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December 8, 2008 10:53 AM PST

Yule Log comes to the iPhone

by Ina Fried
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For those without a fireplace and/or an ability to carry a tune, TV stations have for decades offered the Yule Log, an on-screen fireplace crackling as Christmas Carols play in the background.

According to "The Holiday Yule Log" book, the first televised fireplace was in 1966 on New York's WPIX-TV. With carols on in the background and no commercials, it was an instant hit and was adopted by other stations around the country.

But what if the holiday season takes you even further afield, so that you don't even have a plasma TV to keep you warm. Well, record label EMI has come up with an option--play the Yule Log on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

For $1.99, it is offering the Virtual Yule Log application at the iTunes store, featuring holiday tunes from its catalog, which includes holiday songs from Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole.

The application was created by Moderati, the same company that created the Virtual Zippo Lighter. There's a YouTube video, posted below, that shows the Virtual Yule Log in action.

Now, if only I could watch a dreidel being made out of clay while Rock of Ages plays in the background, my holidays would be complete.

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About Beyond Binary

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft.


Beyond Binary is a look at how technology is changing our lives and the people behind all that life-changing stuff, with an extra emphasis on that which emanates from Redmond, Wash.

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