An uncovered patent made by Apple reveals plans to create an iPod powered by light.

MacRumors reports that it has found a patent by Apple to create an iPod (and presumably an iPhone) with a solar panel under the LCD screen by which it can generate additional power.  The patent postulates a thin three-level sandwich of sorts that incorporates a touch sensitive layer, a display and a photovoltaic panel. The unique Apple twist is that by doing so it won’t have to create a separate charging panel; it’ll look the same, only you don’t have to charge it as often, or at all. With its giant screen, the iPhone’ll be especially energy-efficient.

The patent also mentions that the multiple solar cells would be coupled directly with specific components within the device, including the memory and the data-processing system.

Talk about hot gadgets. This is way cool, but don’t hold your breath just yet.

It seems a bit ironic that last year’s winner of Best of Show at Macworld 2007 wasn’t able to ship until Macworld 2008, but the thing is so cool it was worth the wait.

Axiotron’s Modbook is a Mac you’ve never seen before - the first Mac tablet, and endorsed by Apple at that! It’s that dream combo of the Mac ease of use coupled with a touch sensitive screen (in the Wacom sense at least; a multi-touch screen Mac is yet to come - but I think it’d be the height of cruelty if that one came out this year, and somehow I wouldn’t put it past Apple to pull the stunt).

It’s basically a ruggedized state-of-the-art Macbook as the base, fitted with the touchscreen, and with built-in GPS thrown in for good measure. You can rest your hand on the screen and not mess the interface, unlike a typical touchscreen, because only the pen gets any love. The whole thing looks like they ripped off the Mac’s screen and melded it on top of the keyboard.

It’ll be showcased at Macworld in a couple of weeks, complete with demos and other events, and will ship within the month at about US$2300 to US$2500. Let’s hope Apple won’t ruin it for Axiotron.

More details about the Modbook on the Axiotron site.

There’s apparently a hack to remove the arbitrarily-imposed 1K limit of SMSs that can be stored on an iPhone.  Since I got one I’ve come across this upper limit a few times already and I’ve always wondered why this has to be so.

iPhone Skinning tells us about a hack called “No SMS Limit” (heck of an imaginative title) that removes this block. Whether or not this will result in complications down the road remains to be seen, so hax0r beware.

To get it, just open up NullRiver’s Installer on your iPhone (assuming you’ve jailbroken your unit and are more or less used to adding third-party apps; if not, you need to go to a whole other post), and add http://iphone.totalmatrix.net to your Sources. Reload and look for it under Tweaks (1.1.1).

Be aware you’ll also need SMSD on your system to access the SMS archives (and you need to get this first before getting No SMS Limit), which in turn require Erica Sadun’s UIctl, a UI for launchctl, first. Both SMSD and UIctl are available on Installer already.

No SMS Limit will require you to cold-boot your iPhone, and will patch SMSD before it runs, so be forewarned.

As usual, Mac-A-Doodle just passes on the info; your risk, your call. I’ve installed it myself and will report back if it messes up or hoses my phone.

From the Now-We’ve-Seen-Everything Department: the .999 hardened 24 carat gold iPhone, from Goldstriker International of the U.K.. Available beginning this week. Price TBA.

For an added cost of about US$149 (to process your existing unit or add it to the cost of a new one which you also buy from them) you can have your iPhone done in any of 29 colors from the colorizing company Colorware.

They use a special painting process and final layer that prevents scratches, and they do it for most new gadgets from PS3s to Wiis to Xbox 360s, or ostensibly, anything you can imagine.

Color your world here. Make mine Ferrari Red.