Ars Technica Reviews Gelskins for the iPhone

Is it me or are girls obsessed with dressing up their iPods and iPhones? I think the iPhone looks best without any skins or cases whatsoever, but that's just me. I also like my women like that too.

Link to review.

Does the iPhone Have Video Out?

Yes, it does. In fact, it pumps out a 480i widescreen picture. RoughlyDrafted's Daniel Dilger has a very thorough writeup of the iPhone and iPod's video-out capabilities, as well as a review of the new Apple composite and component cables that run around $40.

What's cool about the new cables is that they allow you to power the iPhone via a USB dock/wall plug while you are outputting video to your TV. To me, this has some very interesting uses that could be expanded in the future, since your iPhone can essentially be thought of as a DVD disc and DVD player combined, or even a multidisc DVD player, given more memory. Leave the cables plugged into your TV, synch a movie on your iPhone, connect it to your TV (or perhaps more interesting and useful, a friend or relative's), and watch the movie. A businessman could carry the cables and use his iPhone to give a video presentation without the need of toting along a laptop with video out.

I sometimes connect my MacBook to my TV to watch a movie, but unplugging the laptop, replugging it in next to the TV, etc., then having to unplug when I'm finished, etc, is a hassle. Synching my iPhone with a movie and connecting it to the cables already attached to my TV would be much less of a hassle, and cheaper than me also purchasing an Apple TV in addition to my iPhone.

MadCatz iPhone Earphones

Another pair of iPhone earphones have been announced (but are not available yet, of course), the MadCatz Air Drives, complete with microphone and one-touch music-to-call control. This pair is a bit unusual as it is not sound isolating. Instead, the headphones feature technology that allows you to better hear your surroundings with your music. I thought every pair of cheap non-isolating headphones did that.

Who's Got the iPhone's Back?

In the "State of My iPhone" post earlier today, I noted that the back of my iPhone was getting more scratched than the front. Apparently, Invisible Shield protects the back of your phone as well. That makes me very interested in the product. The Apple Phone Show has a great video tutorial on applying Invisible Shield on the phone.

iPhone Fingers Video

We'll see if people are still laughing about phonefingers when Commander & Conquer comes out on the iPhone. What is your screen going to look like after a 2-hour gaming session, huh?

Best iPhone Accessory Yet

I just bought ten of these, one for each finger.

Lack of Earphones and the Nike Sport Kit for the iPhone

There have been two surprises in the world of iPhone accessories so far, or should I say, lack of surprises. The first and biggest is the missing iPhone-compatible headsets from leading iPod headset makers. Many early adopters such as myself have a $100 dollar credit to give to a leading headset maker like Etymotic or Shure to replace my current Apple iPhone earphones. The delay for these earphones probably has to do with typical bureaucracy and the fact that iPod accessories remain a business priority. But still, there is money being left on the table. The leading earphone makers need to get products onto shelves for the Holidays.

Another surprise is the lack of a Nike Sport Kit for the iPhone. It may be that, like a normal iPod, Apple feels an iPhone is too bulky for use in exercise. But as an owner of the iPhone, I would beg to differ, having worked out and jogged with my iPhone comfortably in tow. The Sports Kit would be a perfect fit and would help sell the iPhone, as it has done for the Nano. How absolutely convenient it would be to carry your phone and your iPod with you on a jog or workout and stay connected with the world. One less burden to working out. Again, it would seem there is money being left on the table.