touch more favorable (if not, more profitable) than the price to afford it?
Have you ever see similar use of iPod Touch, or even iPhone, for business use? If yes, then please don't be shy to share the story with us.
Have a great weekend y'all!

Geeks reinvent the new iPod Shuffle as a fashion tech-cessory

Read this post with one big Apple love that hearts every products the fruit-logo company make, especially the intriguing new iPod Shuffle.

I haven't got the chance to mock... err, I mean to discuss the new Shuffle, but since Sammy is throwing a brand new Shuffle at PalmAddict, then I suppose this will be a good time to do so.

As you've already learned, Apple decided to ditch the famous wheel-click and replaced it with voice control located at the earbud cord, the new technology called VoiceOver. Because of that making the new Shuffle thinner than ever, and weight less than the previous models. But Apple also touting it as "Fashion tech-cessory," and it appears to be true.

Take the sassy-beauty Veronica Belmont for an instance, she uses her new Shuffle as hair clip. Perhaps she lost her daily hair clip, and so her boyfriend the Gdgt tech-blogger Ryan Block took the initiative to replace it with the newly bought Shuffle. But still, she noted the Shuffle as a potential choking hazard. ;-p

And there's Dylan Tweney, who uses his Shuffle for tie clip (right image). That's actually a great way to show off your new gadget to your co-workers, as well as a fashion replacement for those fancy expensive tie clips used by uptight executives.

In any ways, they all are making the most of their new Shuffle. Showing that even geeks also have their fashion awareness too, it's just kinda quirky to see how they thought about it and do it. Hey maybe it's true, seeing the Apple logo really do make you to think more creative? ~LOL~

Source is from iPhone Savior.

Parasync helps you sync 15 iPods easily

For you who believes one iPod is not enough, and thus you end up owning an iPod for each activities you can possibly think of: a shuffle for jogging, a nano for gym, touch for commute, classic for karate, etc. ;-p

With dropping prices on iPod family line-ups, it's easier to collect all of them in a lifetime. But if you actually do own around 15 iPods, you know how stressful it is to sync them one by one to your iTunes library. Your boss will constantly be mad at you, when he/she finds out you're using office time to sync those iPods. Not to mention the doctor bills for treating your sore thumbs from plug & unplug that sync cable.

This is where Parasync comes to rescue, the unit (seen at the image above) is capable to host 15 iPods at once. All you've got to do is connect the dock via USB to your MacBook, open iTunes, all docked devices will appear (they must first be registered to the iTunes library). Drag and drop content from the iTunes library onto the devices to sync them.

The Parasync dock supports all of iPod generations including classic, nano, and touch. But according to Scott McNulty from Macworld; the unit is designed to help museums and schools load up multiple iPods with the same content for classes and tours. You need to request a quote to get pricing for the Parasync (which usually means it is pricey), and of course you'll also need to specify the model of iPod docks when ordering.

Personally, I'm having a hard time to imagine there's a person who has 15 iPods for himself/herself. ~LOL~

Monopoly in App Store

It's not the kind of monopoly you're thinking, it is actually a Monopoly game made by EA for iPhone/iPod Touch. ;-)

The Monopoly game has been around for ages, I don't think no one doesn't know of this game. In the Wikipedia mentioned that Monopoly is the most commercially sucessful board game in U.S. history, with 480 million players worldwide.

With this in mind, EA must have seen the profit to bring Monopoly into the growing iPhone/iPod Touch platform. The game itself is offered at $7.99, and full title is MONOPOLY Here and Now: The World Edition.

A forum member at MMI has managed to tested out the game, here's the flash review:

"Apparently instead of Baltic, Reading Railroad, and Broadway, you're now purchasing Istanbul, Turkey, and Greece. The game graphics are a bit on the cheesy side, with some rough edges on the animations, but it is very playable and fun."

"You can listen to music from your iPod library while playing the game, and play up to 4 live players (with one phone - puff puff pass, yes. you can also hook up via wifi) or vs the computer. Saving game state is included, and the controls are intuitive enough once you've gotten used to what does what.

The little Monopoly man (I'm sure he has a name - yup, Wikipedia knows all) Stanley Monopoloy aka Toby aka Rich Uncle Pennybags gives you hints on how to play as you start, which helped to not have to push random buttons over and over again to see which was which. After a couple rounds, the game is rather addicting."

Showtimes 2.0 for iPhone/iPod Touch

I suppose there's always something more about going to a theater and watch the new movie with a crowd of people. And we're not talking about the latest and savviest home theater set you own there like a 50-inch plasma tv, a Blu-Ray player, and stereo speakers complete with subwoofer to blast you up from your comfy couch; if I have those then I won't leave home at all. ~LOL~

But no, really, IMHO there's a certain kind of feeling every time we hurried to a theater, get in line to buy the tickets, sit down next to strangers, eat popcorn together with friends (and strangers too), the disturbing noise when someone forgot to turn off their mobile phones, or the best for me is when I need to take a leak really bad when the climax of the movie is about to start. ;-p

So, if you're rocking an iPhone or an iPod Touch with software 2.0 update or above, and you love to go to theaters to watch new movies; then you should take a look at this free app: Showtimes 2.0 made by Avantar. Here's the snipped review by Jonathan Seff from Macworld:

"The app is fully supported in the U.S., it figures out your location and shows you the movie theaters in your area in order of proximity. You can set a location as a default for future use, or manually enter an address, city, or zip code.
If there are certain theaters you tend to go to most often, you can tap the stars next to their names to force those theaters to float to the top of the list—a useful time-saver. And next to the stars you’ll find a map icon that can launch the iPhone’s Maps application and not only show you where a theater is, but also use your location to give you directions to the theater. (I found this particularly useful when looking for a movie while on vacation in an unfamiliar city.)"

Showtimes 2.0 also allows users to see more information regarding the movie like poster of the movie, MPAA ratings, length, and remaining showtimes for the day, release date, genre, cast, summary, movie trailer. Further more, at the bottom of a movie’s page also includes links to MetaCritic, RottenTomatoes, and/or IMDb.

Guide Klaus home with your iPhone/iPod Touch

To be honest, when I first read the title of the app, I thought this is some kind of Christmas or Santa Claus related game. But I was dead wrong... ;-p

Klaus is a free game, and the objective of the game is to keep Klaus upright as long as you can as he drunkenly tries to walk home.

According to Dr. Macenstein; I’m not sure this game has any real long term playability, but so far Klaus’ drunken ramblings have made everyone who I have showed it to declare it to be “the best thing ever invented”. ~LOL~

But hey, as long as it's free, then no body is complaning. Right?

Become an "Amateur Surgeon" with your iPhone/iPod Touch

Apple is loosing a bit of its iron tight grip on the App Store policies, few days ago a Rated 17+ app called "Amateur Surgeon" has made its first appearance on App Store. To know that before this Apple has so stubbornly denied entrance to other 'adult' apps, I can only guess Apple has come to realize the market potential of such app, and of course the huge revenue it can ripe from the sales.

Here's the description from App Store on the "Amateur Surgeon" app:

“Use precision instruments such as a pizza cutter, salad tongs, stapler, and car battery to hack your way through thirty different procedures and be the surgeon that your parents always knew you would never become. ”

Rated 17+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes
Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Frequent/Intense Profanity or Crude Humor
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content or Nudity
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References

There's another benefit can be gain from playing this game, who knows it'll come handy in the future? Do you remember the story? About how a British surgeon saved a 16 year old Congo boy's life, only by following medical instructions sent in SMS from a colleague in England. Maybe you can do that too after playing this game? ~LOL~

Silly engraved iPod is for life

Tattoes on skin are meant for you to bear with it for the rest of your life, because it usually used to mark special occasions or just to shout out loud what you have in mind for others to see. But ever since Apple iPods have become so popular, engraved iPods have also become a new trend. Either the engraved words are to mark the iPod as someone's belonging, or to use it as the bearer of good or bad news.

Since Christmas is almost here, don't you think this is the approriate time to give and let those unspoken emotional feelings out? Like what iPhone Savior has said in its "Top 10 Worst Engraved iPod Messages" blog: "Why not make it a memory they'll never forget and let iPod do the talking."

I've taken some of the engraved iPod pictures and posted above this post, you can read the other hilarious messages at the weblog, but a word of caution before you're heading there: explicit words ahead. ;-p

Engraved iPod as holidays gift has become so much easier, because Apple's policy is that a two-line message is free and doesn't add anything in the way of shipping time. But according to the Consumerist article (via Macworld) there's a catch: engraved iPods aren't returnable!

Then again, I guess Dan Moren (Macworld) has a spot-on oppinion about engraved iPods: "...the fact that engraved iPods are non-returnable really helps me with my Christmas tradition of sending gifts to all of my enemies. There's nothing like sticking 'em with a personalized gift that's non-returnable but too good to just throw away." ~LOL~

Funnest ad: the iPod Touch latest web ad?

The UK's advertising regulator the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned Apple's iPhone 3G tv commercial, because it is said to be misleading. But how about this iPod Touch web ad?

Apple is seriously making statement that its iPhone is a "gaming console", and further more claiming "it's not a phone, it's a console experience." That's what we've heard from Engadget Mobile, based from their "extremely reliable and embarrassingly handsome Engadget sources". ~LOL~

And judging by the latest iPod Touch web ad which I've saw a couple days ago, the particular ad might just as well say iPod Touch also has vigorous gaming capabilities to be reckoned with. I'm not trying to help Apple to sell iPod Touch here, or anything like that. But I simply stunned by the 30 second ad, and enjoyed it as much as the rest of the "Get a Mac" ads.

Looks like Microsoft still got a long way to go, to catch up Apple on advertising their products. No need the long and complicated conversations like in the Bill Gates-Seinfield ads, what gets to the viewers are short but dazzling ads. And The iPod Touch web ad is simple enough to "shake" your thang. ~LOL~

Watch the video I've embedded below, do you think the iPhone Touch web ad is also misleading? ;-p

iStick, the handsfree magnetic case for iPod Nano

It sometimes amazes me, that there have been plenty of cool and neat ideas which are coming from just creating accessories for iPods line-up. This iStick magnetic case is one of them, it uses four pairs of Neodymium magnets placed on the back of a crystal case.

You'll receive 3 sets of iStick case, the case faceplate & backing are for hosting your iPod Nano, while the case fastener is to secure the case in between your cloth. The thinner your cloth is, the tighter those magnets to fasten. Talk about attracting people with see-through clothing... ~LOL~

iStick claims the magnets will not effect on iPod Nano, since the iPod Nano is now using flashdrive instead of using the conventional hard drives anymore. But iStick still warns you to put this case roughly around six inches from your laptop or computer, because its strong magnets may damage the hard drives.

Using magnets to hold the case means you won't be bothered with clip or the case holder no more, you can easily put it anywhere around your clothed part of the body. ~LOL~ iStick believes its $26.95 priced magnetic case will hold even for sport activies such as running, cycling, weight training, etc. Wow, what a way to draw people's attentions to look at it and not at your ass. ;-p

Sources are from iStick, via Macenstein.

[bogged with my Treo 750v]

Discovery of iPod Nano Chromatic colors inspiration

You've got to wonder where did Apple got those appealing color line-ups for its "funnest" iPod Nano Chromatic, right? iPhone Savior once again spotted what seems to be the source of inspiration for the cheerful colors of new Nanos:

"A graphic designer shooting random photos in Berlin, Germany stumbled on a bank of brightly colored lockers that look strangely familiar. ... Our experts noted the find to be extremely close to an authentic doppelgänger without actually being one. ... The color sequence is identical."

Unfortunately, Kamil Frankowicz; the wandering graphic designer who took the shot, can't get more information on when the colorful lockers are made. ~LOL~

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

The Nano-Chromatic window display looks so tasty

I think I know what Steve Jobs is trying to aim with that rainbow colors of the new iPod Nano 4G; to blind our logic while we stare at the colorful line-ups displayed in Apple Stores. ;-)

Just looking at the left picture of the Nano-Chromatic line-up, makes me want to go inside and grab one already. I know I'm weak when I see such beautiful colors on a shiny new toy, urrmm... I mean device.

And I know someone else who is also can't hold his buying impulse when he's in Apple Store; our own Sammy! Let's hope Sammy will walk in an Apple Store soon, sees those eye-candy new Nano 4G and buy the whole line-up, then of course like his usual kindness Sammy is going to give them away at PalmAddict. Hmmm... I'm counting one, two three, ...nine! Nine colors, there'll be nine lucky winners then!! ~LOL~

Ohkay, I know I shouldn't spoil the beans. Or, hope too high. But I always hope I can win one of PalmAddict's give away over again and again, and that's not impossible you know. Just don't stop sending your mobile thoughts to Sammy, and who knows? ;-D

The picture is the display window at the downtown San Francisco Apple store taken by Kitetoa, via iPhone Savior.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Refurbished iPod Touch is now only $199

Caught this hard to miss bargain from Gizmodo; the previously refurbished 8GB iPod Touch has received another price cut at Apple Store, it's now sold at $199.

And if the 8GB is barely not enough for your huge music collections, then the 16GB version also has been dropped to $299.

Strange, I'm feelin like if I'm buying an iPhone 3G with price like that. Or is it just me... ;-D Anyway, IMHO it's a very sweet deal. If just I live in the states, then I'll definetely get one and throw it away randomly... :wink-wink: ~LOL~

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

iPod enabled jacket for U.K. school kids

Schools and teachers have been fighting the use of iPod while the students are attending class, and I understand about the main concern: cheating the exams using iPod. And second one is probably when the students are rather listen to their iPods instead of the teaching of their teachers. ;-p

So I could imagine the face of every teachers, especially in U.K., when Marks & Spencer announced the availability of special iPod-enabled jacket for school kids.

The Marks and Spencer 2008 Back to School collection is featuring the coat and blazer have five Fibretronic function keypad controller discretely built into the lapel area of the inside lining. A strategically placed iPod pocket which doesn’t bulge, an iPod connector with a hidden circuit, concealed controls for operating the settings, lapel loops concealing the earphone wires.

The blazer is available in girls and boys sizes from age ten to age sixteen and retails at £25.00 to £30.00 ($47.- to $57.-). The winter coat for girls and boys ages ten to sixteen is retailing at £35.00 to £40.00 ($76.- to 66.-) all models directly available by Marks and Spencer.

Source are from Talk2MyShirt, via Gizmodo.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

iPod can be considered as a devil's toy, according to Israeli Orthodox Court

"A terrible plague is upon us, calming victims every day… these sinful devices were banned by all the great rabbis, but are still common in the haredi world… their devilish distributors want nothing more than to drive the people of Israel to sin, through movies and other abominations!"

That's what written on a pashkevilim (informative ads or posters often plastered in the Jerusalem's religious neighborhoods) found by electronic storeowners; whose store is located on the outskirts of Jerusalem's Meah Shearim neighborhood & whose stores located just off the capital's Shabbat Square.

Ynet has learned that the Orthodox Righteous Court of Law had, indeed, held a session on MP4 devices. The court ruled that the devices must be banned and issued a warning to all vendors not to stock them, saying those who do "will be subject to a court hearing," and giving vendors three week to comply with its ruling.

I understand that some religions & beliefs can be strict about new technologies, of course there are always two sides when it comes to modern gadgets: bad & good. But IMHO, I think it's up to the users themselves to seperate the good contents from the bad ones. Source is from Switched.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Amanda Bynes works out with her iPod

Being a celebrity is not easy, you gotta keep your shape prime and the only way to get a body that'll devour your fans is to work out.

And that's what Amanda Bynes has done, she was spotted few days ago taking a walk in the afternoon with her iPod Nano (2nd gen) strapped at her spandex.

Although the Runyon Canon is still full of sunshine in the afternoon, it really amazes me that the "Hairspray" actress' hair was not tied up. Perhaps she intended to get more sweat out with her beautiful long hair laid down on her neck while walking, and that's why she carried a pack of tissue with her...? ~LOL~

Anywhere, anytime; a celebrity must maintain his/her good look no matter what.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Top Ten most misunderstood lyrics

This is just for fun, since I don’t quite believe the truth from a poll that surveyed these ten most misunderstood lyrics from various popular songs. But Daily Star Sunday has got a spot-on sight; the iPod generations, as they called them/us are having hard times to hear clearly the lyrics from the degrading sound.

Either it’s because the bad sound of the music itself, or maybe you acquired the pirated tunes from the net, or perhaps the earphones you use are in need to be replaced? And not to mention the decline in lyrics written on CD booklets, music fans have began guessing what their favorite stars’ words. Here the top 10 of them:

1. Madonna, Like A Virgin. “Touched for the 33rd time.” (Real lyric: “Touched for the very first time.”)
2. REM, Losing My Religion. “Let’s pee in the corner.” (“That’s me in the corner.”)
3. Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit. “Here we are now, in containers.” (“Here we are now, entertain us.”)
4. Bob Dylan, Blowin’ In The Wind. “The ants are my friends, they’re blowin’ in the wind.” (“The answer, my friend, is...”)
5. Spice Girls, Wannabe. “If you wanna do my mother, you gotta get her a Benz.” (“If you wannabe my lover, you gotta get with my friends.”)
6. Abba, Chiquitita. “Chicken tikka, tell me what’s wrong." (Chiquitita, tell me...”)
7. U2, Mysterious Ways. “Shamu, the mysterious whale.” (“She moves in mysterious ways.”)
8. Eagles, Desperado. “You’ve been outright offensive.” (“...out riding fences.”)
9. Starship, We Built This City. “We built this city on the wrong damn road.” (“...on rock and roll.”)
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Can’t Stop. “Can’t stop the ferrets when they need food.” (“Can’t stop the spirits when they need you.”)

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Selena Gomez mysterious mobile phone flavor...?

Kids nowadays sure are fast growing up huh? It's only felt like yesterday that I saw a glimpse of the Disney darling and Wizards of Waverly Place star on a cable tv...

I have a hard time trying to determine what is that mobile phone carried by Selena Gomez, she secretly concealed it under her iPod while prepares to depart from Los Angeles International Airport on last Wednesday.

Maybe you know? Cuz I can't stop thinking about having an ice cream for myself when I see Selena's T-shirt there. ;-D

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Even a sick iPod needs a doctor

I've been wanting to say that for a title ever since my puppy was sick when I'm just a little boy back then, and my dad decided to take it to a vet. At first I'm confused if an animal can get a doctor too, then my old man said: "Even a sick dog needs a doctor animal."

And thus the same treatment should goes for your "sick" iPod, your favorite small entertainment device from Apple that you take everywhere you go; and eventually one day you'll drop it or break accidentally. According to Fortune 500 data; Apple has sold 150 million iPods since it introduced its digital music player in 2001.

Of course you can bring the "sick" iPod to Apple for some repairs under its warranty program - but not if the damage is the customer's fault. "If you are Apple," says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director for Jupiter Research, "your ideal scenario is to sell someone a new iPod, not repair an old one." Apple declined to comment for this story.

And even if you still elligible to repair the "sick" iPod, you'll still have to get into the line waiting for your turn at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store. Where usually those guys there can give frigthening diagnosis, perhaps that's their nature to tell the customers for the worse than the comforting words.

So that's what has been in the mind and the succesful story behind the Manhattan's iPod Doctor: Demetrios Leontaris. The 33-year-old father of three, makes a living attending to broken iPods that Apple won't touch. The iPod Doctor makes house calls "Eighty percent of the repairs I can do on the spot," he boasts.

Riding inside his black Pontiac Aztec that doubles as his office, Leontaris can repair and replace almost any damaged parts of iPod with the swift, graceful movements of a concert pianist. Surprisingly, he is self-taught. As a teenager, Leontaris hung out in his dad's shop and fixed broken computers, microwaves, VCRs and 8-track players that tenants threw in the trash. "I've been fixing electronic devices almost all my life," he says. "It's just something that comes easy to me."

For $70 per visit, Leontaris can offer on-site repair for your "sick" iPod; if possible. But if the damage is too much, you'll have to let the iPod Doctor to take and try repair it at his place. Nevertheless, it's reassuring that your loveable iPod is in good hands. ;-)

There are just some people who rather to buy a new one than repair a dying iPod, lower price over time has become major factor. Another consideration is time, to save more time you need to know when your "sick" iPod can be repaired or not. RapidRepair.com founder Aaron Vronko has quick tips on when your iPod is fixable and when it's time to throw it out:

Your iPod is fixable when...

• You get that sad iPod icon on your screen. This means your hard drive is kaput and needs to be replaced. According to Vronko, this repair is worth doing because it usually only costs 50 percent of the original cost of the device.
• Your screen looks like some ink has spilled on it. This means you've got a broken LCD screen. The cost on these sorts of repairs are usually just 25 to 35 percent of the original cost of the unit, according to Vronko, usually around $90 or less. You can even do it yourself, if you want to do it ASAP (Vronko says his company also just sells the screen and directions for DIY types).
• You get a battery and and exclamation point on your screen. "If you're getting this several times a week and more quickly than usual, your battery is probably dead," says Vronko. This fix is a cinch and usually costs around $20 from a professional service.

Your iPod is probably beyond repair when...

• It's fallen in the water. Salt water is worse than fresh water, but the real danger comes when you turn it on and it's still wet. "This is probably when you'd do the most damage," says Vronko. "You're better off taking it apart as soon as possible and removing any corrosive liquid with concentrated rubbing alcohol." You can also try sticking your iPod in a bowl of uncooked rice, but this doesn't always work. RapidRepair will try and fix these sorts of issues -- if you send the soiled device to them in a sealed plastic bag -- but it's likely your iPod is a goner. Leontaris also warns: If you ever do this, don't plug your waterlogged iPod into an electric outlet. You'll fry the circuitry. "You just make worse," he says.
• If it's been chewed by a dog. Dog's teeth are strong, and unfortunately they usually puncture an iPod's hard drive, the screen, and the battery.
• It's been run over by a car. Vronko says someone actually sent him an iPod that had been run over by a car. "There was one guy who wanted me to fix his Nano after it had been run over by a car," Leontaris said. "The screen was cracked. It still worked, but at that point, it was just a 4-gig iPod shuffle. You couldn't see what song was playing."

I hope those iPod Doctors out there can do well, and avoid unnecessary hassle with Apple over the "iPod" name like what is happening to Nicholas Woodhams. The owner of an iPod repair shop named

iPod Mechanic, is being sued by Apple for misuse of the coveted iPod trademark -- and of allegedly manipulating Apple to both send him replacement units for free as well as tricking the electronics giant into repairing out-of-warranty iPods.

Woodhams and those aware of the scheme "never planned" to return any iPods and ultimately sold the brand new models at a heavy discount, the complaint reads -- a tactic no longer in evidence on the site, but one which reportedly cost Apple over $75,000.

Peace on earth my friends, peace on earth...

Sources are from:

• Meet the iPod Doctor: He makes house calls (Fortune)
• Can Your Broken iPod Be Fixed? (Switched)
• Apple makes example of iPod repairman in lawsuit (AppleInsider)

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

iClooly will change your iPod Touch into mini-Mac

Sammy has posted this one before here at PA. So allow me to complete the news with some more additional infos taken from the translated version of its original website:

• iMac-inspired accessories, cute design.
• iPod touch lightly push to put a stand set up just completed. Remove the back part of your finger and push the process, such as in the press.
• 90 ° pivot function of the vertical screen next rotation is possible. iPod touch screen rotation to full advantage.
• Remain attached to the iPod touch on or off the power and connections and can "DOKKUKONEKUTA"
• I feel part of the main body of aluminum is used.
• Only included are extension cable, headphones, external speakers or headphones can be connected.
• Material: aluminium & resin
• Dimensions: (horizontal) W115mm × H100mm × D45mm
• Weight: approximately 55gr

If you're interested then you can order iClooly (a.k.a. RSJ-ICRT01) at 4,980 yen or around US$47, but then again you must wait until it's officially launch on June 7th, 2008.

[blooged with my Treo 750v]