For the musician in all of us, there’s Loopy, an easy music construction app for the iPhone.  Along with Ocarina, which allows you to broadcast flute-like melodies over the net in a social community, Loopy has taken a permament spot in my iPhone music toolkit.  Check out the deets over at StudioRoll.

Tags: apps, loopy, music, ocarina, software

If there’s one company that can go toe to toe with Apple in the smart phone space, it’s not RIM, and it’s certainly isn’t Microsoft.   That’s right, it’s Nokia.  With the impending release of their 5800 XPressMusic phone, complete with touch screen and a one-year-free all-you-can-eat music download service, it certainly deserves a look by potential iPhone buyers.   But the question is whether or not this 5800 is the revolutionary advance Nokia needs to compete with the iPhone, or if it offers an over-engineered, offputting user experience like many previous Nokia products.

On paper, this thing is killer, though:

• GPRS/3G data network support
• Bluetooth
• WiFi (802.11g)
• 8  or 16 GB SD storage card (an option I sincerely wish Apple had included in the 3G iPhone)
• Video out (cool!)
• Touch screen interface. Not sure if it’s going to do gestures or multi-touch.  It does claim tactile feedback, probably by means of vibration, etc.
• 3.2″ display (iPhone has 3.5″)
• 3.2 mpixel Zeiss camera, like those in the N-Series (this will likely spank the iPhone’s camera, which is 2.0 megapixel and pretty piss poor)
• A self-facing VGA camera for video calls
• Maps application with GPS and voice-guided navigation. (Also an iPhone spanking feature)
• Headphones
• Symbian S60 version 5 operating environment (an upgrade to the OE used on the E-Series and N-Series phones)
• Free unlimited music downloads (not rentals) for one year (Windows Media, DRM’d)

Tags: 5800, camera, hardware, music, nokia

Or iPod, for that matter. Star Wars official store has introduced an iPhone/iPod speaker dock featuring a character from the new animated feature, The Clone Wars, a fellow named Captain Rex. The unit requires four AA batteries and apparently does not double as a charger (bummer).  But if you want to get your Star Wars on, this might be the way to do it.

And in case you missed it, CrunchGear has startlingly cool video of The Force Unleashed for iPhone. In this game, you get to adventure through the galaxy as a Jedi, fighting the likes of Darth Vader and his minions. You control your character by using touch-motions on the screen–you can grab enemies and toss them right into the bottomless chasms Star Wars is so famous for. The graphics look downright awesome, and the game is due in a few months, so put it on your Christmas list.

Tags: accessories, hardware, music, software, star wars

If you find yourself yearning to compose beats and little musical arrangements when you’re bored, then BtBx (pronounced “beat-box”) might right up your alley.  The program boasts 8 drum sounds and a customizable keysynth to boot. Adjustable tempo and 16-step pattern sequencing make this the ideal time waster for those of us with a musical bent.  Check it out.

Tags: appstore, iphone, music, software