aladdin

The 404 918: Where a phone by any other name would smell as sweet (podcast)

The band is back together again, just in time for the release of the Apple iPhone 4S. Like everyone else in the first world, we have our share of complaints, but to whine about its aesthetics is to downplay the exciting changes to iOS 5, so we'll try to keep it posi without coming off as fanboiz.

We'll review CNET's First Take of the iPhone 4S at the start of the episode, beginning with a pedestrian explanation of its network connectivity options, and go over some of the more exciting features about iOS 5, things like Newsstand, iCloud with Find My Friends, Cards, and a new AppleCare+ accidental protection package.

And just to explore the playful side of yesterday's announcements, we'll tell you why Japanese customers are chuckling at the name Siri and show you a Steve Jobs Soundboard that could offer useful buying suggestions for potential upgraders.

After the first bathroom break, we'll move onto the general tech stories of the day, including a money dispute that could finally kill "The Simpsons" after 23 seasons, Google's first adult daycare center, a batch of rereleased Disney movies in 3D, and NASA seeking applicants for its next astronaut class in 2013.

The 404 Digest for Episode 918

CNET's complete coverage of the Apple iPhone 4S. Get $200 back for your iPhone 4. Money dispute may end 'Simpsons' Google opens first retail store for Chromebooks. Seriously, Apple? In Japan, Siri fans bottom jokes.

Are Disney's 3D rereleases helping people change their minds about 3D? NASA seeking applicants for next astronaut candidate class. Bathroom break 1: Nancy Grace might have farted on last night's Dancing With the Stars. Bathroom break 2: The Museum of Obselete Objects Presents: The Fax Machine.

Episode 918 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Microwavable lunch containers

I'm a big fan of advance preparation. Before my kids go to bed, I like to set out clothes for the next day, set out their schoolbags, and pack their lunches. But my kids love to have things like soup, rice, couscous, or other need-to-heat items in their lunches, and those get packed in thermoses. Which cannot go in the microwave. So I either have to make them in the morning and stress myself out or heat them in a different container and make more of a mess. Neither option appeals.

The Aladdin mini lunch bowl is a clever … Read more

Pantech Aladdin is yet another AT&T messenger

Pantech seems to have a thing for slider phones, if the Matrix, Matrix Pro, and the Helio Ocean 2 are any indication. The latest Pantech Aladdin continues that trend with a candy-bar form factor and a number keypad that actually hides a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Unlike its other slider handsets, though, this QWERTY keyboard slides downward instead of sideways.

Other features of the Aladdin include threaded SMS conversations, a 1.3-megapixel camera, A-GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and 3G. The Aladdin is slated to come out later this year (by the end of summer, it seems), but there's no real confirmation … Read more

Take your lunch on the go

A lot of schools have already started their fall semesters, but some families are still searching for that perfect lunch box. The Lunch & Go Lunchbox is a pretty good option if you're still looking.

The Lunch & Go is simpler--at least aesthetically--than many other lunch-case options, but it's pretty much what I had in mind the year I started 5th grade. That year I told my mom, "I don't want a little kid's lunch box anymore."

It fits nicely inside a backpack, as well as messenger bags and other book bags.

This lunch … Read more