Search Computing Unplugged's 15,957 article archive 
Home
EasyPrint
News details Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Articles-only Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Twitter Feed Click here for the Twitter feed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Don't be mockin' our articles
By David Gewirtz

Sometime life imitates art and it gives me the excuse to be insufferable and mock one of our readers. While I don't always get to mock readers, I often feel that the best way to respond to a mock is with one of my own.

Back in October, we ran a little article called "Incredibly cheap iPod stand", part of our Wacky iPod Accessories series. The basic premise was that you could use a nice little mesh business card holder as an iPod stand and save a few bucks, as shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A


Here's our simple iPod stand. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Now, reader Roger Chaplin apparently thought he was too good for our cheesy budget tip. He wrote this to us:

Nice little article. It brought back memories of the early days of the US Robotics Pilot, and some of the innovative accessories that started to appear for it.
But while reading the article I had to stop and check my calendar. I thought maybe I had skipped 6 months into April.

Yeah, yeah. April Fool's Day. We get the joke. Very funny. But, apparently the joke is on us both, because Meritline.com is now offering the "Two Pack Z Stand for iPhone", as shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B


I love it when a plan comes together. Roll over picture for a larger image.

According to the Meritline Web page:

Watching videos on your iPhone just got a little more comfortable. Z Stand for iPhone holds your iPhone at a comfortable viewing angle, while allowing you to take full advantage of the iPhone's 3.5" widescreen display.

Even more amusing, they list "features" of the Z Stand as:

  • Z-shaped design offers maximum stability
  • Angled for comfortable viewing on desk
  • Engineered for horizontal use
  • Mesh material reduces heat from iPhone
  • Does not block headphone output or dock connector
  • No moving parts to slip or break
  • Ideal for music, movies, pictures, Web, etc.

I am so amused. The idea for the business card holder came from Managing Editor Denise Amrich. This isn't the first time one of her great ideas was picked up by another company.

Before Computing Unplugged was Computing Unplugged, it was a magazine called PalmPower Magazine, so named by Denise. We even went so far as to get an exclusive license to use the word "Palm" in the name from what was then Palm Computing.

As many of you know, Palm now refers to its Palm OS devices as "Palm Powered". Think they came up with that all on their own? Think again. PalmPower as a name existed years before "Palm Powered" was a branding description.

I'm beginning to think Denise should be getting royalties for all her great ideas. And, so, Roger, before you go off and mock, I suggest you reconsider. What you might think is an April Fool's joke may well be the Z shape of things to come.

Product availability and resources
Read "Incredibly cheap iPod stand".

Visit Meritline.com.

David Gewirtz is the author of How To Save Jobs and Where Have All The Emails Gone? For more than 20 years, he has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.


Other articles you might like
Home > Extras > Letters to the Editor (61 articles)
   Toaster oven redux
   A better mouse trap
   Could BPL be a clear and present danger to national security?
Home > Gear > Music players (11 articles)
   We review the i2i Stream wireless audio extender
   Pocket Tunes: tunes, Internet radio, and more on your Treo
   Oakley's Thumping good time
Get Weekly Email Updates
Subscribe to our regular weekly email newsletter. It's packed with tips, reviews, deep analysis, and the latest news.
 
Recent Computing Unplugged Articles
The iPad: Apple's latest heartbreaker
Recruiting the Army of Two on PSP
Trine, an almost-perfect modern side-scroller
Indiana Jones 2 on the PSP is no treasure
Playing your PSP on the PC
Say goodbye to the Uh-Ohs. Long live the Tens.
Logitech's electronic skins for Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero
Computing Unplugged News
HTC's Incredible Phone
Fake Firefox Update Spreads Spyware
Macmillan books coming back to Amazon
Novatel Wireless Announces First Successful 4G LTE Data Transmission
Google Asks NSA to Help Secure Its Network
Qualcomm Aims to Bring Color, Video to E-Readers
Third Major Publisher Dumps Amazon $9.99 E-books Model
>> Read all the news
More from the ZATZ journals
David Gewirtz Online: CNN commentary and analysis
DominoPower: Lotusphere 2010: mobility and collaboration
OutlookPower: Running auto-respond rules when Outlook is closed
-- Advertisement --

EASY DEDICATED AND VIRTUAL DEDICATED SERVERS FOR AS LOW AS $67.99 PER MONTH
Customize and configure your own dedicated server. Simply choose one of our popular plans or select your own Linux or Windows server and plan options.

NO LONG WAITS. Server provisioned within hours.

Tap here now and be up and running with your own server tonight.

-- Advertisement --

Write for Computing Unplugged!
Share your experience and expertise with other handheld device users. There are new opportunities at ZATZ for contributing authors and editors.

Write about something you're an expert on and get your name in lights.

For Writers' Guidelines and to discuss topics, contact Staff Editor Steve Niles. This is your opportunity to shine in front of your peers, your clients, and friends.

Click for more info!

ZATZ Home  ·  News  ·  Back Issues  ·  Credits/Trademarks ·  Link To Us
Copyright © 2003-2010, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide.
Editor's Login