Strollerderby : iPhone

Morning News - It's All Bill Clinton's Fault

Brett Singer — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

One current theme I've heard leaking out of the GOP Hive Mind lately is the idea that the Obama Administration needs to stop blaming the Bush Administration for, well, anything. For example: "I think people will be blaming George Bush until they die. We are almost halfway through the 1st year of Obama’s Presidency and they are still blaming the last administration for EVERYTHING. I think the blaming needs to stop and people need to start taking responsibility for their destinies."

Here's a little item from Business Week about the failures of the auto industry: "The Clinton Administration, as many before it, simply could not figure out how to force the Japanese to open their auto market, so in 1995 after a bout of highly publicized negotiations, it declared victory, even in the obvious face of failure. And the Clinton Administration was also unable to address the absence of a national health-care system. These two failures were huge, seen in retrospect."

So. Let's review. The Obama Administration and/or all Democrats need to stop blaming the Bush Administration because, you know, c'mon. It's been MONTHS since Obama took office. But blaming the Clinton Administration, which has been out of office for NINE YEARS, makes perfect sense. Yes, these articles are from two different sources. But the idea that nothing a former President did has any effect on our current situation is just silly. Thus endeth the opinion portion of Morning News.

Malls are in trouble, and therefore stocks in mall companies may not be a good buy right now, according to the Motley Fool (me, I know nothing about finance). To me, the problem with malls was always the excessive amount of useless stores. "I Can't Believe They Put A Clock In It!" That sort of thing. These are not stores that will survive in weak economic times. OK, that's opinion as well.

Funny item from Buzzfeed -- Ferris Bueller's best friend's house is up for sale. The house, located at 370 Beech Street in Highland Park, Illinois, can be yours for a mere $2,300,000. Four bedrooms, four baths, and the coolest garage ever to appear in a classic 1980's film. ("When Cameron was in Egypt land... Let my Cameron go...")

Dopey iPhone app of the day -- ShakeIt, which attempts to simulate the shaking that people used to do with Polaroids. As a commenter on Wired puts it: "That seems silly. Got any apps to add pops and hisses to my MP3 files?"

And also from Wired, news of a new Wii accessory that will monitor your heart rate while you get your Wii on. The Wii Vitality Sensor attaches to your WiiMote and will do more than just tell you your BPMs, according to Nintendo. “It intends to have you see the information relating to the inner world of your body, achieve greater relaxation." Or it could tell my son that he's waaay too into the game he's playing and needs to take a little break.

Morning News - GOP Calls Sotomayor Racist

Do You Leave Your Kids Alone in the Car?

13 Year Old Alfie Definitely Not A Dad

Katie Roiphe Doesn't Like You Or Your Kids

Dad Charges Daughter With Grand Theft Auto

Morning News - Palm Pre Launch Date Announced

Brett Singer — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

This is important to a lot of people, although it isn't IMPORTANT in the way that, say, something important is important. Know what I mean? Anyway, the long awaited, much hyped, and often blogged about Palm Pre will be available for our greedy little fingers on... timpani, please... June 6. Of this year. What's a Palm Pre, you ask? A new cell phone that may or may not be better than the iPhone:

If you want the phone you'll have to sign up for Sprint, which could be a deal breaker for me. I had Sprint for home phone service in college, and they used to do the following: send a bill every two months, then charge late fees because I was a month late. This happened for a year until I finally switched to something else. (This was back before everyone had a cell phone, and land lines were more important. Thus endeth the history lesson.) I realize this was not, as they say, last Tuesday, but from what I've heard, Sprint's service is still only so-so. So... we'll see.

Now, on to really really REALLY important news -- "Ghostbusters 3" may start filming this Winter, according to Dan Aykroyd. According to the L.A. Times and Entertainment Weekly,"the franchise film is expected to feature a 'new generation' of ghostbusters." So its like the new "Star Trek." Well, more like the new "Get Smart." Which isn't nearly as cool, but I guess it's OK. My kids loved the first movie, as do I of course, but I doubt this new one will be any good. Money, though, it will make. You heard it here first. In a semi-related story, wrestler John Cena quoted the original film recently, saying "It's chaos, the sky will fall. Cats and dogs living together." Not an exact quote, but pretty close. That will likely be the only time you will ever see me talk about "pro" wrestling in Morning News. I promise.

Anyone else think that the state of California is just plain weird? Not to be a judgmental New Yorker, but it seems like there's always something wacky going on way out West. For example: "California voting on budget crisis measures," sayeth CNN. Again, not saying everything on the East Coast is peaches and cream. But we rarely have mudslides, and we don't have ballot propositions. Also, our governor has never played Mr. Freeze in a movie. "It's going to be a cold time on the old town tonight." Really, Arnold? Really?

Michael Steele, the head of the Republican National Committee, wants fellow GOPers to "attack" President Obama more often. Classy. Steele, who publicly apologized to Rush Limbaugh back in March, also said that "Obama's first several months [were] 'a reign of error'" and "that the Republican 'renaissance has begun.'" Not to be partisan, but how do you figure? Even a Republican friend of mine -- OK, it's my dentist -- said that we've got to give Obama more than a few months before we decide what kind of job he's doing. Seems reasonable to me. Of course, one person's "reasonable" is another person's "wimpy."

Speaking of President Obama, some people are not letting his spech at Notre Dame go without a fight, or at least a lot of fire and brimstone. Father Jonathan Morris is very upset at the President, and at Notre Dame for giving him an honorary degree. Because really, when you think about it, the biggest problem in the world today is the fact that our Democratically elected President believes that abortion, which is already legal, should stay legal. What a radical.

Remember Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse? Doesn't ring any bells? He was the kid -- they think he's a teenager, so I can call him a kid -- from Somalia who was caught and charged with piracy. PIRACY. Not downloading "Wolverine" piracy. Not fun Johnny Depp "argh, Mateys" piracy. ACTUAL piracy. On the high seas. Crazy. He's in New York now (I guess we do have some weird stuff here) and has been indicted on charges 10 counts, "including piracy and conspiracy to seize a ship by force and to take hostages," according to the New York Times. What must be going through his mind? Doesn't speak the language, probably only sort of knows what the heck is happening. Very odd.

Last but not least, a nice little NYC story. A newspaper seller was handed an envelope with $1000 cash in it. There was also a note that said, "From Chris and George." The paperman, Jerome Kabore (pictured above), has no idea who Chris and George are. He started wearing a sign that says "Thank you so much Chris and George," just in case whoever it is comes back. Read the whole story here, it's nice.

Morning News - Astronauts Watch Star Trek In Space

Homebirthing Advocate's Baby Dies During Homebirth

Mom Puts 9 Year Old Girl On Craigs List For Revenge

Boy Accidentally Shoots Self With Forgotten Gun

Morning News - Pirates Make a Mistake

Brett Singer — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

They might be terror on the high seas, but that doesn't make them smart. A group of pirates mistook a French military ship for a commercial vessel and attacked. (The CNN story actually uses the word "oops.") The French Navy captured 11 of the scalywags. Despite the fact that these stories are in no way amusing, I'm finding it difficult not to make bad pirate jokes. Avast, me hearties! That sort of thing. I know it's wrong but I'm still getting used to the idea of modern-day pirates. I'll get there eventually.

Amazon may release a new Kindle with a larger screen. This could be good news for newspapers who seem to be losing more money every single day. As Jeanne points out, they could also be used for textbooks. Would you read on a screen if it were big enough? I think the barrier is price. The current Kindle is priced at $359, which is much less than it used to be, but still kind of expensive for mainstream use.

The S&P 500 "jumped", moving into positive territory for the year. Not to be an eternal pessimist, but it's only May. Don't get me wrong. I'll take whatever positive news I can get about the stock market. But I think I'll keep the champagne on ice for a few more months, you know what I mean?

Speaking of money, President Obama wants to collect more tax revenue from money that is being kept in offshore accounts. I've never understood how this is legal. Don't you have to pay taxes where you earn the money, not where you keep it? And if a company does business in another country, but they're based in the United States, shouldn't they pay U.S. taxes? As you can see, I don't know the answer to these questions. Maybe the flat tax is a good idea. Wait, forget I said that.

Oh, the virus formerly known as swine flu? We're not scared anymore. But it could come back with a vengeance. But don't panic. Just keep washing your hands. A lot. Got that?

Take that, Apple! The Blackberry Curve is outselling the iPhone. Maybe. But the people with iPhones are sooo much cooler. Just ask them. (No offense meant if you have an iPhone and like or even love it. It's just that Apple fanatics can be fairly annoying, as this NSFW page deftly illustrates - click to read it, but I warned you.)

Remember Mitt Romney? Ran for President? Supported gay marriage until he didn't? He, sadly, does not seem to have gone away. He also gave a little dig to Sarah Palin, at least according to the Boston Globe. When asked about Sarah Palin being on Time Magazine's list of "The World’s Most Influential People", Romney said, "I think there are a lot more influential Republicans than that would suggest. But was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people? I'm not sure. If it's the most beautiful, I understand. We're not real cute." Which I suppose was meant to imply that Palin is getting by on her looks. Or something. The Globe points out that Romney, despite saying that he doesn't think of himself as "cute", "was on People magazine's list of 50 beautiful Americans in 2002." This is why I don't like him. He seems not to care at all if what he's saying is true. As a commenter at Boston.com puts it: "Multiple choice Mitt, pull his string and he'll tell you just what you want to hear."

And finally, something that I know we've all been very concerned about lately. Janet Jackson's breast. The Supreme Court told an appeals court to reconsider their ruling on "Nipplegate", meaning that CBS may have to pay a $550,000 fine after all. Well, thank goodness. I thought those criminals were going to get off scot-free. We cannot expose our children to such filth! Especially not during the Super Bowl. They need more time to show ads for beer and Viagra.

Image: Amazon

iPhone Making Parents Everywhere More Helpless?

JeanneSager — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:07:00 GMT

Who knows how mothers managed before the days of the iPhone.

If the Baby Brain iPhone app is any indication, we left them sitting in poopy diapers all day and neglected to nurse!

Designed to help new parents break through the fog of the newborn phase, the app lets you track track feedings, diapers, and sleep. Sent to us by a reader who I'm sure has the best intentions, I'm just not sure how many parents will find this useful.

Maybe I'm the only parent out there who didn't log everything my daughter did as a baby? I had one sitter who gave me a list of every time my daughter had a bowel movement (which she sweetly marked "BM" with a smiley face) and a full description of each. My reaction? Er, OK. Just telling me she had some poopy diapers would have been enough for me.

Nor did I ever find myself writing down how much she ate per feeding or how long she ate for (which, by the way, they say is counterproductive for breastfeeders). And my pediatrician never asked for specifics unless there was something wrong.

I can relate to swimming along in a sleepless fog after my daughter was born, but if multi-tasking diapers and feedings is too much for you, I have a piece of advice: put down the iPhone and give your texting thumbs a rest.

What do you think, parents, will you be downloading this one to get you through the day? It's about to be available on iTunes, so if it's for you, have at!

Image: Baby Brain

Apple To Release iPhone For Kids

Brett Singer — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Not satisfied with dominating the cellular phone market for adults, Apple will now try and corner the potentially lucrative child cellular phone space.

The only other major player in the kiddie cell arena is Firefly, a device that allows children to call only a few select people. The KiDPhone, on the other hand, will essentially be an iPhone, able to use all of the apps and games that have made Apple's so-called "Jesus Phone" such a hit with consumers.

"Children are more technologically capable that at any other time in history," Apple's founder Steve Jobs said in a press release. "By releasing the KiDPhone, we are enabling our loyal customers to share their favorite device with the whole family."

The KiDPhone will be slightly smaller to accommodate little hands. The smaller size will also hopefully lead to a lower price. The iPhone sells for as low as $199 with a service plan; presumably the kiddie version will cost less, although Apple hasn't announced pricing yet. No carrier either, but it will likely be AT&T again. (That's OK, since kids don't need reception that badly. Ba-dum-bum.)

No way am I buying this for my kids. Not only don't they need it (or any phone for that matter), they can break electronic equipment at 20 paces. I don't care if this thing comes encased in an unbreakable metal alloy, it would get broken in a week. Who needs the hassle?

Source

Baby Snuggie

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Surrogate Agency Disappears With Potential Parents Cash

TV Is Neither Good Nor Bad For Babies

Morning News - iPhone Gets Feature Other Phones Already Have

Brett Singer — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Updating yesterday's Natasha Richardson story: an autopsy reveals that she died of bleeding in the brain and "she might have survived had she received immediate treatment." The thing is, people with this sort of injury typically feel fine at first. So sad.

NBC is launching a show to compete with "American Idol." Simon Cowell probably thinks this is a "horrible" idea. ("Horrible" is one of the words he uses a lot, right?) On "Idol", Alexis Grace went home. She was shocked. Shocked. Why are they always so surprised? I guess you have think you're a major talent to get on TV and sing like that but just once it'd be fun to hear someone say, "Yeah, I suck. It was only a matter of time before I got the boot."

Why is Steve Wozniak on "Dancing With The Stars"? Based on this quote from his website, I guess the reason is because people said he wouldn't be able to do it. I wonder if Apple fans will keep voting for him the way football fans did with Jerry Rice. Woz has definitely been keeping in touch with his audience, accusing "Dancing" producers of rigging the voting in order to goose the ratings, then apologizing, all via his Facebook page. If this keeps up, I might actually have to watch the show.

Speaking of Apple, the new iPhone software will include bleeding edge features like the copying and pasting of text. What's that, your phone has been able to do that for years? Mine too. The iPhone is nifty but certain omitted features prove that Steve Jobs could probably sell water to a drowning Apple fan if it had that logo on it. (Personally, until the iPhone has an actual keyboard, I won't even consider buying one.)

Financial news update: stocks tanked and it wasn't CNBC's fault. Are you happy, Jeff Zucker?

Austrian monster dad Josef Fritzl was sentenced to life in a psych hospital. Life in prison would be better, but even though he could be paroled in 15 years, it's not likely to happen. The speed of the trial was kind of impressive; in the U.S., these things seem to take a lot longer. I'm sure there's a reason for that but I don't know what it is.

And finally, there were a heck of a lot of babies born in 2007. Madeline points out that it wasn't Octomom's fault -- "she only gave birth to one baby that year."

That's all for now. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

Image: Woz.org

New Baby Boom

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Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

Jimmy Kimmel And The Octomom

The iPhone: Making Parenting Easier (and Techier)

Jen Chaney — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:28:00 GMT

There are plenty of iPhone applications to occupy our kids' time and attention. But what about the apps that make parenting easier?

Brett mentioned three not too long ago, but a recent post on ParentDish -- which I discovered via Wired's Geekdad blog -- provides an extensive overview of iPhone applications that are particularly helpful to parents. So far, no one has figured out a way to make the iPhone raise our children for us. But many of these make our parenting responsibilities easier. You should definitely check out the full post, but these are the four I think new moms and dads may find most useful:

Baby Monitor: This one turns your iPhone into a baby monitor, which is such a great idea, especially for parents who frequently travel or don't want to spend extra money on another device. Word of caution: Yes, the phone will call you when the infant stirs, but that doesn't mean it's safe to leave the kid in his crib while you hit a "Quantum of Solace" matinee.

Nursing Tracker: Most moms find it challenging to keep track of how long they last nursed, which side the child fed on, etc., especially when they're operating on very little sleep. This app helps make that process easier. Sure, you could just write down the information. But this way, that feeding log can't get lost or inadvertently thrown away by a spouse who think he's being helpful by cleaning up in the nursery. Not that, like, I am speaking from experience.

Food Additives: This application is perfect for parents of children with food sensitivities and allergies. It allows you to look up information about 450-plus additives, ideal for those times in the grocery store when you're trying to make a quick decision about whether to buy or not to buy. Pretty useful for grown-ups with allergies, too.

Diaper Tracker: This is one that Brett mentioned and is perhaps the most useful of them all. My husband and I spent a ludicrous amount of time tracking our son's, um, defecation progress in those early days because he wasn't gaining enough weight. This app allows you to record all of the relevant information, right down to the description of the b.m. (Appetizing, I know.) Now, will you look like kind of an a-hole when the pediatrician asks for details about your child's bowel movements and you whip out your iPhone? Kinda. But you'll also have the most precise poop information of any parent around.

Image: codegoo.com via ParentDish.

iPhone app for nursing, diapers, wedding day

Brett Singer — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Actually, these are all separate apps, and are not necessarily to be used in that order. (Not that there's anything wrong with doing things in that order, of course.)

Proving that the iPhone is good for more than just viewing dopey YouTube videos, ANDESigned has released iPhone apps to help busy parents remember that the kid is hungry, smelly, and oh yeah, shouldn't you be married?

Here are the apps:

- Baby Tracker: Diapers
"With the tap of a button, Baby Tracker: Diapers records everything you need to keep track of concerning this “stinky” part of child rearing! Forget about journaling, lists and charts...Baby Tracker: Diapers does the remembering for you!"

Me, I didn't keep track of any of this stuff, but if I did, this seems like it would be an easy way to do it. At 99 cents, it's actually cheaper than some notebooks.

- Baby Tracker: Nursing
This more expensive ($7.99) app "keeps track of your nursing sessions with just a few clicks, allowing you to relax and focus on feeding your baby without worrying about lists and sheets of paper, stop-watches and safety pins in your bra, or extraneous ribbons and bracelets!" This one I admit to being totally ignorant about, so I ask the readers: is this something nursing mothers keep track of, which breast, etc.? To my completely untrained eye, it always looked like the schedule was partly dictated by baby hunger, and partly by reality (must… get… milk… out… NOW…).

This feature is interesting: "Multiple baby support (up to 6), with names and easy switching (slide your finger left or right)." Is it possible to nurse that many babies? That's a LOT of milk.

- Wedding Day
Again, the order these are listed in is probably accidental, but with teen pregnancy being much in the news of late, it's sort of funny that Wedding Day comes after diapers and nursing.

This app (not yet available) will cost 99 cents, and seems to be arguably the most useful in terms of helping someone to organize things. I found my wedding plans to be incredibly complicated, and most of my involvement was limited to, "If we use that band, I’m not coming."

Any iPhone users out there planning on trying these apps?

See also: techmamas, Gizmodo, daddytypes

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iPhones for Kids -- A Guide to Toddler Entertainment

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:06:00 GMT

Would you hand over a $300 piece of delicate electronica to a fumbly toddler? You're right! It depends -- on how much silence the act will buy you.

From Doodaddy:

"Get in an airplane with a napless, constipated two-year old and all rules about entertainment are off: we’d let her watch Canadian ice-fishing bullfight porn if it would keep her occupied."

Thus was born the interweb's kick-ass guide to iPhone applications for preschoolers -- a fully test-run look at what works for keeping kids happy, whether you're on a long flight across the country or just looking for a few minutes of precious quiet time. From bowling to blocks to bubbles, Doodaddy lets you know which games keep kids happiest the longest. Check it out.

3% of U.S. Teens Already Have What I Covet: An iPhone

Karen Murphy — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:25:00 GMT

I'm afraid I'm a gadget geek. Though being technologically-challenged, you'd think that's a bit paradoxical. Let's just say I love new stuff that's shiny but end up underutilizing it. But that hasn't stopped me from wanting (but wisely refraining from immediately jumping on the bandwagon of) an iPhone.

They're shiny! And they do stuff! Who wouldn't want one? Wait, don't answer that; I've read the mixed reviews. But apparently already 3% of teens OWN one of these. Which tells me that someone is buying them one. Namely, you. The parents.

And only some 4% of parents surveyed own one, yet an additional 9% of teens have plans to acquire one within the next 6 months.

Yeah, so what if the survey sample's skewed. I don't care. The fact is, zillions of people own an iPhone, even teens! Not.fair. Because I want one. And one day when I can justify the expense, I might get one. Maybe. Until then, I feel free to pout and complain.

Kids These Days: Much, MUCH Smarter Than Me

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:23:00 GMT

Every once in a while I'll be talking to a really old, possibly deceased person and maybe we'll be talking about the news and I can just feel it coming: Kids these days, they'll say.

Kids these days. Every generation thinks the next is getting worse. Getting meaner. Getting ruder. Getting more obnoxious and, eventually, leading us all to hell in $50,000 patchwork purse.

And then you read about kids like 17-year-old George Hotz -- who figured out how to make the iPhone work for any cell network.

He started taking apart vacuum cleaners and telephones at an early age -- 4 and 5 -- and later moved onto computers, just to see how they worked. And now, he's accomplished what hackers have been trying to do all summer. So take that curmudgeons -- another sign that kids these days ain't so bad. Just the ones who bought that ugly purse.

Vasectomy Bargain: Snip Snip For An iPhone

Kelly Mills — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:27:00 GMT

Why do I think Steve Jobs is doing a little happy dance right now? Because he's won built such an army of converts, some folks will even let their baby-making plumbing get operated on in exchange for an iPhone. Or at least one guy did. Spouses, take note: if your man refuses to fence in his little swimmers, perhaps you can entice him with the promise of a gadget. That's totally worth it, right?

Mr. Johnson's (hee hee) wife permitted him to keep the iPhone he bought without permission if he agreed to take his man parts under the knife for some hardcore family planning. But wait, it says he "underwent a vasectomy to get an Apple iPhone, following his wife's orders after a road trip with his kids to Boise, Idaho." You know, I think a road trip to Boise with the kids would have been all the motivation I needed for permanent sterilization. Perhaps he actually parlayed it into an iPhone in a sneaky way. Kudos, Johnson.

Kids Don't Try This at Home: iPhone Smuggling

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:15:00 GMT

Oh wow. I know people that got really obsessive about the iPhone. My friend Mark was sending us e-mails for months ahead of time with updates on when the iPhone would be released. He stood in line all night to get one the day they came out, but I feel confident he never shoved one up his ass.

Now I have not confirmed this with him, but if he had in fact shoved his iPhone up his butt he would not be the only one. An inmate in Kentucky did it. That's right. You heard me. His buddy brought him an iPhone when he visited him in prison. Instead of risking having his cool new toy confiscated, he smuggled it into jail in traditional inmate fashion, he shoved the phone up his ass (The inmate, not Mark).

According to reports, or urban legend, or whatever, he tried to poop out his phone for three days before alerting medical professionals.

Seriously kids, DO NOT try this at home. I mean, I love Apple just as much as any other Mac user. If there were a fan club, I would run for treasurer or something, but ouch. I draw the line at shoving my phone/mp3 player/internet accessing devices up my ass.

[source: Gizmodo]

Bookbags? Nope, Kids Want Electronic Crap.

Kelly Mills — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:01:00 GMT

This shopping website did a survey of kids ages seven to twelve, and asked them what was on their wishlists for back-to-school items. "73 percent of kids between the ages of seven and 12 want to head back to school with their gaming systems in hand, and an equally strong 70 percent want a new computer. And to keep in touch while on the playground, 69 percent say they strongly desire a cell phone to complete their back-to-school wares, even naming the new iPhone as one of their choices." Well, isn't that nice. You know what's at the top of my back-to-school wishlist? A million dollars.

Perhaps ~~surely~~ I am exceptionally stupid, but I thought back-to-school stuff was supposed to be for, you know, using at school. Perhaps school administrations have changed since my day, but I find it hard to imagine teachers smiling on the use of handheld gaming systems in the classroom. Shoot, we couldn't even chew gum. I'm going to assume that this was a case of a lame question: ask kids what they want the most, and they'll tell you their ultimate desire. Make the age demo a little higher and you'd probably hear about gold-plated SUVs and the chance to bang Eva Mendes.

Can't Wait 2 - 4 Weeks? Knit Yourself an iPhone

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:25:00 GMT

If you just couldn't find a babysitter last week so that you could stand in line for your new iPhone and you are having trouble waiting for the one you ordered on line, another option would be to knit yourself an iPhone.

Okay, I admit it, when I first found the link through Boing Boing I thought this was going to be about a Mom who knitted an iPhone out of boredom or to shut up a whiny teenager, but in fact when I followed another link to Daddy Types where it turned out that this guy's mom knits cell phones (and possibly cell phone covers; it is kind of unclear) and this is a great way to distract little kids from your own cell phone, or iPhone if you are cool enough.

And had six hundred dollars to spare.

Am I bitter? Possibly. Yes, I drank the Apple Kool Aid and I am a Mac girl, of course I covet the iPhone. Even if all I could get was the knit version I would be cool with it if I could still get on the internet while I was stuck in traffic.

The iBabysitter?

ChagHolland — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:00:00 GMT

Apple released their much anticipated iPhone on Friday evening. It is a combination phone, mp3 player, email client, digital camera, and web browser. Although I can't find it anywhere on the spec sheet, it's rumored the iPhone also cures cancer and makes its user ten times sexier.

For you gadget hounds who haven't been able to convince your significant other that $600 isn't too much to pay for a phone, I mean, a new way of life, ZDNet's Denise Howell has an angle you may wish to try: toddler control. Kid pitching a fit in the middle of Starbucks? With a few simple touches of the screen of the iPhone, you can bring up Schoolhouse Rock's "Three Is a Magic Number" from YouTube and you can return to sipping your latte in peace.

Sign me up! But at six hundred bucks, it really should be able to change a diaper or two.

Why the iPhone Is Bad for Your iOrphans

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:00:00 GMT

As 6 p.m. rolls around and the new iPhone goes on sale, I can only sit back and thank my lucky stars Emmeline is not a teenager -- because she would be acting very much like I have been in the past few days.

"I waaaaah-nt wuuuuuu-ne!"

And then my wife would have to say "No, god damnit, NO!" to two of us. All day.

We've written before about why every parent needs an iPhone, but I'm beginning to have second thoughts. It's not just that at $600 -- plus monthly charges that could reach $80 or more -- I would have to sell a kidney on the black market to buy it. (And I can only imagine having more than one teen in the house who simply has. to. have. one. TODAY! or risk throwing a tantrum along the lines of this.) It's that I'm already too addicted to the Internet as it is, and I know my daughter would suffer even more if I had a bundle of Intertubes in my pocket.

Sadly, I think that's going to be the case for a lot of children. How many moms and dads do you see at the playground or sports field with a cell phone or Blackberry firmly attached to ears and thumbs? Now just imagine if those same parents had access to the Internet. At least with a cell phone you can see your child while talking. I'm wondering how many kids will take headers off slides and swings as mom or dad surfs around? (I'm predicting we'll see that news story eventually -- because after a cool product comes out, there's always the "downside story." Remember Blackberry Orphans?) But beyond crazy safety concerns, just how much of their kids lives will parents miss because they have to check their emails constantly or read the latest news story?

I'm not trying to throw a wet blanket over what I think is going to be a fantastic, life-altering gizmo for many people -- and I know that, eventually, I'll probably own one when the price comes down and inevitable bugs are worked out. I just hope that, at the playground at least, we'll all be able to keep it out of sight. My daughter probably thinks a laptop is no different from any other body part -- it's just who mommy and daddy are. Will the iPhone make that true?

With just six hours before the iPhone went on sale, the line at the Apple Store in San Francisco stretched around the block.

iPhone: 1 in 4 Hipster Teens Would Buy One

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:09:00 GMT

The iPhone isn't even available yet, but according to a recent survey, "early adopter" high schoolers are ready to drop 5 Benjis on it as soon as it hits the market.

Researchers at PiperJaffray surveyed about 500 high school students asking each about their interest (and buying habits) in portable digital audio and online music. The iPhone also doubles as an iPod.

Nearly 85 percent said they were already familiar with the multi-function Apple gadget, and of those students, 25 percent said they'd be willing to buy one at the previously announced $500 entry point.

Our advice? Steel yourselves, parents. You're about to be hit up for 500 bucks by kids who don't know that you never buy version 1.0 of a tech product. Can't you just hear the whining now? Tell those kids to get a job. They should be able to make enough folding t-shirts at Abercrombie & Fitch to afford the iPhone by the time it's released in June.

iPhone Jones: The 5 Reasons Every Parent Needs One

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 05:02:00 GMT

Steve Jobs gave the world a sneak-peak of the new and much-anticipated iPhone today during the keynote address of this year's MacWorld conference in San Francisco. Mixed reviews aside, I want. I don't even care what it does. It's thin and it's shiny and it must be mine.

An iPhone would make my life as a parent so much easier. You don't believe me? Here are five reasons why (as my toddler would say) I neeeeed it.

It has a 320 x 480 touch screen, built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth compatibility, and a full-touch keyboard. Now while I am waiting to pick up my daughter in school or sitting in the car with a toddler passed out in her carseat, I can (steal wireless and) check email or post to my blog without going blind. Also, when I go to the park, I'll ~~have something to do cuz ain't nothing more boring than having to watch my kids go down the curly slide for the thousandth time~~ look like all the dads.
It has a 2 megapixel camera and the high end model boasts 8GBs of storage. That's plenty of space to store my grainy pictures of soccer dads losing their shit, nannies behaving badly, or cheerleaders acting like strippers...and photos of my kids, of course.
There's no crap specialized mobile phone OS; this baby runs on Mac OS X. Have you tried browsing with the phone you have now? I'm all for anything that removes stress and frustration from my life. And (bonus!) an exclusive partnership with Cingular means I can trade in my shitty Razr (hopefully?) and keep my number.
iTunes integration. Music anytime, anywhere without having to carry an extra gadget. The iPhone will even display album artwork of songs being played. Kids acting up in a restaurant? Chill out to Laurie Berkner or listen to an audio book.
It's a video iPod, too, and you know what that means: "Dick in a Box" anytime, anywhere.*

* Okay, that last one might not make my parenting life easier, but I wouldn't mind being in the middle of a tasty JT-Andy Samberg sandwich...even if they are chanelling Color Me Badd. Hey, if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.