iPhone

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the original "Back to the Future" release, so today we're running down the top 21 BTTF2 innovations everyone is still waiting to see. The list includes classic BTTF gadgets like Marty's self-drying jacket, the Mr. Fusion home energy reactor, and of course flying cars in the Skyway, but there are a few inventions on here that actually do exist in some form or another.

For example, cops in the 21st century may not have scrolling LED hats, but walk into any mall and you'll see a dude walking around in an LED message belt buckle. Same goes for bar code license plates and modern vehicle identification numbers.

Be sure to check to see if your local movie theater is screening the movie tonight at 7 p.m., exactly 25 years from when Marty first went back in time!

Halloween is coming up fast, and the holiday wouldn't be complete without the annual American tradition of forcing your dog to wear uncomfortable costumes for the enjoyment of others. On Saturday I attended the yearly Halloween dog parade in Tompkins Square Park, so check out that link to see some of the funnier costumes, like the "Tron" console, a couple of bedbugs, and my favorite: Antoine Dogson.

In other nerdly news, 23-year-old Brittney Schnecks just finished rebuilding her 1994 Dodge Caravan to look exactly like the Ninja Turtles van from the comic book/cartoon series!

A dedicated fan of the original TV series, Brittney has been building the van since last July using money she saved at her cashier's job. She used a Dodge Caravan instead of a VW due to availability of parts, but the final outcome looks great and even includes fake gun turrets, a spoiler, and hand-painted decals!

Finally, thanks to the two Zachs and Jennifer in the U.K. for sending the following video voicemails. We love watching these, so keep them coming by sending your YouTube link to the404(at)cnet.com!

Jenny from the U.K. has a message for the dudes.

Zach thinks The 404 is the best...we agree!

Do you lie awake at night and see large, hairy beings, their eyes the size of the moon, leaping out of the wardrobe and looming over you?

Do you walk into dark spaces and feel the presence of ghostly apparitions ready to make deep-throated noises before they turn your epiglottis into carpaccio?

Do I sound like I am talking to a 6-year-old? This is because many children endure such fears. However, perhaps you too, still suffer from such traumas.

Might I offer you the potential of a remedy? Please begin by clutching your iPhone and availing yourself of a Monster Meter.… Read more

The January release of a Verizon iPhone remains unconfirmed, but we may have still more grist for the ever-churning rumor mill. Call centers connected to the wireless carrier and Apple are hiring hundred of new positions over the next three months, according to job postings spotted by CNET.

The hiring companies, Salt Lake City-based Teleperformance and Kennesaw, Ga.-based Ryla, are hiring at facilities around the country, with Ryla advertising for 1,700 positions in Indiana, California, Virginia, and Colorado.

Though few of the job postings specify which company the new employees will be taking calls for, Teleperformance's Careerbuilder … Read more

After Apple's latest event and unveiling of a Mac App Store that promises to make Macs very iPad-like indeed, it seems that a lot of people are smelling something very Orwellian afoot. While the idea of an app monoculture does seem to be gaining ground, especially in light of the success of the App Store on iPads and iPhones/Touches, there are a number of good reasons why the Mac's App Store won't be the only software gateway onto Macs--although it does seem like it's only the beginning of Macs and iOS devices growing ever-closer together. … Read more

You doubtless know the old maxim about necessity being the mother of invention. So it was that recent spate of reports of a bedbug breakout in many cities was incentive enough to convince a New York iPhone app developer to get coding.

"Everyone's biggest fear is now bedbugs. It seems to be everywhere you turn--Bloomingdales, the Waldorf--you're hearing about it," said Adam Kotkin, CEO of Apps Genius.

His 11-person company today is releasing an app that will let people go online and map out reports of the latest bug infestations in 10 major American cities. It … Read more

The Apple event on Wednesday was largely about the next iteration of Mac OS X (appropriately named Lion). But an interesting development came when Steve Jobs introduced the new Mac App Store, which will become available to Snow Leopard users in about 90 days.

Much like the iTunes App Store, the Mac App Store will let you purchase Mac apps and install them quickly on your computers. And as it does with the iTunes App Store, Apple will take a 30-percent cut of the sale price, leaving developers 70 percent. But Jobs was careful to point out that the Mac App Store will not mimic the closed system of the iTunes App Store--it will simply be another option to bring apps to your Mac. But do we really believe him?

It seems to me that creating the Mac App Store is Apple's way of testing whether the market will tolerate Apple getting a piece of the action on software developed for the Mac, just like it does with iPhone apps. We can be pretty sure that several developers will submit their apps right off the bat, if for no other reason than for the exposure that an iTunes-like experience can provide. But what Apple might be banking on is that once the software submissions gain momentum, the larger players may no longer have a choice but to submit their software to the new system. Am I just being paranoid?

While we certainly can't be sure what Apple hopes to achieve with the Mac App Store, this sort of soft launch makes me think there's something more going on here. Let me know what you think in the comments.

This week's apps include a 3D third-person soccer game and a new arcade space flier with a fun single-player mode.… Read more

Professional skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk is back on CNET's The 404 Podcast to show off his newest video game Tony Hawk: Shred, a biography written with his sister, the Tony Hawk Foundation Stand Up for Skateparks events, and much more!

It's been almost a year since Tony Hawk first came on The 404 . Obviously a lot has happened since then, and Tony updates us with a legendary story about the aftermath of the pelvic injury he suffered earlier this summer while headlining the Action Sports Weekend at Disneyland.

Getting up after falling off the skateboard has always been an important lesson to Tony, and he talks about that central theme a lot in his new book, "How Did I Get Here: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO." Written with his sister, Pat Hawk, the book details his rise to success in the skate industry, and Tony is certainly a pioneer in terms of bringing skateboarding to new media.

The original success of the Tony Hawk: Pro Skater brand obviously paved the way for skate gaming, and Tony's back again with a new game called Tony Hawk: Shred. Shred takes a new angle on the franchise and aims for the younger market.

It features similar motion-sensing board control as Ride but transformes the experience with impossible skate and snowboarding tricks, building jumps, and cameos from pros like Louie Vito, Geoff Rowley, Corey Duffel, and more. And like all the Tony Hawk video games, the soundtrack features a variety of genres and artists, including Rival Schools, Jimmy Eat World, OK Go, and more. Tony Hawk: Shred comes out next Tuesday, October 26, for Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3.

After the break, Tony describes the importance of giving back to the skating community and his two charity events called Stand Up for Skateparks. The huge parties galvanize BMX riders, skaters, celebrities, and fans alike in an effort to raise money for high-quality public skateparks in low-income areas throughout the country.

Tony stresses the importance of not only making sure kids are safe in the parks, but also that the parks maintain a level of Tony Hawk quality. The next party is happening in Las Vegas on November 6 and will feature a performance by DJ Z-Trip--tickets are still available here!

There's plenty more to talk about with Tony, including some of his favorite skate videos, tips for future skate entrepreneurs, and the truth behind his involvement in the original "Back to the Future" movie!

Apple CEO Steve Jobs proclaimed earlier this week that his company is leaving RIM in its dust, an now one industry analyst firm has stepped up to corroborate that.

GigaOm noted a Strategy Analytics' report today saying that Apple overtook RIM during the third quarter, shipping 15.4 million smartphones compared to RIM's 12.3 million.

Nokia, still the worldwide leader of smartphones, shipped 26.5 million devices. But it wasn't just Apple that improved: the entire smartphone market grew to 77 million units, 78 percent better than a year ago, the report states.

Strategy Analytics' report echoes, … Read more

I have about 30,302,866 apps on my iPhone. I know, I need to pare it down some. But I'm crazy about apps. The app store coming to OS X is interesting to me, as it gives me still more devices to overload with fart apps and unit converters. But not everyone is like me, it seems, at least when it comes to one Apple device, the iPad.

In fact, according to a recent survey by Nielsen, 9 percent of iPad owners queried have never downloaded or installed a single app. Not one. Zero. And I don't … Read more