Buy-N-Large

Buy-N-Large mosaic

The logo of the corporatized world from WALL-E, cleverly made out of brand logos. [Source]

Darth Vader

Darth Vader mosaic

Comprised of images from all six Star Wars movies. [Source]

Harry Potter

Harry Potter mosaic

Made using images from the first seven Harry Potter movies, to celebrate the eighth. [Source]

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones mosaic

Uses only images from Raiders of the Lost Ark. [Source]

iPhone

iPhone mosaic

10,000 app icons make up this image of a first-generation iPhone. [Source]

Mario

Mario mosaic

Created using 7,000 screenshots from Super Mario 1, 2, & 3. [Source]

Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle mosaic

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch, NASA commissioned this mosaic, which uses pictures of the people, projects, and technologies that contributed to the shuttle program over its first 25 years.[Source]

Star Trek

Star Trek mosaic

The new Star Trek movie’s logo made using images from the classic TV series. [Source]

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs mosaic

The late Apple CEO is recreated here using Apple logos, products, and portraits of the man himself. [Source]

Summer Glau

Summer Glau mosaic

This mosaic of the geek goddess (Firefly, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse) uses over 400 existing photos of Glau. [Source]

News of the death of Steve Jobs last week was a major disappointment to the tech industry and people around the world. As people remember how he and Apple changed the world with products such as the iPod and iPhone, I think it would be interesting to take a look at what kind of influence he has had on anime.

One of the unique things about anime is that a lot of “product placement” is inserted freely by the creators. In order to avoid copyright infringement, they alter the names of companies to get brands like “WcDonald’s” and “Sudohbucks”. When it comes to electronics, homegrown tech giants dominate the anime scene with obvious references such as “Pony” for Sony and “Parasonic” for Panasonic. In recent years, Apple products have been appearing in numerous anime. Below are 5 anime series that clearly love Apple.

Ro-Kyu-Bu!

Ro-Kyu-Bu is a short anime about a high school boy who ends up coaching an elementary school female basketball team. One of the members on the team is Maho Misawa, an energetic and outgoing girl that’s afraid of the dark. She uses a “Maq” computer as evidenced by the top left icon on her screen. The logo on her monitor is also very similar to the Apple logo.

God’s Memo Pad

Another series that features a computer resembling a Macintosh is God’s Memo Pad. An anime about a group of NEETs (people not employed, in education, or training) who solve crimes with the help of the internet. The ringleader of this group is Alice, a young girl that lives in a dark room on a bed full of teddy bears and surrounded by monitors. She is clearly seen using a computer that closely resembles an iMac running what appears to be OS X.

Ouran High School Host Club

This is one of the earliest anime I’m aware of that features an Apple computer. Apple’s MacBook was first released in 2006. In the same year, a “Pineapple” MacBook appears in Ouran High School Host Club. The anime is about a poor girl who gets admitted into a prestigious academy, only to be forced into dressing as a boy and attending to female clients as a male host to pay off her debts.

We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day (Ano Hana)

Ano Hana probably has the most infamous Apple product user in anime. The anime is about a group of friends, who after 10 years, reunite after one of them claims to be able to see the ghost of a girl they all loved, Menma. Bitter rivalries and jealousy erupt amongst the group as they realize that Menma had meant more to them than they thought. One of the characters is Yukiatsu, a guy so in love with Menma that he goes as far as pretending to be her. When he’s not cross-dressing, he is often seen whipping out his iPhone in style.

Fractale

Fractale is set in a fictional futuristic world where parents can have avatars eat at the dinner table for them and everything is controlled by a wondrous network called the Fractale system. In this futuristic world, everything is provided for you and everyone can live a life of comfort. Clain, a boy who obsesses over antiques from the past, is no doubt an Apple fan boy. In the first episode you can see him finding parts to upgrade his iPod.

This is not a comprehensive list, so please don’t be offended if a great tribute has been left out. This is merely a compilation of moving tributes that have passed before my eyes.

Spontaneous memorials are popping up at Apple Stores all over the world. This is one of the best and most artful pictures of this I've seen.

[Source]

Apple HQ honored its fallen founder by lowering its flags to half mast.

[Source]

19-year-old Jonathan Mak poses with his silhouette design that's spread like wildfire across the Internet in the wake of Jobs' death.

[Source] [Mak's original posting of the image can be found here. ForeverGeek's own Jayvee Fernandez used Mak's design to make a lovely, minimalist wallpaper that you can download here.]

There’s a video making the rounds called “The Crazy Ones” of Steve Jobs himself narrating a TV commercial about the people throughout history who have changed the world, such as Albert Einstein and John Lennon. It’s a great video, but as a tribute, I like this one which takes the same idea but uses the better-known narration (by what sounds like Richard Dreyfuss) but substitutes the original imagery with a timeline of Jobs’ life and successes. [Source]

A perfect symbol for the sentiments of many.

[Source]

This artist used the Apple icon as a paint brush to create this striking portrait.

[Source]

Popular blog BoingBoing.net created one of the most clever tributes to Jobs on the Web by temporarily altering their design to resemble an old school Mac.

[Source]

Candles arranged on the sidewalk outside of Steve Jobs' home.

[Source]

A stylized wallpaper for the faithful.

[Source]

“In every generation there are great thinkers and people that have the vision of what can be and then have the energy, the skill, and the genius to make it happen. Steve Jobs is definitely one of those rare individuals, and the world’s gonna miss him a lot.”

- International Space Station Commander Mike Fossum, 10/6/11

[Source] [Thanks, Noemi!]

Steve Jobs was always a very quotable man, and this tribute uses his own words to create a portrait.

[Source]

A cartoonish, "paper cut-out" tribute that pays homage to his work at both Apple and Pixar.

[Source]

A nicely done "Sketch-A-Day" tribute.

[Source]

A cool, Tron-esque 3D glass render.

[Source]

This one's titled "There's One More Thing..."

[Source]

Guy Kawasaki, former Apple Evangelist, was scheduled for an Internet-based speaking engagement to talk about Facebook marketing techniques. But ten minutes before the event began, he heard the news. Needing to reminisce about his old friend, he threw out his marketing speech and spent the next hour talking about Steve Jobs. The result is a raw, unfiltered, emotion-filled look back at Jobs from the perspective of someone who actually knew him. And it’s kinda beautiful. [Source]

"Stay hungry, stay foolish" is quickly becoming Jobs' best-known quote.

[Source]

Strikes just the right tone of sadness.

[Source]

I'd have been more surprised if there wasn't at least one good LEGO tribute.

[Source]

A mosaic of Apple products makes up this image, based on how Jobs appeared in the last years of his life.

[Source]

EDIT: The original image is traced back to the young Jonathan Mak.

I found an Apple logo with Steve’s silhouette serving as the bite mark. I don’t recall exactly where I found it, but I really wanted to turn it into a little tribute wallpaper. Problem was, the image was around 300 x 300 and really wouldn’t fit anything, even a mobile device.

I opened Keynote and created a new presentation with a black background. Pasted the image and it auto-aligned with the rulers. Added the text. It was that easy. Many years ago, creating something like this would have taken about 5 minutes if you were any good. It literally took me 15 seconds.

This made me realize Steve’s legacy of empowerment. Of making things easier. Of simplifying. And of making things beautiful.

If you want a 1920 x 1080 version, feel free to save this file.

Man, the rumors about iPhone 5 are all over the place. And let’s face it: this is Apple, and that’s the way it’s always going to be. But one aspect of the new device that hasn’t been addressed is its price. Will Apple go up in price due to new technology? Will they keep it the same, as they always have? Or might they even lower it, to be ultra competitive? Opinions, anyone?

Rumors, rumors, rumors. They’re stock in trade for Apple-focused journalists. There are rumors that suggest the iPhone 5 will have an edge-to-edge screen. There’s a pretty solid-sounding rumor that Sprint is getting its own iPhone 5, to compete with AT&T and Verizon. It may have an aluminum unibody. It will very likely be thinner than the more brick-like iPhone 4. Then there’s the rumors of advanced voice-operated controls. It goes without saying that the 5th-generation device will be faster than the 4th. Will it have a higher-res camera? Will it wash your windows and vacuum the floors???

But I can’t find a single substantial rumor regarding the iPhone 5 price. Apple traditionally upgrades its i-products once a year, while keeping the price of the new device the same as the old. The smartphone marketplace is getting more crowded by the day. Apple launched the iPad with competitive pricing, and hit a home run. Might they apply the same philosophy to the next generation of the world’s greatest phone?

And then there’s the iPhone 4S rumor. You know, the one that says Apple is also going to release a mid-range quality, modestly priced iPhone at the same time as the state-of-the-art iPhone 5. This does seem like something Apple would so, so I’m inclined to believe this one. An iPhone based on the iPhone 4 but priced in the $100 range would be a win-win for Apple. New iPhones, over the last few years, have been priced $199 for a lower memory version and $299 for maxed-out memory size. If Apple’s launching a lower-quality iPhone that’s $100 or less, there really wouldn’t be any reason to decrease the price of the flagship model.

Still, we can dream of a day when $50 iPhones become a reality, can’t we? They say that the more commonplace a technology becomes, the lower its prices dive. Look at flatscreen TVs; years ago they cost multiple thousands of dollars, but these days you can get a decent one for $500 or less.

Angry Birds

There are plenty of Angry Birds eggs being made this year; this one gets my vote for the best due to its perfect detailing. [Source]

Auto (WALL-E)

Very well-made version of the villain Auto (aka Auto-Pilot) from WALL-E. [Source]

Bender (Futurama)

The egg-maker really nailed Bender’s look, but I can’t help wondering why Futurama‘s robot is so angry. [Source]

Binary Code

Binary code is always big among geeks, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s clever or just plain nerdy. [Source]

Bumblebee (Transformers)

It can’t be easy translating the proportions of a Transformer like Bumblebee into an egg, but this one manages to pull it off. [Source]

Chewbacca (Star Wars)

As you’d imagine, there are a ton of homemade Star Wars eggs, but this one grabbed my attention with that realistic fur. Wow. [Source]

Dalek (Doctor Who)

No matter how you slice it, that is just darn impressive. How in the world did they get the eye stalk and arm things to stay on? [Source]

Death Star (Star Wars)

Never have I seen an Easter Egg perfectly convey so much with so little. [Source]

EVE (WALL-E)

Turning an egg into EVE is a total no-brainer; the character is shaped like an egg, after all. This one perfectly captures the lighter side of her personality. [Source]

The Federation (Star Trek)

The United Federation of Planets design is raised and even has a metallic sheen to it. I have no idea how they did it, but it’s awesome. [Source]

iPhone

The Apple “iEgg” is shown here front and back. And yes, if it were real I’d totally use it. [Source]

Iron Man

Absolutely perfect lighting shows off the steel/glowy goodness of this impressive Iron Man mask. [Source]

Joker

Awful photo. (So blurry!) But staggeringly good work on the egg. It captures Joker’s unpredictable malice so well, it scares the crap out of me. [Source]

Naruto

Another one that manages to translate the proportions of a human figure into an egg remarkably well. [Source]

The One Ring

If Easter was celebrated in Middle Earth… well, they wouldn’t use the inscription from Sauron’s evil ring, would they. But I still love the idea. [Source]

Pac-Man

So many Pac-Man eggs, so little time. I picked this one for its instantly-recognizable depiction of Pac-Man. The ghost doesn’t come across quite as well. [Source]

Rorschach

Watchmen‘s signature crime-fighter. [Source]

Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

The anti-hero from Tim Burton’s stop-motion classic is depicted in one of his most memorable moments. [Source]

Spider-Man

Great version of Marvel’s wall-crawler. [Source]

Superman

Looks like clay was added to give this one a raised “S” emblem. Very cool. [Source]

Terminator

It’ll be back. Next Easter. [Source]

Xbox 360

Another one that left me wondering how they pulled it off. I’m sure the silver is some kind of enamel paint, but the green part all but glows. Very impressive. [Source]

Zombie

The visible brains part is brilliantly executed. Love the creativity! [Source]

As an iPhone 4 owner I’ve tried many cases to protect my precious device.  Apple’s iPhone 4 Bumper is a nice addition which shows off the beauty of the phone, but fails to truly protect the phone in the event of a drop.  Not good given my penchant for dropping phones.  The BoxWave Keyboard Buddy Case is another favorite of mine, offering the ability to use a slide-out keyboard on the iPhone 4.  Unfortunately, while adding an extra layer of utility and protection to the iPhone, the Keyboard Buddy adds size to the iPhone.  Definitely an annoyance.

The perfect iPhone 4 case may not yet exist, and may never see the light of day, but a new case aims to protect not only one’s iPhone, but also one’s body from STDs and an unwanted pregnancy, while also maintaining the iPhone 4′s sleek form factor.  Meet the justinCase.

From designer Chris Holder, the justinCase, a concept at present, is an ultra-slim leather textured case to protect your iPhone 4.  Adding to its appeal? is a slide-out hidden compartment for a special line of slim condoms available in 6 different colors or custom prints.

Lest you think the case is for gentlemen only, some of the condom colors offered are pretty pastels, perfect for the woman who longs for companionship with protection.

A very interesting idea indeed.

If made available is the justinCase something you’d purchase for your iPhone 4?

DVICE

As a child many of you probably enjoyed a great deal of time with Hasbro’s View-Master, I know I did.  The device, since retails sales of the device began in 1939, has been a toy providing hours of fun for those desiring to view 3-D images on paper disks inserted into the View-Master.  Starting April 3, the iconic View-Master will add a high-tech sibling to its family with the introduction of the My3D Handheld Viewer.

Hasbro will begin selling the My3D Handheld Viewer for $35 at Target, with other retail establishments gaining access to the device in June.

The viewer is an iPhone and iPod Touch accessory allowing users to view 3D content on their phone’s 2D display.  For your money one receives the viewer, a mount for your iOS device, and once added to your iPhone or iPod Touch, allows for a binocular-like viewing for 3D content.

Accompanying the hardware launch, Hasbro will release 3D apps in order to make one’s purchase of the My3D Handheld Viewer worth every penny.

The binoculars allow an iPhone or iPod Touch to slide into it when holding them.  Unfortunately users can only view 3D content, meaning you cannot interact with your iOS device’s screen.  To do anything requiring touching of the screen the My3D Handheld Viewer has to be removed.

While a novel concept for sure, the fact that one can only view content at this point makes it seem like an odd-looking iOS accessory made most for children.  That said, the apps, not the device itself, will ultimately determine the usefullness and popularity of the My3D Handheld Viewer.

Will you purchase one of the devices for your iPhone or iPod Touch?  If so, do you think you’ll have as much fun as the gentleman below appears to be having when using the My3D Handheld Viewer?

I usually despise April Fool’s Day pranks, but this one is so awesome, I wish it was real. I would totally play with this with my kids. It’s a miniature Apple Store in the form of a Playmobil playset.

This thing looks so real, it would be easy to believe it is. I don’t know how they pulled off such an amazing fake, but it’s sprinkled with all kinds of awesome. The sales floor is perfect, down to the wooden tables with iPads and MacBooks on top, along with the friendly staff members with their lanyard-style nametags. There’s a kids’ area, where Mom and Dad can drop off the younguns while they drool over the sexy, stainless steel electronics. There’s a Genius Bar, where the happy nerds fix computers.

And there’s even a “Keynote Theater,” where Steve Jobs himself is giving his recent press conference about the iPad 2. ThinkGeek — who created this incredible hoax — says that you can use your own iPhone 4 as the screen behind Jobs in the Keynote Theater.

My favorite feature has to be the “Optional Line Pack,” a collection of Playmobil characters that you can arrange as a long line of customers waiting outside the store. Best part: the Woz is in the line, waiting atop his Segway. After all, what would an Apple Store line be without the Woz?

Only hardcore Apple fanboys and fangirls need apply.

For $25 plus shipping, you can show the world just how serious you are about your love for the world’s most magical phone — the iPhone. That hefty price is probably related to the unusual size of the cards, which are about an inch taller than the standard. There’s also the smoothly rounded-off corners, made to match the design of the iPhone 3G and its tapered back.

My favorite part is the cheeky variations on some of the cards, where iOS interface elements are superimposed over the card faces. The Queen of Diamonds, for example, has an iPhone keyboard covering the lower half of the “screen,” complete with the “Q” already selected. The King of Spades appears to be calling you, while the King of Hearts “would like to use your current location.”

Cute.

Sometimes geeks, dweebs, nerds, whatever you want to call those into technology, are pegged as less than athletic.  Typing on a computer, playing Wii or Kinect, or reenacting lightsaber duels from Star Wars, while requiring movement, aren’t exactly  athletic endeavors.

One man, Joseph Tame , aims to forever change the way athletic geeks are viewed when he runs the 2011 Tokyo Marathon while wearing “iRun.”

The gear pictured above allows Tame to publish constant updates on his race progress to the internet.  Sounds awesome?

According to Tame, iRun features:

“Four iPhones on rotatable mounts, an iPad, an Android handset, three mobile wifi routers, a wind turbine (ok, so it’s a kid’s fan that turns around…), a 4-in-one atmospheric monitor, a heart monitor, a plastic doughnut and of course the very important satellite dish for high-speed data connectivity (cunningly crafted from a bird-feeding dish).”

Cunning indeed, and his cockiness continues:

“The iRun – something I have no doubt Apple will be interested in buying the blueprints for – is a hugely complex device constructed from two IKAN Recoils. The modification process, carried out in my dad’s greenhouse when visiting the UK at Christmas, saw these joined together with composite rods to form a rig that can be worn without danger of it flying off when travelling at high speeds (or low speeds, as is more likely to be the case).”

No doubt Apple will want their hands on the device crafted in a parent’s greenhouse.

So what will the iRun do exactly?  When running, the device will broadcast live video on two cameras, send live location/pace/heart rate data, transmit temperature, all while allowing Tame to look “incredibly cool.” Right.

Check out the video below to see just how super? Tame’s contraption appears when worn and let us know if you’d like one for yourself, and if you plan on tuning in to Tame’s updates as he traverses the streets of Tokyo.

Neatorama

Lest you have any lingering doubt that Apple’s iOS is a gaming platform to be reckoned with, today’s events hammered the idea home.

The iPad 2, just unveiled today by His Steveness, features a graphics processing that’s nine times the speed of the original iPad. That’s some monstrous horsepower, particularly for a device that was already more powerful than all other handheld gaming devices. And don’t forget, the iPad has a bigger screen than any other handheld console, so the fact that it’s now going to be able to power high-def games at 9x the original’s speed, on all that screen real estate, is incredibly impressive.

The iPad 2 also has video cameras facing front and back, FaceTime video chat, and a significantly thinner, lighter frame. Just like the iPhone 4, the new iPad has a gyroscope, and there’s a new version of iOS coming with it — version 4.3. It comes in two colors — black and white.

Curiously, despite all that extra processing power, Apple didn’t up the iPad’s storage capacity at all. The iPad 2 comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, just like its predecessor. You’d think gamers in particular would crave more space to store downloaded games.

Not a single game was mentioned in the Apple keynote this morning, but did you happen to notice where the Apple keynote took place? It was held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and would you look at that? The Yerba Buena Center is right across the street from the Moscone Convention Center, where the annual Game Developer’s Conference is taking place all this week.

But it gets better: Apple’s iPad 2 keynote this morning took place at the exact same time as Nintendo‘s GDC keynote about its new handheld gaming device, the 3DS. So much for subtlety, Apple!

And what was Nintendo’s big keynote news? That a new Super Mario Galaxy game is coming to the 3DS (good stuff), and that streaming Netflix movies will be available on the 3DS (meh). The company also took some potshots at game “apps” and their “quantity over quality” approach to sales.

Nintendo’s new handheld launches on March 27th.

Apple’s iPad 2, meanwhile, beats them to the punch by hitting stores two weeks earlier, on March 11th.

Apple has declared war on the handheld gaming marketplace. Don’t let anybody tell you differently.

If you are detail kind of guy, then you will love this video I discovered earlier today. Somehow, this guy got his hands on the much awaited Apple iPad 2. Being the sharing person that he is, he decided to share his experiences with the iPad 2. He even made a very comprehensive video, which reviews practically all the features that the new iPad has to offer.

Here’s the best review of the Apple iPad 2 that you will ever see. It’s a little long, but hey, if you want to get the dish, you’ll have to watch the whole thing!

What did I tell you? It can’t get any better than that, can it? As for me, I can’t wait till they actually get the iPad 2 out. It will certainly add some value to my non-existent jogging routine. For some, it will be the perfect upgrade for the drinks coaster that the first iPad already is.

Angry Birds.  Regardless of  the platform one chooses to play the game on, it’s addictive, fun, and as the number of downloads prove, immensely popular.

Angry Birds has spawned creative individuals to create breakfast based on the game, a branded board game, and so much more.

One individual has taken his love for the game to a wonderful new level, an Angry Birds birthday cake.  Not only that, the cake can also be played!

The cake above took a whopping 10 hours to create!

This super sweet is an:

“Interactive Angry Birds cake, playable with a real slingshot and, of course, made of chocolate, icing and so forth. It’s a cake made for a boy named Ben. It took 10 hours to make, and only 2 minutes to destroy.”

As you can see from the video, not only does the cake look delicious, but more so than that, looks like a tremendous amount of fun!  What a wonderful way to celebrate the birthday of one’s child!

Are you an Angry Birds player and fan?  What device(s) do you play the game on? Have you ever had an idea for an Angry Birds-themed item that you’ve actually created, or hope to create?  If so, we’d love to hear what it is in the comments!

electricpig

What if I were to tell you that there is an app for that?

As a matter of fact, there is an app for that! A bunch of undergrads from the University of Waterloo have put their heads together for the benefit of all students – and writers – out there and have created an app that will scan the barcode of a book and then e-mail you the citation. I know what you’re thinking – it sucks to have gotten your degree many years ago and to have laboriously put together all those citations!

The app goes one step further by covering all bases. You can choose which style to follow – APA, Chicago, IEEE, or MLA. This actually reminds me of that Big Bang Theory episode where the guys got together to create an app that would read handwritten differential equations and solve them. This app is for real, though, and is called Quick Cite. For those of you who will save hours and hours of work, thank the guys at 7Cubed.

Here’s a video that will give you a little more insight into the app.

Do regular iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, or any other smallish, portable device stands result in you uttering, “meh?”

Do you long for a stand that could, in a pinch, be utilized as a weapon, and which will not only get people talking about your device stand, but might also scare the living hell out of them?

If any of the above apply to you, we’ve got the perfect accessory.

The Steampunk Accessory Stand for iPod, iPhone, Android, or whatever… is one monster of a stand.  According to the creator,

“This wicked little stand will support your iphone, your android, or even your old 1972 rotary phone!”

“This little monster stands 7.5″ tall and is 7″ at it’s widest span. The center spar has a lower notch than the rest- which will accommodate a charging cord when the phone is in an upright position.”

Head to the Etsy Shop for Voodoo Vintage Fabrication, out of Austin, Texas, and one will find not only the super portable device stand above, but also:

“Original and creative design and fabrication…ranging from a simple address sign to a custom motorcycle and everything in between!”

The impressive and certainly unique stand is not only large in size, but also in price.  Setting one back $59 USD, your iPhone, Android or iPod will no doubt be the center of attention when placed in the heavy Steampunk Accessory Stand and your wallet will become lighter for having purchased one.

What do you think of the stand?  Is it odd or awesome?  Will you purchase one?

Do you love your iOS device(s)?  Have you longed for the ability to control a robot tank with your device?  If you answered yes to the aforementioned questions, then your dreams will soon become true.

For iOS device owners Desk Pets has created the TankBot, small, robotic, tank which can be controlled using any iOS device can be yours for only $20.

To control the miniature tank robot, simply connect the accompanying dongle into one’s iOS device headphone jack and that’s it!  TankBot will be instantly under the control of you and your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

The features of Tankbot include:

• Use of Apple’s accelerometer technology allowing one to control the device with a tilt of one’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
• TankBot’s autonomous mode uses infrared sensors to navigate mazes, avoid obstacles, and react with military precision
• A free roaming mode with tank sounds
• A retractable USB charger built into body of the product, 30 minutes of charge = 15 minutes of play
• A flashing heartbeat eyes pulse when robot is at idle
• Each color (orange, blue, black, and green) operates on own frequency, allowing for multiplayer racing and battling

Desk Pets’ TankBot will make its first appearance in public at New York City’s Toy Fair which runs February 13-16.  Unfortunately for those wanting one of the devices, TankBots will not be available for purchase until June.

When the TankBot is made available, is the device something you will purchase for yourself or as gift for another?

The top free app in the iTunes App Store does not belong to “Fruit Ninja Lite,” “Cut the Rope,” or even an offering from “Angry Birds.”  No, the top spot is held by a game released December 29, 2010, Bubble Ball.

What’s the big deal with Bubble Ball’s ascendancy to number one?  It’s not so much that the game is extremely enjoyable, it is.  No, the important thing to note about Bubble Ball is that it was created by an eighth grade student,14-year-old Robert Nay, from Spanish Fork, Utah, and his mother Kari.

How popular is the app?  Bubble Ball has  been downloaded 1.5 million times on iOS devices, and also has an Android version.

Nay created the app using the Corona SDK from Ansca Mobile, which allows for creation of visually-appealing apps for Android and iOS devices.  The free version of Corona offers users the ability to create apps with advanced features such as effects involving physics, with the $349 version of the SDK letting one publish the app to the Apple App Store.

The 14-year-old Nay learned Lua, Corona’s programming language, allowing him to create a game in a more simple manner than what he could have accomplished using Objective-C, the language used by many iPhone games.

Bubble Ball’s programming and graphic design was completed by Nay, which Nay’s mother assisting him with designing game levels.

Game play involves trying to get a ball to roll from one part of the screen to another by manipulating objects such as a stick or a triangle.  Quite simplistic and very fun.

Have you played, or know others who play, Bubble Ball?  What, if anything, surprises you about Bubble Ball claiming the top spot in the iTunes App Store?

Angry Birds is a tremendously fun game.  Those with an iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Mac, are no doubt aware of its addictive nature.  Thanks to Mattel, the wildly popular game seeks to make the jump from electronic devices to a board game, allowing one to play the game with physical birds, pigs and other pieces that make up Angry Birds scenery.

The iOS versions of Angry Birds have either topped or been near the top of the App Store’s “Paid Apps” charts for what seems like eons now.  Currently, the iPhone version holds the top spot, the iPad version is in second place, and in the newly launched Mac App Store, Angry Birds comes in at number one.

The numbers don’t lie.  The game is extremely enjoyable and extremely addictive.

Now comes word that Rovio, creators of Angry Birds, has partnered with Mattel to create a $15 game, arriving in May 2011, which lets fans play Angry Birds in real life.

To play the game, one selects a card and constructs the structure pictured on the card.  Opponents use the catapult from the game to shoot plastic birds at your structure with points awarded for knocking your structure down.

The game, as the video below indicates, looks as fun as the electronic version.  Moreover, it is a more social way of playing Angry Birds.  Now friends and family can all take part in the joy that is Angry Birds in a pleasing bird-firing, block-busting, manner.

Are you an Angry Birds player and fan?  What device(s) do you play the game on and will you purchase the Mattel game when it launches?

Two enterprising young gentleman operating under the moniker, Satarii, have taken iPhone accessory innovation to a “moving” new level.

For over a year the duo have developed a new product, the Satarii Star, an iPhone dock which follows one’s every move.  By wearing a tracking device, the Satarii’s rotary base follows the individual’s movements in a given location.

More specifically, the device is an action-tracking dock station for their iPhone and its camera.   Using an iPhone and the dock’s tripod mounting system, the remote sensor, which can be attached to any moving object, tracks movements up to 8 meters (26 feet).  The dock rotates up to 180 degrees to capture any and all of the sensor wearer’s movements when in use.

Currently the Satarii Star project is attempting to raise funds on the site IndieGoGo, trying to woo as many individuals as possible willing to pony up some disposable income to get the Satarii Star project from prototype to mass production.

With 39 days left in their funding campaign, Satarii has raised $12,040 of their $20,000 goal.  As if getting the Satarii Star into the hands of consumers wasn’t enough, those who contribute certain amounts to the project can receive some pretty neat things, including the opportunity to get their hands on the Satarii Star itself.

Video of the Satarii Star in action is below.  What do you think of the Satarii Star?  Would you contribute to its creation and/or purchase one if it became available?  What practical uses do you see for the device?

Here we are: on the cusp of 2011, waving tearfully at 2010 and wishing it bon voyage, or telling it not to let the door hit it in the arse…depending on the kind of year you’ve had. And here we are wrapping up another week in geek, just in time to gather with friends and family and partake in the yearly Twilight Zone marathon drinking game (one shot every time Roddy McDowall looks constipated, two shots every time someone jumps out a window, chug a pint whenever a tiny robot intimidates an old lady). No more time to waste, so let’s cut straight to action.

WIN: Solar Pants
While also being another excellent band name, solar pants are coming to the simultaneously idly-rich and ecologically-conscious. The $920 trousers, Go Urban Cargo Pants, feature a stylish low-slung drawstring waist offset, if not entirely canceled, by two hideous side solar panels. This is more than a fashion statement that says “hello, I have $920 to burn and absolutely no clue how my money could be better spent for the environment”. It’s also a way to carry a power source for small electronics in your pants, which means your love affair with your car’s cigarette lighter socket and assorted adapters will end in messy divorce.

FAIL: Better Judgment
A 23-year old South Carolina man was hospitalized after unsuccessfully attempting to stage a real life recreation of the classic video game Frogger. The incredibly inane stunt (that, had he succeeded, would have been both incredibly inane and unfathomably awesome) began with the word “go” and ended in an SUV as he tried to dart across a four-lane highway.

WIN: Technologically-Assisted Drinking
Want to get blitzed on whatever now-sludgy crap you’ve got sitting at the back of your parents’ liquor cabinet? There’s an app for that. App-enabled drinkers everywhere will be thrilled to usher in the age of Top Shelf, an application that teaches you how to build a drink from whatever you have on hand, without making a special trip to the liquor store. And in case you’re too lazy to run to the store and too lazy to choose a drink from the selection available, Top Shelf can choose a recipe for you. Bonus.

FAIL: Man of Action
…Action figure, that is. In time for Christmas, M.I.C. Gadget manufactured and sold Steve Jobs action figures with an uncanny, if somewhat hydrocephalitic likeness to the Apple giant. For some reason, people actually bought them at a price tag of nearly $80.00. (It would be equally astounding if people actually bought them at a price tag of nearly $8.00.) The rub? M.I.C. Gadget never requested permission to use Jobs’ likeness in their product, invoking Apple’s wrath. They dutifully complied with a cease and desist from Apple, but the action figure continued to sell at prices of up to $2,500 on eBay. (Insert further agog here.) Now Apple’s lawyers have turned their guns on the online marketplace and at least one individual seller; the action figures have since been removed and warnings have been issued by eBay.

Happy New Year to you and yours. Have fun but be safe as 2011 dawns. See you next year, same Geek-time, same Geek-channel!

Like these.

Dalek Tree

Such a perfect marriage, it’s a wonder no one’s done it before. It’s all the more impressive when you zoom in and see just how simple it was to make out of ordinary household items like a laundry basket and a plunger. By Lindsay Testolin.

Lightsaber Tree

Okay, so technically these aren’t lightsabers — they’re flourescent light bulbs. But you know you thought “lightsabers” when you saw it, too. By Gareth Pugh.

Tron Tree

At first pass, this tree looks like it came straight out of the old-school Grid from the original Tron. But zoom in and you’ll see that these rows of lights are just that: lights still inside their plastic holders that they come in when you buy ‘em. Very clever. By Richard Whittaker.

Hard Drive Tree

They may look like CDs, but these are really old hard drives, repurposed as a shiny, metal Christmas tree. It took 70 hard drives to create. By Trigger.

LEGO Tree

Straight from this year’s Christmas display at Legoland in San Diego, this is reportedly the world’s largest LEGO Christmas tree. It stands 30 feet tall and was made using 245,000 green Duplo-sized bricks. It’s decorated with over 240 LEGO ball ornaments, and real lights.

Tesla Tree

Made using a huge Tesla coil and a long photo exposure, it’s not technically the exact shape of a Christmas tree (the traditional triangular pine), but it’s still wicked cool. Even more impressive are all of the different colors that electricity addict Peter from Australia managed to create with it, which you can see more of on his website.

Old Computer Parts Tree

What better use for old computer parts like keyboards, motherboards, mice, and chipsets could there be than to paint them red and attach them to a wagon? By Sunny Brook.

Pac-Man Tree

By now, I’ll be more surprised if you haven’t already seen this popular Pac-Man inspired Christmas tree from Madrid. It’s been a yearly installation for a while now. But it’s still awesome. Photo by Antonio Garcia Rodriguez.

Cars Tree

This one’s for my son, who’s obsessed with all things Cars. It took one devoted parent to create this spiral, winding ramp and fill it with Pixar characters. By Danny Novo.

Spinning Tree

You know those tacky LED/fiber optic Christmas trees? This is what they look like when they’re attached to a motor and spun around with a long-exposure camera running. I want one. Even though it reminds me of that Doctor Who episode where Rose and her family were attacked by a killer Christmas tree. By Kevin Kotterell.

Apple Tree

Because there’s no such thing as a “geek list” that doesn’t include at least one Apple entry. By Metamorphosis.

OLED Tree

The computer geeks at GE made this tree a couple years ago out of some of those shmancy, bendable OLED computer screens that will someday allow us to wear flexible screens as bracelets and whatnot. A world’s first, at the time. By GE.

So I took a little liberty with that expression, but who cares? I think that anyone who has worked on one of these babies knows that it is quite hard to go back to a Windows machine – hard but not impossible. Now, if you were to have a MacBook that behaved just like Optimus Prime and the rest of the gang, then turning it in would be a hideous thought at best.

Check out this video of a transforming MacBook, which I saw on YouTube today.

Truth be told, I find it rather silly. Don’t get me wrong – I like the whole idea. I actually found myself chuckling as I watched the video. That doesn’t change the fact that it is silly, though, does it? And, as much as I would want a MacBook that transformed into some other toy, I wouldn’t want to risk thousands of dollars flying out of that window, would you?

According to Austin Seraphin the iPhone is “the greatest thing to happen to the blind for a very long time, possibly ever.” No, he’s not a fan boy nor is he a casual observer who doesn’t understand the fine points of usability. In fact, his review of the iPhone is quite thorough, at least in terms of the features for the blind.

Mac’s screen reader, VoiceOver, is now available on iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. The screenreader is revolutionary in that it is gesture-based, and actually uses gestures that make sense to the vision impaired. Some of the features of VoiceOver include:

Physical interaction with the screen – Since the iPhone uses touchscreen, gone are the days when someone vision impaired would have to struggle to understand where things are located on the screen. When a part of the screen is touched, the iPhone explains what exactly is on that part of the screen. As you move your finger around, it will keep on describing the things on the screen, giving the vision impaired spatial information of what is on the screen.

Adjustable speaking rate – This ensures that the listener won’t have a hard time adjusting to VoiceOver but that it will adjust to the person’s listening ability. Even better, VoiceOver automatically lowers the volume of any other apps when VoiceOver is talking.

VoiceOver also really works for text messaging, so that even the vision impaired can send and receive text messages. The iPhone can also describe colors and so much more. This is what got me: Austin described just how the iPhone helped him “see” colors again.

Those are only some of the things that made it work for Austin, but I really suggest you read his post. It is one of the most – if not the most – touching pieces I’ve read about consumer electronics in a while. It makes me realize that some things that we take for granted actually make a difference in other people’s lives.

I despise searching in iTunes. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a major Applehead. But iTunes’ search is one area where Steve seriously dropped the ball. It’s painfully slow and ridiculously disorganized, a failure in every way.

One user decided he had enough, so he created iTunes Instant, an easy, browser-based search engine for iTunes. Not sure how he managed it, especially since Apple’s not known for being fond of other people meddling in their source code. Regardless, iTunes Instant works a lot like Google’s new instant search feature, pulling up results while you’re typing. No wait, no muss, no fuss.

Here’s the kicker: iTunes Instant was created by Stephen Ou, who’s just 15 years old.