Chipotle iPhone app *finally* re-released after a brief vacation

Reach back into the depths of your mind. Past the cobwebs, spiders, and rotting bones back to a chest full of forgotten and lost memories. Reach inside and sift through the myriad collection and try to recall the Chipotle iPhone app that I talked about previously here and here. It was instantly popular hence the reason that it came and went within hours. While I joke about time, it wasn’t really that long ago (January), though it honestly does seem like last year. If you can remember, the reason for the app being pulled was that after only a few hours, the servers that hosted said app were completely decimated by the traffic load. Apparently they underestimated the love iPhone/iPod Touch users have for Chipotle.

If you were as heartbroken as I was of the apps removal and the subsequent extended vacation it received while the developers involved retooled the app and the melted servers, you will be more than ecstatic to know that the Chipotle iPhone app is live again ready for the world to wirelessly order tacos, burritos, and other goodies from the comfort of the mobile web.

I for one have already tried out the app after only 5 minutes of it calling my iPhone home. I’m sure it won’t be the last. The app is rather simple, yet intuitive for ordering any meal you like and customizing it painlessly. Now that ordering is even easier and faster making eating the tasty yet not always healthiest food at your fingertips, do you think your next stop will be bigger pants?

Get the Chipotle iPhone app now *Free* (iTunes Link)

Source: Alley Insider

Stock BlackBerry 9700 (OS 5.0.0.166) Wallpapers inside!

Many BlackBerry users, especially the geek and tinkers in the world love the ability to fully customize their BlackBerries with custom themes, wallpapers, and sounds. Building on that addiciton, the BlackBerry 9700 that is slated for release in just a few short weeks is no doubt the most lusted BlackBerry to date. One particular feature that many Berry users are clamoring for currently are copies of the wallpapers (shown on commercials) that are included in the new 5.0.0.166 OS that ships with the 9700. Often times, finding such new and niche things can be a chore on the vast expanse of the web. However, thanks to Benezblog (Google translated), all BlackBerry users can get an early start on the new hotness. If you want to cash in on the new wallpaper eye candy, step inside and start the download madness! (11 New wallpapers inside)

Watch a USB Drive being born.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_6mMFmes1s[/youtube]
Technology such as flash drives, how they work, and an overall amazement at how storage technologies work day in and day out go unnoticed by most. They simply expect their little flash drives to work when the moment arises not giving a care in the world to how exactly such things are made. While the general public won’t care and again just want it to work, the geek in you craves for such knowledge and inside info. How exactly does a flash drive get born? How long does it take to make 1, 10, 100, 100,000? Such questions often fill my head as I think about the sheer number of flash drives that must pass through Best Buy any given year, then multiply that by the number of stores in the world that sell flash drives. Thinking about such large numbers can surely be daunting. It’s too early for daunting. So sit back, watch a movie, and usher in another fine morning.

Source: Engadget, Make

Tiny USB Remote controlled Helicopter ensures hours of fun, minimal damage to your house.

Geeky little gadgets are something I long to find. When I can surely enjoy something more valuable or expensive such as a new laptop, mobile phone, etc, those little novelty gadgets are often some of the most fun. If you are a closet freak for air travel and long to someday put yourself behind the stick, yolk, whatever it is they call it these days, the USB powered remote control helicopter is just for you. While it is likely that this little gadget won’t help you in the slightest in real world terms or aid you in getting your pilots license, passing a few hours zooming around the house will be hard to top. The best part is that when the rotors slow and the action stops, simply plug the helicopter in to a USB port for some more juice. So tell your kids, it’s still not OK to throw balls in the house, but flying a helicopter is A-OK. The cost for such a venture? $39.99. You down?

Source: Red Ferret

The added safety benefit of 1,000,000+ CCTV cameras? 1,000 crimes solved.

Some would argue that “safety measures” that cost millions and take large amounts of manpower and energy to maintain are worth whatever the costs even after saving a single human life. That’s all fine and dandy except when you consider something like CCTV, red light cameras, etc. Such devices while labeled as enforces or protectors of public safety are merely there for cities to garner some extra income in these tough times. Not all cities are mindless and dumb however as many here in the U.S. have started outlawing such devices. On a slightly different note, our good friends in London across the big blue sea are slightly more accepting of their artificial watchful eyes that are around every corner. WIth over 1,000,000 CCTV cameras in a a single city, one often questions the effectiveness or even basic numbers as to how many crimes have been stopped/solved, and other basic specs to get a feel for the actual usefulness of such devices.

If such questions peg your brain daily, boy have I got something for you. 1,000. With over one million cameras, one would think the number of crimes solved would be drastically higher. It appears there is a sort of “front line” where only a sliver of the camera arsenal gets some action. While 1,000 crimes could mean 1,000 saved lives, is it really justifiable in the grand scheme of things…you know…that whole cost and power consideration in running over 1,000,000 cameras?

I usually find an unpleasant taste in my mouth in regards to such cameras, however many will swear by them. How accepting are you. Saving grace, nuisance, or plain illegal snooping?

Source: Boing Boing, BBC, Image Source

Internet addiction…? That’ll be $14,500 please.

Think of all of the addictions one could have and try to categorize them in order from least (physically) harmful to the most harmful. Usually drugs and alcohol are right near the top of the list as over time, those certainly take a toll on the body. Since the dawn of the internet, the entire world has literally been plopped down right in front of you. Why spend tens of thousands of dollars and spend weeks seeing the sights of the world when you can do so for much less from the comfort of your living room couch? Granted, some people prefer the real world experience, myself included, but that doesn’t make the couch potato world tour any less tempting. Like many other instances and scenarios in life, too much of a good thing can lead down the road to trouble. Even the internet, a highly useful tool can become so addictive and distracting that it becomes a hinderance. Enter the new wireless, always connected age and the dawn of internet addiction. But there is help.

RIM gobbles up Torch Mobile. Webkit BB Browser on the way?

While I currently use an iPhone (for the time being) and am setting my sights on Android as my next purchase, I still have a place in my heart for RIM and their beloved BlackBerry. Even though the OS looks and operates as if it were written in 2004, the sheer simplicity of any type of messaging on a BlackBerry is hard to knock or challenge. Since the iPhone and Android have ushered in browsers that are actually worth doing any type of mobile browsing on, BlackBerries have struggled to keep up with the grossly outdated BB Browser based on java. A quick solution is to download a 3rd party browser such as Opera Mini or the up and coming Skyfire Browser for BlackBerry. But 3rd party solutions don’t always blend in perfectly. RIM, seeing their trials and tribulations in this sector of the market have managed to come up with a solution to get them back in the game.

Today, RIM announced their acquisition of Torch Mobile, makers of a spectacular web-kit based (ala iPhone and Android) mobile browser known to many as “IRIS”, in hopes that the information and knowledge shared between the now partners can help propel BlackBerries even further into the limelight. I personally cannot wait for a proper web-kit based browser on a BlackBerry. Heck, if RIM can manage to put a heavy hand on some other areas of the OS, I’ll be a happy BlackBerry user once again. Until then it looks like we’ll have to play the waiting game and dream of what goods will soon come out of this union. Excited?

Source: BGR, Torch Mobile