‘Gridlee’ appears to be just another retro-style arcade game with tacked-on touch controls. But look closer, and you’ll find an entire arcade emulator.

Photo from idownloadblog.com.

Apple doesn’t typically allow emulators on their closed iOS platform, with very few exceptions. Apple typically falls back on the defense that they’re protecting users from potentially malicious code that can be run through an emulated system, which is technically true, although some have debated this logic. The more likely rationale is that Apple doesn’t want to have to deal with DMCA enforcement problems and cease-and-desist orders from game companies when users start loading illegally downloaded ROM images of their games onto iDevices through their marketplace.

In order to get around Apple’s App Store regulations and play emulated games on their iDevices, users typically jailbreak them and load third-party apps. Back in 2011 a port of popular emulator MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) had been released under the moniker ‘iMAME’, which was quickly removed by Apple. But now a new app has surfaced on the App Store, going by the name ‘Gridlee‘.

At first glance, the Gridlee app appears to be just another retro-style arcade game with tacked-on touch controls. But dig a bit deeper, and you’ll find an entire arcade emulator hidden in the app’s source files. Just plug in your iDevice, and use iExplorer to navigate to Gridlee’s ROMs folder, and upload as many ROM files as your device can handle. Not all games are supported, however, so quality may be hit or miss. Gridlee’s emulator even supports iCade’s physical controls.

At least one App Store customer has caught on based on their review, and I’m sure more will follow suit, which means Apple will likely catch on and pull the plug on Gridlee for good relatively soon. Until then, you can grab a fistful of ROMs and head on down to the App Store for some old-school arcade action.

It’s not often I get worked up enough about a product to want to review it. It’s even less often I feel compelled to write a negative review. But after picking up the Skullcandy 50/50 Earbuds w/ Inline Mic late last year, that’s exactly where I find myself. Here’s why you should avoid making my mistake.

Photo from www.skullcandy.com

Maybe the reason I’m so bitter is because up until I bought my Skullcandy 50/50 buds, I had nothing but great things to say about the company. My previous earbuds had been from Skullcandy, and when I bought them I had been blown away by the quality of their 11mm drivers’ sound compared to the stock Apple in-ears. The lows were rich and full, and the highs were crisp with no noticeable clipping. I heard plenty of bang for my buck. Plus, the buds were comfy.

Hell, I even had a pleasant experience with their Customer Service people. When the wire snapped near the inline mic thanks to my fidgeting with it, I emailed them and they simply had me send in the broken buds, then emailed me a voucher for a new pair (complete with hilarious redeem code). That new pair never gave me an ounce of trouble in the two years I owned it. In fact, I was so impressed with Skullcandy that I bought my cousin an identical pair as a birthday present, and she too was impressed with the quality of the sound and the product build.

Fast-forward to a few weeks ago, when my trusty buds finally gave out after a tragic vinegar spill. Naturally, I went out and bought new Skullcandy buds to replace them. I didn’t even look at what was on the shelf; I just went straight for whatever their updated offering of my trusty buds was. What I walked away with was a pair of Skullcandy 50/50 Earbuds w/ Inline Mic, for roughly the same price I had paid last time. Unfortunately, it turned out the 50/50’s were comparable to my old buds by name and price only. More

Samuel L. Jackson is tired of these motherfucking Lorems in his motherfucking Ipsum http://t.co/UztN5vk2

I unlocked the Shopaholic achievement in Mass Effect 3! http://t.co/TpZBjIUj

I unlocked 4 Xbox achievements in Mass Effect 3! http://t.co/TpZBjIUj

So about this #LIBOR thing- in case you haven’t heard yet, be prepared to be told to be outraged. More important, be prepared to be outraged

Well, now I can officially check “Towel dry individually-wrapped slices of cheese” off my bucket list. Happy 4th of July!

Apparently just hours after I left Arlington on friday, the world ended. Now that I’m back I can enjoy having no power at home till Sunday

My new life motto: “Be as stubborn as you have to do”

Well, it’s official: LeBron has his first ring. After 7 failed attempts in Cleveland, the man called “King James” needed two additional seasons to accomplish his goal, and now we’re all Witnessing LeBron’s championship, his first as a member of the Heat. It seems like only yesterday that LeBron James took his talents to Miami in a very abrupt (some might say selfish) way. Some applauded his willingness to take a pay cut to play where he felt he had the best chance of winning; most criticized the very public and self-centered way he chose to make his exit from Cleveland. More

If Congress has a reasonable frame of logic for why the Obama administration’s historic mercury poisoning safeguards need to be rolled back, and why they feel it’s necessary to include a provision preventing the EPA from ever taking this issue up again, I think it’s high time they let us in on it. More