Once upon a time, all of the basic features that we use a smartphone for were previously handled by the standard PDA, and before that, pen and paper. I used to carry the FranklinCovey planner system with me, where I faithfully checked off my task list as I completed them. FranklinCovey has done well to embrace the digital age, and now they have a Task app in Apple’s App Store – FCmobilelife can be found here for $5.99.

Given there seems to be as many task and to-do apps as there are fart apps, how well does FranklinCovey’s FCmobilelife Tasks hold up? Will it help you prioritize and get things done? Read on for a quick review!

Under The Hood

FCmobilelife uses the proven FranklinCovey methodology for creating tasks and prioritizing them in a way that will increase efficiency in getting things done. It takes advantage of the easy-to-use iPhone interface by delivering an attractive interface for managing your personal and business tasks.

Like the FranklinCovey paper version before it, FCmobilelife allows you to input a task and rank it using the ABC-123 system of prioritization, but this is just scratching the surface of it’s capability. You can also add notes to your tasks to really flesh them out and give them more detail, if needed. The app provides a means of tracking due dates of tasks, assigning categories, and create recurring tasks using the Complete-and-Forward feature.

The use of spoken tasks and managing attachments really beef up this app, and to make things easier, you can simply drag and drop a task to instantly reposition it for a higher or lower priority based on your changing priorities. The beauty of this app is that it’s as powerful or simple as you want it to be. If you want to simply create a to-do list each day and check them off as you go, then it’s easy as pie to set up your tasks. If, on the other hand, you want to add attachments (photos), voice record your task, add due dates and categorize your tasks, you have everything you need in this app to be a power user.

FCmobilelife is quite polished and easy to use, but there are a couple minor problems I have with this app. First, it can be a bit sluggish when changing to different views and, most notably, when scrolling through a list. The animated transitions are nice from screen to screen, but I’d like to see it happen with a bit more speed. Also, if you want a simple to-do app without the prioritization, this app is not the best for that kind of simplicity. It would be nice if there were either a 4th view for a bare-bones to-do list, or an option to disable the minimum two-step process of entering tasks when using the Master list view.

A Quick Run-Through

Before dropping down your $5.99 for this app, take a look at the demo video that FranklinCovey has put together on YouTube. It gives you a nice walk-through of this app so you can get a good sense of it’s capabilities.

To summarize the video, FCmobilelife has several views to choose from: Today, Plan, and Master views. The Today view gives you a look at current due tasks in order of priority – A (vital), B (important), and C (optional) tasks. Under each priority, the tasks are further prioritized by numbering 1, 2, 3 and so on. The Plan view presents a list of tasks also sorted by priority, but condenses your task list into an easier view for all your items. The Master list view are tasks that have not been designated a due date or priority. This view is great for entering tasks on the fly that you want to return to and prioritize later.

All past due items can be moved forward to the next day with the press of a button. If you wish to sort your tasks differently, then just press the “Sort” button at the top left and then drag items to a higher or lower priority, or even delete them. When creating a task, you can name it and assign a priority and due date. Spoken tasks are also great when you don’t have the means or time for entering text. Completed tasks are automatically archived for you by date, so you can always go back and view your accomplishments.

Conclusion

FCmobilelife is a great app for those looking for a fairly simple way of managing tasks or the power user who is steeped in FranklinCovey’s culture and methodology for prioritization. The interface is polished and the features are powerful. The need for a little more snappiness and the lack of a bare-bones task creation option is just enough to prevent me from awarding a 5-star rating, but I can definitely recommend 4 stars. Give the demo video a look – if you want a solid task manager, then $5.99 isn’t much to pay for a winner like FCmobilelife.

Pros

• Packed with features
• Simple, polished user interface
• Voice tasks
• Filtering mechanism and recurring tasks
• Photo attachments

Cons

• Sluggish list scrolling and transitions
• No “bare-bones” way to create simple to-do’s

Do you want an option for carrying your Bluetooth headset without having to wear it in your ear all day, hanging it around your neck, or risk breaking it in your pocket? When you are driving and your Bluetooth headset isn’t in use, do you place it in one of your cup holders like I do? The Speck Products Clip Pod for Bluetooth Headsets is available here in the TiPb iPhone Store for $14.95 and it just might be the answer for your Bluetooth headset-carrying needs. Read further for the full review!

Case Design

The Speck Clip Pod case is triangular in shape with rounded corners, a metal belt clip with the “Speck” logo on back and an elastic mesh pocket in the front to store your Bluetooth headset. The pod is a hardened shell with a soft cloth interior to protect your Bluetooth headset. The Clip Pod can accommodate most Bluetooth headsets, up to 2 inches wide and 3.25 inches long. Included is a Velcro-secured Nylon strap for attaching the Clip Pod to the visor in your car.

Performance

I haven’t used a Bluetooth headset very often in the past due to the hassle of not having a convenient way of carrying one around with me. Wearing a headset in my ear constantly is not comfortable and I don’t care for that look. I don’t wear a headset on a lanyard around my neck and I don’t want to risk breaking my headset by carrying it in my pocket. Having the Clip Pod for carrying my Bluetooth headset is the answer to my headset-carrying challenges.

The Clip Pod is slightly cup-shaped, providing a recessed area for your BT headset to be safely tucked away. When placed in the pocket, the Nylon mesh/Vinyl combo with a sewn-in elastic band keeps your headset firmly in place with the hardened protective shell around it. Protection in the front of the Clip Pod is compromised in order to allow easy access to your BT headset. This compromise is both a pro and a con, in my opinion. When your iPhone rings, you want to be able to access your headset quickly.

When strapped to your visor, the less-protected open front is not really an issue, but if you are wearing the Clip Pod on your waist, you will want to be careful to avoid crushing your headset against hard objects. The metal belt clip is very robust and should provide lots of wear without failure.

Verdict

The Speck Products Clip Pod for Bluetooth headsets is a nice little accessory to have if you tote a Bluetooth headset. I think it is especially useful in the car – strapped neatly to your visor, it’s a great place to tuck away your BT headset when not in use. In my case, it keeps my cup holders free and substantially reduces the risk of loss or damage.

Wearing the Clip Pod on your belt or waist is a handy way to carry your BT headset on your person, but protection of your headset is compromised by easy accessibility. Personally, I have not used a BT headset carrying case before and I’m glad to have found such an accessory. It isn’t perfect – although the pocket keeps your headset firmly in place, it is vulnerable to bumping against hard objects, like counters – but the pros outweigh the cons.

Pros

• Strong metal belt clip
• Protective recessed hardened shell
• Included strap for securing to car visor
• Elastic mesh pocket for secure storage and easy access

Cons

• Storage pocket provides little protection against hard objects, like counters

Case Design

The OtterBox Impact case offers a slim, form-fitting Silicone layer of protection for your iPhone 3G while still providing impact-absorbing features. The back of the case and the corners are impact-absorbing and dissipate impact away from your iPhone 3G. Additionally, the sides of the case are textured for a more secure grip. All ports, buttons, and functions are accessible through the thin Silicone layer, including an opening for the headphone jack, the mute switch, and even a cutout on the back of the case to display the shiny Apple logo proudly. Having the option of purchasing the case in black or white is also nice – if you have a white iPhone, then switch things up with the black case, and vice versa.

Performance

One of my main concerns about skin cases is that, historically, I’ve had poor luck with them. Why? Usually they stretch a bit over time and start slipping around my smartphone like a cheap oversized suit. I’m very encouraged by the OtterBox case design because although the Silicone is thin and flexible, it wraps completely around each end of the iPhone and resists unwanted stretching and shifting.

The feel and grip of the case is comfortable, particularly with the textured sides. The screen is fully accessible, as well as all of the functions, ports and buttons. The additional thickness of the Silicone along the back and corners provide additional impact from impacts and scratching. The case has a stylish look and the open round window on the back for the Apple logo is a nice touch.

Conclusion

The OtterBox Impact Series Case for the iPhone 3G is hard to beat for the price. The Silicone skin is protective and comfortably grippy, all ports and controls are accessible, and you have a choice of black or white, depending on your taste. The case is stylish and seems to resist the stretching and slipping that can occur over time with other skin cases. I’m happy to report that there are many positives and nothing negative to report. Especially for the price of $12.95, I can give this case a big thumbs up.

Pros

Cons

TiPb Review Rating

Do you ever do any price comparison in the grocery store? Gallons vs. liters? Ounces vs. milligrams? Fifty feet of Scotch tape vs. 15 meters? What’s the best deal? Apples2Oranges is a $2.99 app from Ilium Software and can be downloaded to your iPhone from the App Store. It employs a simple touch interface where you can compare two kinds of modes: Ingredients Mode and Price Mode. Ingredients Mode lets you compare nutritional content for food you are eating or buying. Price Mode lets you compare two products side-by-side for the best price considering different measurements for volume, length, or area.

Just enter the numerical amount of the item on the left side of the “size” window, then select the type of measurement you are comparing in the right side of the “size” window, then press “compare” for the “price.” Or, if in Ingredient Mode, you can compare different measurements and even calories. This can be a very handy app if you are trying to save money at the store or trying to watch your calorie intake. Take a look in the App Store and get it if you like what you see.  

When Trillion-dollar stimulus packages are being passed and spent and the dollar seems to buy less and less, it’s nice to find some real values in the App Store, like Touchmaster Volume 1 from Midway. At only $3.99, you get 5 games for your entertainment – that’s only about $.80 cents per game (before tax, of course).

Included with this bundle are the following: 1) Spellwinder – a word search game using adjacent letters in any direction to score points; 2) Dice King – a dice puzzle game where points are scored for swapping adjacent dice to form matching combinations of three or more dice; 3) Prismatix – a hexagonal matching game requiring linking gems in color combinations displayed by a wheel at the top of your screen; 4) Combo 11 – form combinations of cards equaling 11 in value, eliminating cards as you go; 5) Carpet – similar to Solitaire, the object of the game is to discard all cards in their respective suits in sequences of Ace to King, using your deck and “carpet” of cards.

In addition to trying to get the highest score you can, you can also complete challenges and earn trophies along the way. The graphics are decent and the gameplay is easy with the touch interface. For $3.99, this 5-game package will provide hours of entertainment.

Long before I had my iPhone 3G, I had the good fortune of watching a college football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Having never attended an event there, I was a bit fascinated how the golf course adjacent to the stadium is literally used as a parking lot for event attendees. Yes, that’s right. The entire golf course is one ginormous parking lot and one lost car fiasco waiting to happen.

After the game, it was dark and disorienting. Even though there were large balloon markers spaced avery 100 yards or so, it was nearly impossible to find my car and almost an hour was spent tracking it down. If only I had my iPhone 3G! If only it had been conceived!

Why, you ask? GPS. Fast forward a couple years to CES in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Driving down the strip in the heart of Vegas on a Saturday night is NOT for the patient. I was meeting up with Dieter Bohn and several others bloggers for a fancy-pants dinner and quickly realized that I would reach my location much faster if I abandoned my ride and hoofed it – the good old “ankle express.”

I found a massive parking garage that barely accommodated the height of my truck, parked, and then froze. I knew I had a good jaunt in front of me and I wanted to be sure I could easily and quickly locate my truck again. I’m easily disoriented and have a poor sense of direction – when people call me “Magellan”, it’s NOT a compliment. My iPhone 3G to the rescue! I simply opened up my Maps app, tapped the “target” in the bottom left of the screen, and dropped a pin for my current location and bookmarked it (just tap the pin after you drop it and then “Add to Bookmarks” in the bottom right of the following page).

Is the iPhone 3G’s GPS precise to the foot? Not exactly, but I was able to easily return to my truck because I could rely on my iPhone’s GPS to point the way and return me to the parking garage, even in the busy hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas strip. So if you need to leave a trail of virtual breadcrumbs the next time you park your car or plan on wandering far and wide from your base camp, give your iPhone 3G’s Maps app a try, drop a pin, and have fun!

[Note: Above photoshops are for comedic value, no actual trucks were impaled on giant map pins in production of this how-to]

Two game modes are available – Classic and Progressive modes. Classic mode is a single game of nine laser balls. Just roll them with the swish of your fingertip and score as many points as you can in the single game. Or, if raising the stakes each round is more appealing to you, then play Progressive mode. As you achieve the points goal in each round, the goal is raised in the next the round.

In addition to needing a touch of finesse when “swiping” the ball down the ramp, Arcade Bowling takes advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer, enabling you to add a bit of guidance to the ball in mid-flight. Did I say this game is addicting? Well, it is!

A final note: when I first installed the game and started playing, it would crash with some frequency. The way to resolve this is to reset your iPhone after installation. Once I did that, problem solved. No more crashing. Relive the good ‘ol days of Skeeball with this 21st century virtual version that you can carry in your pocket!

Why is this useful? If you are at work and want to take some files home with you or on the road to view and read, just use the handy desktop app to wirelessly transfer the files to your iPhone or iPod Touch, where they are automatically categorized. Transferring the files couldn’t be easier – just use the drag-and-drop interface on the File Magic Desktop app and the files will “magically” appear on your iPhone File Magic app via your WiFi connection.

Check out the app in the App Store to learn more about it’s features. Whether it’s a matter of taking files with you to review on the road, using your iPhone or iPod Touch to move files from office to home, or even using the app to backup important documents, File Magic handles it well.

The Griffin California Roll for iPhone 2G and 3G is in stock and ready to ship from the iPhone Blog Store for $19.95. Personally, I’m not much for sushi, but this is a California Roll I can sink my teeth into. If you want something to carry your iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch and other small accessories and to organize them into one case, Griffin’s California Roll could be what you are looking for. Follow me after the break to get to know this case a little better!

Overview and Design

Made of durable high-tech synthetic materials, the Griffin California Roll has a stylish design with built-in elastic band for securing your valuable items. The exterior of the case is glossy with an interesting visual design. It’s a bit difficult to describe, but there appears to be a dark green textured material just under the glossy exterior material, making the outside of the case interesting to look at.

Opening the case reveals a tri-fold configuration with a Velcro-secured middle compartment with similar Velcro-secured compartments on either side. The side compartments are constructed with a mesh material so you can get a better idea what’s in the pockets without having to remove the item. Each of the compartments are about the same size and the interior of the Roll is a soft suede-like material to gently cushion your valuables and protect from scratches and impacts.

Usability

I was able to fit my iPhone 3G in the left pocket, my big fat iPod 160GB Classic in the middle, and a set of earphones in the right pocket. I then folded up the case and secured it with the built-in elastic band and was ready to roll (no pun intended). The case folds up reasonably well, even with all that stuff packed inside of it. The whole point of this case is that it’s soft and flexible, allowing you the most flexibility with different kinds of devices and accessories. The stitching around the case seems top-notch and the elastic band for securing the case is sewn into the case well and stretches just enough to secure the case but is tight enough to stay in place.

Conclusion

The Griffin California Roll case is one of those cases that will meet certain needs. It may not be a case that you use for everyday use, but then again, if you are “gadgety” and carry a phone, iPod, earphones, and other stuff around with you on a regular basis, this is a great case for securing everything in one place and it offers some protection against the cold, cruel world that would be harsh and unkind to your expensive tech gear. I think it makes an excellent travel case, perfect for keeping everything together for use on the airplane, then easily taken with you to your rental car, and finally resting at your side by the swimming pool while you sip a drink.

But why limit yourself to traveling? This is a good case for just carrying all your stuff around with you, secured in one place inside the Roll. As you can see in this picture, I successfully crammed my iPhone 3G, my iPod, and not seen are the earphones stuffed in there as well. Even if you aren’t a fan of sushi, for $19.95, you may want to give this California Roll a try.

Pros

• Flexible case to accommodate many types and sizes of devices
• Built-in elastic to secure items
• Three storage compartments

Cons

• A little big to carry around as your regular case

TiPb Rating:

Headphone Design

The v-moda vibe duo has an in-ear design with a selection of two earbud colors, black and clear (frosted), and three sizes in each color: small, medium and large. The headphone driver housings are black with an etched chrome-like band around the housing, giving the headphones both a stylish look and providing a textured surface for a more sure grip between your thumb and index finger when putting the headphones in your ears. Another nice addition is the small black carrying case that will accommodate the headphones and extra ear tips, if needed.

The fabric cable is an excellent upgrade from lesser headphones. I’m a big fan of fabric cables because they are both more durable and less inclined to tangle. The v-moda vibe duo sports an adjustable/removable plastic clip for securing the headphones to your clothing, thus supporting the weight of the cable at the point of the clip rather than having the weight pull the earphones from your ears.

About six inches down from the right earphone is the mic and call control button housing. The “duo” in this product’s namesake is the ability to listen to audio but also take a call. The call control button can be depressed to answer or cancel a call. In addition to simple call handling, the call control button is compatible with the iPod features of one click for pause, two clicks to forward to the next song, and three clocks to listen to the previous song. My only gripe with this setup is the size of the mic/call control button housing. It seems a bit large and hefty and it would be nice to see it trimmed down in size and weight.

Performance

The v-moda vibe duo In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic deliver a clean, crisp sound with punchy bass and clear high-end levels. The volume range is just about right and if you use the right size of ear tip (requires a bit of experimentation), you will be rewarded with a firm fit in your ear delivering superior sound quality and impressive noise-isolation.

Making and receiving calls with these headphones is impressive. The sound quality during calls is more than adequate, with stereo sound during the call. The people I spoke to while using the headphones could hear me just fine and I could hear them without difficulty. Using the “clicker”, or call control button, to answer and end a call is convenient, as well as using it for one, two, or three clicks while listening to music for pausing, skipping ahead, or listening to previous songs.

The plastic clip is a great feature to have. I really like being able to clip the headphones to my clothing so as to support the weight of the fabric cable, which in turn allows the headphones to remain securely in my ears without the nuisance of the weight of the cable pulling the ear tips from my ears. This can be more of a problem when you are doing something active, so the clip solves the problem. The fabric cable performs very well, giving these headphones a durable build quality and a greater resistance to tangling. 

Conclusion

For $99.95, the v-moda vibe duo In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic deliver quite a bit of bang for the buck. You can certainly spend much more for headphones, particularly if you are a serious audiophile, but these could be the earphones you use on a regular basis for a long time due to their quality. The sound is better than average, the inclusion of a call control button and microphone for calls is great, and the plastic clip and fabric cable are wonderful upgrades to justify the additional expense. Having two sets of ear tips in two colors and three different sizes is very convenient, especially given that losing an ear tip is a possibility during your time of ownership. I dislike the size of the call control button/mic housing. I wish it were smaller. Other than this small little gripe, the overall design, quality and performance of these headphones make them easy to recommend.

Pros

• Fabric cable is durable and tangle-resistant
• Punchy bass, clear highs and good noise-isolation = great sound quality
• Includes clip, two sets of ear tips in 3 different sizes, and carrying case
• Answer and end calls with call control button

Cons

• Call control button/mic housing is a little large

TiPb Rating:

It may be easy, then, to ignore the brain and forget the old adage ”mind over matter.” Without the mind, it won’t really matter. The folks at lumosity.com understand the importance of exercising your brain and have a scientifically-proven method for doing so. Fortunately, exercising your brain doesn’t require expensive equipment or hauling around heavy workout apparatus – if you own an iPhone or iPod Touch and can summon the physical strength to tap the glass, you can start exercising your brain now with their app, Speed Brain.

How does Speed Brain work? Read on after the break!

Speed Brain quickens the mind through a series of matching or mismatched images that the user must then quickly react and identify matching images in quick succession. Accuracy and speed will produce a higher score, which will be saved to monitor your progress and for comparison with your friends who are also using Speed Brain.

The interface is very simple and easy to use. As the images flash in front of you, just select “No Match” or “Match” as quickly as you can. You receive instant feedback when a selection is correct or incorrect, and the goal, of course, is to get as many correct as possible using the least amount of time you can to react and tap.

From my own experience after using Speed Brain over the course of several days, I have improved my time, accuracy and score. I can make decisions more quickly with respect to the symbol matching or not matching the previous symbol. Just moments ago, I used Speed Brain and was 100% accurate in my matching. Now, the challenge will be to consistently produce 100% accuracy in matching while getting it done faster and faster. 

For only .99 cents in the App Store, Speed Brain from Lumosity is not a bad way to go if you want to dust off the cobwebs and keep your brain in tip-top shape. Check out their website here and give Speed Brain a try!

First Impressions

The Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors for the iPhone 3G arrived in a small, simple card stock folder that is extremely easy to open. I have to give them kudos here for packaging their product in something that: A) isn’t hermetically sealed, B) doesn’t require a trip to the tool box or cutlery block to open, and C) won’t require me to find my insurance card for a trip to the emergency room due to life-threatening lacerations caused by knife-like plastic packaging.

Upon opening the folder, there’s a simple 2-step instructional for first cleaning your iPhone’s screen and then applying the screen protector. Each of the three screen protectors must be peeled away from their plastic backing before applying to your iPhone’s screen. Examining the screen protector, you will notice that it is not textured like other screen protectors. For touch screens in generally and especially the finger-friendly iPhone screen, textured screen protectors can be annoying and are really the product of a bygone age when screen protector manufacturers thought the consumer would benefit from the feel of a rougher texture underneath the small plastic tip of their stylus when writing Graffiti. Thankfully, these screen protectors are smooth, meant to provide an unnoticeable feel to the fingertip as if the user were making contact with the iPhone glass display itself.

Installation and Performance

Installation of the screen protector is very straight-forward. It is recommended that you use a soft cloth, preferably some kind of microfiber cloth, to clean your iPhone’s screen so it’s free from dust, dirt, fingerprints and smudges. This is very important because once the screen protector is in place, anything left on the screen will be trapped between the screen protector and display.

Once your display is clean and ready to go, then carefully peel away the plastic backing from the tacky side of the screen protector. Be careful not to touch the tacky side – you don’t want to start off with smudges on the wrong side of the screen protector and defeat the purpose of cleaning your iPhone’s display in the first place. If you do happen to smudge it or get some dust on there for installation, just rinse off the screen protector and try again.

From my experience, the best way to install is to expose the top end of the tacky side of the screen protector and position it as best you can to conform with the top edge of your iPhone’s display. Once you have it lined up, just slowly work your way down, removing the plastic backing as you go. In this way, you have the least risk of exposing the tacky side of the screen protector to dust, dirt, and fingerprints. Once the screen protector is in place, you will likely have to smooth out some bubbles. Just gently but firmly press on the edge of the bubbles and work them toward the nearest outside edge of the screen protector.

Once I had installed the screen protector and smoothed out the bubbles, my iPhone was ready for normal use. Even though the iPhone’s display is glass and almost impervious to scratches from every-day use, it’s not indestructible. Just take a look at your glass windshield sometime and notice the scratched and pitted surface. Granted, your iPhone isn’t flying display-first down the freeway behind gravel trucks at 70 mph, but you can bet that the accidental drop on the ground or even regular carrying in a pocket or purse can eventually take it’s toll on the glass surface.

Although the screen protector can offer some protection to the glass surface, in my opinion the main benefit of this screen protector is the anti-glare and smudge-resistance. Using the naked glass, I am often annoyed by the smudges and fingerprints that require constant wiping away. Additionally, the glass surface can be very shiny and can sometimes make viewing difficult when you catch some light at just the right angle. This screen protector almost eliminates smudges and fingerprints altogether and glare is greatly reduced, so for those reasons alone it’s worth applying to your iPhone’s display. The main issue I have with it is that it doesn’t seem to fit completely flush with the iPhone’s screen. Particularly around the “home” button and the ear speaker, there is some permanent bubbling of the screen protector that is really only displeasing in an aesthetic way. It doesn’t seem to hinder performance at all and, quite honestly, I don’t really notice any kind of loss of touch sensitivity whether the screen protector is applied or not.

An additional benefit to this screen protector is it’s reusable. If dust ever gets trapped between the screen protector and your iPhone’s display, and there’s no guarantee this will never happen no matter what you do, then just remove the screen protector, wash it, and reapply. Nice.

Conclusion

For the price of $15.95, the Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors (3-Pack) for iPhone 3G are a good value, especially considering they are washable and reusable. The anti-glare, anti-smudge, anti-fingerprint features are very effective and it offers some dust and scratch resistance. Application of the screen protector is also easy and can be accomplished in just a couple minutes. The only downside for me is the mild bubbling around the ear speaker and “home” button – if it weren’t for this negative, I could give this product 5 stars, but due to this minor annoyance, I can only recommend 4 stars. Surprisingly, a few other users have given it far lower marks, but in my experience, I can’t see the justification for one or two stars and no explanation was provided. I can confidently give it 4 stars and recommend it as a good way to protect your iPhone’s display and greatly reduce smudges, fingerprints, dust and glare.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Smudge, dust, fingerprint and glare resistant
• Washable and reusable

Cons

• Can leave some bubbling after installation that seems impossible to be rid of

TiPb Rating:

The secret to making your iPhone feel like a 160GB iPod Classic juggernaut is just a few mouse clicks away on your iTunes. Just click on “File” in iTunes, then New Smart Playlist. See where this is going? When you select New Smart Playlist, you can customize a playlist and instruct your iTunes about what music to look for and then keep your iPhone updated with a constant flow of fresh material. It’s a bit like rotating your entire music collection through your iPhone a 100 songs (or whatever you want) at a time.

You can get quite specific with your selection of music. You can instruct iTunes to seek out and load music that has been most recently played or least recently played. You can set the rules for iTunes to follow – like using the rating system in iTunes to select only music that you have given a 1 – 5 star rating. What, you mean you haven’t rated your music?

Well, if you’re like me, you haven’t paid much attention to the rating system or even cared to know why it’s there. If you take the time, though, and rate your favorite music, then your Smart Playlist can become much more meaningful as iTunes searches your music library for songs that you have rated. To rate your music, just click in the Rating column next to the songs you want to rate and then give them a rating, anywhere from one to five stars. In the Smart Playlist, if you set the range to include only your most favorite songs, then you can expect your Smart Playlist (and thus your iPhone) to always rotate your favorite songs each time you sync.

Smart Playlists aren’t just limited to songs. You can instruct iTunes to select all kinds of media, like podcasts, to be added to your Smart Playlist and then synced with your iPhone for your enjoyment. In this manner, you can rotate your media from the vast reservoirs of storage on your desktop or laptop to the limited space on your iPhone, always keeping it fresh. If you haven’t played around with your Smart Playlist, give it a try today and post your feedback in Comments. You might find a way to use this feature that works well for you and then feel free to share it with the rest of us!

The PDA Skins Horizontal Organizer Case can be purchased in the TiPb Store here and is available in both a microfiber version for $19.95 and a leather version for $39.95. If you have a bit more to carry than just your iPhone, this case can accommodate more items in an organized fashion. I had the chance to use the leather version for a while and can let you know how it measures up after the break!

Design and Quality

I can’t specifically speak to the quality of the microfiber version of this case, but the leather version is durable and well-constructed. The stitching all the way around is seamless and the case I used is constructed of quality top-grain glove leather. The front of the case has a Velcro-secured expanding compartment to hold your iPhone or any other smaller item. The reverse side of the case has a standard leather belt loop, Velcro-secured bag-strap latches to secure the case to a carrying bag, and two small metal D-rings to attach an optional carrying strap. It’s nice to have several options for carrying the case.

There are two zipper tabs to secure the case closed, and when opened, the case reveals additional organized storage within. There is a pen loop, a removable money insert that holds credit cards and I.D., and other pouches and slots for items you may need with you. The interior of the case is large enough to accommodate other PDAs or phones up to six inches long. This case can be a good travel companion, easily fitting your passport and other personal items. The interior is padded nylon to protect your valuables.

Performance

Although I don’t normally use a case of this size, the PDA Skins Horizontal Organizer case is compact and is a great way to carry phone, PDA, pen, small pad of paper, passport, credit cards, I.D., and other sundry items that you want to keep organized while on the go. It is excellent for traveling and I like the several carrying options. For me, the case is a little bulky to carry on a belt for every-day casual use, but for the traveler, it’s nice to have the option.

The belt loop is durable and fits most belt widths. The bag-strap latches Velcro firmly in place and make it convenient to attach the case to a larger carrying bag so you still have access to your iPhone and other valuables. A detachable carrying strap is convenient if you need both hands for something else and aren’t wearing a belt or other bag with a strap to attach your case to.

With several pockets and pouches inside the case and a convenient pen loop, it’s easy to keep the little things organized that you have to or want to carry with you. If you have more to carry with you than just your iPhone, this case is a great option if you need a small compact carrying case for credit cards, money, notepad, pen or pencil, or even your iPod so you can carry your entire music library with you.

Conclusion

The PDA Skins Horizontal Organizer Case, in either microfiber or leather, is a quality case offering several carrying options and will help you keep your mobile items organized. It has the convenient Velcro-enclosed compartment on the outside to carry your iPhone and offers more storage on the inside for your valuables, like credit cards, cash, I.D., etc. Although it’s a bit bulky to carry on a belt for every-day use, it’s a great travel companion and just a great place to throw all the little items that you would otherwise carry in your pocket or purse. It is durable for lasting use and is a great solution for the business person or traveler.

Pros:

• Durable construction
• Lots of pockets and pouches for storage
• Several carrying options
• Exterior storage for easy access to iPhone

Cons:

• A bit bulky for every-day use (i.e., wearing on belt)

TiPb Rating:

Ahh, sports. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. If you are old enough, you probably remember the “agony of defeat” guy – painful on more than one level (for him, and for you if you are old enough to know what I’m talking about). I love me some sports, and thankfully there are some great sports apps for the iPhone. Two of my favorites are freebies – Sportacular and SportsTap. Which one has the edge? Who comes out on top as being more competitive and “sportier?”  Who hits the shot at the buzzer FTW?! Check out the App v. App after the break!

How Do They Compare?

Sportacular

I will say up front that I carry a little bit of bias here. I’ve been using Sportacular for quite a while now and it’s become a personal favorite of mine. Brought to us for free via the App Store by Jeff Hamilton, Sportacular is packed with useful features for the sports enthusiast while still maintaining a simple, clean interface.

Sportacular offers regular updates to scores, team standings, stats, and news covering several of the major professional and collegiate sports. Updates come every 30 seconds so you know what’s going on as it happens. The major sports that are covered are MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, LPGA, and NCAA football and basketball. Season and game stats are now available for MLB, NFL, NBA, and the NHL.

It gets even better – Sportacular provides access to league and conference standings, the NCAA Top 25 updated daily, team schedules, NHL scoring and penalty details, NBA latest plays, and even BCS standings. There are other user features available for the sports diehard. If you are into fantasy sports and need to keep track of your favorite teams and players, Sportacular provides a means of creating custom groups for tracking teams and players so you can make important decisions for your fantasy team. Sportacular is now also part of the Citizen Sports network for even MORE access to all things sporty!

Having so many features and tools are just half the battle. The other half is won with a good user interface. Along the bottom of the screen you will find Scores, Standings, Schedules, Stats and More. All are self-explanatory, and More gives you access to News, a Featured Product (as I write this, my current Featured Product is a 49ers shower curtain on sale at Amazon.com – woohoo!), the Sportacular Blog for updates about the app, the list of Sportacular-related web apps, and App Info. 

For me, ease of use and having access to updated sports information that I want with a clean, attractive, and efficient interface wins the day. If you don’t have Sportacular already, I highly recommend it. 

SportsTap

The other favorite sports app on my iPhone is SportsTap by Mobile1Sports, LLC. Like Sportacular, it provides access to scores and stats for the major sports but also goes a bit further by offering even more: MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, AFL, CFL, PGA, LPGA, ATP, WTA, MLS, and top futbol leagues from around the world. If sheer number of sports alone is used to determine a winner here, then SportsTap would come out on top. However, it’s much more than how many sports a sports app provides access to – it’s HOW the information is delivered.

In addition to scores and stats for all the aforementioned sports and leagues, SportsTap also provides detailed box scores, in-depth team and player statistics, season statistics, and even league transactions for many of the leagues. The information can still be considered “real time”, but is updated slightly less frequently than Sportacular – 60 second vs. 30 second updates.

I do like the main screen for SportsTap. It is very iPhone-esque with icons for each of the sports along with notifications in the upper right-hand corner of each icon for any new news items or events. The interface for SportsTap is also pretty clean, but I think it lacks the same intuitiveness that Sportacular offers. For example, to return to the home screen, you tap the SportsTap icon in the upper right-hand corner of whichever screen you happen to be in at the time. There is also a tiny “Home” icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Instead, it would be nice if there were “back” arrows to return to the previous screen rather than have to start from the Home screen again. The devil is truly in the details.

To SportsTap’s credit, I do like the “Feedback” option on the Home screen. From here, you can contact the developer for questions or comments. Although well-intentioned, it’s a shame that a Feedback icon takes up space on the Home screen because, really, how often will you provide feedback?

Like Sportacular, SportsTap also offers the option for setting up Favorites to track your favorite teams, regardless of sport or league. I also give SportsTap the edge for providing more detail for upcoming games – not only can you access the spread and see who is favored, but scrolling down reveals the past history between the two competing teams and a very detailed game preview.

Conclusion

It’s truly hard to go wrong with either Sportacular or SportsTap if you are a sports fan and want all your sports goodness on the fly, conveniently on your iPhone. Given that they are both free and take up little memory space, it’s not a tough decision to make to keep them both on your iPhone. However, this IS App v. App, after all, and THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE! So, even though it offers fewer sports by focusing on the more prominent professional and collegiate sports, I have to give the nod to Sportacular as the winner here. The simple, clean, and efficient interface and ease of use makes Sportacular a more enjoyable app, in my opinion. But hey, don’t just take my word for it. Try them both out and tell us what YOU think!

Sportacular Rating

SportsTap Rating

What’s In The Box

Like other Maximo headset products, you get more for your money than just a wired headset. Inside the package are the high-fidelity isolation headphones, three pairs of rubber ear tips (Small, Medium, and Large), a two-foot extension cable, and a small silver carrying pouch for your earphones.

The first thing you will notice when removing the headphones is that the earphones have a little weight to them. They are, indeed, metal — no cheap plastic to be found here — and they are heavier than a more cheaply-made plastic earphone housing. The materials used and build quality of the earphones inspire confidence and, in my case, I was expecting a superior sound to the headphones I’ve used in the past.

Design and Performance

The Maximo iMetal Isolation headset has a lightweight aluminum alloy body for the headphone housings. As previously mentioned, the earphones themselves are high-fidelity isolation earphones with 9mm neodymium drivers and a maximum SPL output of <120dB — quite a bit of sound even for the most robust listenenr. The headset cable is four feet in length and includes an additional 2 feet of extension cable, if needed. The connection is via a 3.5mm connector with stereo audio and mono high-definition condenser mic.

What all that means is that these headphones can crank out the sound and the whole idea behind “isolation” is the rubber ear tips are supposed to fit snugly in each ear, both eliminating outside noise while giving you, the listener, the best sound experience possible for your music, podcasts, or movies. In addition to a rich audio experience, these headphones are equipped with the aforementioned condenser mic for phone calls. Where each earphone cable meets, there is a soft-touch button for call answer/end and song pause/skip. The soft-touch button also supports the triple-tap for moving to the previous song on your list. Very handy indeed.

The carrying bag is a nice extra. When you are done listening and want to stow away your headphones, just coil them up and put them in the pouch, pull the drawstring to close, and worry less about the cable getting tangled up. With the extra 2-foot extension cord, you can wear your iPhone or iPod just about anywhere on your person and still have enough headphone cord length for comfort.

A few years ago, I switched to isolation-type headphones when I bought a pair of Sony headphones with the rubber ear tips. Once making that upgrade, I’ll never go back to standard earbud earphones. The quality of sound and the isolation of outside noise is simply too good to pass up. Given that my previous experience has been my Sony product, that is what I have to compare with these iMetal Isolation headphones.

Before you can enjoy these headphones fully, you need to spend a little time to find the ear tips that work best for you. With small, medium, and large tips to choose from, you want to find the ear tip that fits snuggly and comfortably. You might even find that one ear canal is bigger than the other and you could end up with a medium tip on one ear and a large tip on the other — that’s just fine. It’s nice to have the option.

Once you have the right fit, start to enjoy some very rich sound. The basses are punchy, the mid-range is solid and the highs are clear. For the price, I was quite impressed with the quality of sound I got to experience with the Maximo iMetal Isolation headset. The volume is impressive – I never got close to turning things all the way up because it gets plenty loud. Even when I turned it up, the headset remained clear and the audio did not distort in any noticeable way.

Taking phone calls is a cinch with this headset. When a phone call is coming through, the music will pause automatically and you can choose to accept the call. The call audio will come through your headphones in stereo, then just talk freely and the tiny condenser mic on the headset cord will pick up your voice just fine. I had no complaints from people I spoke to on the phone while wearing this headset.

My only concern with the headset is the fit of the rubber ear tips. In order to provide the most comfort possible and to ensure a snug fit so you can be reasonably active while wearing this headset, the rubber used in the tips is very soft and flexible. You need to insert them in your ear with care so as to not form TOO tight a fit – when fitting them too tightly, I found that the ear tips can create an uncomfortable “suction” in the ear. This can be remedied by removing the ear tips and replacing them more carefully in your ears, and also verifying that you are using the correct size for your ear. If they are too small, the suction effect is more likely.

Conclusion

The Maximo iMetal Isolation headset is a good quality headset that provides rich sound for the money. I like the aluminum alloy material for the headphones, the selection of three different sizes of ear tips, the soft-touch call button, and the extension cable and carrying pouch. This headset offers a lot of nice features and a great isolation-experience sound for a reasonable price. They are just a little more expensive than the Sony headphones I bought a few years ago, but in my opinion, offer a superior sound experience. I do feel it is necessary to deduct some points for the too-soft rubber used in the ear tips that can sometimes create an uncomfortable suction in the ear. Otherwise, this headset is a quality product that you should be satisfied with.

Rating:

Pros:

• Aluminum alloy metal housing for headphones
• Includes extras (two-foot extension cord, carrying pouch, and 3 sizes of ear tips
• Sound isolation experience
• Standard 3.5mm connector for iPhone

Cons:

• Ear tip rubber is very soft and can form a suction in the ear which can be uncomfortable

It wasn’t long until I realized that my iPhone was heating up excessively and I couldn’t keep it close enough to a charger. If my phone was topped off when I went to bed, and left unplugged, it was dead by morning. How could this be? Even a reset didn’t help. There had to be some app running in the background that was chewing up my battery faster than Pac-man on a steroid/speed cocktail. Are YOU having the same problem since the 2.2 update? If so, read on. This tip may apply to you!

Does this picture look familiar? It’s what I was looking at after only mere hours off the charger. The only thing I could think of was that an app was running in the background, draining my battery even when my iPhone was only in standby and unused.

I closed any apps that could be the culprit – I logged off of my IM app. Since the 2.2 update, I had changed nothing, so I assumed the update made some kind of change that resulted in something on my iPhone being ‘always on’ and, likely, using data at a voracious rate. I reset my Safari to make sure it wasn’t the culprit. What could it be?

The only other app on my phone to use data was Mail. I have Exchange set up on my iPhone so that I can get my company mail, contacts, and appointments in as close to ‘real-time’ as possible. Could the update somehow have affected my Exchange settings and made everything wonky? It was time to experiment.

One thing I’ve learned through painful experience is that, in most cases, a problem can be fixed by starting with the simple things. I’ve learned this when diagnosing car problems. If the car doesn’t start, why? Does it turn over when you turn the ignition? Nothing at all? Could be the alternator, right? Oh wait! What about the battery? It’s a lot cheaper to check the battery and replace it before digging under the hood and replacing an alternator.

With this start-with-simple approach, I deleted my Exchange email account and then set it up again from scratch. Guess what? It worked. For some reason, the update did not play nice with existing Exchange settings and email. Once the update ran, my Exchange was locked into a constant ‘on’ state and was endlessly searching for mail that wasn’t there, rather than waiting for the mail to be ‘pushed’. No wonder my iPhone was like carrying a hot coal in my pocket! A simple deletion and setup of my Exchange mail account resolved the problem and my battery life has been normal ever since.

If you use Exchange on your iPhone, I recommend deleting and reinstalling your mail account after all future iPhone updates. Then, you’ll avoid the distress I went through when I couldn’t get 5 hours out of my iPhone after a full charge.

What’s In The Box?

Upon opening the BodyGuardz package, the inside cover contains detailed instructions and hints for installation of the scratch-proof transparent film. There is also a helpful tip referring you to their web site (bodyguardz.com) for How to install instruction videos. A pocket on the inside of the front jacket contains two (2) complete BodyGuardz transparent film sets and installation diagram.

On the right side of the package is a spray “tube” of application solution (harmless water and baby shampoo) and a credit card-like “squeegee” applicator. You definitely want all of these tools to do the job right.

Installation and Performance

Installing the BodyGuardz transparent film may look very intimidating at first. I’ve used similar products on other devices and had them “professionally” installed at mall kiosks. For purposes of this review, I did this installation all by my lonesome, and I have to say, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought. The instructions are pretty straight-forward and the videos on the BodyGuardz web site are helpful.

The secret is using enough of the solution to make your job easy. Make sure you have solution on your fingers at all times – it’s a safeguard against your fingers sticking to the film. You also want to be sure to handle the outside of the film to avoid leaving fingerprints on the tacky side that will apply to your iPhone. Just slowly remove the film from it’s backing, spraying the sticky side with solution as you go, and then apply the pieces of film to the appropriate locations on your iPhone. The screen protector is the easiest, then it gets a little more tricky as you apply the film to the rounded corners of your iPhone.

If you use enough solution, I found that installation was much easier because the film will “float” a little on the surface areas of your iPhone and allow you to move them more easily into position. As the water starts to dry, the film gets more tacky and sticks in place better. This is particularly helpful to know when installing around the corners. As the film gets more tacky as it dries, just press and hold the corners in place until they stick on their own.

Once the film is applied, there will likely be tons of bubbles where moisture is trapped between the film and your iPhone. Don’t let this be a big worry. Just use the squeegee to smooth out the bubbles, carefully pushing them to the edges where most of the moisture can escape. It’s recommended that you allow your iPhone to sit overnight without being placed in a case or pocket – you need to allow the film enough time to “cure” so it adheres to your iPhone. Once in place and dry, the film will stay put and won’t come off. You can peel it off later without leaving any residue if you want, but until that time, the BodyGuardz will stay on your iPhone and protect it from scratches and scrapes.

The nice thing about using the BodyGuardz transparent film to protect your iPhone is that it adds minimal bulk, it shows off the sleek design and color of your iPhone, and it does a fantastic job of protecting against scratches and scrapes. It is also a good idea to apply BodyGuardz before using another kind of case. I’ve learned through sad experience that some cases, although designed to protect your iPhone, can cause scratches over time as dirt and dust get trapped between the case and your iPhone. There are some downsides to using BodyGuardz. First, it adds just enough bulk to your iPhone that some form-fitting cases, particularly the hard cases, may not fit properly. Second, over time the film can get dirty and start to peel around the edges if you aren’t careful. Sometimes this can be remedied if you keep it clean and reapply the corners with a little moisture and curing. Finally, it offers no protection from harmful impacts. Also, it may be a little bit on the pricey side at $24.95. But, that price does include two (2) sets of BodyGuardz.

Conclusion

The BodyGuardz scratch-proof transparent film is an excellent way to protect your iPhone and still give it that “naked” look. It’s moderately easy to apply and stays put once everything dries. It does a fabulous job protecting your iPhone from scratches and scrapes, but is not recommended for protection in the event of accidental (or intentional) drops to the ground. It may create a problem if you want to use a hard form-fitting case. Personally, I like it enough that it’s still on my iPhone and will stay there as long as I have the phone. You can get BodyGuardz here in the TiPb Store for $24.95.

Pros

• Adds minimal bulk
• Clear film to show off your iPhone
• Moderately easy at-home installation
• Protects against scratches and scrapes

Cons

• Adds enough bulk that hard form-fitting cases may not fit properly
• Offers no protection for damaging impacts
• Can start peeling off on the corners over time; wear and tear
• A little pricey at $24.95

TiPb Rating:

If the iPhone is your first smartphone, then you won’t fully appreciate the lack of a means to send contacts or files via Bluetooth or IR (infra-red). What if you want to send your Google map to a friend to show him or her the way? What about sending a website link of your winning team to your buddy to rub it in? The iPhone is lacking in some of the more conventional methods of sending data to someone else, but the built-in screenshot capability can do wonders! Read on for more!

If you haven’t tried it already, just hold down the power button and home button at the same time and presto, your iPhone will capture a screenshot and send the image to Photos. Just about every other smartphone I can think of requires a third-party app to pull off this neat little trick, but fortunately the iPhone makes it easy as pie. There’s a lot of things you can do with this feature, and here’s just a few.

Send Contact Information

If you haven’t noticed, there’s no button or tab to send contact information to someone else via email or otherwise. Therefore, you have to be creative. Use the screenshot feature to snap a photo of the contact you want to send, go find it in Photos, and email that sucker to the one you want to have it. Easy peasy!

Send SMS Conversation

Maybe you have some important information in a text message that you need to send to one or more people, like movie times, an address, directions, etc. Since the iPhone has no copy/paste and no means of forwarding a text message, take a screenshot and email it. Starting to get the picture? Pun. Ugh.

Send Your Stock Quotes

Yeah, I know, why would you want to send the bad news to anyone? But hey, if there’s a reason to send stock quotes, it’s easy to do with screenshot and email. Maybe you want to send some stock ideas to a family member or friend. Maybe someone you know doesn’t have an iPhone (gasp!) with it’s easy access to stock quotes, so you can be helpful and send the bad news via email!

Send A Web Site Screenshot

Did your Celtics take your friend’s favorite team to the woodshed? Now you can do a little taunting of your own by taking a screenshot with your iPhone and emailing it to your friend to rub it in a little. Yes, it’s gloating. But hey, you have an iPhone – license to gloat, baby!

There are lots of possibilities – take screenshots of Google Maps, your new high score on a favorite iPhone game (again, send to a friend for some gloat-ness), and just about anything else that you can display on your iPhone. Be creative!

If you have a tip or how-to that you would like to share, drop by the forums and/or email us atbrian.hart@tipb.com.

The iPhone is a great phone and an awesome entertainment device, but it’s also a great tool for a variety of things, including an excellent travel companion. Ana Ortiz at LaunchSquad dropped me a line and suggested I check out Best Western’s site, which also happens to be iPhone-friendly as a web app. Best Western, partnering with Usablenet, brings their site to the iPhone for your traveling convenience. What features are available via the web app? Read on after the break!

If you enter www.bestwestern.com into your iPhone’s Safari, the site detects you are mobile and will bring you to the web app version. From here, you can check the status of your reservation on the fly, reserve a room for the night, get directions to the hotel, and more – all accomplished from your iPhone.

I like the fact that if I’m out and about and without access to a computer or laptop, I can still confirm my reservations, make a reservation, use the Trip Planner, or get directions to Best Western so I can crash for the night. Since there are thousands of Best Westerns across the globe, this can be a useful web app for the frequent and/or unexpected traveler. If you wish, you also have the option to view the full web site, but that usually isn’t necessary when you have full functionality using the web app. 

According to Ana, Usablenet makes this possible with their comprehensive mobile-web platform, which also works with numerous other hotels, like the Hilton, Starwood, Four Seasons, etc.

As an added bonus, check out Urbanspoon in the App Store. Once you’ve settled in to your Best Western, you might want to grab a bite somewhere and Urbanspoon uses the GPS of your iPhone to help you locate a restaurant near your location for some good eats. Just shake your iPhone and let Urbanspoon do the rest. Keep shaking until the slot machine dials up something you fancy.

That’s it for this time. Thanks, Ana, for the Best Western tip!

If you have a tip or how-to that you would like to share, drop by the forums and/or email us atbrian.hart@tipb.com.

The iSkin revo case for iPhone, available in the TiPb Store for $39.95, is designed for the iPhone 2G and is touted as offering maximum protection for your iPhone. With a broad landscape of cases to choose from, this one stands out from the others. It costs a bit more than most other cases, but is it worth the extra bucks? Read on for the full review!

Design

Constructed of durable rubber and including an ultra-clear impact resistant Screen ViSOR, the iSkin revo case for iPhone 2G has your iPhone covered. Form-fitting to protect all vulnerable areas of your iPhone, it is an impressive way to protect your iPhone from bumps, scrapes, and shock from accidental drops. The material used in it’s construction is even anti-microbial to help keep the germs away. Also, it is available in a variety of colors to give your iPhone a little flair.

The included Screen ViSOR snaps into place to protect your iPhone’s screen from damage when not in use. When you need access to the screen, the Screen ViSOR snaps into place seamlessly on the back of your iPhone, readily available when you need it’s protection again.

The case covers and protects the ports and controls of your iPhone as well. A removable docking port cover is included to keep dust and dirt away from your docking port while still allowing room for the speakers. Along the top of the case, a rubber flap allows access to the headphone jack. The surface of the case is slightly grooved to give your iPhone some “grippiness.”

The iSkin revo includes a privacy screen film with anti-glare. This is a nice touch because it covers and protects your screen from prying eyes as well as dust and dirt, but also performs admirably in reducing fingerprints and smudges. Also, a small, clear plastic lens cover is included to fit between the camera lens and the case.

Performance

The iSkin revo is an exceptional case with regard to protection. It covers the iPhone’s vital spots while still giving you full access to the screen and all controls and ports. The material is grippy and durable, and the case is easy to install on your iPhone and it stays put. Staying put is important, and not for the obvious reason of protection. In my experience, other rubber cases tend to stretch over time and develop a looser fit on my phone. As it loosens, it slides just a little, but enough that any dust or dirt that gets inside between the case and phone results in scratches and abrasions over time. This is very annoying when you thought you were protected. The iSkin revo avoids this problem because not only is the rubber material fairly rigid, but each end is a snug fit on the iPhone, drastically reducing the possibility of stretching and, consequently, abrasions and scratches.

The case features slightly raised surfaces over the buttons so it’s easy to find and “feel” the power button, volume buttons, and Home button. There is a cutout for the mute switch, protecting the switch very well but also causing a little trouble for those of us with larger fingers to access the switch. The ultra-clear impact resistant Screen ViSOR is handy if you are carrying your iPhone in a bag or pocket and want to protect the screen from damage, but it can also be a bit humorous when you try to tap on your iPhone’s screen, get no response, and then realize you had forgotten the clear Screen ViSOR.

The port cover is a handy little item. I like that it’s not attached, giving you the choice of using it or not to protect your iPhone’s charging/syncing port from dirt and dust. Usually it sits firmly in place, but on rare occasions it would come off when I struggled to pull my iPhone out of my front pocket, for example. A friend of mine has used this case since he bought his iPhone 2G when it was first released (a testament to the durability of this case), and he has already paid a few bucks to replace a lost port cover.

Along the top of the phone is the headphone jack cover. I like the design in that it’s a flap of rubber that is virtually seamless when closed, but opens to reveal the headphone jack when needed. It does a great job of protecting your headphone jack from dirt and dust. The included anti-glare privacy screen film is a nice addition. The iPhone’s screen is such a fingerprint and smudge magnet, so the privacy screen film is a welcome addition because it greatly reduces smudges and fingerprints while reducing glare and keeping your screen private from curious onlookers.

Conclusion

The iSkin revo case for iPhone 2G, available now for $39.95 right here at the TiPb Store, is about the best you can do for an iPhone case. It offers excellent protection of your iPhone while still providing access to the buttons and ports. The included privacy screen film with anti-glare is a nice addition, and the embedded anti-microbial protection offers a little piece of mind against germs. The option to attach the Screen ViSOR to protect your iPhone’s screen is nice, particularly that it stores seamlessly on the back of the case when not in use. It is a durable case that adds a little bulk to your iPhone, but not so much to make it unbearable. Given what you probably spent for your iPhone, it’s a great way to protect your investment.

Pros

• Great overall protection.
• Protects yet allows access to all buttons and ports.
• Anti-microbial.
• Includes a Screen ViSOR and privacy screen film with anti-glare.

Cons

• Adds a little bulk to your iPhone.
• Rubber port cover can be lost if you aren’t careful.

Rating:

[This is an iPhone blog App vs. App review! Last week, we ran our Google Earth vs. Earthscape showdown, with Google Earth scoring the win. But which commenter won an iTunes gift certificate? Congratulations musicobsession! Want your chance to win the winning app this week? Comment below!]

Have you ever had a song running on infinite loop in your brain but can’t quite place the name or artist? What about those times you are in a store or in your car and you hear a song that you really like, but you have no idea what the name of the song or artist is? Fortunately, there are two excellent FREE apps for your iPhone, Shazam and Midomi, that can help you name the song and artist, watch the music video, and even buy the song. How do they compare? Read on for App vs. App, music tagging edition!

How Do They Compare?

I’ll say this up front – both Shazam and Midomi are both excellent products and have nice interfaces, so the edge in this contest will boil down to feature sets. Without further ado, let’s dive in and compare these two contestants!

Shazam

The design and interface for Shazam is all about simplicity. When you open up the app, you are presented with My Tags, the main screen for Shazam which displays anything you tagged Today and anything you tagged that is Older. “Tagged” means you have identified unknown music with song title, artist, and other information associated with it.

From the My Tags screen, you can view older Tags or tap “Tag Now” in the upper right corner of the screen to tag some new music. Be sure to have your iPhone close to the music source when you tap Tag Now, because as soon as you hit the button, Shazam will start “listening” and do it’s best to identify the music your are listening to.

If Shazam is successful in tagging the music, your iPhone will display the artist, song title, genre, record label, and album from whence the song came. Album art will also be displayed. If you scroll down, there are several tag options: purchase the music via a link to iTunes, watch the music video on YouTube (if available), take and attach a photo, attach an album photo, share the tag with a friend, or delete the tag. All of this is very straight-forward, but requires an audible sound source of the original music. Shazam is simple and effective in it’s design and it’s easy to use.

So, to use Shazam, just open the app, select “Tag Now”, and let your iPhone listen to the music to identify the artist and track name. You can save your tag history and build your own list of music over time. You can buy the music you hear via a link from Shazam to iTunes. If your tagged music has a music video, Shazam will link you to the music video on YouTube. You can personalize your tagged music with your photos and send your tagged music to friends and family via email.

Shazam works well, is simple to use, and gets the job done. It does require a music source to tag your music.

Midomi

When opening Midomi, you will see a splash screen for a couple seconds, then the application will launch where you left off before. Midomi is similar to Shazam in that it helps you identify music and tag it, but if Shazam is the Toyota of identifying and tagging music, then Midomi may be the Lexus.

Midomi is loaded with more features. In addition to tagging music by “grabbing” the music (your iPhone listening to the music, then matching it with song title and artist), Midomi has additional options. You can sing the lyrics, hum the tune, speak the lyrics, artist or song title, or enter the information by typing it. This is all very handy if you have that song bouncing around in your head, don’t have a music source nearby, but want to put a name and face to your torment – just hum the song and Midomi will search it’s 17 million plus database.

Like Shazam, Midomi tags the song and gives you the options of watching the video on YouTube, buying the song from iTunes, bookmarking the song, and sharing with a friend via email.

There are a lot more screenshots for Midomi because there are many more ways to tag your music. If you have a music source, then great – select the “Grab” tab and let Midomi listen to your music. Or, use one of the other several tabs, like Type, Say, or Sing. Each is self-explanatory and adds additional dimensions to identifying and tagging your music on Midomi.

You can Type the artist, song title, or lyrics and let Midomi search it’s database. You can Talk into your iPhone and let Midomi recognize your speech, or if you are brave and consider yourself a shower-singing aficionado, then give it your best shot and Sing or hum the song. This latter method may be the least accurate given that it’s dependent on your talent level.

Another advantage of Midomi is the vast database of music samples. When you tag your music, you can play a sample of the music on Midomi, which may be helpful in verifying you have tagged the correct song. On a humorous note, when using the Sing method for tagging your music, the sample you play may be the singing voice of another Midomi user out there somewhere.

Conclusion

Both Shazam and Midomi offer features like tagging music with artist name and song title, linking to music videos on YouTube, and sharing your tagged music with a friend via email. However, this is where similarities end and Midomi takes it to the next level. With the additional methods of tagging (Say, Sing, and Type) and a database of music samples, Midomi is more feature-rich.

Midomi Rating

Shazam Rating

It’s rare that I place much stock in the “stock” headphones that are included with my devices. Even though the headphones provided with my iPhone 3G are decent, I’ve graduated to a noise-cancellation type of headphone with rubber ear tips. Even so, the stock headphones and many third-party headphones are equipped with both a microphone for phone calls and a “clicker” button to control your audio. The clicker is a fantastic feature because it makes operating your iPhone or iPod Touch as simple as you want – no need to risk flying off the treadmill because you just can’t stand to listen to THAT song even ONE more time!

Along with the many new updates in firmware 2.1, there was also an update for audio features, specifically concerning the “clicker.” The clicker already handled triple-duty with play / pause / skip to the next song. A single click pauses your music, then a single click again will play your music. Two quick clicks will forward to the next song. Now, there is a FOURTH option. With a triple-click, you can go to a previous song. Remember, you can keep moving backward or forward through your playlist if you click in rapid succession, then pause momentarily for each clicking command to register, then proceed.

Many of you may have already been aware of this feature, but if you aren’t, it’s a handy thing to know. Now, if you are exercising or just don’t want to have to look at your iPhone’s screen to manage your music, just make a favorite playlist of everything you like. Then, you can click, double-click, and triple-click your way through your music without ever looking at your iPhone. This feature works also with third-party headphones. For example, I’m using the Maximo iMetal isolation headset (to be reviewed later), and it is also equipped with a clicker button and it works just fine. So if you haven’t already, it’s time to get your “click-groove” on!

If you have a tip or how-to that you would like to share, drop by the forums and/or email us at brian.hart@tipb.com. 

The BlueTrek Mini Bluetooth Headset is available in two flavors, “Chrome” and “Gun Metal”, and can be purchased at the TiPb Store for $59.95 here. There are a ton of different bluetooth headsets to choose from for your iPhone, so when you have such a wealth of choices and different prices, how does the BlueTrek Mini compare? I’ve been using the “Gun Metal” headset and let me tell you what I think after the break.

In all fairness, I should start with the disclaimer that I’m a very picky bluetooth headset person and am hard to please. I don’t wear them very often, and when I do, it should be comfortable and it should perform.

In the Box

At a fairly reasonable price of $59.95, the BlueTrek Mini comes with a lot of extras. Along with the bluetooth headset, you also receive the standard charger, a car charger, a lanyard that attaches to the headset so you can conveniently hang it around your neck when not in use, two ear clips, and three different sizes of rubber ear buds. Also, a USB charger is included – very handy when you’re at your desk, working away, and still charging your headset via USB at the same time.

Design

The BlueTrek Mini is impressive in it’s size and weight, or lack thereof. It weighs only .35 ounces and measures .75″ wide, 1.60″ long, and .50″ deep. A round button is on the outside for answering and ending calls, as well as powering the headset off and on. A charging receptacle is located on the back, and a discreet volume rocker switch is placed along the side.

This headset boasts up to 7 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby time – quite impressive for such a small size. The provided lanyard and plastic ear hooks are well-intended, but unfortunately fall short of the bar set by the design of the earphone itself.

Performance

Once I fit the headset with the size of rubber earbud that fit snugly in my ear, I quickly paired the BlueTrek Mini to my iPhone and am glad to report that it’s easy to do. Once paired, I used it to make and receive several calls, listened to voicemail, and then used it for phone calls on my drive home. The sound quality is loud and clear on my end and the people on the other end had no complaints.

The BlueTrek Mini allows call redial, call rejection and call waiting with a press of the side button. It supports voice recognition, muting, and has a dual-color LED display. Bluetooth version is 1.2 and, as I mentioned, is easy pairing and I noticed hardly any lag when connecting with my iPhone.

The issues I had with this headset have nothing to do with the sound quality or functionality, but much more to do with the uselessness of the lanyard and the poor quality of the ear hooks. The lanyard line itself is fine, but the metal ring at the end that attaches to the earpiece of the headset is surprisingly heavy for such a light headset. I found that the hefty metal ring kept pulling my headset loose and right out of my ear, so for me, it was pointless to wear it.

Another problem is the provided ear hooks. I can understand why there are two of them in the box. They seem to be not much more durable than uncooked spaghetti. As a sign of things to come, one of the ear hooks was broken in the box. The second one lasted one day. They are so flimsy and brittle that it was pointless to include them. Perhaps the lanyard would make more sense if the headset had an adequate ear hook to keep the headset in place.

Conclusion

The BlueTrek Mini is a decent headset – very light, good battery life, and seems to have adequate sound quality. The price is reasonable, but is less impressive when the lanyard and ear hooks are practically useless. The car charger and USB charger are nice additions, and most likely you will find that one of the included rubber earbuds will fit snugly in your ear.

If you can handle using just the headset itself sans ear hooks and lanyard, then you may be satisfied with the BlueTrek Mini. If not, you may want to keep looking.

Pros

• Very light.
• Decent sound quality, easy to pair and use.
• Great battery life.
• Lots of extras, like car charger and USB charger.

Cons

• Metal ring on lanyard is too heavy, pulling this lightweight out of your ear.
• Ear hooks are cheap, brittle, and break; box should have included 100 of ‘em.

Rating:

Although there are numerous apps that take advantage of the location-based feature the iPhone offers in order to serve up local eats, treats and other items, Goodrec is worth a hard look and download.

Even though it’s free, does Goodrec deliver the goods? Is it worth taking up some space on your iPhone, or is it something you’ll use a couple times and then banish to the electronic void of deleted apps? Read on for my take on Goodrec!

First Impressions

The interface is simple to use. You can use the “Search” screen or “Nearby” to find what you are looking for, from restaurants to movie theaters. Easily look up “Recents” that you have checked before, see which of your friends are online in Goodrec, and even check the history of recommendations you have made over time (more on this in a moment).

Goodrec takes up very little memory on your iPhone and offers a simple menu structure to quickly find what you are looking for. Not only can you find it, but the premise of Goodrec is to build in a community of your friends – people whose opinions and recommendations you trust – so you can make better choices because someone else has “been there, done that, ate that.”

How It Works

In order to find recommended movies, books, restaurants, etc., you need to use Goodrec’s menu. “Search” allows for selecting the category, location, and optionally, a name. If you are more visual, there is a scrolling bar of icons along the bottom of the screen with pictures representing the categories for easy swipe-and-tap.

Using “Nearby”, you can view establishments represented by a pin on a scrollable map. The scrolling map is an excellent feature which I really like. The map is dynamic, so if your desired destination is just off the edge of the map, just scroll and other businesses will appear with their corresponding pins and names. Tapping on the name will whisk you off to the information screen, including address, phone number, and recommendation. Look up more details here and even pull up a map of the location and get directions. Interestingly, the map on the information is a Yahoo map. Tapping on “Directions” then takes you to the Google Maps app on your iPhone. I really wish the mapping was better integrated in this app so that you don’t have to leave the app, check the map, then open the app again to get back to where you were – somewhat of a hassle.

The “Recents” tab will, as you might expect, give you a list of your recent searches, including a way to filter categories, sources of Goodrecs, and location. The “Friends” tab keeps a list of your friends and allows you to “Invite” more friends to use the app. A very nice feature of Goodrec is the social element – you are able to connect with your friends for recommendations. The database you have access to is created by other Goodrec users, so fortunately you won’t usually be buried by an avalanche of recommendations when you are looking for something.

When you take our turn to recommend something, you will see it immediately appear on the map as soon as you recommend it. While you are there, you can mark the location as “My Location” for easier location reference. Once you give a recommendation, it’s stored in the Goodrec database for other people to hopefully benefit from your critique. While you are recommending something, take a picture and store it on your Goodrec so other people can see what you are talking about.

If you are a user of social sites like Facebook, Twitter, or friendfeed, you will be happy to know that you can publish your Goodrecs directly on your site for others to read. Goodrec takes advantage of the location-based capabilities of your iPhone and provides a social network of it’s own or integration into one of your favorite social networking sites so you can share your recommendations with your friends and others.

Final Thoughts

The recommendation system for Goodrec is simple and effective – thumbs up, down, or neutral, with just enough space to leave a helpful comment or two. The social networking aspect is an excellent way to get trusted recommendations and share your recommendations with your friends. Recommendations can be made quickly, privately, and shared on your social networking sites. After using Goodrec a few times, it should be an app that stays on your iPhone for a long time.

Pros

• Easy and useful interface for iPhone and web site access.
• Simple, effective rating system.
• Share recommendations with those you trust – your friends.
• Dynamic scrolling map and directions support.

Cons

• Somewhat clumsy mapping migration between app and Google Maps.
• Social network aspect is reliant on update by your could-be-burned out friends.

Rating:

It’s time for App Avalanche 14, and this week we’re taking a look at the Finance category in the App Store and at what’s Good, Better, Best, and, of course, the CrApp. If you are looking for some good finance apps, there are a load of apps in the App Store in this category. Unfortunately, there seem to be a ton of very mediocre apps (according to reviews left by App Store visitors), and it takes a bit of sifting through the coal dust to find some diamonds. Read on to learn about some Finance apps you may want to try for yourself!

Good

Accounts, by SVT Software,  is a fairly simple, straight-forward app for keeping track of your accounts, like checking, savings, etc. Reconciling your accounts is as easy as placing a check mark next to the item that has cleared your bank. You can export your data as a CSV file for backup, protect your accounts with a passcode, and add unlimited accounts. You can get it here for only $.99 cents.

Better

iXpenseIt, from FYI Mobileware, Inc., is an expense tracking app that is rich in features. It includes user customizability, graphical reports, full text search, mileage tracking, and even storing digital photos of your receipts by using the iPhone’s camera. Export your records as a CSV file. This app appears to be a great tool for the business person who must keep track of expenses and receipts. Get it here for $4.99.

Best

Bloomberg, from Bloomberg LP, is a free app for using the ever-popular Bloomberg financial tracking services. Create a customizable list of stocks to follow, news, company descriptions, market leaders, market trends analysis, and much more. It’s a free app to give you accurate, timely information about the world’s financial markets. Get it here for free!

CrApp

CreditTrak, from Venkatramanan Krishnamani, is an app for storing up to three credit cards (credit card information). The description is a bit misleading in that it advertises the ability to “activate” up to three credit cards, but this app in no way gives you any kind of electronic access to your credit card information. It promises that you can “build excellent credit faster than you can imagine.” Really? Hmmm. So basically if I use this app, enter my credit card information, then manage every single aspect of my credit card transactions, payments, balances, etc. myself, then I’ll have the credit score of my dreams. I have to pay a buck for all that self-help? If you feel inclined to try this app, do so at your own risk. It’s a bit stinky to me; like a bag of burning CrApp left on my doorstep on Halloween night. I’m just sayin’.

That’s it for App Avalanche 14. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

I don’t know if you have tried this (I have), but if you attempt to sync your iPhone with any computer other than the one you originally synced with your iPhone, you will receive a warning that your iPhone is “synced with another iTunes library.”  Your only choice at this point is to “Cancel” the operation or “Erase and Sync” because your iPhone can only be synced to one iTunes library at a time.  Or CAN it?

Thanks to a set of most excellent instructions from the Shiny Things blog of Andrew Grant located here, you can sync your iPhone with one or more additional computers. Read on to learn more!

As I said before, Andrew Grant has posted excellent instructions to sync your iPhone with computers other than your original. Rather than go into repeating all the details of this method, I will instead provide an overview of the steps that Andrew has put together and refer you to his blog for the detailed, play-by-play so you can do this yourself!

In order to sync to more than one computer, there are some needed modifications to iTunes that will then let you sync different data on your iPhone with more than one computer. For example, you may want to sync contacts and calendar items on your work machine, but sync all your media (songs, podcasts, movies, etc.) on your home computer.

According to Andrew Grant (thanks for your hard work on this, Andrew!), the first thing you want to do is backup “iTunes Music Library.xml” and “iTunes Music Library” (Tunes Music Library.itl on a PC) to a safe location on the computer you want to sync with. You will modify these files so you can safely sync with this computer.

On the computer you currently sync your iPhone with, find your iTunes Library ID. Andrew has posted instructions on how this is done. The idea here is that you want your second machine to have the same iTunes Library ID that the original has so your iPhone won’t know the difference. Again, this process is explained in detail by Andrew.

Once you have followed all of Andrew’s instructions, you should be able to plug your iPhone into the second machine, select “Manually manage music and videos”, you will NOT be prompted to erase any data, and you are ready to roll! Again, special thanks to Andrew Grant for posting this handy tip on his blog. Make sure you go to his blog and follow the steps precisely.

First Impressions   

The iGrip Universal Fit Cigarette Lighter Mount for iPhone is designed to accommodate the the different sizes of your iStuff by virtue of an adjustable mounting bracket with padded clamps that narrows or widens to hold your device firmly in place. There are also sliding padded brackets along the bottom to ensure your device doesn’t slip through the bottom.

A stiff but flexible arm attaches the device holder to the base of the mount, which adjusts to fit most lighter sockets. The iGrip Universal Fit Mount does NOT have any charging capability — it’s only function is to secure your device for easy viewing while you drive.

Performance

This mount isn’t fancy – it does what it’s supposed to do: fits securely in your lighter socket and firmly secures your device. The clamping mechanism works easily enough. It is spring-loaded, so depressing the clamp button will move the clamps furthest apart, then just set your device in the cradle (after adjusting the bottom bracket to fit, of course) and squeeze the clamps gently but firmly together on each side.

The flexible arm IS flexible, but very stiff. This is good in that you shouldn’t have any unwanted flexing. However, I recommend you remove the mount first before adjusting so that you do not damage your lighter socket.

I think the two most important advantages of the iGrip Universal Fit Cigarette Lighter Mount is holding your device securely while you drive (bluetooth headset or speakerphone required for calls) and easier viewing of the display for Google Maps. It is unfortunate that there is no means of charging your device via the cigarette lighter socket, but that feature would be less practical in a “universal” device. Also, I think the bottom brackets are a bit redundant given that the side brackets can close with a vice-like grip on each side of your device – it’s not going anywhere once the brackets are firmly engaged.

Conclusion

The iGrip Universal Fit Cigarette Lighter Mount for iPhone, available now for purchase at TiPb Store for $19.95, is a good way to secure your device and make it more easily viewable while you focus on driving. It adjusts to fit just about any lighter adapter, has a flexible arm for positioning, and padded mounting brackets that move in and out with the push of a button. Although not charging your device is a significant drawback, it does offer the other benefits of security and viewing ability for a reasonable price.

Pros:

• Padded mounting brackets to secure device
• Flexible arm for adjusting position
• Adjustable to accommodate several different devices and lighter sockets

Cons:

• Does not charge your device, thus wasting a lighter socket
• Bottom brackets are probably not necessary if side brackets are firmly placed

TiPb Review Rating: 4/5

[This is a TiPb AT WORK App vs. App Review! Last week, it was the Instant Messenger Showdown, with BeeJiveIM squeaking out the victory. But which blog commenter won a copy of the winning IM App? mr. Hi-Definition Congratulations!

This week, the TiPb iPhone Forums voted on their favorite Task/To Do Apps, we took the top two, and now they're going head-to-head. But wait -- there's more! One of the forum voters has already won a copy of the winning App... Congrats coreymol! Want another chance to win? COMMENT BELOW! and make sure you leave a valid email address in the comment form -- it won't be made public, but it will be used to contact you if you win! Check out the full contest details, then grab your iPhone and get ready to get things done -- the TiPb AT WORK Task/Do To Showdown is on!]

I use my iPhone all the time. At work or play, it completes me. I have a few gripes (no sense beating the cut/copy/paste dead horse) – there are some glaring omissions that make it difficult for people to take the iPhone seriously for business or just everyday productivity.

Some kind of sync-able task or to-do list is such a basic feature, and fortunately, the advent of 3rd party apps have made it possible for developers to provide a plethora of apps to remedy this deficiency. The two apps that you folks in the forum picked for this TiPb AT WORK smackdown is Things and Appigo’s Todo. Users have given them both a 4-star rating in the App Store and, quite honestly, it’s a VERY close call to me.

Which of these two get-er-done apps are the best? How do they stack up? Read on!

First Impressions

Things, available in the App Store for $9.99, is a task app that promotes it’s simplicity to use and offers a time-based and priority-based approach. The interface is clean and easy to use, with customization for creating specific task lists. A desktop sync app is also available as a separate download from the main site. The simplicity of the interface and layout of tasks by order of priority and project is very appealing at first glance.

Appigo’s Todo is also sold for $9.99 in the App Store and has a simple interface that allows for the creation of task lists and setting priority of importance and due dates for tasks. Rather than provide a desktop syncing app separately, Todo will sync online with either ToodleDo or Remember The Milk, both of which are popular web apps for the iPhone.

The Same, But Different

Both Things and Todo offer similar functionality in giving you the ability to manage tasks/to-do’s on your iPhone. They both have ways to sync your tasks in a location other than your iPhone. They both allow creation of multiple task lists. Both have an “In-Box” to hold hastily created tasks that you can add detail in the future, like categorization, priority, scheduling, and notes. Both have a nice, easy, and clean interface. There are differences though, and the differences just might give one an edge over the other, but this “edge” may also just boil down to personal taste.

Things

Things is the task app that gives you a timeline/priority approach to managing your tasks. First, you have your Today items – obviously, the items that need to be done today and not tomorrow! These are tasks that you have entered to be completed for the day or are scheduled tasks that have become due. The Next list contains single to-do items and also action steps from active projects. These are the tasks you will do as soon as you can get to them. If the Today items give you a up-close look at your tasks, the Next list is taking a step back and seeing things from the 100 foot view.

Scheduled items are things you will do in the future. These are tasks you will begin at a later date, and as the date arrives, they will show up in your Today view. This may be like looking at your tasks from the 1,000 foot level.

The Someday box is where you place the things you want to do someday, no specific date required. Store your dreams here, if you want. It is like the 10,000 foot view of your tasks – no pressure, just a place to capture your ideas for more shaping and molding.

Things makes it easy to move tasks from one box to another. Then, as you complete tasks, they will appear in your Logbook so you can review the completed items later.

A nice touch is the “+” icon located at the bottom left of each screen. This app wants to make sure that adding tasks at any time is easy and straight-forward. Just hit that “+” icon no matter what you are doing and you can enter a quick task that will sit in your Inbox until you can give it more specificity later. Cool!

Right now, you can download a functioning desktop app that allows you to wirelessly sync your tasks between your iPhone and Things. In the future, this desktop app will be on the pricey side: $39.99 for those that register before the official release, and $49.99 for the johnny-come-latelys. However, if you are a big-time to-do/task person, this is a good investment. You will have a stand-alone app on your desktop that is married to the app on your iPhone so you can both backup your tasks as well as enter them easily from your desktop.

Appigo’s Todo

Todo takes a different approach to syncing. Rather than a desktop app and the additional expense that goes with it, their app syncs online with both Toodledo and Remember The Milk, two popular web apps. The upside to this is that these apps are free and are available to you anywhere you have an internet connection. The bad news is you need an internet connection or you aren’t syncing, period.

Multiple task lists and projects are also available on Todo. You can create repeating tasks, prioritize tasks, and also create tasks quickly that are placed in your Inbox for adding detail later. You can view all important tasks by setting the filter to “All Lists” so you can knock out those urgent tasks no matter what category they are in or project the are a part of.

Another very useful feature offered in Todo is the linking of tasks to contacts and websites. If you need to call someone or send them an email, you can do some right from a task. You can also share tasks by sending them via email. This adds a very useful dimension to your task list when you can link straight to a contact for a call, email, or visiting a related web site.

And The Winner Is….

Both Appigo’s Todo and Things are excellent choices to manage your tasks. They bear several similarities and are available for the same price. The winner is really …. you! In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either app and so it’s really up to your personal tastes. The desktop syncing app for Things is a little pricey, but for some of you it may be worth it to have local syncing that isn’t dependent on having an internet connection. For others, spending another $39.99 or $49.99 is NOT a good deal when you can have online syncing for free with Appigo’s Todo.

If you need multiple task lists, projects, an Inbox for lighting-fast task entry, and task prioritization, then it’s hard to choose. The differences reside in the syncing methods and some personal touches in customization (using custom strike-throughs in Todo or the prioritizing method in Things, for instance).

Since I get to choose, my personal favorite is Things because it gives me the option of syncing with a desktop app, which I find more convenient than using a web app. Things also seems a little simpler and straight-forward to me, something I really value in a task manager. I like that I can be very specific with urgent items or just dump ideas for later thought in the “someday” bin. But like I said before, regardless of which app YOU choose, they are both winners.

Things Rating:

Appigo’s Todo Rating:

It’s time for App Avalanche 13, and this week we’re taking a look at the Entertainment category in the App Store and at what’s Good, Better, Best, and, of course, the CrApp. There’s at least 26 (!) pages of Entertainment apps and counting. After exhaustive research by our highly-trained TiPb staff (please note: author taking massive liberties with the truth here; likely exaggerating), these apps have been hand-picked for YOU. Given that this is unlucky Avalanche 13, written on the 13th, I’m sure the author of the CrApp is feeling quite unlucky for being featured here! 

Good

Crazy Pumpkin, by Ezone.com, is just in time for Halloween. This is a fun and useful app with many features, including digital Jack-o-lantern, scary sound effects, multicolored flashlight, and even a pumpkin-carving design tool with more than a thousand face combinations. It’s a great way to get in the Halloween spirit and will certainly be a winner with kids and adults alike. Get it here for FREE! 

Better

iDaydream, from Brian Smith, is reminiscent of laying on your back and watching the puffy clouds float by. Swipe your finger across the virtual sky and create clouds that float by. Change the sky from blue to sunset and watch the clouds change with the lighting conditions. Sometimes you have to lean back in your office chair and watch the clouds go by — on your iPhone! Get it here for $.99 cents.

Best

i.TV, by i.TV, LLC, is a free movie and TV guide for the iPhone or iPod Touch. It allows you to quickly find your favorite TV show or movies playing anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. You can even view previews and movie trailers, detailed show descriptions, celebrity bios, and even write your own reviews and share them. It’s a media guide at your fingertips. Get it here for FREE!

CrApp

Babe-O-Meter, from Chillingo Ltd, stands for “Bogus Analytic Biometric Entertainment”-O-Meter. How cute. So basically, you shake your iPhone or iPod Touch for four seconds and see how “babe” you are. Wouldn’t you rather just consult your Magic 8-Ball for answers to the greater questions in life, like “should I drop $.99 cents for this CrApp?”  Put down your Magic 8-Ball and let me answer that one for you: No. Skip this charity app (charity for the developer, that is) and move on.

That’s it for App Avalanche 13. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

It’s time for App Avalanche 12, and this week we’re taking a look at the Education category in the App Store and at what’s Good, Better, Best, and, of course, the CrApp. There’s an abundance of apps to choose from, and the Education category has pages and pages of good stuff (and some that isn’t so good). Here at TiPb, we’re all about culling through the mediocrity to see if we can deliver a few precious gems (and one piece of coal, of course!). Let’s get started after the break!

Good

Spacetime Converter, by Elliptics, Ltd., is an app that may have you looking at the world (and space) around you in a whole different way, and how you relate to it. It is a calculator that makes use of geometrized units (where speed of light is unity) and lets you conveniently convert between space and time. Instead of how many months until your next birthday, how about how many miles? A fun educational tool that weighs in at 4 1/2 stars and can be found here for $.99 cents.

Better

iSign, from Aaron Basil of iDev2, is an animated phrase book of 800 American Sign Language (ASL) gestures. Each phrase is fully animated by a 3D character, providing both a detailed view of hand position and motions and even some facial expressions. Apparently it’s a big file, but if you need a good ASL reference that you can take with you on your iPhone, this may be it. Users gave it a 4 1/2 star rating, and you can get it here for $8.99. 

Best

Elements: Flash Cards, by Lucas McGregor, is a flash card app for your iPhone or iPod Touch to help you learn the chemical elements. You can practice memorizing them in just a couple minutes a day and even do intense drills. Learn the elements by name, symbol, atomic number, or atomic weight. What a great idea! Wish this was around when I suffered through high school chemistry! Customers give this app 5 Stars! Get ithere for $.99 cents.

CrApp

aDriverTest, from Andrea Cantadori, is one of those apps that really makes you scratch your head and wonder who fell asleep at THIS wheel in Apple’s venerable app approval department, or were they RUI (reviewing under the influence)? It absolutely BEGS for a lawsuit. As far as I can tell, the purpose of the app is to measure driver response time (implying the driver is under the influence??). When running the app, you watch a green arrow on the screen and when it turns into a brake pedal, you tilt the iPhone forward to simulate depressing the brake. The better you are with response time, the more full your mug fills with beer (!?!). Clearly a drinking game. It gets better (or worse?) – the app description encourages you to try this behind the wheel (holy CrApp!), depressing the actual brake of your car each time the brake appears on your iPhone screen, as the iPhone’s accelerometer detects the motion. This is the part where all good (and even hack) personal injury lawyers begin licking their chops. I guess I should at least hand it to the developer for utilizing the accelerometer, right? I don’t even want to link this 1-star app. If you must look, then just use your iTunes search.

That’s it for App Avalanche 12. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

The iPhone is an excellent traveling companion, whether you are still sporting the iPhone 2G or loving you some GPS-equipped iPhone 3G. Google Maps, music, movies, and apps are several of the features that make traveling more sublime, but all this functionality requires a lot of juice, and if you haven’t noticed by now, you can’t swap your iPhone battery when you’ve run it dry. What to do? Read on for this week’s Tip!

Following are some suggestions for the road warriors and frequent flyers who must conserve power and/or be opportunistic about charging their iPhones!

1. Carry a spare battery. Ha, just kidding. Unlike most other smartphones, the iPhone does not have a user-replaceable battery. Instead, you have to be prepared to charge at anytime, anywhere. Carry your iPhone’s power adapter with you (the new ones are quite small, but apparently pose a risk of breaking and electrocuting — be careful, and trade it in for replacement as soon as you can!). Airports have power outlets scattered throughout and if you have a little spare time before or after your flight, plug in to juice up your iPhone.
2. If you are in a meeting or conference, try to arrive early enough that you can sit near a power outlet, if possible. You can also charge your iPhone via USB connected to your laptop. When you need power, it doesn’t hurt to get creative!
3. If you have an iPhone 3G, try disabling 3G under “Settings” to conserve power. The 3G network is faster, but just like a car using more gas the faster you drive, so goes the battery life of your iPhone when on the 3G network. Unless you really, REALLY need speed while surfing the net, drop down to EDGE for a while to save your battery.
4. Dim your screen. The brighter your screen is, the more power you are using. If you can handle a dimmer screen for a while, then save your battery life by adjusting the brightness to a lower setting.
5. For convenience, take along something like the Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger. Hotel rooms are sorely lacking in available power outlets, so if you have a Belkin Mini Surge Protector with you, you just added THREE power outlets and two USB charging ports to hopefully meet all of your power needs. You can get it here in the TiPb Store.

eWallet

Ilium Software offers their popular eWallet app for Palm, Windows Mobile Pro and Windows Mobile Smartphone. Now, you can have this useful app on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

How does eWallet for the iPhone measure up? Read on for the full review!

Credit cards, bank accounts, memberships, passwords, PIN numbers, health information — I’m a bit ashamed to admit that this is the kind of information I used to store unsecured in Memos on my Palm or, more recently, as a Note on my iPhone. Now, I’ve stepped up my game and am trying eWallet.

First Impressions

The app is fairly easy to use, complete with Get Started for help, Sample Cards, and more samples to choose from. The interface is simple to use and it’s great to make virtual cards to store all my personal data. 

Filling Your Wallet

With eWallet, you first must create a new “wallet” for storing your data. You can name it whatever you wish. Once a wallet is created, you assign a password to protect the data you are about to store in your wallet. Create different wallets for different categories of data, if you wish. For example, create a Credit Card wallet for all your credit cards, a Bank Accounts wallet for your bank accounts, etc. For security, eWallet provides 256-bit AES encryption to ensure your data does not fall into the wrong hands, even if your iPhone does.

After assigning a password, you can begin making virtual cards. For example, if you want to store a credit card in your wallet, you can create a virtual card complete with all your credit card data: credit card number, expiration dates, name as it appears on your card, PIN number, verification number, contact phone number, security questions, and more. After creation, you can edit your card information by tapping the “gear” icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

eWallet allows for quite a bit of customization for your virtual cards. There are several different formats to choose from, from credit cards to your driver’s license, from health numbers to insurance policies. Customization doesn’t end with the type of card or data you can input. eWallet gives you other options, like selecting the color for your card, the type of icon displayed on the card face, gloss effects and rounded corners. You can even select a photo from your iPhone as the background.

Whatever your data may be, it’s very likely that eWallet has a way for you to store it securely on your iPhone. If you are a Windows user, good news — you can download a desktop version so you can backup and sync your eWallet wallets to your PC. If you are a Mac user, like me, you have to wait a bit longer for a Mac desktop version. Ilium informed me that it’s coming soon, so I’m looking forward to adding that feature when it’s available.

Final Thoughts

Pros

• Simple interface and easy to use
• 256-bit AES encryption security
• Create several wallets
• Customizable cards for all types of data

Cons

• No Mac desktop for syncing and backup

Rating:

It’s time for App Avalanche 11, and this week we’re shaking things up a bit over here at TiPb. Given the App Store is truly an avalanche of apps with more piling up each day, it’s just about impossible to keep up. Instead, we’ll present to you what’s Good, Better and Best in the App Store according to what reviewers have said — folks just like you and me who downloaded the app, tried it out, and gave it 1 to 5 stars. We’re also going to throw in a CrApp — an app that just seems to stink to high heaven. Let’s get started after the break!

Good

Thumbtacts, by Crimson Research, Inc., allows one-handed searching of your contacts. To find a contact, touch an option (letter or character string) and then look for matches. Coming in with a solid 4-star rating from reviewers, here are just a few of the comments: ricol says “nice, effective app, but interface needs improvement.” Jim Watson said, “Finally an easy way to access my contacts.” Get it here for free.

Better

TapeMe Voice Recorder, from Axel Wolf of Tausendstern Inc., allows you to easily record memos, meetings, reminders, or other audio on your iPhone. It offers a simple 3-button interface and was given a 4-star rating from reviews. Here are some comments: Seeyadude said, “Great little app and worth the price. Very simple to use on the run.” iTep says, “Love this application!” Get it here for $.99 cents.

Best

iExchange, from Thomas Garaio (www.garaio.com), is an app for viewing a colleague’s Microsoft Exchange based calendars from wherever you are. Check your colleague’s calendar to see when they are in the office, when they are available for meetings, etc. Reviewers gave it a 4 1/2 – star rating. Some comments: Bradley36 says, “Very handy app. Get’s the job done. No bugs or problems.” a odd person says, “Nice icon. Looks promising.” Get it here for $9.99.

CrApp

Aqua, from Alec Bellanca, is an app that simulates the flow of liquid as you tilt and touch your iPhone. See the icon here? That’s about as good as it gets. No, you probably don’t need glasses or need to change your prescription. Yes, it appears to be THAT bad. You may feel better about yourself giving your $.99 cents to charity. Then again, maybe the developer is seeking charity. The 2-star reviewer rating seems generous. If Apple exercises zero quality control in their App screening process and if some developers insist on submitting their CrApp and put their name on it, well… your CrApp just may end up here, for the world to see, with your name. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

That’s it for App Avalanche 11. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

Not sure if you’ve checked lately, but the App Store is ever-growing! So far more than 100 apps have been featured on the App Avalanche, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Time to dive in for another app-stravaganza with iPhone App Avalanche 10!

New

Big Bang Board Games, from Freeverse, Inc., is a winner of multiple Apple Design Awards and is now available for your iPhone.  Includes classic games like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, Mancala, Reversi, 4-In-A-Row, and Tic-Tac-Toe. Great 3-D graphics, auto saves your games, landscape and portrait mode, and more. Get it here for $7.99.

The Tag Show, by John Ellis of Dove Valley Apps, is a quick and fun way to view slide shows of public image feeds. Just specify what you are looking for in the “search” and this app will randomly find images from various photo sharing sites. Save images to your photo album and listen to your music while swiping your way through the images you find. Get it here for free. 

Jewel Quest II, from Digital Bridges Limited,  includes over 50 immersive puzzles to solve and an intriguing story line to follow. In the spirit of Bejeweled and Trism, this app offers similar puzzle-solving fun with features customized for use on the iPhone. Get it here for $8.99.

What’s Hot

Diner Dash, from PlayFirst, Inc., is an iPhone port of a popular PC game where the objective is to help Flo, a restauranteur, grow her business from small greasy spoon to 5-star restaurant by seating, serving, and clearing out customers to make room for more. The quicker you get customers to their tables, the more they will tip. The more money you earn, the more improvements you can make to the diner and even to the point of getting new properties. Get it here for $9.99.

Constitution for iPhone and iPod Touch, from Clint Bagwell Consulting, is a copy of the U.S. Constitution for convenient reference on your iPhone. When is the last time you read the U.S. Constitution? Now you can carry it on your iPhone wherever you go, accessing the Constitution via each Article, Amendment, and even a list of the Signers. Get it here for free.

Stitcher Radio, from Stitcher, Inc., gives you free streaming news and entertainment radio right to your iPhone. Choose a topic and Stitcher will “stitch” together the best, up-to-the-minute shows dealing with that topic. No worries if interrupted by a call; this app will resume where you left of. Get it here for free. 

Top Paid Apps

Line Rider iRide, by inXile Entertainment, is an iPhone port of the internet sensation, Line Rider! The concept is simple yet fun and addicting: draw the terrain with your simple pencil tool; including ramps and dips, or whatever you can think of; and send the boy on the sled down the track. Includes a community of users with track sharing so you can download tracks made by others and enjoy the fun on your iPhone. Get it here for $2.99.

Star Wars The Force Unleashed, from THQ, Inc., allows you to experience the Star Wars universe as never before – on your iPhone! Use the Force powers of Grip, Lightning, Jedi Mind Trick, and much more as you use the iPhone’s touchscreen to engage your enemies. Flick and swipe the touchscreen to activate the different powers of the Force. Enjoy a new and engaging story in the Star Wars universe. Get it here for $9.99.

iFish, from John Moffett, simulates the fun of fishing on your iPhone. Cast your line with the flick of your wrist. Feel your iPhone vibrate when you have a hit, pull back to hook it, and then reel it in with the swiping of your finger. Choose from 10 different locations to catch a dozen different kinds of fish. Includes beautiful scenery, life-like water sounds, and even a tracking feature to list the fish you’ve caught. Get it here for $.99 cents.

Top Free Apps

Goodrec, from Goodrec, Inc., is an easy way to make, find, and remember recommendations for restaurants, nightlife, books, movies and more from your friends and sources you trust. This app brings up an interactive map of your location with recommendations for restaurants and more. I simple “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” give you a quick look for fast decision-making. Make your own recommendations and include photos in seconds. Get it here for free.

iSlots, by Chris Miles, is a Vegas slot machine on your iPhone. Realistic graphics and sound effects give you the experience of playing a slot machine without the risk of losing your hard-earned cash. Your credits are saved for you, so when you return to the app, you can pick up where you left off. Get it here for free.

Earthscape, from Churchill Navigation, is a very unique app that lets you participate in an on-going 3-D rendering of a photorealistic planet Earth. Take pictures wherever you go your pictures will automatically appear on the virtual globe for everyone to enjoy. Get it here for free.

Thanks for stopping by once again for App Avalanche 10.  Keep your eyes open for next week’s Avalanche. Also, please comment on your favorite apps – why are they your favorite?

It seems like ages ago that our iPhones were updated to allow moving icons around and, lo and behold, even to a 2nd (and 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.) screen! Back then, it was gratifying to have the capability to do it, but unless you had a ton of web pages bookmarked and web apps galore, there wasn’t much need to go beyond screen #2, maybe to screen #3.

Now, everything has changed. With the advent of the iTunes App Store, there are a bazillion apps available for download, many of them FREE! If you are like me, you’ve already downloaded like crazy and now you’re staring at an iPhone with apps occupying six screens of real estate and threatening a seventh. Feeling more and more like a hoarder every day, I need to get organized! How so on the iPhone? Read on for this week’s Tip!

The iPhone isn’t your grandpappy’s phone. Nosiree! There are no “categories” to sort your apps into. One thing I miss when I’m using my iPhone is the feature found on a basic Palm device – categories. Sorting apps is easy if you can put them in their own “bucket”. With the iPhone, we’re pretty much left to our own devices with respect to organizing our apps. Perhaps this is so because, aside from bookmarked web pages and web apps, 3rd party apps were not considered at first.

Now, we have to make some choices with respect to organizing the growing number of apps on our iPhones. I’ve decided to include a couple of the more obvious methods, and then I’m throwing this problem out to everyone else – “everyone else” is YOU, faithful reader. Leave your comments and/or get cracking in the forums if you haven’t done so already!

Here are some sorting methods in my order of preference:

1. Popularity – place the apps you use the most on the first couple screens. Don’t be afraid to move some of the default Apple apps off the front page, especially the ones you seldom use. You’ll create more instant access to your prime-time apps!
2. Categories – although there is no way to designate categories on the iPhone, you can sort them in categories of your own by memory. For example, your first screen could be your most accessed apps, your “home” screen. The next screen could be apps that you classify as “utilities”, then “media”, “web apps”, “games”, and so on. If one category is far and away larger than the rest, put it at the end so you have room to add more!
3. Alphabetical – simply A to Z; could be challenging for some, but ask a friend for help if you get stuck.
4. Chaos Theory – just don’t worry about it and let them all fall where they may. The nice thing about the iPhone is the ease of flipping to the next screen. All the apps are large icons for easy finding. No worries.
5. WARNING: this method is NOT tested by TiPb and you’re on your own with this one. Peter Ha over at CrunchGear has posted a method for moving apps to a mysterious and invisible 10th screen. Apparently, you can push apps into the iPhone Ether (a virtual storage area when the number of apps on your iPhone exceed 148. Wow.)

I’ve become a big fan of snap-together hard cases for my iPhone. I’m sporting a form-fitting hard case with “soft-touch” on my iPhone 3G right now, and my original iPhone is protected by the Griffin Reflect Case available in TiPb Store for $24.95. If you still have the iPhone 2G and want an attractive yet functional case, read on for the full review!

Out Of The Box

The Griffin Reflect Case is packaged with a premium cleaning cloth and a static peel screen protector, some welcome additions and added value to your case purchase. Whenever I’m suiting up my iPhone with a new case, I like to thoroughly clean it first to reduce the chance of scratching, so the cleaning cloth is very handy. The screen protector is also a plus — although the iPhone’s glass screen is extremely scratch-resistant, I’ve found that the use of screen protectors have minimal impact on screen touch sensitivity, yet perform quite well in reducing finger smudges that are inevitable on the glass surface.

Form

As pictured above, you will see the front and back halves of the case and the plastic packaging containing the premium cleaning cloth and the static peel screen protector. The case is constructed of durable polycarbonate to protect your iPhone. The front half is reflective in a chrome-like fashion, adding both protection and style to the front of your iPhone. The back half has a matte black rubberized surface for better gripping, reducing the chance of your iPhone slipping from your hand like a bar of soap.

This Griffin Reflect Case offers full access to your iPhone’s multi-touch display, the dock connector on the bottom, as well as the speaker and microphone. The volume rocker, sound switch, headphone jack and power button are also fully accessible. On the front of the iPhone, the earpiece speaker and “home” button are exposed for easy access while the case protectively covers the rest of the phone, again without obstructing the screen in any way. There is also a cutout on the back for your iPhone’s camera lens.

Function

The two halves of the case snap together around your iPhone, encasing it in the polycarbonate protection while still offering accessibility to all controls, camera lens and screen. A benefit of this kind of case is that once the halves are snapped together, the case fits snug around the phone and allows no movement. My pet peeve about other cases, particularly rubber, is that softer cases can stretch over time and move ever-so-slightly against your phone, causing small scratches as dust and dirt get between the case and phone. The Griffin Reflect case is hard and inflexible, so once snapped into place, it won’t budge a millimeter.

A downside to hard cases is related to their installation – they snap together, leaving an almost imperceptible seam around the phone. This is not a problem until you accidentally drop your phone. Although your Griffin case will offer some protection from the immediate impact, it’s inevitable that the case will separate from your iPhone in the event of an extremely hard impact (like concrete, for instance) and your iPhone will be bare-naked and likely scratched and scuffed. For me, the assurance my case will not scratch my phone due to subtle case-slippage is worth the risk of what may happen if I drop my iPhone.

Added thickness is another downside to a case of this kind. The polycarbonate material is protective, but a little on the thick side. Your iPhone will appear less svelte, but it will be well-protected.

Conclusion

The Griffin Reflect Case for iPhone, available now for purchase at TiPb Store for $24.95, is literally a snap to put together around your iPhone 2G and offers great protection while still allowing full access to the screen, camera lens, headphone jack and other controls. The reflective, chrome-like front surface is attractive and the matte black rubberized surface on the back offers protection and a more secure grip. Although there is risk of case separation if you drop your iPhone on a hard surface, the protection benefits far outweigh this risk.

Pros:

• Hard polycarbonate material offering maximum protection
• Full access to screen, camera lens and all controls
• Rubberized back is “grippy”

Cons:

• Hard case can separate if dropped on hard surface
• Case adds thickness to iPhone

Rating: 4.5/5

In the wake of new Apple stuff and the 2.1 update, it’s time to return our focus to what’s REALLY important — Apps at the App Store! If you’re at work, put the “back in 10 minutes” sticky note on your door (if you’re at home, you have no excuse) and have a look at this week’s App Avalanche 9!

New

Asthma-Charter, from Dr. Lee Konowe, Ph.D, is a peak flow measurement and medication recording tool for your iPhone. It is designed to assist you and your doctor in monitoring and logging your asthma treatment. It includes a doctor reporting feature so you can conveniently share your peak flow measurement information with your doctor. Get it here for $4.99. 

Wurdle, by Darrel Johnson of Semi Secret Software, is a fun, fast and flexible word game for your iPhone. The objective in the game is to find and trace as many words as you can on the game screen before time expires. If you run out of words, just shake your iPhone and the game board shakes up as well, giving you more possible combinations. Compare your score with others online. Get it here for $1.99.

Trulia Real Estate Search, from Trulia, Inc., is an iPhone version of the popular Trulia real estate search app. Find homes for sale in your area, Open Houses that you can plan on attending, scan through photos of homes, and even check out the area on the map feature. Customize your searches, save bookmarks of homes you like, and even email them to family and friends. Get it here for FREE.

What’s Hot

MetaSquares, from MetaTools, Inc., is a strategy game where you pit your will against your iPhone’s AI and battle it out on the game board to see if you can win the most squares. Capture all four corners of a square to win the square; the larger the square, the more points you earn. The first to score 150 points with at least a 15 point margin of victory wins! Get it here for $2.99.

Garf, by Mauvila Software, is an iPhone version of the old classic memory game. Exercise your memory by pressing the buttons in the proper sequence as shown. Like many video games, you get 3 lives in this game so you have a chance to repeat a sequence if you mess up. Multiple levels and high scores. Get it here for $1.99.

DataCase, from Aaron Kobayashi of Veiosoft, LLC, turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a wireless drive and file viewer. It works directly with Finder and Bonjour, allowing you the ease of drag-and-drop of your files to your iPhone as if it were a disk drive. Whether it’s a Mac or PC, as long as you have a wireless connection, you can save and view files on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Get it here for $6.99. 

Top Paid Apps

LED Football, by Catherine Eng of touchGove, is a hark back to yesteryear (the late 70′s, to be exact) and truly one of the first handheld electronic games. The original LED Football game is faithfully recreated on your iPhone. Press the virtual buttons on your screen, move your LED player up the field avoiding the LED opponents, and score a touchdown! Best of all, no plastic buttons to wear out after hours of playing. Get it here for only $.99 cents.

Spore Origins, from Electronic Arts Inc., is an iPhone version of the insanely-popular desktop game. Using your iPhone’s accelerometer for control, guide your tiny creature through the many perils of the primordial ooze, customizing your creature with better offensive and defensive features along the way. Swim, float and ooze through 30 levels. Get it here for $9.99.

Real Soccer 2009, from Gameloft, brings the excitement of soccer to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Perform amazing soccer moves with the help of your touchscreen. Includes 198 teams with real player names and great 3D graphics for a realistic experience. Throw the ball in by tilting your iPhone! Supports several different languages and includes 12 stadiums modeled in 3D. Get it here for $9.99. 

Top Free Apps

FlipBook Lite, from Josh Anon, is an app for making doodles come to life on your iPhone and share them with family and friends. Remember those stick figure flip cartoons you used to make? I sure do. Now, use your iPhone to make your own animations, including importing your photos to use in your animated feature movies! If you have made something you are proud of and want to share, upload your creation to flipbook.tv. The Lite version is limited, but the full-featured version is available for $9.99.

Air Sharing, by Avatron Software, Inc., is an easy way to take your documents on the go and view them on your iPhone. Mount your iPhone as a drive on your Mac, PC or Linux system, drag and drop your files that need viewing (several different formats are supported), and then view your documents wherever you go. Save time by downloading docs you need to read for reading later on the plane or commuter train. Usually $6.99, get it here for a limited time for FREE.

White Noise, from Todd Moore, is an app that provides looping background noises so you can tune everything else out so you can sleep or relax. Beach, rain, wind, chirping crickets, the sound of and air conditioner – just several of the sounds available. For a limited time, you can get this app here for FREE.

Thanks for stopping by once again for App Avalanche 9.  Keep your eyes open for next week’s Avalanche. Also, please comment on your favorite apps – why are they your favorite?

This week’s Tip brought to you with thanks to clayrussell over on Twitter. 

On the eve of the much-anticipated iPhone update 2.1, this Tip is timely and will hopefully help you avoid much pain and suffering. As I said before, my iPhone sync times are somewhat horrendous. Although you can manually cancel a backup, my iPhone always defaults to performing an automatic backup before syncing my data, and the backup time is long.

Most of my syncing is uneventful, but sometimes a call comes through in the middle of a sync and effectively torpedoes the process. I could eat breakfast during my first sync attempt and, if interrupted by a call, I could have lunch over my second sync attempt (I kid, I kid!). Seriously, though, the last thing you want is a phone call during your sync. To avoid this problem, there is a very simple solution.

1. Tap “Settings” on your iPhone
2. Slide “Airplane Mode” to “On”
3. Sync as normal
4. Enjoy!

The news used to be more simple. You had your choice of three major television networks, newspaper, magazines, or radio. Twenty-four-hour cable news was yet to come and the Internet was not even a glimmer in Al Gore’s eye. If the constant bombardment of information via satellite broadcast wasn’t enough to overwhelm the mere mortal, along came the Internet with the rise of blogging (ahem) and countless web sites feeding information. Something had to be done to make information easier to digest for the busy person on the go, and Spreed:News uses an innovative way to deliver it. Read on for the review!

What is Spreed:News?

Spreed:News

There are a variety of pre-set news sources to choose from, like CNN Top Stories, Blog Maverick, ESPN – Headlines, and People.com, to name several. The ability to customize the types of news and articles you are interested in is also a feature of Spreed:News.

Using Spreed:News

Also on the main page of the site is a “Customize” button. Tapping on it permits you to choose from several different categories so that each time you visit Spreed:News, you can select from sites and read news and articles that match your interests.

As I see it, there are three main benefits of using Spreed:News, and they are somewhat interrelated. First, it increases your ability to read faster. Second, it presents the information in such a way that, as you learn to read faster, you can digest larger amounts of information in shorter periods of time. Finally, it makes it much easier to read on a mobile device, like the iPhone. Although the iPhone sports a best-in-class Internet browser for rendering full web pages, it goes without saying that ALL mobile devices leave much to be desired for reading large amounts of information due to the small screen real-estate. Even the iPhone, with it’s expansive screen, benefits greatly from this eye-friendly presentation of information.

Once you have customized your interests and selected a news source, just tap on the stories that interest you, set your desired WPM, and start reading the word groupings as they flash in front of your eyes – it’s that easy. Or is it?

What’s It REALLY Like?

A Spreed:News user and fan, Michael, has put together a helpful video here, so I recommend you take a look so you can get a feel for how it works. Thanks, Michael!

The exciting thing about Spreed:News, aside from the obvious way in which it speeds up your ability to digest news and information, is the fact that the company is very responsive to user feedback and improvements are implemented all the time. Also, once you finish reading an article, you are presented with a screen with several options. Users can rate articles so you can see what is recommended reading and what isn’t, post the article on Twitter, send it to a friend, post it on Facebook, and leave feedback. Spreed:News is not only a great way to read information, but it’s also a great way to share the information with others in a variety of ways.

Final Impressions

It is challenging at first to get used to the innovative method of reading word groupings at a high rate of speed on your iPhone, but if you hang in there for a little bit, you will be rewarded with increased reading speed, surprising comprehension, and time savings in dealing with your daily information overload. I highly recommend you give it a try – at the low price of FREE, what are you waiting for?

RATING:

[This is a GRAND PRIX App vs. App Review! Comment on this post for your chance to win... the winning racer! Make sure you leave a valid email address in the comment form -- it won't be made public, but it will be used to contact you if you win! Check out the full contest details, then grab your iPhone and get ready race -- the GRAND PRIX starts now!]

Kicking off our TiPb GRAND PRIX and starting from the pole position, we give you Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D (available from iTunes for $9.99) versus Cro-Mag Rally (also available from iTunes for $1.99)! Who is going to get the checkered flag today? The wily Crash Bandicoot or those lovable Neanderthals? See how they compare and see who we choose as the winner of heat #1. As I’ve always wanted to say, “Gentlemen (and ladies), START YOUR ENGINES!” (and keep up with us after the break!)

First Impressions

Both contenders enjoy a previous following from their original release on different platforms (Crash from Sony Playstation and Cro-Mag from Mac OS X), and fortunately for all of us, they are now both available for the iPhone. Let’s take a look at both games while the engines are warming up!

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, from Vivendi Games Mobile, is a 3D Kart racing game in the spirit of Mario Kart. Race against AI opponents, grab power-ups along the way to better your chances of winning, and enjoy iPhone accelerometer-based controls and fluid graphics.

Choose from different modes of play: Quick Race drops you right into racing action, Cup Mode is a tournament-style racing series, and Story Mode is available as a quick unlock that adds plot to your racing fun.

Cro-Mag Rally, from Pangea Software, Inc., is also a 3D racer that resembles Crash and Mario with AI opponents, power-ups for both offensive and defensive weapons and car enhancements, and similar iPhone accelerometer-based controls and comparable graphics.

Choose your driver, be it caveman or cavewoman, and select from several different tracks of increasing difficulty and cars with varying performance characteristics.

Graphics and Sound

Crash: takes full advantage of what the iPhone’s impressive display has to offer. Rich colors, fluid movement, and even the nice touch of sunlight reflecting off the “lens” adds a little depth to this game. On-screen displays include a heads-up of the track and your location in proximity to your opponents, your racing time and position, and access to power-ups you pick up along the way. On occasion, the game loses a bit of fluid movement when things get really hairy, but only for a split second and registers very low on the annoyance index.

Cro-Mag: very comparable to Crash in that it is also very fluid and colorful. There is the occasional noticeable lag, but also like Crash, it is brief and doesn’t meaningfully detract from the overall experience. On-screen displays include a heads-up track with racer’s positions, a “forward” and “reverse” button, brake button, power-ups button, and your racing position.

Both games have nice sound with catchy tunes, although my preference leans a bit toward Cro-Mag for it’s music. Otherwise, graphics are very comparable and it’s difficult to give either game an edge here.

Graphics and Sound Results: TIE

Controls

Crash: driving your Kart is fairly straight-forward; hold your iPhone comfortably in front of you and “steer” left or right. The iPhone’s accelerometer is nicely calibrated for good steering responsiveness. Interestingly enough, Crash removes the option of controlling your speed in the traditional sense. Instead of worrying about pressing on the gas pedal, your Kart accelerates to full speed and you can control your speed around corners in a “Tokyo Drift”-esque manner. Pressing your thumbs on each side of the screen will power-slide your Kart left or right for cornering. Just tap the screen lower right to use your power-ups and lower left to pause your game.

Cro-Mag: like Crash, hold your iPhone in like fashion and “steer” left and right and let your iPhone’s accelerometer do the heavy lifting. Unlike Crash, Cro-Mag is more traditional in that there is an up/down arrow at bottom left for “forward” and “reverse”, a wheel next to the arrow for braking, and a bone on the right side of your screen for activating power-ups and throwing objects either to your front or behind you. I never use the brake, but that’s just how I roll.

Both games have easy controls that fit well with their respective style of game-play, so unless you have a particular bias toward one or the other, they are both very comparable.

Controls: TIE

Gameplay and Value

Crash: gameplay and value (replay value) factors heavily in giving Crash an edge here. There are multiple racing modes: Quick Race throws you straight into the racing action with your choice of unlocked vehicles; Cup Mode is a tournament-style race around four different tracks with points awarded based on your placement, the winner determined by total points after all four races; and Story Mode, which is unlocked early in the game, adding plot and automatically mixing up your vehicle selection, opponents and number of laps. Some other nice features are available unlocks as you progress through the game (like Story Mode and Time Trial Mode) and the storing of best times to measure your progress. Additionally, the game saves your progress and allows you to resume (handy if you are interrupted by a call or need to stop playing for something like eating, work, sleep, etc.). Crash is also reasonably priced at $9.99.

Cro-Mag: when this app was first introduced and sold in the iTunes App Store, it was $9.99. In the past few days, it has dropped all the way down to $1.99, making it a no-brainer to have on your iPhone. Cro-Mag offers up 9 tracks with increasing difficulty and landscapes that vary from desert and jungle to snow and underwater. Also, you have immediate access to 11 different vehicles with varying characteristics for speed, acceleration, traction and suspension. There are two game modes: Gather Mode requires collecting arrowheads along the way, then win the race; Race Mode pits you against three AI opponents and three laps to win. Having all the goods up front is fun, but also exposes a weakness in this game in that nothing is earned along the way. Each race is a race unto itself and there are no unlocks or merit for progression and improvement. With that aside, I am impressed with the ability to throw power-ups (like exploding bones, bottle rockets, and homing pigeons, to name a few) both forward and behind to delay your opponents. The lack of any kind of earned unlocks is offset by the current low price of $1.99, and the variety of cars and tracks give this game some replay value over the long haul.

Although I’m tempted to issue another “Tie” based on the features offered for price paid, I still give the edge to Crash for better gameplay and replay value. Although it’s more expensive at $9.99, it still offers more replay value.

Gameplay and Value: CRASH

Conclusion

Both Crash and Cro-Mag are excellent racing games for the iPhone, but in the end, it’s almost a photo-finish. Although a close match in almost every category, Crash pulls away at the end with better gameplay and replay value by offering more modes of play, a resume game feature, best times, and progressively unlocking better vehicles and additional modes of play. Fortunately, both are priced nicely and there should be room for both on your iPhone.

WINNER: Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D!

[Want a chance to win Crash? Leave your comment below. Winner announced next week along with the TiPb GRAND PRIX second heat!]

New

Kanji Flip, from Andre Khromov, is a flash-card type app for learning Japanese Kanji. It incorporates an intelligent progress tracking system for faster learning by “remembering” which kanji you have the most difficulty with and flashing those cards more frequently. It includes 2,230 kanji from the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. If you want a study aid for learning Japanese Kanji, get it here for $2.99. 

Alli’s Jigsaw Puzzle, from Rogobete Christian, is a puzzle game for your iPhone that provides 30 high-quality puzzle pictures for you to solve or use your own pictures from your photo library. Just tilt your iPhone for either portrait or landscape mode. There is also sound, music and animation, with three different themes to choose from. Get it here for only $.99 cents.

AccelaStudy Vocabulary Builder, by Charles Sieg of Renkara Media Group, Inc., is a flash-card approach to increasing your English vocabulary for anything from graduate school exams, university entrance exams, professional advancement, or just the satisfaction of building your own personal vocabulary and language proficiency. More than 500 words are available with synonyms, definitions, and use in a sentence. Many more features are included. Get it here for $14.99.

What’s Hot

MLB.com At Bat, from Major League Baseball Advanced Media, lets you follow every Major League Baseball game on your iPhone. While you’re taking a 7th-inning stretch at work, see how your favorite team is doing. It includes real-time box scores, play-by-play, and video highlights. The app also detects your network to provide the most efficient video encoding. Get it here for $4.99. 

Dynolicious, by BunsenTech, LLC, is an app that uses the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer to measure your auto’s 0-60 acceleration, quarter-mile elapsed time, horsepower, lateral G’s, and several other performance metrics. A history is saved so you can compare different performances and track developing trends. Use this app to track and compare performance after making modifications to your car. Please use on a closed course for your safety and safety of others. Get it here for $12.99.

NetNewsWire, from NewsGator Technologies, Inc., is an RSS reader for your iPhone for reading millions of sites and weblogs that publish RSS feeds. When you read a feed on this app, it is marked as being read everywhere so you won’t see it pop up again on your Mac or other computer. Save items for reading later via the Clippings feature. Get it here for free.

Top Paid Apps

Seismometer, by Johan Nordberg, is an app that measures everything that vibrates, shakes, moves, or jostles. Next time you’re in an earthquake, just whip out your iPhone and pretend you’re a real seismologist! This app uses the iPhone’s accelerometer to take measurements on two axes, then calculates the resulting energy and produces the results on a rolling logarithmic scale. Get it here for $.99 cents.

PocketGuitar, from Shinya Kasatani, turns your iPhone into a virtual guitar. Press and strum strings to create sounds from six different instruments: acoustic-electric guitar, electric guitar, classical guitar, muted guitar, electric bass, and ukulele. Choose effects like distortion, chorus and delay and edit parameters. Get it here for $.99 cents.

Election ’08, from Aaron Brethorst, is an iPhone app that keeps you current on up-to-the-minute polling data for all 50 States and the District of Columbia for the 2008 Presidential Election. Will it be Obama or McCain? View graphical representations of this election and see how your candidate is faring in the battleground states and view the sources of the many different polls. Don’t forget to vote! Get it here for $.99 cents.

Top Free Apps

Sportacular, from Jeff Hamilton and StreamingScores.com, is an app that provides fast, up-to-the-minute scores, standings, stats and news for several major college and professional sports. Get the skinny on MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA football and basketball games. League and conference standings and the NCAA Top 25 are updated daily. Get it here for free.

WhitePages Mobile, by WhitePages.com, is the iPhone equivalent of accessing more than 180 million people in the U.S. for finding contact info anytime, anywhere. Use the Reverse Phone Lookup feature to identify callers you don’t recognize.  Use the Auto-Detect Current Location feature to get maps and directions. Check it out for many more features, and get it here for free.

Puzzloop Free, from Hudson Entertainment, is the lite version of the original Puzzloop game first introduced in 1998. Eliminate balls that roll along a rail and connect three or more balls of the same kind to eliminate them. Get the lite version here for free.

Thanks for stopping by this week for App Avalanche 8.  Be sure to stop by next week for another Avalanche of Apps. While you’re here, what are YOUR favorite apps, and why?

SplashMoney, from the folks over at SplashData, Inc., is now available in the iTunes App Store for $9.99 with a desktop version available for $19.99.

SplashData’s products have been ever-popular on other platforms, such as Palm, Windows Mobile Pro and Smartphone editions, and BlackBerry. Now, they have taken the plunge and offered up some of their goodies for iPhone.

How does SplashMoney for the iPhone measure up? Read on for the full review!

Ever since I replaced the old paper planner with a shiny PDA, I have looked for ways to eliminate paper and consolidate all of my information into one electronic brain. One of my favorite apps over the years has been a little checkbook register app for my Palm — it allowed me to leave my checkbook register at home and input my financial transactions as I spent my hard-earned cash. Now that I’m an iPhone user, I was immediately intrigued about SplashMoney and knew I had to give it a try.

First Impressions

The Setup

Setting up your accounts is rather simple to do. With SplashMoney, you have the option of either managing your accounts manually or connecting and syncing the financial data and transactions from your bank or other financial institution (i.e., credit card company). The list of available banks is extensive and I was pleased to find my credit union on the list.

The top part of the Account screen has an “Edit” button for editing your accounts and a “Tools” button to adjust various settings, from setting a password and editing payees and categories to Syncing your data to the desktop app (sold separately) or running the Quick Start Guide. Along the bottom of the screen is a ” + ” for adding new accounts, a pie-chart icon for Reports, a piggy-bank icon for managing your Budget, and a “download” icon to download your financial data to your iPhone. Additionally, there is a running balance indicator that you can customize to reflect any and all of your accounts. Given my personal financial situation, it is far more morale-boosting to just include my checking account balance so the number stays in the “black” as opposed to a “red” number with a negative to the left.

It was during the account setup period that I ran into some bugs — sometimes SplashMoney will reset, particularly when you are in the middle of downloading the financial data online from your accounts. Hopefully this is an issue that will be resolved in future updates. Even with the reset nuisances, the ability to sync up and download your current balances and transaction histories is a tremendously positive feature for me. I like to see what’s happening in my accounts while I’m on the go, and SplashMoney does a good job of displaying that information for me.

Form and Function

SplashMoney also supports multiple currencies and online real-time currency updates. Custom icon support and the ability to print registers and reports are also included features, as well as scheduled transactions and reminders. Some people may be hesitant to use the online account update feature, but fortunately there is secure password protection using Blowfish encryption.

Desktop Syncing

It’s nice to have the backup and redundancy of my financial data on both my iPhone and desktop. I’m using the Mac version and syncing my data was painless. You can download a 30-day trial of the desktop app to see if it’s right for you.

Final Thoughts

I would be far more pleased if I had more money to manage and see more balances in the “black”, but that’s not SplashMoney’s fault. In fact, I look forward to delving deeper into the features and utilize budgets and reports to manage my money better and watch with satisfaction as more of those “red” balances turn to “black.” 

SplashMoney offers a nice user interface on the iPhone and desktop app alike, and the ability to sync online with your accounts is a really nice touch. The app is simple to use but offers up very powerful features that can please the novice and power-user alike. I look forward to seeing future updates and see just how polished SplashMoney can become.

Pros

• Simple, clean interface
• Online account syncing
• Supports categories, reports and budgets
• Desktop app available

Cons

• Sometimes crashes during accounts setup
• Does not online sync to all accounts

Rating: 4 / 5

We’ve covered the “what to do with your old iPhone” question before in a previous Tip. Although you could feasibly use your old iPhone as an iPod Touch, backup phone, paperweight, doorstop, etc., money can have a strange way of changing attitudes and behaviors. If you have a strong sentimental attachment to your old trusty 2G iPhone and want to keep it that way, stop reading now and continue your 2G love-fest. If you think you can handle an extra $500 or $600 bones in your purse or wallet, then this Tip is for you.

The venerable Erica Sadun over at tuaw.com posted about this very subject about the steady rise of first-gen iPhone prices. She wrote the following:

From easy-unlocking to contract-free usage to eco-consumerism, consumers are looking for those original units and paying premium prices to get them. A majority of phones are heading outside the US for resale while growing demand at home keeps resale prices high.

It’s just the good old-fashioned basic economics of supply and demand. New iPhones require a contract with AT&T and, unlike the first-gen iPhone, they can’t be bought off the shelf for later activation. The 2G iPhone can be bought, unlocked, and used contract-free. Just a quick browse on eBay and you will find that 2G iPhones are selling for about $500 for the 8GB model and $600 for the 16GB model, respectively. Obviously, the better the condition, the more likely you’ll fetch a higher price.

As I write this, I’m staring into my open nightstand drawer at my 2G iPhone. Do I see an older, unused iPhone or do I see a stack of Benjamin’s? Needless to say, it’s very tempting right now to take advantage of the current market conditions where you can get top-dollar for your used iPhone. What are you waiting for? If you won’t sell, then what are you doing with your old iPhone?

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and make sure you let eBay know where you got this Tip — I want a piece of the action!). 

Hopefully it’s a long holiday weekend for at least a few of us, so what better to do for your Labor Day than kick it in the iTunes App Store? There are more apps piling up with each passing week. It’s time for iPhone App Avalanche 7!  

New

RunKeeper, from Raizlabs Corporation and FitnessKeeper, Inc., is a location-based app that utilizes the iPhone 3G’s GPS functionality to track the daily performance of runners, cyclists, hikers, walkers, or anyone else moving. It tracks duration of activity, distance, speed, and pace. You can also log your activities at www.runkeeper.com. Get it here for $9.99.

Asphalt 4 Elite Racing, from Gameloft, is a racing game for the iPhone that allows you to race against your friends in WiFi mode. There are 28 licensed rides from the likes of Ferrari, Bugatti, Aston Martin, Chevrolet Corvette, and more. Enjoy 3-D graphics and race through 9 different cities, all the while controlling your car using the iPhone’s accelerometer. Get it here for $9.99.

Toy Bot Diaries, by Iugo Mobile Entertainment, gives you control of a tiny Toy Bot to navigate through several physics-challenging levels using your Bot’s magnetic boots and grappling hook to overcome obstacles and challenges. Help the Toy Bot find his missing datapads to restore his memory and help him along his top-secret mission. Engaging comic-inspired graphics enhances your enjoyment. Get it here for $3.99.

What’s Hot

Fire Drop, from Ravi Korukonda of xCube Labs, is a puzzle game for the iPhone where your objective is to burn the simmering cauldrons into raging flames and follow the monk as he splashes words of wisdom for you. Tap on 3 or more adjacent cauldrons of the same color to destroy them. Achieve higher scores as you destroy more cauldrons with one tap. Get it here for free!

iDoodle2 lite, by Josiah Larson, is a powerful and fun drawing app for the iPhone and you can enjoy many of it’s basic features for free! Draw, sketch, use different colors, save your drawings, use the eraser and “blob” tool, and more. Undo or redo your work with the half-flip of your iPhone. Get it here for free!

Space Out, from Binary Square, Inc., pays homage to a couple classic games of yesteryear: “Space Invaders” and “Breakout.” Even the sound effects hark back to the late ’70s. Ahhhh, those were the days! Use your brick-breaking skills to shoot down the pesky aliens overhead. Includes various power-ups and a triggered multiple-ball mode! Get it here for $2.99.

Top Paid Apps

Air Hockey, by Bryan Duke of Acceleroto, brings the fun of air hockey to your iPhone for one or two-player action! If playing alone, you can select from easy, medium and hard AI settings to make your game more challenging. The first to score 7 points wins! Enjoy realistic air hockey physics and sounds as you send the puck careening off the sides to beat your opponent’s defenses and score a goal. Get it here for only $.99 cents.

Billy Frontier, from Pangea Software, Inc., is being sold at HALF PRICE right now at the app store and only for a short time, so check it out! It is a space cowboy game that is a combination of adventure and action. It is four games in one: Dueling, Shootout, Stampede, and Target Practice. Graphics and sound are also touted as being top-notch. Get it at 50% off (for a limited time) right here for $2.99.

AP Top25 College Football 2008, from The Associated Press, is the standard measure of power in NCAA football for your iPhone. Flick through the weekly poll to see how your team fared against the nation’s best. Get weekly game scores, recaps, photos and podcasts. Tap on the teams to view their progress through the season. Get it here for $.99 cents.

Top Free Apps

Wikipanion, from Robert Chin, is an iPhone app designed for easy search, navigation, and display of Wikipedia information. It provides easy to read custom formatting pages, quick table of contents browsing, searching, search autocompletion and more. Entries load much faster than from the main Wikipedia web page. Get it here for free!

Hanoi, by Ian Marsh, is the classic Towers of Hanoi puzzle game for the iPhone. Enjoy the relaxing scenery as you move your pile of discs from one side of the screen to the other. Keep in mind that you may only stack smaller discs on top of larger ones! Get it here for free! 

IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger, from SHAPE Services, is an award-winning all-around chat client that includes AIM/iChat, MSN/Windows Live Messenger, Jabber, ICQ, Yahoo, Google Talk and MySpaceIM. It’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and family without incurring the cost of text messaging, because it’s FREE to use! Get it here for the low cost of free.

That’s it for the iPhone App Avalanche 7.  Be sure to stop by next week for another Avalanche of Apps!

It’s late at night and you can’t sleep. Your significant other has already called it a night and you’re bored out of your mind.

In both scenarios above, you desperately want to catch up on your DVD backlog, but who has the time? Well, read on for this week’s Tip on how to turn your iPhone into your very own silver screen!

You are probably well aware of the ability to watch videos on your iPhone. You can connect to iTunes and rent movies, download to your iPhone, and enjoy. You may not know, however, that you can squeeze your own DVD collection (or at least several titles from your collection) onto your iPhone to watch whenever you wish.

In order to watch movies on your iPhone, the video file needs to be compressed. There are numerous applications out their on the web that you can purchase for a nominal fee and start “ripping”, or compressing, your movie collection. However, one app that I’m fond of that just so happens to be free of charge is Handbrake. 

Handbrake is easy to use. Just load your DVD, start up Handbrake, and it scans your DVD for the files it needs to compress. Just make sure you select the proper format for your movie; Handbrake will rip your DVD in the format you preset, i.e. iPhone or iPod Touch, iPod Classic, etc., depending on the screen size. Once the scan is done, you click “Start” and your movie file will be compressed in about an hour or so. Once compressed, just copy the file to the “Movies” section of your iTunes Library and then sync your movies to your iPhone. You are now ready to take your DVD library with you wherever you go!

Keep in mind that you should only compress movies that you OWN (ahem). Now you can plug in your headphones and watch a movie on your plane ride or with your head propped up on a pillow in bed without disturbing anyone. The sound quality is great with the headphones and the picture quality is surprisingly good too. Whether it’s your favorite movie or television series, try it out today!

That’s it for this week’s Tip. If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and please only watch movies on your iPhone when in a seated position — and NO, driving a car doesn’t count as a “seated position”). 

It’s time for App Avalanche 6!  What’s new in the App Store? What’s Hot? Which apps are people paying their hard-earned dough for? What about all those Free apps? Which ones are at or near the top of the charts? For answers to these questions, keep reading for iPhone App Avalanche 6!

New

TanZen, from Craig Kemper of Little White Bear Studios, is the iPhone version of the classic tangram puzzle game. With over 100 puzzles and growing, your objective is to move and rotate the 7 shapes (puzzle pieces) and fit them together in a shaded puzzle area. Work on puzzles in any order and even save your progress on several puzzles at once. Get it here for $2.99.

Loan Shark, from August Trometer of FoggyNoggin Software, is financial software to assist you in calculating your payment, interest rate, and loan amount of a loan. You can view the full amortization of your loan over it’s lifetime and even compute the effects of making more than the minimum payment. Save your loan figures for comparison shopping and even find lending institutions in your area. Get it here for $4.99.

Par 72 Golf, by Chillingo Ltd., may have mixed reviews but offers three 18-hold par 72 golf courses with mountain, desert, and ocean environments. Experience 3-D hills, fairways, traps and greens. Select your club, check the wind and distance, and swing away to enjoy realistic ball flight and roll. The game saves your progress and you can listen to your own music while you play. Get it here for $7.99.

What’s Hot

aSleep, from Marcello Catelli of Signs Studios, is an app for sleep, relaxation, meditation, or yoga. Set the timer and fall asleep to soothing sounds or melodies. Relieve stress to the sounds of the beach, rain, wind, musical instruments, or a variety of other sounds found in nature or made by man. Get it here for $.99 cents.

LocalEats, by Magellan Press Inc., helps you find the best 100 restaurants in the top 50 cities in the U.S. Eat where the locals eat. Find the best restaurants nearest you and get driving directions to get you there. Read user comments to help you make your dining decision. Get it here for $.99 cents.

StarSmasher, from John Bowers, is a 3D arcade-style space shooter. Battle a never-ending wave of alien ships, dodge asteroids and proximity mines, and collect power-ups along the way to improve your odds. Earn extra lives and keep playing to set a new high score. Get it here for $2.99.

Top Paid Apps

iDrummer (iDrumHero), by Nicholas Grant, is inspired by games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Tap out different drum patterns and see if you can set a new high score. Or, if you want to just play around without any pre-set patterns, enter “Free Play” mode and start drumming whatever you want. You can even play along with music on your iPhone. Get it here for $.99 cents.

iWik: Wikipedia for the iPhone, from Hampton Catlin, is an app that makes Wikipedia a much more pleasurable experience for viewing on your iPhone. Specialized servers change content to be more precise by reformatting the content for your iPhone screen. A portion of all proceeds goes to Wikimedia Foundation. Get it here for $.99 cents.

Preschool Adventure, from 3DAL, LLC, is an opportunity to get involved with your preschool-aged child with these fun, interactive learning activities. There are four mini-games that help your child learn about different animals, parts of the body, sea creatures, and the names of different shapes. Get it here for $.99 cents.

Top Free Apps

Newton’s Cradle, from Grant Hull of Enabled Solutions Pty Ltd, is a fun exercise in physics. Touch and grab one of the simulated steel balls and let it go. Watch as it strikes the others and results in a reaction from the other side. Utilize the iPhone’s accelerometer to view the effects of tilting your iPhone while the Cradle is in motion. And who said physics isn’t fun? Get it for FREE right here.

Audi A4 Driving Challenge, by Kris Collins at Audi of America, Inc., is an Audi A4 driving simulator. Maybe many of you are like me — this is the closest I’ll get to experiencing an Audi A4. Steer your virtual A4 through a series of progressively more difficult driving courses by using the accelerometer of your iPhone to control your car. Race against the clock to beat your best time. Get it here for FREE.

Brain Tuner, from Bridger Maxwell of Gengar Studios and Elliot Lee, is an app for keeping your brain in tip-top shape in just minutes a day. It’s also less expensive than “Five Minute Abs!” Challenge yourself with a series of math problems and see if your basic math skills improve in speed and accuracy. Get it here for FREE.

That’s it for the iPhone App Avalanche 6.  Be sure to stop by next week for another Avalanche of Apps!

To your right, you’ll recognize a familiar sight – Visual Voicemail. You will notice that I took the liberty to remove (rather sloppily, I might add) sensitive information to protect the names of the innocent (and even not-so-innocent). This is your best friend when you can’t answer a call, but when traveling abroad can be a pain in the hind end (more specifically your wallet or purse).

With thanks and due credit to Iljitsch van Beijnum’s article at arstechnicha.com (which I recommend you reading), the method of voicemail retrieval is explained. The way voicemail is handled results in excessive international charges.

Essentially, the visual voicemail that ends up on your iPhone makes a criss-cross journey that would make UPS envious. This is how it works:

1. A call placed to you first travels via your country of origin – no matter where a person is in the world when they call you, the call will FIRST go through your home network.
2. The call is then forwarded to the roaming network you are connected to, seeking you out. You now incur international charges ($).
3. If the call is not answered or if you are not available on the network, it will be routed to your voicemail. This is where it gets fun. The call will now RETURN to your home network, incurring more international charges ($$$). Get the idea?

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  Thanks again to Iljitsch van Beijnum of arstechnicha.com for his article. Check it out! If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and don’t forget to clear your schedule, take a deep breath, and call AT&T Customer Service AGAIN to reactivate your voicemail when you get back). 

App Avalanche 5 promises more new, popular and free apps to check out and download to your iPhone at your whim. What you WON’T get is any mention of apps costing $999 — these apps are far more affordable and useful. If you don’t have the time to sift through hundreds of apps at the iTunes App Store, just take a look here for a summary. Read on for iPhone App Avalanche 5!

New

Picoli, from Thorsten Lubinski of Alazar GmbH & co. KG, is photo retouch app for you iPhone. No longer can you only do touch-ups to your photos on your Mac or PC! Thanks to an array of high-quality filters and sophisticated image processing algorithms, you can professional edit and improve your pictures. Get it here for $4.99.

Carrie’s Dots, from Chris and Charles Hanson, is an iPhone version of the old classic paper-and-pencil game, “Dots.” For two players, it’s great to engage in a spirited match while you’re waiting for your food, your plane departure, or anything else. If your game is interrupted by either the event you’re waiting for or a phone call, your game is saved and you can start where you left off. Get it here for FREE.

PegJump, by Jerry Jones, is the iPhone version of the classic wooden board and peg puzzle game. For some reason, I usually encounter this game at restaurants. Start with one empty hole, then start jumping pegs over other pegs, removing the jumped peg, with the object being to end up with only one peg — tougher than it sounds! Get it here for FREE.

What’s Hot

Bubbles, from Jesse Grosjean, is all about getting your Lawrence Welk on. Manipulate the bubbles with your fingers, pop them, and listen with pure joy as you reminisce your childhood bubble-popping days. Somehow I suspect my fellow writers have already downloaded this and are steeped in the Zen of Bubble-Popping as I write. Get it for FREE right here.

Lucky 7 Slots, by Griffin Technology, brings the excitement of Vegas video slots to your iPhone. What happens on your iPhone, STAYS on your iPhone. Place your bets and let the 7′s spin. Your score is saved for the next time you play. Get it here for $1.99.

Restaurant Nutrition, from Foundation Surgery Affiliates, is an app to help you view nutritional information for numerous restaurants, fast-food or otherwise, to assist you in your personal diet. The app will also help you locate the desired restaurant. Know what’s in your food, because after all, you ARE what you EAT! Get it here for FREE.

Top Paid Apps

Face Melter, by Nico Becherer, is an app that allows you to take advantage of your iPhone’s multi-touch screen and pinch and pull your photos to look how you like, then save the results. Import photos, use photos from your Camera Roll, or take a new photo and get started melting some faces! Get it here for $1.99.

Tip, from Carlos Perez, is a simple app for determining the tip amount you wish to leave a server at your favorite restaurant or other activity. Set the percentage, the number of people dining, then the amount of the bill and let this app do the rest. Your settings are saved for the next time you use the app. Get it here for .99 cents.

MobileChat, from Shaun Harrison, is an instant messaging app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It supports ICQ/AIM/.Mac/MobileMe, WindowsLive/MSN, Yahoo, GTalk, and Jabber. You can be online with multiple chat accounts at the same time, and if you lose connectivity, this app will keep your connections live until you can reconnect with EDGE, 3G, or WiFi. Get it here for $2.99.

Top Free Apps

Tris, from James Addyman and JamSoft, is a port of that ever-famous work-productivity-killer, Tetris. Drag pieces around to where you need them to drop, then tap to rotate them into place. Interrupted by an incoming call or text? No problem. Your game is saved. Submit your high score online to compete with your friends. Get it for FREE right here.

Cannon Challenge, by Discovery Interactive Technology, is very similar to the classic artillery video games you may have played in the pass. Adjust elevation and velocity to lob a projectile at your target. Your aim (if it’s good enough) is to destroy! Each subsequent level becomes increasingly difficult, with more targets, higher-value targets, and some targets requiring precise timing to destroy. Get it here for FREE.

Simplify Media, from Dmitry Dolinsky of Simplify Media, Inc., is an app for listening to your home computer music collection right on your iPhone, no file transferring required! Stream music from up to 30 friends as well. This app works over WiFi and EDGE/3G and is FREE to the first 100,000 iPhone users, so download today for FREE right here.

That’s it for the iPhone App Avalanche 5.  Be sure to stop by next week for another Avalanche of Apps!

The iTunes App Store is faring well and apps are flying off the virtual shelf, but lest we forget, web apps used to be the only game in town for anything 3rd party on the iPhone (unless you jailbroke your iPhone – you rapscallion you). There is a plethora of web apps that iPhone owners use day-in and day-out. The internet is a big place, but fortunately people like Kelly Sonora are happy to share tips like www.NursingDegree.net, where writer Christina Laun has posted “iFit: 50 Coolest Fitness and Health Apps for the iPhone.”

There are numerous apps listed, including categories like fitness Tracking, Calculators, Diet and Nutrition, Working Out, Relaxation and Inspiration, Medication and Diagnosis, and Miscellaneous Health. Some links may be broken, but for the most part, Christina Laun has compiled an impressive treasure trove of fitness web apps that are designed for access from the iPhone.

Check out web apps like MyNetDiary and FitReach for keeping track of your workouts, diet, and manage your weight goals. BMI Calculator and Daily Calorie Calculator can be used for approximating your Body Mass Index and the number of calories you should be ingesting each day. Food Information Database and iPhone Diet are apps you can use on your iPhone to get nutritional information from your favorite restaurants and manage your diet and monitor your nutritional intake.

With Pump10, you have access to view numerous workout videos on your iPhone; view workout videos while you are at the gym. FitSync is a good way to keep track of your workouts online and select workout programs. These are all just a few of the 50 apps listed; visit the site from your iPhone and try them out for a more healthy you!

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  Thanks again to Kelly Sonora for the lead and Christina Laun of www.NursingDegree.net for the article. If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and working your iPhone’s accelerometer in one hand and eating a Twinkie in the other do NOT “cancel each other out”). 

It’s time for iPhone App Avalanche 4 and the avalanches are increasing in size and intensity as the App Store grows! There’s more new apps to showcase and plenty of free stuff as well. Pull up a chair, hook up your iPhone, and start downloading! Read on for App Avalanche 4!

New

Galcon, from Hassey Enterprises, Inc., is a combination of action and strategy, sending swarms of ships to take over planets against an aggressive AI adversary. An entire game may be over in a matter of minutes, but that depends on your planning and quick-tapping! Get it here for $9.99.

Pocketpedia, from Conor Dearden of Bruji, is an app for keeping track of your media library. Keep track of your DVD collection, video games, books, CDs, etc. Also, access Amazon.com for reviews and to compare prices. Have you loaned out some of your prized media? Keep track of that too! Get it for FREE right here.

On-Core PictureFlip, from On-Core, is a type of puzzle game that modifies a picture you select from your photo library by dividing your picture into a grid of squares, then rotates each square randomly by 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Then, it’s your job to rotate the squares to produce your original picture. Choose easy, medium or hard difficulty and start rotating! You can get it here for only $1.99.

What’s Hot

Circulate P., from Lemonquest, S.L., is a new twist on puzzle games. You can tip, turn and twist your iPhone while you explode spheres in a spinning chamber. The “P” is for “Prologue” – a more intense version is yet to come offering over ten different spheres to control. Get your spin on here for .99 cents right here.

Scribble, by Indrajit Khare, is a free scribbling app for your iPhone. Remember your good ‘ol Etch-a-Sketch? Now, doodle with your finger on your iPhone, and do it in color! Then, just shake your iPhone to erase your picture and start again. Change the color of your “pen” and start drawing! Get it for FREE right here.

Cube Runner, by Andy Qua, is a game that takes great advantage of the accelerometer of your iPhone while you pilot a ship through a landscape of dangerous cubes, shooting through the gaps to increase your time and score. Tilt your iPhone and dodge the cubes in this fun and free app. Get it here.

Top Paid Apps

Koi Pond, from Brandon Bogle of The Blimp Pilots, is all about finding some Zen on your iPhone. It turns the screen of your iPhone into a pool of water, where fish swim and plants live. The koi swim around the screen and react to your touches on the water’s surface. Create ripples and splashes, causing the koi to scatter. Don’t worry – they will return once the waters calm. Get it here for .99 cents.

Ambiance, from Matt Coneybeare, is another app with achieving peace and Zen in mind. Just like it’s name, this app is designed to provide an audio ambiance so you can be more productive, relax, or sleep. With several different background sounds to choose from, you can find the background noise that’s just right for you to fall asleep, get your work done without distraction, or just relax in a noisy place. Headphone recommended. Get it here for .99 cents. 

TouchScan, from Markus Stöbe, is an app that simulates a scan of your fingerprint resulting in a brain-scan. You can customize this app for the desired results: lie detector, mental magic, or proposals. It’s the perfect app to have a little fun with the more gullible people in your life. Get it here for .99 cents.

Top Free Apps

reMovem (free), from Matthew Martel of Mundue LLC, is formally known as JawBreaker and, as promised by the developer, will forever be free of charge. Just tap at least two or more adjacent colored balls to select, tap again to remove. Removing larger groups of balls at once will give you a higher score. Download it here for FREE.

Hangman, by James Addyman of JamSoft, brings the classic word-guessing game to your iPhone. Incorrect letters result in your eventual hanging, but you get extra chances due to the game building the gallows first, then the man. New words have been added, bringing the total to 230. Get it here for FREE.

Paper Football Lite, from the folks at Jirbo, Inc., is a paper football app requiring no school desk and no paper! Ahhh, the memories of spirited games of paper football with my friends on lazy school-day afternoons, waiting for the bell to ring. Play against another human or against your iPhone. Flick the football across the table, score, and kick the paperskin through the finger uprights for the extra point! Get it here for FREE.

That’s it for the iPhone App Avalanche 4.  Be sure to stop by next week for another Avalanche of Apps!

Brett Terpstra of TUAW fame has posted a tip here that offers a step-by-step procedure for… sitting down? … a way to CHANGE the felt marker into something a bit more professional and readable.  Read on for the step-by-step and check out Brett’s article as well!

If you wish to dispense with the Felt Marker font and go with something more professional-looking and easier to read, the power to do so rests in your hands, no Jailbreaking or hacking required. This method, by the way, will also change existing Felt Marker Notes that you’ve created, but requires that you enter each Note and follow the steps.

First, go into Settings on your iPhone, select General, then Keyboard. Select International Keyboards, then scroll down to Chinese and select either Chinese keyboard (Simplified or Traditional). Then, activate Pinyin and you are ready to go.

Next, hit your Home button and open up your Notes app. Tap on the screen to pull up the keyboard. You should now be presented with a small “world” icon just to the left of the “space bar.” Tapping the “world” key will switch your keyboard to the Chinese one, then tap a letter and you will see the font has changed. Tap the “world” button again and your keyboard returns to English. Now, anything you type on the particular Note you opened will be in the new font. If you open an existing Note and change the keyboard, the entire text of the Note will change to the new font.

Each time you start a new Note, you will need to tap the “world” key to switch keyboards, tap a letter, then switch back and the font will be changed. To avoid this step each time you need to quickly enter a new Note, you might consider making several Notes in advance, titled with a number or letter.

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  Thanks again to Brett Terpstra at TUAW.com for finding this little gem. If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and who came up with the Felt Marker font as the standard in the first place?? Felt tips are so 1975).

Enter the mophie Juice Pack Battery Pack/Case for iPhone, available now at TiPB store for $99.95. Read on for the full review!

First Impressions

The mophie Juice Pack arrives sealed in an entertaining package. It’s worth a look and a read, front and back, before opening it up and using the Juice Pack. Conveniently, the Juice Pack arrives fully charged and ready to use. 

The inside part of the sled is a vibrant green rubberized finish, formed to accommodate the original iPhone (sorry, the 3G is incompatible). The rubberized sides are formed in a curve to wrap around the sides of your iPhone to hold it securely in place when your iPhone is seated. The back of the Juice Pack is black with the same rubberized finish, including a handy four-light LED indicator so you can check the power level.

The sides of the Juice Pack have slightly-raised rubber side-rails for an extra-grippy feel so you can hold it securely. A connector is located at the bottom for attaching your iPhone charger. You can charge the Juice Pack with or without the iPhone in place. Additionally, there is a “cutout” to accommodate the camera of your iPhone when the Juice Pack is in place. 

To attach your iPhone, just slide your iPhone in from the top so the bottom connector fits into place, and you are ready to use the power from the Juice Pack.

Performance

The mophie Juice Pack is advertised as doubling your power. The product specifications are as follows:

• Standby Time – Up to additional 250 hours
• Audio Playback – Up to additional 24 hours
• Talk Time – Up to additional 8 hours
• Video Playback – Up to additional 7 hours
• Internet Use – Up to additional 6 hours

Conclusion

If you have an original iPhone and need some extra power on the go, the mophie Juice Pack, available atTiPB Store for $99.95, is an excellent solution for your power needs. It doubles the battery life of your iPhone and helps overcome the lack of a user-replaceable battery. Although the Juice Pack requires removal of your iPhone’s case to use and offers only average protection as a case itself, the benefit of doubled battery life outweighs these negatives.

Pros

• Doubled battery life
• Soft-touch finish
• “Smart” – iPhone uses Juice Pack power first

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Fortunately for those of us with BiSSD (Bloated iPhone Slow Syncing Disorder), there is a solution, brought to you by Michael Sitarzewski of Zerologic.com.  In response to Michael’s step-by-step procedure, another contributor to the Mac/iPhone community, Hendrik Holtmann, has also addressed this issue with a small app posted at eidac.com.  Thanks to Michael and Hendrik, slow backups could be a thing of the past.

First, let’s take a look at Michael Sitarzewski’s method found at zerologic.com. Michael provides fair warning that his method will DISABLE the backup feature for your iPhone, meaning that when you sync, your data WILL NOT be backed up.  He also suggests that backing up your personal data can be accomplished via MobileMe over-the-air syncing (and we all know how well MobileMe has been working, right?) or Time Machine.

In his own words, let’s have a look at Michael’s step-by-step from zerologic.com:

Seems easy enough.  If you prefer to avoid making changes using Terminal, then Hendrik Holtmann’s app may be more to your liking. You can read more about it and download it from eidac.de here, allowing you to enable or disable backing up your iPhone with just the click of your mouse.  A link is also found on his site for PC users.

Armed with this knowledge from very knowledgeable contributors to the iPhone community (many thanks to both of you, Michael and Hendrik!), you can now proceed to sync your iPhone without fear of a lengthy, time-consuming backup. Backup when you WANT to.  At least you now have the option.

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and please remember — using the Tip above will result in NO BACKUP of your iPhone’s data.  You were warned! Caveat Emptor, baby!).

It’s the end of July and there’s still plenty of summer left, so snow and avalanches are still many months away. Fortunately, any time of year is perfect for an App Avalanche, and there are always new and updated apps in the App Store for your iPhone. It’s time for App Avalanche 3!

New

South Park Imaginationland, from RealNetworks, Inc., brings the world of South Park to your iPhone. What’s not to love about controlling Butters and his adventures in the South Park universe? Bounce Butters through over 60 levels as he tries to rescue Imaginationland. Get it here for $9.99.

Fotomatic, from SoundSpectrum, is an app for viewing your favorite photo albums from Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa sites. A nice feature is the ability to view albums while other photos download. You can choose from different animated slideshow themes and view your photos on the go, or even view public photo albums. Get it here for $4.99.

BeatMaker, by Vincent Bongiomo of Intua, is a music creation studio combining features of professional drum machines, samplers and sequencers. It is designed for an intuitive music-making experience with sampling from the original sound-bank or BeatPack, a free synchronization companion to expand your audio library. Start making music by downloading here for $19.99.

What’s Hot

AOL Radio, from AOL (naturally), is powered by CBS Radio and provides over 200 stations and over 150 CBS radio stations from across the U.S. Music, sports, talk radio and news right on your iPhone. Give it a listen by downloading here today for the low price of FREE.

Yelp, by Yelp, Inc., is an app that takes advantage of the location feature of your iPhone and can help you find just about anything. Looking for a restaurant that serves certain kinds of food? Need a gas station? You can pick from general categories or narrow your search to specifics, then read reviews from local Yelp users! Get it for free here.

WHERE, by uLocate Communications, is another location-based application that ties in some of the other popular location-based apps like Yelp and Eventful. Find restaurants, the cheapest gas near you, local events, and more. You can even locate your friends with BuddyBeacon. Download it for free right here.

Top Paid Apps

Units Convertor, from Yuchao Zhou, is an inexpensive app for converting measurements like temperature, length, mass, weight, volume, pressure, and power. That’s a lot of stuff to convert! It has a very simple interface — just turn the wheels and you can get multiple values for a single measurement. Get it here for only .99 cents.

Brain Challenge, by Gameloft, is a highly-acclaimed brain training simulation for your iPhone with 43 mini-games to keep your brain in tip-top shape and on your toes. You can train in the categories of Visual, Memory, Logic, Math and Focus. It’s also toted as a great stress relief – now can’t we ALL use a little of that? Get it here for $9.99.

Solitaire, by Mobilityware, is the classic game of solitaire for your iPhone. It is the Klondike version, which is also the most popular version and most well-known. Your game is saved when interrupted by a call, which is a nice feature. Your best times and number of moves are saved as well. Get it here for $1.99.

Top Free Apps

Labyrinth Lite Edition, by Carl Loodberg of Codify AB, is a throwback to yesteryear and the old wooden labyrinth, requiring the twisting of knobs to tilt the surface and guild your steel ball safely to the goal without dropping through one of many holes. Now, the sky is the limit on the iPhone – tilt your iPhone and guide the ball through 10 fully-playable mazes. Get it for free here.

BreakClassic, brought to you by Anton Butsev of bootant.com, is a simple classic brick breaker game. The developer is listening to reviews and has indicated that ‘pause’ control and other features are going to be added. It’s nice to have developers that listen and improve their product, and what more can you ask from a free app? Get it here.

Sudoku (Free), from Darren Sillett of Mighty Mighty Good Games, allows you to choose from four different skill levels and provides an assortment of puzzles in different styles to play the popular game of Sudoku. You can pause the game and continue where you left off. Also, hints are available as well as storing your best times. Get the free version here.

That’s it for the iPhone App Avalanche 3.  Be sure to stop by next week for another Avalanche of Apps!

It took a little while for me to get used to the iPhone’s “soft” keyboard — large hands + tiny keyboard = baby elephant playing piano.  Even though I’ve become rather proficient with the iPhone’s keyboard, I’m always on the prowl for anything that will help with my speed and accuracy.  This week’s Tip is all about some keyboard shortcuts, brought to you by and with special thanks to George by way of Adam Pash’s article at lifehacker.com.  Keep reading for some helpful keyboard Tips (and check out Adam’s article for yourself)!

Unless you are building aircraft, skyscrapers or bridges, shortcuts/cutting corners are a GOOD thing.  Take typing on the iPhone, for instance.  There are a number of time-saving (and finger-tapping) ways to maximize your iPhone’s keyboard.

When entering a web address, and you need something other than a .com (.com key already provided on your iPhone), then just tap and hold on the .com key and three other common domain options will appear.  Just tap the one you need and you are on your way.

Similarly, if you are entering an email address, you’ll notice that you don’t even get the .com key on your keyboard.  I believe this is a serious (VERY serious) oversight on Apple’s part, but at least they provided a solution by enabling a pop-up list of domain options when you hold down the period ( . ) key.  If you get in the habit of using this shortcut, it’s just a matter of time before you are, well, saving time!

For those sending out Spanish language texts, emails, etc., did you know that if you hold down the ” ? ” key or the ” ! ” key, you can invert those characters?  Give it a try!

Finally, what if you need to accent a letter?  The name “Chloe”, for example, may need an “acute” accent above the “e”, like this: “é”.  To do this, just hold down the “e” key and a pop-up will give you several options to choose from, as illustrated above.

Try experimenting on your own with the iPhone keyboard and see what kind of surprises may be waiting for you.  This experiment can be particularly handy and satisfying while waiting in the long line at the DMV.

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (but it could be fun adding accents to everyone’s name that you know.  Kinda weird… but fun).

With your iPhone in hand, let’s get buried in some apps right now with App Avalanche 2!

New

ColorTilt, from Karen Weems at IMAK Creations, utilizes the iPhone’s accelerometer and touch screen to select a background color and then finger paint at your pleasure. Save your artwork in your iPhone’s Photo Library, simply shake your iPhone to erase. See how creative you can be! Get ColorTilt for only $.99 here.

Little Pine Tree, from Benxing Entertainment, is a story book for children that “reads” the story while you flip the pages with the swipe of your finger. A great way for your kids to have fun while learning, and fits easily in your pocket or purse. Download Little Pine Tree here for only $.99.

Urbanspoon, by Wanderspot, LLC, is a free app that can help you answer the age-old question: where do you want to eat lunch? Using the iPhone’s GPS, just shake your iPhone and Urbanspoon will randomly select a restaurant in your area. It even includes ratings so you have a better idea of what you are getting yourself into! Get it for free right here.

What’s Hot

MySpace Mobile, from MySpace.com, helps you stay connected to all of your MySpace friends, right from your iPhone. Send and receive messages, browse your network of friends and see their status, upload and share photos from your iPhone, and even search for new friends.  Get it here for free!

SmugShot, by SmugMug, adds photos to your SmugMug galleries online as you shoot them with your iPhone. All photos are geotagged and places the location of your pictures on Google Maps. You receive a 14-day free trial and 50% off the first year. Get SmugShot right here.

Bomberman Touch – The Legend of Mystic Bomb, by Hudson Entertainment, is a version of the prolific and much-loved Bomberman series designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Guide Bomberman through each level by tapping the touchscreen. Download it here for only $7.99.

Top Paid Apps

Texas Hold’em, from Apple Inc., is a very realistic app for playing one of the most popular poker games in the world today. Just rotate your iPhone to switch from first-person to above view. Opponents are realistic in both appearance and behavior. Get it here for only $4.99.

Units, by Shashwat Parhi of Crossroad Solutions, is a simple conversion utility for the iPhone or iPod Touch. With an interface that looks like a calculator, just punch in the numbers and watch Units convert in real time. There are three user-assignable buttons for conversions you use the most. Download here for only $.99.

Recorder, by Dan Walton of Retronyms, has a simple one-button interface for recording memos, discussions, sounds, interviews, or anything else you want to record. You can record for minutes or hours (or until you run out of memory on your iPhone!). Download it here for only $.99.

Top Free Apps

Pandora Radio, by Pandora Media, Inc., streams music over the internet directly to your iPhone. Search by artist name or song name and Pandora will create a station playing your song and other songs like it. Pandora for iPhone is fully integrated with Pandora on the web. Get it for FREE right here.

Shazam, brought to you by Shazam Entertainment Ltd., is an app that will tell you what music you are listening to! If you are listening to music and wonder who the artist is and the song name, then just hold your iPhone to the music (with Shazam running) and Shazam will tell you the artist and track name. Get it for FREE here.

PhoneSaber, from Alex Price of TheMacBox, is a handy app for those inconvenient times that you leave your real lightsaber at home and happen to run into the Sith. With five different colors to choose from, activate your lightsaber and enjoy the sound effects as you swing your iPhone around. Download it for FREE here.

Thanks for dropping by for the iPhone App Avalanche 2.  Now head over to the iTunes App Store and download some apps so your iPhone doesn’t feel all empty inside!

The Seidio Slim Rubberized Hard Case for iPhone is available here at the Phone different Store for $29.95.  With so many choices to protect and stylize your iPhone, how does this case measure up?  Read on for the full review!

Case Design

When choosing a case for your iPhone, there are numerous options out there.  For me, protection and appearance are paramount.  I’ve had cases that protect against impact but, due to a slight amount of movement between the case and phone, scratching occurs (because you and I both know that dust ALWAYS manages to get under the case!).

The Seidio Slim Rubberized Hard Case for iPhone is a hard plastic case with a rubberized paint finish.  The back half of the case is lined with soft velvet, providing a non-scratch cushion between the case and the back of the iPhone.  The case is available in three colors: black, burgundy, and blue.

The case snaps easily together between front and back.  The seam between halves is fairly smooth around the perimeter of the iPhone.  There are cutouts for the ear speaker, Home button, connector port and speaker/mic, camera, headphone jack, power switch, and for the volume rocker and mute switch.  The touchscreen is fully accessible on the front.

Performance

Although I love the design of the iPhone, one of the things I decry is it’s “bar of soap” feel in the hand.  The Seidio Slim Rubberized Hard Case does a fantastic job of protecting the iPhone while the rubberized finish makes it more “grippy” without adding much bulk.

One concern I had about a hard, snap-together case was how well it would hold together — I didn’t want the case coming apart at the slightest bump or twist in my hand.  

Fortunately, I have had no problems with this Seidio case.  Once it snaps together, it takes a little effort to separate the two pieces.  Although I haven’t tried it myself, I suspect a drop on a hard surface will result in separation (and possibly a scratched iPhone), but few cases will protect well against a drop on a hard surface anyway.  You must ultimately sacrifice a bit of protection a leather or nylon case may provide in exchange for the rubberized paint and slender profile of the Seidio case.

I previously mentioned my concern about my iPhone getting scratched by dust and dirt trapped between the iPhone and case.  I’m happy to report that after weeks of use, I have yet to find any scratches on my iPhone as a result of using this case. The rubberized paint has also held up remarkably well with daily use.

Summing It Up

In spite of the stratospheric rise in gas and food prices, I’m happy to report that your money is well-spent on the Seidio Slim Rubberized Hard Case for iPhone, available here at the Phonedifferent store for $29.95.  With full access to the iPhone, “grippy” feel, and minimal added bulk, it’s a great case to complement the sleekness of your iPhone!

Pros

• Full access to iPhone
• “Grippy” rubberized coating
• Once snapped together, it stays put

Beginning last Friday, it’s been an exciting time for the iPhone community and for all of us here at TiPB as we’ve witnessed and participated in the launch of the much-anticipated iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0, the App Store, and MobileMe. Although things didn’t go 100% according to plan for Apple, and even though there are numerous bugs to fix and ghosts in the machine to exorcize, there is quite a bit of “new” to be excited about!

With the release of iPhone 2.0 and the App Store, there are now tons of apps to choose from, with more being added each day. Our readers are getting in on the app action and excitement with the opportunity to earn TiPB Store discounts by reviewing apps via our iPhone App Lightning Reviews promotion.

I am now proud to announce the beginning of the iPhone App Avalanche, a brief overview of iPhone apps from the iTunes App Store that will be brought to you here at TiPB. Stop by often for frequent App Avalanche app overviews over the next couple of weeks, then settle in for a weekly overview. With the introductions out of the way, let’s jump into iPhone App Avalanche 1!

Much like Tribbles, the App Store is filling up with apps and more are being added every day. You may feel a bit like Captain Kirk trying to pick his favorite Tribble — so many apps from which to choose! Hopefully the App Avalanche can help you narrow your focus.

New Apps

This is a no-brainer for App Avalanche 1 — ALL of the apps are new! Stop by next time and you will see apps appear in this section as “newer” replaces “new”.

What’s Hot

AIM, from AOL, allows you to stay in touch with your buddies from your iPhone. Just download and sign on using your AOL, AIM, .mac or MobileME name. AIM takes advantage of 3G, EDGE, or WiFi for you to communicate. It’s a FREE app that doesn’t take up much space on your iPhone. Get AIM right here!

WeatherBug, from AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc., is a nice free alternative to the iPhone’s built-in weather app. WeatherBug can provide the weather for thousands of locations, including severe weather alerts, detailed forecast, current radar, satellite maps, and even weather cameras. Install it on your iPhone for FREE right here.

Cro-Mag Rally, by Pangea Software, Inc., brings the thrills of neanderthal racing to your iPhone! The iPhone’s accelerometer creates a unique handheld gaming environment which Cro-Mag Rally fully exploits. There are numerous tracks, power-ups and different cars to drive in this 3D racing game. Download it to your iPhone for $9.99 right here.

OmniFocus by The Omni Group may help you forget that Apple didn’t include a basic task / to-do app on the iPhone. Winner of the 2008 Apple Design Award for Best iPhone Productivity Application, OmniFocus is all about giving you a powerful task management app on your iPhone. Using location, it can even help you construct lists of to-do’s that are near your location. Get it here for $19.99.

Top Paid Apps

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D by Vivendi Games Mobile should thrill Crash Bandicoot fans and new fans alike. It’s a 3D racing game controlled by twisting and turning your iPhone. There are 12 different tracks, different environments, and 8 different weapons to use against your opponents. Install it on your iPhone for $9.99 here.

Enigmo, by Pangea Software, Inc., was voted “Best iPhone Game” at Apple’s WWDC ’08. It is a 3D puzzle game in which you direct water, oil, and lava to the right destination. You are provided different tools to direct the flow of these liquid to help you solve the puzzles. Get it here for $9.99.

Tetris, from Electronic Arts, stays true to the beloved classic with some extras to spice things up. Play it like you’ve never played it before with the iPhone’s unique ability to tap and slide the blocks into place with your fingertips. Available for download for $9.99 here.

iBeer, from Hottrix, goes to show that there’s nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold frosty mug of simulated beer on your iPhone. This app simulates the characteristics of a real mug of beer — shake it to make it foam, tilt it to sip, and pour it from one iPhone to another. Now YOU can be the life of the party whether your brought a keg or not! Get it for only $2.99 here.

Top Free Apps

Tap Tap Revenge, by Gogo Apps, Inc. and Tabulous, Inc., is a rhythmic musical timing-and-dexterity tester. Either tap the screen or shake your iPhone from side to side as the arrows and glowing points drop to the beat of the music. Exclusive tracks are also available for download. Install it to your iPhone for FREE from here.

Remote, directly from the folks at Apple Inc., gives you control of the music on your computer or Apple TV. You can even see your songs, playlists, and album art, all right there on your iPhone. Never have to leave the couch again! Well, ok. Maybe to eat. And for sanitary purposes. Get it here for FREE!

Facebook, from the folks by the same name, help you continue your drug-like addiction to social networking by porting their ever-popular Facebook app to your iPhone. Upload photos, see photos of your friends, start chats, and more features are coming. Get it for FREE right here.

Aurora Feint The Beginning, by Danielle Cassley/Youweb LLC, is an interesting combination of puzzle game and fantasy/role playing with the potential of increasing your character’s abilities and strengths. As promised by the developers, this app is merely an introduction to an iPhone MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game). Sounds promising! Get it for FREE right here.

That’s it for the very first iPhone App Avalanche. You can now say you were “there when it all began.” Hopefully the “it” will keep you coming back for more! In the meantime, check out these apps and share your thoughts in the Comments — also, write your own review for the iPhone App Lighting Reviews!

A super…   a monkey…  a ball.  A Super…  a Monkey…  a Ball.  These are not three different games!

Does the above phrasing sound familiar?  Steve Jobs used this same kind of phrasing when first introducing the iPhone waaaaaaaay back in January 2007.  Much has happened since then!  We finally have the iPhone 3G and, even more importantly (in my opinion), we have iPhone 2.0 and the Apps Store!  

You may have heard of a little game called Super Monkey Ball from SEGA?  It’s only just the top app at the iTunes App Store.  It’s only $9.99.  We got a taste of it several months ago at the last WWDC during the keynote and there has been salivation, hand-wringing and garment-rending ever since.  Finally, with the release of iPhone 2.0 and the App Store last week, the venerable Super Monkey Ball is available for download from the iTunes App Store via your desktop or right to your iPhone.

Does it measure up to the hype?  The answer is — (suspense killing ya?)  Full review is a click away!

In a word — YES.  Super Monkey Ball delivers with respect to showcasing the capabilities of the iPhone; accelerometer tilt-control, large luscious touchscreen, and processing power to handle the impressive 3-D graphics, physics of gameplay, and sound.

Overview

Super Monkey Ball is fairly straight-forward.  I have NO experience whatsoever with the previous versions of this game.  In fact, until El Jobso showcased it a few months ago, I’d never heard of it.  Fortunately, it’s easy to catch on to the gist of the game. Simply put, you control a monkey inside a transparent sphere and roll it/him/her around the game area, which is suspended high above empty space.  If you fall off the playing area, or “Fall Out”, you lose a life.  Once all lives are expended, the game is over.  The objective is to gather up all the bananas you can within the time limit and then pass through the “goal” — a circular portal reminiscent of a “stargate” from the same-titled movie.

Sounds easy enough, right?

The Looks

As you can judge by the screenshots I took on my iPhone (thanks again to the 2.0 update!), the world of Super Monkey Ball is lavish with color and creativity.  It is truly a visually stunning environment and offers some of the best graphics you’ll find on a portable gaming device, much less a mobile phone.

There are a total of 5 worlds and 110 stages to play through, including bonus stages for the opportunity to grab a ton of bananas which, consequently, give you bonus lives.  Each world has two sets of 10 stages, an Easy set and a Hard set.  Once you complete a set of 10 stages (a bonus stage sandwiched right in the middle of each set of 10), you will advance to the next set of 10 stages.  So, in each world, there is an “Easy” set of 10 stages and a “Hard” set of 10 stages, plus two bonus stages solely for accumulating extra bananas and extra lives.

If it weren’t hard enough to navigate that darned little monkey in the ball (more on that later), you have the pressure of a ticking clock to reach the goal at the end of the stage.  If time expires, you have to start the stage all over again.  If you “fall out”, you also have to start the stage again.

During gameplay, you get to enjoy rousing music and the squeaks and squeals of your monkey as it/he/she reacts to your control.  Each stage is creatively designed and presents unique challenges along the way.

The Feel

When you start Super Monkey Ball, you get to select the game Mode (Main Game, Instant Play, Practice, Ranking, and Options).  Instant Play drops you right into the action with a randomly-selected level that you’ve already completed.  Selecting the Main Game will start you from the beginning, where first you select from four different character monkeys (each with their own personalities/sounds), then on to World Select where you can choose from the five different worlds.  If you are just beginning, the only world you can select is the first one, Monkey Island, and not until you complete the stages in a particular world do you unlock the next one.

Moving a monkey around in a ball seems simple enough, but the first few minutes (maybe hours for some — right, Dieter?) will be absolute pandemonium (that monkey ball seems more slippery than a politician dipped in baby oil on ice skates). It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of the physics and control-by-tilt, compliments of the iPhone’s accelerometer.  This method of controlling the game proves to be quite innovative and fun, actually.  If you persevere, you will find that you develop a “touch” for controlling your monkey ball.  Tilting the iPhone up toward you will slow down the rolling, left and right is self-explanatory, and tilting the screen forward increases the forward speed.  Some levels allow for some excessive monkey ball speeding, and some require an extraordinary amount of finesse and careful tilting.

Tilting the iPhone can be frustrating for some — I’ve heard criticisms that so much tilting hinders the ability to see what you are doing, but I haven’t really noticed this to be the case for me.  The greatest criticisms I have of the game are two-fold and really have nothing to do with the look or feel of the game.  First, there is no way to manually save a game.  In order to save your progress, you have to complete a set of 10 stages, period.  Second (and this is related to the first concern), Super Monkey Ball does not handle phone or text interruptions well.  If you get a phone call or text, the game will pause and allow you the choice of taking the call or text or ignoring it.  If you ignore, then you can resume your game where you left off.  If you take the call or text, your game is doomed and you must start over with the set of 10 stages you last began.  It’s too bad that an auto-save feature isn’t included so that you can pick up precisely where you left off.

Conclusion

Despite the inability to manually save your progress or continue where you left off after answering a call or text, Super Monkey Ball is a must-have app and is well worth the $9.99 price tag.  Playability is fantastic and the graphics are top-notch. The game’s number one spot at the App Store is well-deserved and it’s a game that can be enjoyed by all ages.  It’s a pleasure for me to give it a 5 across the board (out of 5, of course!).  Download it via the App Store on your iPhone or head over to the iTunes App Store today and get it immediately!

When I picked up my shiny black iPhone 3G last Friday, I knew I was going to have to pay the inevitable rate increase for data (another $10 smackers a month).  I also knew I would (hissing a curse under my breath) lose my built-in 200 text messages per month.  AT&T’s SMS packages offer a laughable range of offerings:  $5 a month for 200 messages, then an Olympian leap to $15 for 1500 messages and $20 for unlimited.  What, no room for $10 a month for, say, 750 or 1000 messages?  But I digress.

The basic idea goes thusly: AIM (and thus your AIM app on your iPhone) is able to send free text messages by sending them to +13522225555 (or whatever the phone number is).  There’s a bit more to it, of course, so be sure to click on through and read Carlson’s walkthrough.

(Post updated since publication by request)

Civilizations rose and fell.  Rivers carved canyons.  Stars twinkled into existence, then died.  All this while we waited for iPhone 2.0 and the App Store.  If you were lucky enough to upgrade your iPhone 2G to 2.0 or have a newly-acquired iPhone 3G, and you have upgraded to iTunes 7, you now have access to the App Store on either iTunes or your iPhone and the 3rd party native apps downloading extravaganza can commence!  If you are new to 3rd party apps, new to iPhone and/or iTunes, or just want a little guidance before diving into the App Store, then read on after the break for the App Store walkthrough!

There are two ways to access the App Store: either on your iPhone or through iTunes.  Let’s start with the iPhone App Store experience.  With your iPhone in hand, tap the App Store icon. The user experience is very similar to using iTunes on your iPhone, so if you’ve been an iTunes user on your iPhone, then the App Store will feel very familiar.

The page that greets you when you enter iPhone’s App Store will give you the option to look at New Apps that have been added and the most popular and frequently-downloaded Apps under What’s Hot.  Apps are displayed in a list with up to 5-star ratings and price.  Along the bottom you’ll find tabs for Featured, Categories, Top 25, Search, and Updates.

Here is a screenshot of the Featured New Apps.  You can scroll down to view over 20 new apps here.  A similar view is available if you select the What’s Hot button.

Tap on categories and a list of different app categories appears with the number of apps in each category. Just tap on a category to then browse the list of apps in that category. Selecting the Top 25 tab will give you a list of the most popular 25 apps so you can see what your iPhone peers are using.  Be the first to review and rate an app!

The Search tab will display a list of available software as you type in the name, just like searching for music in iTunes.  Once you find an app you are looking for, just tap the name and you can then see the price and select it for more details and for purchasing.

Here is an example of what you will see once you’ve selected an app from the list.  More detail, like app name, the company or person that developed it, the number of reviews and 1 to 5-star rating by other iPhone users, and the price.

Just click on the price and confirm your purchase and your iPhone will download the app.  If the app is larger than 10mb, then a wifi connection will be required.  After all, AT&T doesn’t want you tying up precious bandwidth on their 3G network with massive downloads.  Once downloaded, you can enjoy the app.  The next time you sync with iTunes, the app will sync with iTunes as part of your iPhone backup.  Then, if you ever have to restore your iPhone to factory settings, your apps will be included when restoring from backup.

Finally, there’s an Updates tab so you can check and see if there are, naturally, updates for the software you’ve downloaded.

That sums it up for the App Store on your iPhone.  Give it a try today and download some cool apps!

Now let’s move on over to the iTunes App Store, which is fully integrated into iTunes and functions practically the same as downloading music or movies.

Just click on the App Store in iTunes and you can browse all the apps by category, popularity, most recently added, and even by the top FREE apps available for download.

Browse through lists of the top 10 Paid apps and Free apps, or see even more apps in these categories.

You can get a quick look at Staff Favorites and What’s Hot (popular).

Click on an item you are interested in and get a better description, including the author of the app, price, release date, and file size.

Also included on the app detail page are screenshots (if provided) and Customer Reviews.  You can get more detail about what others think of the app and get a better sense of whether or not you want to make the purchase and download it.

If you click the Buy button, your iTunes account will be charged and the app will download in iTunes.  Then, the app will load to your iPhone when you sync.

Fortunately, the App Store on both the iPhone and in iTunes is easy to use and full of fun and useful apps already.  Check it out today and start downloading apps to your iPhone — you just may be surprised at how powerful your iPhone really is with the right apps installed.

Splashdata – the company that has given unto the smartphone-and-pda-user world such iconic titles as SplashID, SplashShopper, and SplashMoney on numerous popular platforms – has jumped head-first into the iPhone world with two of the three aforementioned apps in the iTunes App Store.  Both SplashShopper and SplashID are currently available for purchase and download, each at $9.99.

SplashMoney, their popular money management app, is soon to follow, according to Kevin Doel of TalonPR. Keep checking the App Store because SplashMoney could arrive as soon as tomorrow.  Following it’s release, you can find a full review right here on TiPB.

Even though the folks at Apple are toting the iPhone 3G as being business-friendly by offering some extra functionality and Exchange support via the iPhone 2.0 upgrade, the iPhone has always been a worthy platform for the business and finance-minded user (in my humble opinion).   Case in point,  the list of twenty-five (yes, 25!) different financial apps for the iPhone at currencytrading.net. I’ll cover briefly just a few of these apps in today’s Tip and you can explore the rest to your heart’s content.

iCalc Mortgage Calculator is great for finding out what your mortgage payment will be when buying a new home, or you can use it to figure out what your payment WILL be once your interest-only payments expire (ouch!).

Another useful app is Currency Exchange. Given the free-fall of the dollar, it’s not a bad idea to have a way to see how it stacks up against other world currencies.

iTIPZ Tip Calculator is exactly like it sounds – let this app compute your tip, split it as many ways as you have payers, and even let it round off the number for you.  Sweet!

Compound Interest Calculator helps you compute how much moolah ($$$) you can save over a period of time.  Remember when you were young (cough) and someone much older and wiser told you that if you saved $5 a week for 30 years you would have a gazillion dollars due to the magic of compound interest?  Yeah, well, I didn’t save the $5/week either, but at least if you start now, you can use this app to set your goals.

These are just four of the twenty-five apps at currencytrading.net.  Just head on over there at the speed of a click to see the rest.  If you have finances on the brain, there’s bound to be an app there that will be useful.

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (ok, ok.  I may have exaggerated the “gazillion” you can save via compound interest if you sock away $5/week.  It’s more like a bazillion).

Features

These headphones are designed with a straight connector for a perfect fit in the recessed iPhone headphone jack.  The length of the wire is just about right; not too long to snag on things and not too short to prevent wearing your iPhone on your hip.

In addition to the earbuds delivering stereo sound while watching YouTube, listening to your iPod, or watching movies, there’s a mic down the wire in just the right place to make or receive a phone call.  A small, oval-shaped silver button is positioned just below the mic holes for play/pause of your audio and for answering/ending your call – thus, the 2-in-1 in the name.

Performance

The Smartphone Experts 2-in-1 Earphones w/ Handsfree for iPhone boast a sound isolating design, and after using them, I found that they were adequate.  I was impressed with the sound quality.  They deliver clear sound, both while listening to audio on the iPhone and during phone calls.  Callers could hear me fine and I could hear them without any trouble.

Like other more expensive headphones, the Smartphone Experts 2-in-1 Earphones play the ringtone through the earbuds during an incoming call, pausing your audio until the call is answered or ignored.  Pressing the button on the mic pod answers the call, pressing it again cancels it.

Although these earphones are a great value for such a low price, I was disappointed that they did not include a pair of foam covers for the earphones.  I’ve purchased other audio products that include basic earphones, sometimes with the foam covers, sometimes without them.  I usually find the earphones are difficult for me to wear without the foam covers because I can’t cram them into my ears.  Usually the headphones will fall out at the slightest movement and the sound quality suffers. Foam covers can be purchased for just a few bucks, but it would have been nice if they had been included.

In Summary

The Smartphone Experts 2-in-1 Earphones w/ Handsfree for iPhone are a good value for the money at $7.95.  With sound isolation and an integrated mic pod for phone calls, the earphones are similar to much more expensive models.  The lack of foam covers for the earbuds is a drawback, but still a great value overall.

You can purchase your own set of Smartphone Experts 2-in-1 Earphones w/ Handsfree for iPhone today at the Phone different Store for only $7.95.

People buying an iPhone for the first time are waiting until July 11 or after. In some ways, they are the lucky ones.  They don’t have the conundrum of figuring out what to do with their iPhone 2G.  Sell it on eBay for pennies on the dollar?  Donate it to charity?  Drop it in their “old icky outdated technology drawer” from where there is no return?

I was an “early adopter” — translation: I was suckered into paying $599 (still hurts to type it to this day) for my little slice of techno-nirvana. Given the new iPhone 3G is just around the corner, this week’s Tip is a timely one regarding what YOU can do with your old iPhone!

In no particular order, here are some ideas:

1)  Use your old iPhone as an iPod (a really expensive iPod, but hey, it has a pretty multi-touch screen!)

2)  Hand-me-down: give it to your spouse, significant other, child, friend, boss (possible bribe potential), etc.  I’m sure the beneficiary will LOVE it (especially if they have not experienced an iPhone before) and AT&T will love it too ($$$)!  Besides, the tax write-off may be higher than what you’d get on eBay.

3)  Keep it.  Don’t upgrade.  It’s humanly impossible to resist the siren song of the iPhone 3G, but if you are super-human and manage to stick to your 2G, then at least be comforted in knowing that you will keep your same rate plan and you can point your finger and mock all the 3G’ers that are paying more for their data (see tidbits.com).

4)  Doorstop, paperweight, pond-skipping, coaster, or all the above.

Thanks for dropping by for this week’s Tip about what you can do with your old iPhone 2G.  What will YOU do with yours?  Leave a comment and share!

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (except for #4 above – I suspect that even the iPhone 2G’s sleek design would beat just about any flat rock in a pond-skipping contest).

Although the current iPhone does many things, it does fall short in some glaring ways.  Managing tasks, for example, has been discussed both in forums and in TiPB podcasts.  Perhaps Apple refuses to provide a means of managing tasks because they believe an iPhone user will have little time left for anything else in life other than surfing the web on Safari, watching movies and listening to tunes in iPod, Google Mapping, etc.?  Speculation for this exclusion may abound, but fortunately, we’ve got you covered with this week’s Tip.

If you haven’t been checking out the new Web Apps lately, then you may have missed a little gem called Getting Tasks Done!, available here!  Read more about managing your tasks on the iPhone following the break!

Getting Tasks Done!, by Volodymyr Sergeyev, is one way that you can manage your tasks (‘to-do list’, if you will) on your iPhone.  With the ability to accept unlimited tasks and projects, you can probably list more things that you need to do than you can get done!  To get started, just go to the site and set up an account for free.  Once you have an account set up, you can login and start tasking!

Some great features are included in this web app:  sharing tasks with family, friends and co-workers; archiving of tasks and projects; accessible 24/7 via the internet; even a daily motivational quote or phrase to inspire you to get your tasks done!

One of the criticisms of web apps are the requirement of having an internet connection; no connection, no app.  This is one reason why resident apps are more appealing to many — if you have juice on your iPhone, you can use the app.  However, Getting Tasks Done! will also work offline.  If you don’t have an internet connection, you can still work on your tasks offline and they will sync with the server when you are online again.  Sweet!

As you can see on the left here, you can “Add task”, “Archive” your completed tasks, “Work offline”, “Hot tasks”, and even “Share tasks” with others.

Once you’ve completed a task, just check the box and move on to the next one.  I always find the checking-of-the-box part to be very rewarding because it gives me a sense of accomplishment.  There are few things better than completing a task, checking the box, and getting back to some Safari surfing, YouTube’ing and iPod’ing!

Check out Getting Tasks Done! and start getting things done!  

That’s it for this week’s Tip.  If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@phonedifferent.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and now that you have a Tip about a good task manager for your iPhone, we certainly can’t guarantee you’ll get things done.  Just remember this: Nothing makes you more productive than the last minute.  Try that out on your boss!).

Not a fan of the stock headphones bundled with your iPhone?  Me neither.  Sadly, the quality of the headphones packaged with the iPhone and most other devices emitting sound are a fair representation of the profit-by-any-means-possible culture.  I think Apple figured they had such a hot product with the iPhone that they could bundle it with two cups connected by a string and it would still sell (and I suspect they’re right!).

Fortunately, other enterprising companies have stepped up to the plate and given unto us some worthy replacements for the stock headphones: enter Maximo, the makers of the iP-HS1 iMetal Stereo Headset for the iPhone, available at our Phone different store for $69.99.  Continue after the break for a full review!

Out Of The Box

The Maximo iP-HS1 iMetal Stereo Headset for iPhone includes some extras out of the box.  In addition to the earbud headphones, you also get a pair of earphone foam covers, a 2-ft extension cable, and a carrying pouch.  It’s nice to get a little more bang for the buck!

Form And Function

Having converted to the isolation ear-tip style of headphones many moons ago, I thought it would be a huge step backward in sound quality to use earbud headphones again.  The Maximo iMetal earbuds are surprisingly good, however.

The first thing I noticed is the build quality.  The earbud and driver housings are made of aluminum alloy, not plastic; thus, the name “iMetal”.  A high-definition condenser mic is located partway down one of the earbud cables, in just the right position to answer a phone call.  The overall length of the earphone cable is 4 ft.  If that’s not enough, a 2-ft extension cable is included.

Speaking of phone calls — if you are in the middle of a YouTube video, podcast, or jamming to some tunes on your iPod, everything pauses when a phone call comes in and resumes when the call is completed.  This is a normal feature for the iPhone, but there’s more.  Further down the headphone cable is a rubber button that can pause/skip the audio and answer/end a call.

To prevent annoying tangles and protect your headphones, a silver carrying pouch is included.  Just put the headphones inside and pull the drawstrings.

Sound Quality

With the foam covers on, the earphones are a fairly snug fit, which enhances the overall sound experience.  One advantage of the earbud style is that, unlike the isolator earphones, you can hear outside sound much better.  This is handy if someone is trying to get your attention, a city bus is bearing down on you, etc.  Of course, the disadvantage is you can hear outside sound much better — if you want to be completely immersed in your music with as little distraction as possible, then you will want to look at the isolator iMetal headphones instead (to be reviewed at a later date).

More about the actual sound — good high, mid, and low-range sound with a sufficient amount of bass.  With some headphones, particularly the earbud style, I have been disappointed in the upper-end volume level.  The Maximo iMetal earbuds have an impressive volume range.  If you like your music loud and clear, you won’t be disappointed.

When on a call with my iPhone, this headset performs well.  My callers could be heard with good clarity and volume, much like the quality of a land-line, and they could hear me just fine when using the iMetal’s high-definition condenser mic.

Conclusion

It’s nice to have a high-quality choice between the earbud style of headphones and the isolator rubber-tipped variety.  Maximo has a nice, quality product here with the iP-HS1 iMetal Stereo Headset.  Many people like the fit and comfort of the foam-covered earbud, and Maximo delivers without compromising sound volume and quality.

The features and extras in the box, at $69.99, is a pretty good value:  overall 4-ft length, 2-ft extension cable, carrying pouch, foam covers for the earbuds, microphone, and soft-touch button for call answer/end and song pause/skip.  These headphones are a great upgrade to the iPhone’s stock earbuds and it would have been nice if they were included in the first place.  Maybe Apple can strike a deal with Maximo.  Until that time, it’s nice to know that companies like Maximo make a nice product available at a reasonable price with lots of extras.

Is there an iPhone on Mars?  No, not exactly.  Nor have we found little green men on Mars, either.  Although if we did, would they be toting iPhone 3Gs?  If it were up to Jobs they would (how ’bout a game of Interstellar Risk, Rene?).  Unless you’ve been living in a cave (a la Bin Laden), you’ve likely heard of NASA’s recent success landing the Phoenix Mars lander.  The lander is equipped with shovel and soil analysis equipment to seek out ice, water, life, etc.

Even though iPhones aren’t on Mars (yet!), you can use your iPhone to get the latest news and mission status of the Phoenix Mars lander.  Toughturtle.com,  a developer of several other iPhone web apps, has given to us the Phoenix Mars Mission web app for the iPhone.  Keep reading to learn more about this week’s Tip! The Phoenix Mars Mission web app first provides an overview of the what is the first mission in NASA’s Scout Program.  Launched in August 2007, the Phoenix Mars lander is on a mission to collect data regarding the history of ice and water on Mars and the potential for sustaining life.

The interface of this app provides access to the Mission News RSS Feed, elapsed mission time on Mars, and the opportunity to donate/support toughturtle.com for their efforts in bringing new web apps to the iPhone.

Tapping on the Mission News RSS Feed takes you to the Mission News page.  The Mission News page contains a list of news items beginning with the most recent.

Whether it’s “NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander Inspects Delivered Soil Samples” or “NASA Phoenix Lander Bakes Sample, Arm Digs Deeper”, you can run through the list on the Mission News page and find the news items that interest you.

Once you’ve decided on a headline that interests you, just tap on it and you will proceed to the News Detail page.  Here, you can read in-depth on your chosen news item.

If you want news on-the-go about the Phoenix Mars Mission, just open Safari on your iPhone and head over to the Phoenix Mars Mission web app.  If you like it, go ahead and bookmark it on your iPhone so you can visit regularly.

Thanks again for stopping by for this week’s Tip.  Come back next week, unless you get abducted by Martians, of course.  If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@phonedifferent.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and we make no guarantees that you’ll have coverage with your iPhone 3G if you visit Mars — but can you imagine the AT&T roaming charges??).

Speaking of time — it’s time for this week’s Tip, so take a little of your time now and read on about using your iPhone Clock!

You see that little Clock icon on your iPhone every time you power it up.  If you are like me, you haven’t used it much and rely more heavily on the time displayed when you turn on your iPhone, just before sliding to unlock.  Or, you simply take notice of the tiny time display along the top center edge of your iPhone screen.

If you are feeling adventurous, tap on your Clock icon now and take a gander at the four options you are presented with.  By default, the Clock app will open to whatever app you were using last.  So, if you had the Alarm tab open, then that’s exactly where you will return the next time you open the Clock app.

Along the bottom, the options available are World Clock, Alarm, Stopwatch, and Timer.  In World Clock, you can add as many locations as you wish.  From Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates to Zurich, Switzerland, you can search for the city you desire and add it to your World Clock list.

As you can see on the right, the World Clock even works up in Canada (just a little tribute to my esteemed colleague, Rene Ritchie).  You get the benefit of both analog and digital.  Military, or 24-hour time, is also displayed if you make that selection in Settings.

If you watch closely, you can observe the red second hand ticking away when you open World Clock.

Now things start getting more fun.  There’s nothing quite like the buzzzzzzz of the alarm clock in the morning, eh?  What about using the Alarm feature of your iPhone?  Then, at least you can awaken to the pleasant sound of “Marimba” or the “Bark” of a dog (oh, sorry, your neighbor already helps you with that one?).

Additional options within the Alarm app include Repeat (choose what days of the week the alarm will repeat), Snooze (On or Off), and even the label.  Rather than the plain ‘ol generic “Alarm”, you can get all fancy-pants and name it whatever you want.  For instance, “Stop Playing WoW and Join Real Life” might be the customization you are looking for.

The Alarm app will allow you to specify the time right down to the minute, so you can be as precise as you want to be.  Like different locations in World Clock, you can add as many Alarms as you wish.

Use Alarm to remind you of important appointments or tasks.  Set the Alarm to remind you to move clothes from the washer to dryer, finish up an appointment, or even drop more money in the parking meter.  Or, just use it to wake you up in the morning.

Moving on to Stopwatch, I’ll show you how it just keeps getting better and better.  The Stopwatch keeps time to the tenths of a second (hundredths would have been nice, but how many of us are competitive downhill skiers?).  The Lap feature is nice as well to compare time differences between multiple laps (running, swimming, competitive power walking, etc.).  

Personally, my favorite feature about the Stopwatch is the amount of time and energy it saves me.  How does it save me time and energy, you may be asking?  It’s simple.  If you have children that are still young enough to think that being timed for anything is like a game, then the Stopwatch app is invaluable.  ”Let’s see how fast you can go to the mailbox, get the mail, and bring it back to me!”  Genius.  My hat is off to Jobs-O and company for including Stopwatch.

Finally, last but not least, is the Timer app.  With all of these other options, you might think that all your timekeeping needs can be accomplished with the World Clock, Alarm, and Stopwatch.  This may be true, but the Timer provides a way to specify the number of hours and minutes, then perform a countdown resulting in your choice of sound when the countdown ends.

The number of uses for the Timer is as varied as your creativity.  The Timer is useful if you have a time-sensitive job, like attorney or therapist.  Use the Timer for cooking or as a reminder to feed the parking meter.  The Timer may come in handy if you are a member of the Bomb Squad or, once again, if you have kids that really dig the challenge of getting a glass of water for you before the alarm sounds (this used to work, but my kids are older and wiser now — ahhh, those were the days).

Thanks again for stopping by for this week’s Tip.  Come back next week.  Maybe now you’ll think to set an Alarm to remind you to check out the Tip on TiPb.  If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@phonedifferent.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (but you can at least try the Stopwatch or Timer with your kids.  Yes, they may be twenty-five years old, but the eye-candy of the iPhone is hypnotic).

Hold +, and press Right, Right, Left, Left, 2, 2.  Do this quickly.  Oh, and by the way, do this at the “Chapter Select” screen.  Sounds simple enough, right?  What does this mean, anyway?  A new dance step?  Marching orders?  Or a way to unleash your weapons mojo playing Call of Duty 3 on your Wii?  You may not be able to hook up your iPhone to your Wii and use the accelerometer (yet), but your iPhone + a handy web app may make your Wii experience more lively (and give you the power to beat your kid’s high score).  Press Right, Right, then click Left on your mouse button to read on!

Buying a Wii is like catching a leprechaun.  If you are one of the lucky ones (I suggest filling your pockets with four-leaf clovers before shopping) and already have a Wii, then you may be interested in a web app that I’ve selected for this week’s Tip o’ the Week!

Wii Cheats is an iPhone-optimized site filled with cheats, tips, hints, and codes for your enjoyment while playing on your Nintendo Wii.  The site is laid out alphabetically by game titles.  A bar just above the first titles permits you to jump ahead in the list, i.e., if you need a hint for overcoming a difficult level in “Prince of Persia Rival Swords”, just tap on “N-T” and you will be whisked far down the list to titles starting with “N”.

Aside from having to put up with advertising, this is a great little app for your iPhone that can give you hints on tips anytime, anywhere when playing games on your Wii.

The general layout for games you access on the site includes various codes for the game, step-by-step instructions for entering the code, and the effect or result of the code entered.

Tips and hints are provided when a code is not necessary.  For example, if the game you are playing has certain programming glitches that can be exploited to your advantage, Wii Cheats is a good place to find this information and it’s FREE to use.

So whether you want to be able to go into the office on Monday and brag about your prowess as a Guitar Hero, or impress your little brother or nephew, the Wii Cheats web app for your iPhone may come in very handy.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and in all likelihood, your little brother and his friends have already found the cheats and codes from “other sources” and you’re dreaming if you really think you can compete on their level).

To get your Golla guerrilla groove on, tune in after the break for a review of this swanky iPhone case from Golla!

Case Design

I’ve had the good fortune to try a couple different Golla cases, and there is a consistent theme throughout their product line. Golla cases are all about utility and design, which makes it a nice choice when selecting a way to carry your iPhone when it isn’t in your hands.

The Golla Camo pouch arrived to me with the signature caribiner-style clip to attach to a belt loop, purse, etc., but the other carrying options include a belt loop and detachable lanyard.

Washed green camo cloth comprises the exterior of this pouch case with a softer green material lining on the inside.

A Velcro-secured cloth flap secures your iPhone safely inside this pouch case. It is a snug fit for your iPhone, so there isn’t much in the way of room for carrying anything else in the case. Many of the other Golla cases have pockets for cash, credit card, license, etc., but not in this case (no pun intended).

This Golla case is somewhat minimalist – that’s not a bad thing, but then again, it would be nice to get a bit more bang for the buck. For instance, I would prefer to have a bit more padding for my iPhone. In the event of a drop, this case will likely prevent scratching and scuffs to your beloved iPhone, but may do little to prevent impact damage.

Final Impressions

The Golla Camo Washed Green Vertical Pouch for iPhone (available at the phonedifferent store here for $19.95) is a nice case for going casual with your iPhone and it gives you three different ways to attach the case to your person: caribiner-style slip, belt loop, and lanyard. Golla has always done well in giving their customers both style and utility.

My only concerns with this case are value and protection, both of which are related. Although $19.95 isn’t bad for a case to protect your iPhone, I would like to see a bit more padding for my money so that I have a little more peace of mind if I have a clumsy moment and (heaven forbid) drop my iPhone.

Even with these concerns, though, the Golla Camo case is a fun and utilitarian way to carry your iPhone – a nice break from the usual leather, Nylon, rubber, or metal cases you see all over the place. Give the Golla Camo case a try – it just may be what you need to stand out in the urban or actual jungle!

Pros:

• Several different ways to carry the case
• Velcro closure keeps your iPhone securely in place
• Stylish and fun camo design

• Could use some additional padding for protection
• A little pricey given lack of padding

Design: 4
Features: 4
Usability: 5
Cost/Benefit: 4

Overall: 4/5

How many times has Elizabeth Taylor been married?  Where was Planet of the Apes filmed?  Is Harrison Ford really turning 66 this year?  Indy is a senior citizen??  These are the kinds of questions (and more) that can be answered using the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com).  If there is something you want to know about your favorite actor, movie, director, character, etc., the IMDb is a great place to find it.  Now, courtesy of Nolan Brown, we have Mobile IMDb for the iPhone and this week’s Tip!  Please read on!Being a fan of film and trivia, I have often used IMDb online to learn more about interesting movies, television shows, actors, directors, and anything else connected to the entertainment industry.  At times, it’s been a great way to settle an argument or win a bet!

Now, thanks to Nolan Brown, you can access IMDb on your iPhone via Mobile IMDb.  This version has been formatted specifically for the iPhone and provides a very simple interface for the best user experience.

Unlike the full version of IMDb.com, using Mobile IMDb on your iPhone allows you to avoid ads and get straight to the information you are looking for.  Try it today and you just may want to add Mobile IMDb to your Home Screen!

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and we don’t recommend that you use Mobile IMDb to stalk Chuck Norris.  After all, he IS Chuck Norris, and he knows Kung Fu).

One huge benefit of the iPhone’s superb web browser are all the web applications that have sprouted up since the iPhone’s release.  Just like in Field of Dreams, if you build it, they (developers) will come.  Among the plethora of web apps available, several social networking sites have popped up and this week’s Tip is about a unique angle on this genre.  Floort at Floort.com is a site that boasts “We know what you’re thinking”, and as a matter of fact, they DO!  Read on for this week’s Tip and how you can give someone else (or even the world) a piece of your mind!

After you register as a member of Floort (it’s free!), you can create a mini-blog about any topic, telling the world what’s on your mind.  Other Floort members can then respond and tell you what THEY think about what YOU think.  This can create dialog and possibly some bad feelings (then again, maybe some GOOD feelings too!).  In this manner, you can interact with other members and maybe make a like-minded (or polar opposite) friend or two.

Floort is now also a front-end for other social blogging sites such as twitter.  You can receive Floort updates via iPhone and text messaging.  Your Floorts are automatically posted to your twitter account.

So, fire up mobile Safari on your iPhone and give Floort a spin.  If you are opinionated or just bored and want to stir the pot by responding to the opinions of others, Floort may just be the place for you.

Thanks for checking out this week’s Tip, and if you have some tips of your own about the iPhone that you wish to share, drop me an email at: brian.hart@phonedifferent.com.  I’ll do my best to give your tip a voice right here!

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and we accept no responsibility if your email box overflows with hate mail because of some of your crazy coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs opinions).

Can your iPhone be an electronic wallet?  Maybe you are one of THOSE people that carries a massive, 2-inch-thick wallet stuffed with numerous credit cards, membership cards, fast-food punch cards, license, insurance card, etc.  What if you could carry your iPhone instead of your wallet?  Read this week’s Tip to find out how!

Thanks to Lifehacker.com’s “Wallet-Slimming Tips” and Albert Albert’s blog on tisgoud.nl expanding on this article, we have our Tip o’ the Week (and Dieter, a “rabid” anti thick-wallet guy who will soon have fewer victims upon whom he can to mete out his scorn and disdain).

Albert Alberts explains his method.  By scanning your various cards into iPhoto, you can import these scanned cards as photos directly into your iPhone via syncing with iTunes/iPhoto (photos of scanned cards courtesy of www.tisgoud.nl).

It is recommended that you scan your cards front and back.  Some of your cards may have bar codes on them.  According to Albert Alberts, the bar code on your card images may be scanned.  For example, if you have a gym membership card with a bar code, it’s possible that a gym employee can scan the bar code from the photo on your iPhone — can you already feel your wallet getting thinner?

You may have to proceed on a trial-and-error basis.  Try scanning a few cards and see if the images on your iPhone are accepted by the issuers as valid – just double tap the photo so it fits the screen.  You may get some funny looks, but that may be a small price to pay for a skinny wallet!

So go ahead – make your iPhone your iWallet.  Even if you are unable to convince store employees to accept the mere image of your card, you can put your wallet on a diet by removing unnecessary cards and carry the information as digital photos.  Then, you still have the information available to you (i.e., credit card numbers, membership numbers, etc.) without having to manually input every bit of information into the Notes app on your iPhone.

Want another reason to scan your cards and slim down your wallet?  Think of the money you’ll save on your chiropractor bills because one of your butt cheeks isn’t riding 3 inches higher than the other every time you sit down.  Now THAT’S a Tip!

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and we make no guarantees that your friendly neighborhood police officer will accept your driver’s license scanned onto your iPhone).

The iPhone is sensor-ific. It can sense if it’s turned sideways, held up close to your face, and whether or not you are in a dark room or out in the sunlight. This week’s Tip o’ the Week is a simple way to exploit one of the sensors on your iPhone to save you some steps and power at the same time. Curious? Read on for the Tip!

There are three sensors in your iPhone with three distinct functions, all of which provide a better user experience. The accelerometer detects the orientation of your iPhone – rotate your iPhone sideways and the screen is in landscape mode. The accelerometer is particularly useful when browsing on Safari, scanning Cover-Flow in iPod, and while flipping through your Photos.

Hidden behind the dark glass above the earpiece of your iPhone are the other two sensors, the proximity sensor and the ambient light sensor. The proximity sensor deactivates the touch sensitivity and illumination of the iPhone’s screen when the phone is placed against your head, but only during a call. The ambient light sensor detects lighting conditions when your iPhone is unlocked, dimming the screen in dark places and brightening the screen in sunlight to make the display easier to see.

This week’s Tip focuses on taking advantage of the ambient light sensor. You can manipulate the brightness of your screen while waking up your iPhone (unlocking it) by covering the sensor above the earpiece with your thumb. The ambient light sensor checks the lighting conditions just once per wake-up, between the time you wake up your iPhone and slide to unlock. If you cover up the sensor, your iPhone will think it’s dark and your display will be dimmer than normal. Just cover up the sensor area while unlocking your iPhone and the screen will dim.

Tricking the ambient light sensor provides two advantages: 1) Saving power – a dimmer screen = less juice; and 2) Saving taps – no need to tap ‘settings’, ‘brightness’, and adjust the brightness slider; use this shortcut instead! This Tip is ineffective if your display brightness is set to the maximum (as far as I’ve been able to test).

Try outsmarting your smart sensors today and save some steps and battery juice. Stay smart and drop by here next week for another Tip!

Disclaimer: Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and we certainly don’t promise an extra 5 days of talk time and 2 months standby time by using this Tip).

A strange thing happens around the corporate office when I whip out my iPhone and check email, place a call, or browse Safari. There is first silence, then Also Sprach Zarathustra (theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) slowly builds to a crescendo and my office colleagues gather like early man around the mysterious black monolith.

You see, like most offices across the land, we use mostly Blackberries. Now, I’m not sayin’ that these BB toters are Neanderthal, pre-man or apes; I mean, they have to have opposable thumbs to work the keyboard, right? I’m merely pointing out that my iPhone is the ONLY iPhone on the premises and somehow I get my work done and keep track of my schedule, contacts and email, just like everyone else. Read on to see if your iPhone can survive in a hostile work environment!

Will It Work?

If you read a previous article of mine, Trippin’ with my iPhone, I discussed the merits of the iPhone as a great travel companion and a multi-functional consumer’s dream device — truly a little slice of heaven. Writing that article really got me thinking about how I could effectively use my iPhone at work — no jailbreaking, no SDK, just the pure, unadulterated Jobsian iPhone fresh out of the box. Could I compete with my BB denizens?

Some of the criticisms I’ve endured at work go something like these:

• “You don’t have true push email.”
• “Where’s your task list? How will you get anything done if you don’t have a task list?!?”
• “You can’t receive and accept important meeting invitations.” — hmmmm. Not sure this is a BAD thing. I’m-not-saying-I’m-just-saying.

Even with the much-anticipated 3rd-party apps and forthcoming Exchange support, I’ve found my iPhone to be a worthy business phone. Although I am sometimes scoffed at by my BB toting peers, I remind them of the aforementioned iPhone upgrades and tell them in my best John Lithgow’s Dr. Lizardo of Buckaroo Banzai fame voice: “Laugh-uh while you can, monkey-boy!”

Can the iPhone compete in its current incarnation as a business phone? There are several reasons why I believe it can. I’ll now go into further detail about each of those reasons.

Let Me Pencil You Into My Calendar App

In my experience as a Palm user, WM dabbler and a little time on my brother’s Blackberry, I’ve found the iPhone’s Calendar to be at least on par with the rest. I can enter the Title and Location, Start and End time for the appointment or activity, set it as a repeating event, set an alert to remind me, and even enter some additional notes. My only gripe is the redundancy required when saving an appointment. There are a few times I’ve entered everything and forgot to touch “Done” when I was finished. Unlike most of the competition, the iPhone saves nothing unless you tap that “Done” button.

The other drawback is the inability to accept appointments and meetings. The way I work around this is accept (or decline) the meeting on my desktop, then when I sync my iPhone, it’s all there in the Calendar. Easy as pie. For me, the iPhone has worked fine for my business and personal calendar.

Visual Voicemail – Anything Less Is SO Twentieth Century!

Even the concept of Visual Voicemail; the ability to see my voicemail graphically, then pick and choose which ones I wanted to listen to, delete, or call back in any order; sold me from the start. I used to dread voicemail and tolerate it as a necessary evil. I have never enjoyed skimming through all of my voicemail to get to the one that is REALLY important. Now, it’s a breeze on my iPhone. Tap, listen, delete. Tap, listen, do nothing = saved. Voicemail is now painless and, dare I say, fun. That feature alone has made me the envy of my colleagues.

Make Contact with your Contacts

The iPhone makes even something as mundane as your Contact list a joy to work with and browse. I just flip my finger and scroll along, or even easier, just tap the letter corresponding to my contact’s first or last name (depending on how you’ve arranged your contacts). It’s also extremely easy to add a photo to a contact — either take a new photo on the spot or choose an existing photo from your iPhone’s Photo Albums. Contacts on an iPhone and contacts on anything else (BB, WM, Palm, etc.) are all pretty much the same regarding content, but the iPhone’s interface just seems to do it all with a bit more style and panache. Again, a worthy Contact app for the business world. If I need to accept a virtual business card, I just do it on my desktop and sync.

Email – It’s Not Just For BB Anymore

Let’s face it. The BB is an emailing machine. When you think corporate email, you think Blackberry. This has been THE greatest shortcoming of the iPhone being a competent business device, particularly on the enterprise level. With that said, are you wondering how I am getting my corporate email without a BB? I have an answer for you. Gather around; listen carefully; I shall whisper softly this marvelous secret.

Ah, shucks. It’s really not a secret, it’s just more about schmoozing your I.T. department than implementing some kind of secretive technological wizardry. I merely asked I.T. if they can change a setting on the server to forward a copy of all my work email to my .mac account (or you can go with AOL, Gmail, etc.). Presto! I now get all my work email on my iPhone by virtue of my .mac email address. This does create some redundancy (email at both my desktop work email account AND on my iPhone), but I don’t mind. If I delete an email on the desktop, it updates my iPhone, and vice versa. With all due respect to my BB Email Monster toting cohorts, I don’t feel like I’m really missing anything. If autocheck every 15 minutes isn’t soon enough, then the person trying to reach me can text or call me.

Without A TASK List, How Do You Get Anything Done??

I must admit, I miss the native task lists I can create on my WM and Palm devices. Notes on the iPhone just doesn’t cut it. However, there IS a workaround on this point too (bet you figured I had one, eh?). For me, it’s as simple as creating a Calendar entry for a task needing completion. I just look at my Calendar, and there’s the reminder. Once I’ve completed the task, I delete the Calendar entry.

Conference Calls the iPhone Way

Yes, other devices can be used for conference calls, and the iPhone is no different in function. Like many other things, however, its not about what the iPhone does, but HOW the iPhone does it. Recently I hosted a conference call with a colleague in California, two in Utah, and an attorney in the Philippines. I was sweating it a little because it was an important call and I had yet to use the iPhone’s Conference Call features. The request for me to host the call was a last-second decision and I hadn’t even read up on conferencing with the iPhone. Fortunately, user interface is really where the iPhone shines.

I called the main number for the conference and entered the access number for “host”. With the three State-side colleagues now on the call, I placed them on hold and dialed the attorney in the Philippines. Once getting him on the line, I just tapped “Merge” and we were now all on the same call together. I used “Speakerphone” and could hear and was heard loud and clear. It was a smooth and seamless conference call experience, all handled from my iPhone. That, my friends, is good business.

Wrapping It All Up

Is the iPhone a perfect business phone? No. IS there a perfect business phone? No again. However, I’ve found that I can use my iPhone at work and still perform pretty much all the basic business functions that my other phones can perform. I would argue that the iPhone is superior in some areas, like the ease-of-use in setting up a conference call. When in the business world, I want something that just plain works and does it in the easiest way possible so I can save time and, therefore, money.

Even now, the iPhone is a worthy player in the business world. I am very excited to see how much more useful the iPhone will be at work once the 3rd party app and Exchange floodgates are open.

Until then, leave a comment (or two!) about your work-related iPhone experiences or what you think the future will be for the iPhone in the workplace!

Once I finally trained myself to no longer reflexively reach for a stylus on my iPhone, it truly hit me that the world was at my fingertips (warning: pun alert). Flipping through photo albums with the flick of my finger just doesn’t get old. Pinching text and photos to fit on the screen or expanding the same with my thumb and index finger was intuitive from the time my iPhone came out of the box.

I like the little things, like tapping the very top of the screen to return to the top of a web page after scrolling down for miles. Conversely, it would be nice to have a similar mechanism for instantly jumping to the bottom, eh?

Read on for more Tapping, Scrolling,

Double-tapping is a great way to instantly expand the image size in Mobile Safari. It’s easier on the eyes to read some of the smaller text or images. Then, just a quick double-tap again and everything shrinks back to the original size. Simple and easy, right at (er, under) your fingertips.

If you haven’t guessed by now, this week’s Tip is all about the fingertips. Some web sites contain lists of information that are seemingly difficult to access when surfing on your iPhone. If it’s a scrollable list, you may have noticed that when you use your fingertip, you end up scrolling the entire page instead of the area within the page that you wish to scroll instead. Fortunately, there IS an answer. It’s far from the answer to the ultimate question (42, right? ahem.), but it’s the answer for scrolling lists within a web site.

With TWO (2) fingers, held closely together, you now have the power to scroll a list within a site. In this manner, you should be able to scroll a list within a site without scrolling down in the site itself. Who knew your fingertips held such power?

Now, for an added bonus this week. When I’m scrolling down in a site that is poorly formatted for my iPhone (or any mobile device), sometimes I mistakenly drift to the side and experience side-scrolling, which can be annoying. A simple fix to this is scroll with your fingertip on the far right edge of your screen (photo courtesy of artilleryunit.com/blog). You are pretty much guaranteed an elimination of side-scrolling if you use this method. Give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by again this week for the Tip o’ the Week, a week that is truly a Tip about tips!

Disclaimer: Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and in the spirit of being punny, don’t forget to tip your writer… er, waiter).

I remember well the days of yore when I had a whopping 5 channels to choose from for my viewing pleasure. Now before you start doing some quick math and send me Geritol for my birthday, I was just a wee lad then. Although I didn’t have much in the way of choices, I made sure to never miss an episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man”, re-runs of “Star Trek”, and a generous helping of “Sesame Street” and “Electric Company”. I also had to (gasp!) actually GET UP off the couch, WALK to the t.v., and MANUALLY change the channel! Ahhhh, those were the days.

Times have certainly changed. The average home now has about 114 channels to choose from. I switched to DirectTV recently and I get lost in the maze of menus and virtual cornucopia of channels and programming to choose from. You may be wondering what all of this may have to do with your iPhone. HARK! There is a handy AOL site designed just for the iPhone that can help you navigate the ever-expanding universe of televised entertainment!

Open Safari on your iPhone and tap in this web addy: http://iphone.television.aol.com. Next, enter your zip code (or the zip code of where you happen to be located — this is important). You are then offered a list of providers including Cable (i.e., Comcast), Satellite (Dish or DirectTV), and Broadcast. Select the service you are using. You are then presented with options for viewing listings for “What’s On Now”, “Complete Listings”, “Channel Guide”, or “Search All TV Shows” at the bottom. Searching is particularly useful if you are dying to know when and where the next episode of “Gilligan’s Island” will be airing (will those poor people EVER get off that wretched paradise of an island??).

If the list you have selected is particularly long, like the 800+ listings for DirectTV for instance, you may notice that there is a bar on the far right side of the screen, along the border, which allows you to tap on a range of channels to immediately jump to that location. Brilliant.

If you are on the road or sitting comfortably in your very own La-Z-Boy recliner at home, keep your iPhone handy and let this AOL TV Listings app help you find what you want to watch. Tune in next week right here (adjusting the rabbit ears is not necessary) for another Tip!

Disclaimer: Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (no, we certainly don’t promise you’ll enjoy the reruns of “Lawrence Welk” or “Love, American Style”).

Road warriors and those who spend an ungodly amount of time talking on their iPhone (or most any other cell phone), take notice! The Sony Ericsson HBH-PV705 Bluetooth Headset ($44.95), available now for your convenient purchase at the Phonedifferent store, may just take your breath away with it’s long-lasting battery life! You may possibly run out of things to say before the HBH-PV705 runs out of juice! Boasting an impressive talk time and standby time, you may be able to get by without a car charger (which may explain why one is not included in the package).

Keep on reading for the rest of the review!

Out of the Box

It usually goes without saying, but when I try a new product, my user experience begins with the packaging. I’m usually not so interested with the aesthetics of the packaging itself (although shiny and sparkly always catches my eye), but if opening the packaging can be done without blowtorch, table saw or ‘jaws of life’, you’ve already scored points with me. Fortunately here, the packaging for this bluetooth headset is very easy to open and you have instant access to the goodies inside.

Inside the box you will find the Sony Ericsson HBH-PV705 Bluetooth Headset, a basic wall charger, and a strap for the convenience of wearing the headset around your neck, if so desired. As I often like to do, I plugged in this headset and charged it overnight so I could test it out the next day on a full charge.

The HBH-PV705 has a fairly “no frills” type of design: power button is conveniently located on the outside-facing side with a small, green-flashing indicator light, the charging port is on the back end, a volume rocker switch is located on the bottom (under the power button), and there is a detachable rubber-encased plastic ear hook so you can wear it on either ear. The included strap attaches on the end by the charging port if you wish to carry your headset around your neck rather than in a pocket. Weighing in at .50 oz. and measuring 2.38″ x 0.69″ x 0.50″, the HBH-PV705 is nothing extraordinary in design, but the excitement is all under the hood!

Headset Performance

The Sony Ericsson HBH-PV705 Bluetooth headset boasts a whopping 12 hours talk time and 300 hours standby time. Now to be honest, I have not clocked the precise number of hours that I spent talking (12?!? Who would I talk to for 12 hours?? I don’t even know enough people to spread it around!). I also haven’t measured the precise standby time for my headset. However, I charged it that first night and have been using it ever since, off and on. After a few days, it’s still going strong. Needless to say, for the money, you may be hard-pressed to find another bluetooth headset that has this kind of advertised talk and standby time.

Pairing the headset is easy. My iPhone instantly recognized the headset, I entered the standard 0000 code, and I was on my way. When engaged in a call, the HBH-PV705 sounds very clear and loud, which pleasantly surprised me. I’ve owned other bluetooth headsets that fit similarly over the ear. Normally I prefer a headset that utilizes an earbud that I can lodge in my ear for better hearing, but this headset has not problem in cranking out the volume. Calls are clear and the volume is loud on my end, and I’ve had no complaints for the caller on the other end. Everyone I’ve talked to on my iPhone hears me loud and clear.

My only criticism of the Sony Ericsson HBH-PV705 is the ear hook design. It may be just a consequence of my own ear design, but I found that the ear hook can become a tad uncomfortable when wearing for an extended period of time. This isn’t a big drawback for me, though, because I don’t usually wear a bluetooth headset unless I’m on a call, but if you usually wear one all the time, you may want to practice switching ears for comfort reasons. Perhaps if the ear hook had a little more rubber on it, this wouldn’t be a problem, but then it would add more weight and bulk, so there’s the tradeoff.

Conclusion

The Sony Ericsson HBH-PV705 Bluetooth Headset is a good value for such impressive talk and standby time. It is a cinch to pair with your iPhone and the power and volume buttons are easily accessible and easy to use. It has great call quality and volume, includes a handy strap to wear around your neck, and the ear hook easily detaches to wear on either ear. The ear hook can prove to be a little uncomfortable if worn for extended periods of time, but all in all, this is a small matter when considering BIG battery life.

Pros

• Long talk and standby time.
• Good call quality and volume.
• Includes a strap.
• Detachable ear hook.

Cons - Ear hook can be uncomfortable when worn for long periods of time.

5 out of 5

Every week, we’ll be bringing you a tip, trick, or quick how-to on how to keep your iPhone ship-shape. You’ll be able to see them all in our tip archive.

The young lady that cuts my hair told me a horror story today. I just about broke into a sweat listening to her tale of terror. A recent iPhone convert, she was at home in her bathroom (hostile environment for all things electronic), putting her make-up on, and with a careless sweep of her arm, her iPhone scored a perfect “10″ from the high dive straight into the commode.

Panicked (as you can imagine), she fished out her iPhone, immediately turned it off, and dried it as best she could. Waiting a day, she tried turning it on, but no dice — it seemed to have given up the ghost in the machine. Still filled with hope, she carried her iPhone in her pocket the rest of the day and, amazingly, it came to life.

All was not well, though. Having made it through a drowning and near-death experience, her iPhone’s “Home” button no longer worked — her iPhone was useless; a mere night-light.

If your iPhone encounters water (or falls in your mug of ale), retrieve it immediately, power it off, dry it as best you can with a cloth, and click the bookmark you just made for this article. You did that, right?

Read on for the deets on how to save your precious iPhone!

- Place your iPhone in a plastic bag with those usually useless silica packets – they work great at absorbing moisture. - Put your iPhone in a bag or bowl of uncooked rice and let it sit for up to 2 days. Rice likes water, your iPhone doesn’t. - Air-drying your iPhone is also an option, but a MUCH SLOWER option. - You may have read you can set your oven on a very low setting and successfully dry out your iPhone – we don’t particularly recommend this option.

It is important to remove the moisture from you iPhone as quickly as possible to give it the best chance of survival. It may help you avoid costly repair charges from Apple. My friend took her malfunctioning iPhone back to the Apple Store and charmed her way into a replacement. It may be worth a try, but I suspect Apple doesn’t regularly accept aquatic iPhones for replacement. It’s even possible that, like on most cell phones these days, there’s a piece of paper inside the iPhone that turns black when doused so Apple can tell whether or not you have wetted down your gadget.

Searching the Internet exhaustively so you don’t have to, there are numerous gems of how-to’s out there waiting to be mined and shared with the masses. Just stop by here each Wednesday for helpful tips for your iPhone!

Disclaimer: Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (unless, of course, your iPhone goes swimming).

Stan has been in the Mac industry since 1994 when MacCentral first went online as a weekly publication. Things were a lot different back then – the Internet as we know it was in its infancy – but Stan saw a way to make a successful business.

Mr. Flack certainly contributed to the Apple community and will certainly be missed. He is considered by many to be a pioneer in Mac journalism. For the complete story, head over to Macworld.

The Speck Products Techstyle Classic Leather form-fitting case and holster ($24.95) for your iPhone, available now at the Phone different store, is an elegant, “classic” look (as the product suggests) that provides good protection for your iPhone with traditional leather styling. Keep reading for the full review!

I’ve always been a leather guy. I ride a Victory motorcycle (weather permitting) and there’s nothing like pulling on the leather jacket, Google Mapping a scenic route on my iPhone, and roll some thunder down the open road.

As much as I like the tough-guy image (ha ha), I’m still an uber-geek at heart, so I love trying out new things for my iPhone. When my Speck Products Techstyle Classic Leather case and holster arrived in the mail from the Phone different store, I eagerly opened the plastic packaging and studied the design of this case-and-holster combo.

Design

This Speck case is form-fitting and available in black or brown. I selected brown because all other cases I own are black and I wanted something different. The case fits snugly over your iPhone and has a velcro/leather tab at the bottom to secure it in place. I’m usually not a fan of velcro flaps, but in this case, it’s a good design and stays secure. This Speck case is accentuated with white stitching, adding a nice contrast to the brown leather. The leather protects the iPhone fairly well, with slightly raised surfaces for the “home” button and volume buttons on the side of the iPhone. There is a cut-out for the ear speaker. The corners of the iPhone are all exposed and accessible, which is both a plus and a minus to me. Although the speaker/microphone on the bottom of the iPhone and the power button/headphone jack and volume on/off switch are exposed and easily accessible, this is a two-edged sword — these same areas are vulnerable in the event you drop your phone or bump it against something.

Also, to gain access to the connector at the bottom of the iPhone for syncing or charging, you have to undo that leather velcro flap, which can become a small nuisance. Nevertheless, I like the form-fitting snugness of this case on my iPhone and it is a quality leather case. The lining of the case is relatively soft and shouldn’t scratch your iPhone. Also, during the time of my use over a couple of weeks, I did not experience any stretching of the leather. It maintains a snug fit and your iPhone should remain nice and secure in this case.

Holster

The holster for this Speck case is the second half of the combo. It’s made of leather with similar white stitching and has a swivel metal belt clip encased in leather. I like the swiveling feature because it gives the user the option to wear an iPhone in profile or landscape mode. The belt clip is quite robust and should provide a long life for wear. The pattern on the holster bears the identical plaid fabric as the interior of the matching leather case.

The method in which this holster secures your iPhone in place is interesting. Wide leather-encased clamps on either side of the holster and another similar, smaller clamp on the bottom of the holster hold your iPhone securely in place. I found that it was beneficial to forcefully (but gently) flex the side clamps outward a bit to allow an easier time in sliding my iPhone into the holster. Once your iPhone is holstered, it is NOT coming out accidentally. The entire holster will come free before the iPhone leaves the holster! During my use of this combo, I never once had an accidental separation of iPhone and holster. In fact, this is my only gripe about this particular combination of case and holster — the holster does such a good job of securing your iPhone that it is a two-handed operation to place your iPhone in the holster. I much prefer being able to slap my iPhone in a side holster or case with one hand. Conversely, when I need to answer a call or use my iPhone for any other reason, I prefer one-handed access. This Speck holster makes this just about impossible. You really need two hands — one to grasp the holster and keep it secured to your belt, the other to remove the iPhone. It may come down to your personal taste, but for me, this was the main Achille’s Heel for this case/holster combo.

Conclusion

For protection and design of case and holster, and if you really dig form-fitting leather like I do, the Speck Products Techstyle Classic Leather form-fitting case and holster ($24.95) for your iPhone is a great choice. It’s a good value for the money because of the quality leather and a holster that should stand up to plenty of wear-and-tear. It’s an elegant look for your iPhone that should stand apart from the rest of the silicone/metal/plastic cases you see out there.

Pros

• Nice form-fitting leather design.
• Protects your iPhone while providing full access to all buttons, speakers and microphone.
• Swivel holster.
• Holster secures iPhone very well.

Cons

• Leather form-fitting case leaves corners of iPhone vulnerable.
• Velcro flap on bottom of iPhone must be opened each time for charging/syncing.
• Using holster requires two-handed operation.

All in all, I give this a 4 out of 5.

It doesn’t have 3G. It doesn’t have true GPS. It doesn’t have instant messaging or 3rd party apps or even cut and paste. With all it’s current shortcomings, the iPhone is still a worthy “Swiss Army Knife” of smartphones that you can confidently take with you through airport security, on a plane, and throughout your trip as an excellent traveling companion. In fact, I’ll boldly exclaim that the iPhone is all that I could ask for in my travels and I really put it through it’s paces on a recent trip.

Read on about my trippin’ with my iPhone!

Starting the Trip

Last Friday I caught a late afternoon flight from Salt Lake City to LAX. A quick check on Flightstats on my iPhone (http://mobile.flightstats.com/go/Mobile/), a neat little web app, allowed me to check on my flight status and learn my flight was running on time. The weather app confirmed that L.A. is like the movie “Groundhog Day” — 73 degrees and sunny now and forever. Hmmmm…. I’ve always wanted the weather icon on my iPhone to display the current temperature instead of the perpetual 73 degrees, but if you live in L.A., the point is moot.

Sitting on the plane, I made a call home, sent a couple text messages, checked email, and buckled up for my flight. Heeding the warnings about electronic devices singlehandedly downing commercial aircraft, I activated “Airplane Mode” and tucked my iPhone away until we had reached the magical “safe altitude” where everyone can power-up their electronics without fear of aerial armageddon. Plugging in my earphones, I turned my iPhone sideways and immediately immersed myself in a gritty movie, “The Departed.” Nothing like some Jack Nicholson with an ensemble of other talented actors to pass the time as I flew toward Hollywood.

Hitting the Town

Arriving at LAX, I called my friend to let him know I was at curbside and ready to roll. He picked me up and let me know he had tickets for a night of comedy at “The Comedy Store,” a well-known hole-in-the-wall kind of club with big-name comics strutting their stuff and trying out new acts for the small crowd before taking their game to prime-time. Not having been there before, we used Google Maps on my iPhone to map our route and we got their just in time for the show. Fourteen comics and an excellent ab workout later, we called it a night (by the way, did you know the iPhone makes for an excellent flashlight when trying to find the bathroom in the dark?).

The next day, with my iPhone freshly charged, we hit the road and headed for the Griffith Observatory. Again, Google Maps was handy. After seeing a stellar (pun intended) show narrated by an enthusiastic-to-the-point-of-creepy volunteer, we walked around to look at all things spacey, including a moon rock (it’s gray and can not be mistaken for cheese).

In keeping with the theme of space (you know how those Hollywood types are “out there”), we killed some time with our own version of “star tours” — my iPhone was less helpful here due to no “Star Maps” available on Google Maps, but we saw some insanely-enormous houses (estates?) and did our best to satisfy our curiosity at how the “other half” lives.

We left the mansions behind and headed to the newly-renovated Graumans Egyptian Theater for a one-night showing of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” [ed. note: RIP Arthur C. Clarke]. Although my iPhone lacks the all-seeing red eye and pleasantly hypnotic Valium-esque voice of the HAL 9000, Google Maps once again performed admirably in giving us the best route to the theater. Watching the movie, I couldn’t help but be amused by the gigantic plastic push-buttons on all of the spacecraft — man’s best attempt in the 60′s to envision what our interaction with machines would be like in the year 2001. I suspect the iPhone’s touchscreen with all it’s “pinching” and “stretching” would seem like witchcraft.

The next day, my friend and I were talking about the movie. I couldn’t help but liken the monoliths to the iPhone (if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean), but apart from that, we were trying to decide if it was possible for a human, sans helmet and gloves for his space suit, could withstand zero pressure and extremely cold temperatures for even an instant. This was important, of course, because this happens in the movie and, the geeks that we are, we wanted to know if it was possible or if Stanley Kubrick was full of you-know-what. Again, my iPhone was helpful. I opened Safari and we Googled until we learned that the temperature in space is 2.725 degrees Kelvin. Hmmm… sounds kinda cold. But what does that mean to us? Try -454.765 degrees Fahrenheit (yes, that’s roughly 422 degrees below freezing). We both concluded that this was the temperature where Hell must surely freeze over.

The last notable part of my trip was our visit to Amoeba Records. Wow, what a store! You can find just about ANY music CD, cassette tape, vinyl, DVD movies, even laser disc. Again, Google Maps pointed the way and, as you can see here, the iPhone makes a suitable camera in a pinch. If you are in the L.A. area and have a list of media that you can’t find anywhere else, Amoeba Records may just be the place for you.

Workin’ It

During my stay in L.A., I had to mix business with pleasure. I attended a work-related conference for a couple days and utilized my iPhone often during the less interesting portions of the conference: text messaging, browsing the internet with Safari, and email. The iPhone is an excellent back-up when a laptop is simply too conspicuous.

I wrapped up my trip with a flight out of John Wayne Airport for my journey home to Salt Lake. Again, Flightstats confirmed my flight was running on time. In fact, we ended up pulling away from the gate fifteen minutes EARLY. Can that happen?? I’d like to give my iPhone credit for that one, but we know it can’t do everything (yet). I also checked the weather in Salt Lake City before leaving L.A. so I would know how to dress; no surprise that dressing warmer was prudent.

Flying home, I used my iPhone to listen to Phone different’s Podcast 14 (nothing like Dieter’s soothing voice to get you through the turbulence). I arrived in Salt Lake, listened to iTunes while I made the long walk to baggage claim, and called my wife to let her know I was at number 7 on the curb for pickup. Home in one piece — mission accomplished.

Besides learning how cold space really is, where to get a few laughs, and my flight status, what did I really take away from this trip? Well, I learned that even without the much-anticipated 3rd party apps, true GPS, 3G and multimedia messaging, my iPhone is an exceptional traveling companion when only using the built-in apps and the available web apps that are out there. I can think of no other complete package that slips so easily into your pocket that provides as much information, functionality, and entertainment than an iPhone. I’m looking forward to the next time I can go trippin’ with my iPhone.

How has your iPhone been trippin’ for you?

I can hardly remember my life before having a PDA. I held a Palm Pilot for the first time in 1996, a Pilot 1000 my father received at work. He was somewhat non-plussed; technology was not his gig and he deferred to me for most things with a power button. For me, the Palm Pilot was something revolutionary and Graffiti input was mind-blowing.

The addiction and PDA-dependence grew from there for me. I was “plugged in” and my vocabulary would now include words and acronyms like “stylus”, “PIM” and “SD Card”. As other platforms emerged, like Pocket PC and Symbian, I remained doggedly loyal to the Palm OS through it’s progression of versions. I watched Palm OS become Garnet and then “FrankenGarnet.” I even got used to seeing “Powered by Access” when I fired up my trusty Palm. I made the leap from PDA to a converged device with the Treo 650, then the 680. Throughout the years I endured the criticisms of Palm’s lack of multitasking, multithreading, no wifi (!?!) and antiquated PIM. I remained a Palm loyalist and apologist, looking toward the horizon for a Cobalt or Palm OS 2 that would never come.

More on my migration to the iPhone after the break!

I was feeling restless and the seed of malcontent began to first germinate and then sprout tiny roots. I dabbled with Windows Mobile and felt dissatisfied. I returned to familiar, safe territory with Palm. Though long in the tooth, it was an OS I was familiar with and I had a plethora of third-party software that met my needs. But the roots spread deeper and wider as my discontent grew, and I started looking for an answer that would replace my restlessness and discouragement with hope.

Hope finally came with the release of Apple’s iPhone. After much anticipation and fanfare, the iPhone became a reality for me on June 29, 2007. My local Apple Store was open late. I called and sheepishly inquired about iPhone availability, fully expecting laughter followed by an attempt to politely explain that all iPhones were long-gone. To my pleasant surprise, I was asked which flavor I wanted, 4GB or 8GB? Once I knew that Apple had planned well and had numerous iPhones in stock, I drove to the store and was greeted at the door. The store employee asked me which phone I wanted, and I did well to contain my excitement and managed to calmly tell him I wanted the 8GB iPhone. Moments later, he returned with my new iPhone in a gift bag. I handed over my credit card without hesitation and returned home with my prize, anxious to connect it to my MacBook Pro and embark on a new journey.

Once plugged in, my iPhone activation process began and I was presented with the “Are You a New or Existing AT&T (Cingular) Wireless Customer?” screen. I clicked the radio button indicating I was already an AT&T subscriber and was replacing my current phone (my Treo) with my shiny new iPhone. Moving my mouse arrow down, I could click on “Go Back” or “Continue”. I paused. These two choices suddenly appeared in my mind’s eye like a blue pill or red pill. “Go Back” was the blue pill. “Continue” was the red pill. The words of Morpheus came to me: “You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”

Was I not in Steve Job’s “Wonderland”? Was I not peering through the looking-glass, in this case, the glass of the iPhone’s brilliant and unparalleled multi-touch display? I mused upon this metaphor for a moment, then clicked the “Continue” button. I was taking the RED pill, dammit. I had already decided.

The Rabbit Hole

I know there are lots of different options out there for a smartphone or even semi-smartphone, but I’m keeping this strictly about the Palm OS Treo vs. iPhone and my experience making the switch. I took the red pill and I’ve not regretted it. I’ve never looked back and wished I’d taken the blue pill instead. I know there are others out there who have made the same decision, others who are thinking about it, and still others that prefer to with their Palm OS Treo (no offense, of course. It’s all about free will, baby!). My goal is to take you down the rabbit-hole with me and help you see why I’m liking the journey.

Having used the iPhone as my primary device since what I fondly refer to as “i-Day”, I can honestly say there is nothing like it. It’s elegant and functional design is what one would expect from Apple, but design is only part of what makes this phone special. Apple has thought of so many of the little touches, like sensors for light and proximity. My cheek has made countless inputs on my Treo when I was on a call, anywhere from scheduling a new calendar event without my knowledge or disconnecting my call entirely. I don’t have this problem with my iPhone because it’s smart (and who said it wasn’t a smartphone??) – it knows when I’m on a call and my cheeks are allowed mischief no longer!

What about the keyboard? Where is it? How could ANYONE like a virtual keyboard?? Well, to borrow shamelessly from another film franchise of mega-iconic proportions, using the iPhone software keyboard requires using “The Force” (I’ll come back to this momentarily). I really do like the Treo keyboard and had become quite proficient in using it. I have big hands and fat fingers, but I still managed to tap away at that Treo keyboard with minimal errors. The iPhone’s software keyboard is unlike anything else I’ve used for input — no tactile feel and it’s non-existent unless your iPhone decides you need it. The advantages of the iPhone’s keyboard are more screen real estate and far less physical force to type something. I had my doubts about this “soft” keyboard, but after just a few hours of use, I became a believer and adopter.

Remember “The Force” I was talking about? If you focus on the keyboard and at least attempt to type correctly, the iPhone is EXTREMELY good at figuring out what the heck you are trying to type and does a FANTASTIC job of correcting your mistakes. For me, Mr. Sausagefingers, I’ve had little trouble. If I use The Force and have faith in my iPhone, I can tap away at a high rate of speed and feel confident that my iPhone will get it right.

Web-browsing? No comparison, really. That’s the first thing I show someone who has never held an iPhone in their hands. Several of my acquaintances have inquired about my iPhone with mocking skepticism, only to begin salivating and babbling “my presssssscious!” (another shameless movie rip-off) as they scroll and “pinch” to their bug-eyed delight on the iPhone’s Safari web-browser. With a Treo (using Blazer, Opera Mini, etc.), I only used the internet when I had no other choice, and it was a chore of epic proportions. My iPhone? A different story, my friends. I use the web-browser on a regular basis and now take for granted how it renders full web pages. Man, am I spoiled.

Like millions of others, I have an iPod. I love how I can store all of my music, videos, podcasts, and photos on my iPod. With a Treo, you have the same features using various 3rd-party apps or even the out-of-the-box software that comes on the Treo. There is a big difference for me, though. I rarely used my Treo for multimedia because it felt too cumbersome. I’ve done my fair share of “tweaking” my Treo, but it was too much of a hassle to use one program for videos, another for music, yet another for photos, and still another for podcasts. I’m not that smart. Rather than use my Treo for multimedia, I carried around my iPod instead. The beauty and genius of the iPhone is it’s simplicity — I can carry around my aforementioned multimedia on my phone and conveniently sync it with iTunes. It’s virtually dummy-proof.

How about email? Email, at least for this comparison, is really part of a larger whole, that greater whole being 3rd-party native apps. They are coming for the iPhone as I write this. The Treo wins on the many different email solutions via 3rd-party apps, but for my needs, my iPhone’s email app is adequate. I have a .Mac account for email and it is regularly delivered to my iPhone via the Auto-Check feature. This isn’t as handy as true “push” email, but I don’t mind having the option to have my iPhone check my mail every 15, 30 or 60 minutes. If someone needs to reach me THAT urgently they can always call, right? I’ve also found a nifty way around the enterprise (or lack thereof) mail problem. I spoke to the IT guys where I work and now my work email is forwarded to my .mac account, so I’m not missing anything. I get all of my email on my iPhone and don’t need a Treo to do it.

The iPhone has many onboard features that can be matched or exceeded by a Palm OS 3rd-party app, like stock reporting software, weather, clock, calculator programs ad infinitum, notes, etc. Many of these inequalities that are missed from my Treo days will hopefully be resolved when the SDK is available and developers start cranking out software for the iPhone. Even so, the apps that are standard on the iPhone are well-designed and simply beautiful to look at. They are also very functional and easy to use. Until a parity is reached with 3rd-party apps, I can live with using the myriad of web apps that are available to take care of one or two things that I used to use my Treo for, like a checkbook program (one of my only major gripes). Also, some of the iPhone onboard apps are simply superior when you combine functionality with the expansive screen real estate, like Google Maps. YouTube is also worth it’s weight… er… memory space in gold when it comes to entertainment value.

Both the Treo and iPhone have cameras. And yes, both of their cameras are, shall we say, closer to the Fisher-Price end of the spectrum than a Nikon, for instance. Neither platform can brag about the camera, but again, for me, it’s about ease-of-use and functionality. With the iPhone, I can take a picture and save it, make it the phone wallpaper, delete it, email it, or upload it to my website to share to the world with one press of the virtual button. Treo has an advantage with the ability to take video, and I’m hoping video will be a future iPhone feature. Also, iPhone is embarrassingly lacking the MMS feature with its messaging so I can’t send a picture via text/multimedia message, but hopefully this will also be addressed in future updates.

Personal Information Management

The Treo, and Palm OS in general, has a very simple PIM (Personal Information Management) that is what first attracted me to Palm so many years ago. I will be the first to admit that the Treo’s PIM is superior to the iPhone’s PIM in that it is easier to access and more straight-forward. A To-Do list is standard (iPhone, at the time of this writing, requires a web app for any kind of “to do’s”, sadly). The basic Contacts/Address book for Palm is first-rate, but the iPhone’s is very similar by comparison. As for Memos, the Treo allows categorization, which is nice. The iPhone’s “Notes” program leaves a lot to be desired, from the Market Felt font to the lack of organizing notes in any kind of logical way.

My biggest gripe is the Calendar. With a Treo, a calendar entry is as simple as opening up the calendar app, tapping on the time you want, and entering the text for an appointment. It’s as simple as you care to make it and everything is saved. With the iPhone, you tap on the Calendar, hit the “+” button, then have to enter the appointment details, scroll through the “start” and “end” times, and make sure you SAVE it or it’s lost. I’ve messed up that last step one or twenty times and it can get irritating.

Even with some of the drawbacks, though, I can accept some of the idiosyncrasies of the iPhone’s PIM when considering the entire package of what I’m getting with this baby. Although I prefer the Treo’s PIM features, it’s not enough to even make the blue pill look tempting.

How much deeper will the Rabbit Hole go?

I could go on about the pros and cons, like user-replaceable battery vs. non-user-replaceable, expandable memory, 3rd-party apps, stylus vs. finger (can’t say I’m missing the stylus), and maybe my biggest pet peeve of all: CUT AND FRICKIN PASTE, please. I’m not going to tell you, my good reader, that you should be baptized an iPhone convert, but I will say that I was not happy with Palm’s lackluster roadmap and was elated to finally have an option to take a blue or red pill.

The rabbit-hole is not uniquely mine. If you look closely, you should find a rabbit-hole in your own back yard (think AT&T or Apple Store) and perhaps, if you are still reading, you’ll feel the same compulsion I did and decide to see how deep the rabbit-hole goes for yourself. On the eve of the highly-anticipated SDK release with the promise of 3rd-party apps and future product upgrades, I believe the rabbit-hole will go deep indeed. I traveled a similar rabbit-hole long ago with a similar excitement, but Palm’s rabbit-hole, at least for me, resulted in a disappointing dead-end. With Apple’s iPhone, I am happy to have found a new rabbit-hole and I believe that THIS one does, in fact, lead to Wonderland.

What does all this SDK talk mean with respect to the popular DataViz products like Documents To Go? Read on, my friends!

Although it’s easy to be swallowed up in the sea of information spilling forth from the SDK Roadmap earlier today, and even though I’m still hoping for Stevie J to throw us a bone (like copy/paste ready for download from iTunes? ahem), I’m trying to stay calm. Deep breath. Maybe another piece of good news will help.

One of my favorite apps from my Treo days is DataViz’s DocsToGo. I tried to reach DataViz for comment with regard to the SDK release and their plans for bringing their products to the iPhone, but alas, the time-zone gods are against me and all I could come up with was a blurb from their website. Read their statement and glean what you can:

We are currently investigating the opportunity to develop Documents To Go, RoadSync, Passwords Plus and any of our other software titles for the iPhone and would appreciate your feedback.

Here’s our feedback: Yes, Please.

After the break, DataViz CEO Dick Fontana talks up the SDK for Fox News. [via] — “DataViz has a long relationship with Apple which gives Dick reason to be optimistic about the opportunities for DataViz with the iPhone.” — indeed.

SDK news, Wait-a-Thon $100 iTunes Gift Cards, sparkling personalities… can life here at Phonedifferent get any better?? YES!!!

How ’bout some FREE music, compliments of NIN (Nine Inch Nails)?

Following up on Radiohead’s release last year, NIN is offering FREE music for download. Titled “Ghosts I – IV”, Ghosts I are the first 9 tracks available for free download as high-quality, DRM-free MP3s, including the complete PDF. All you need is a valid email address and presto, you got some free music to carry around with you on your iPhone.

That’s not the best part, though, read on…

Here’s the sweet part, though: for five bucks you all 36 tracks of Ghosts I – IV in a variety of digital formats including a 40 page PDF. If you splurge and pay $10, you get the afore-mentioned tracks plus two audio CDs in a six panel digipak package with a 16 page booklet. This option still gets you the full digital download today with the promise of the CDs and booklet shipping April 8, 2008.

There are additional packages available, all found here: http://ghosts.nin.com/main/order_options

Why is this so amazing? No record label. Nada. Period. And no whining ( Metallica ) from NIN about the current state of affairs in the music industry. Instead, NIN has embraced the consequences of music file proliferation via internet and they are MAKING MONEY with an interesting business model (remind you of anything? Apps for iPhone via iTunes, maybe??). In fact, thus far, the $300 Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition Package from NIN has SOLD OUT of the 2,500 packages available. That’s a cool $750,000 gross right there. Allegedly that’s more than a music artist will gross under a record label. Brilliant.

What’s more, the music is available for public use! The first 9 tracks are available for sharing and re-mixing under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.

Getting free music from NIN in a format that you can easily (and legally) remix in Garage Band, then throw on your iPhone as a Ringtone sounds like a nice way to spend a lazy Monday afternoon.

The Shieldzone Full Body invisibleSHIELD ($24.95) for your iPhone is an invisible, thin plastic coating that serves well to protect your pretty shiny iPhone from scratches, scrapes, and scuffs without adding additional bulk.

Read on for the full review!

What do military helicopters and iPhones have in common? Well, it’s a safe guess that military helicopters aren’t using Google Maps for navigation. Instead, some of the same protection available for expensive military hardware is also available for that sweet iPhone in your pocket!

Shieldzone Full Body invisibleSHIELD for iPhone is now available from your friendly neighborhood Phone different store for only $24.95. It’s the same stuff that has been used to protect military helicopter blades from every-day wear, so if it’s good enough for Uncle Sam, it’s good enough for your iPhone!

I’m a gadget guy with OCD, which can be a very expensive combination. I do my best to protect my investments, but sometimes accidents happen and phones/PDAs are dropped, skipped across the pavement, and otherwise abused. I’ve tried a myriad of cases, pouches, and covers over the years, but not until now have I found an almost-perfect answer.

Design

The Full Body invisibleSHIELD from Shieldzone is aptly named: it covers your entire iPhone for full-body protection. There are other similar products available from the Phone different store, namely Egrips and BodyGuardz Protective Skin, but I chose the Shieldzone invisibleSHIELD to fully protect my iPhone.

Your installation kit includes the plastic covering (very similar to screen protectors you may have used on your PDAs), a rubber “squeegee” and solution for application. Although you can try installing yourself, I highly recommend a professional installation by a Shieldzone employee (either at one of their stores or at a mall kiosk near you).

Function

The beauty of the invisibleSHIELD is it’s transparency, both literally and metaphorically. It covers the ENTIRE iPhone without hindering functionality. The multi-touch screen handles your multi-touches without a problem, as if no covering was there. All of the buttons on your iPhone are accessible. Additionally, the invisibleSHIELD is “underwear” your iPhone can wear under most cases that prevents chafing — in other words, I’ve learned that even with a nice case over your iPhone, dust and dirt will collect over time between your iPhone and case and can scratch, nick and scuff your iPhone. The invisibleSHIELD allows NO dust or dirt between it and your iPhone, so you can sleep at night knowing your iPhone is protected!

If you just want to sport your iPhone in it’s underwear, then go for it! The invisibleSHIELD protects your iPhone, even from your keys and loose change competing against your iPhone for space in your pocket. You can enjoy the elegant beauty of your iPhone without a bulky case.

Are there downsides to this product? Yes. This piece of mind and fancy (yet durable) underwear does not come without a price. Most smaller devices, like an iPhone, require another $10 on top of the purchase price if you want it professionally installed. Also, over time and use, the covering may start to peel up from the edges. The good news is the guarantee — if professionally installed by Shieldzone, just take your iPhone back if peeling or other damage occurs and they will replace it (the invisibleSHIELD, NOT your iPhone). Also, although most cases or holsters are not a problem, some form-fitting hard cases may not fit properly in spite of the almost non-existent bulk that is added.

Conclusion

For complete protection, you can’t go wrong with The Shieldzone Full Body invisibleSHIELD ($24.95). It is an excellent solution to protect your iPhone, alone or as “underwear” between your iPhone and your favorite case, pouch, or holster.

Pros • Clear, full-body protection. • Protects your screen without negatively affecting function of multi-touch. • Full access to all buttons.

Cons • Difficult to install on your own. • Edges may peel up over long-term use, but guarantee may allow free replacement. • May not play well with form-fitting hard cases.

Even with the Cons, I give it a 5 out of 5!

Do you remember when you had a choice between VHS and Betamax (Beta)? If you do, you’re at least a Generation X’er (and maybe older, sorry). VHS won the war; a bigger, more cumbersome tape format beat out the (arguably) superior, more svelte Beta tape. The defeat of Sony’s Beta format is legendary and has become a marketing study, but we could be seeing the same kind of thing (but different) with web apps vs. native apps on handheld devices.

Michael Mace has published an article on his blog, Mobile Opportunity, which reads like an obituary for native mobile apps — all very interesting in light of the much-anticipated and heralded release of an iPhone SDK and 3rd party apps.

At issue is that due to rising costs and diminishing returns, software developers are fleeing the good ship “Native Apps” like it was the Titanic. The relatively “worse” technology is using the Web to deliver apps (VHS) has a better business model, the relatively “better” tech is writing Native apps (Beta), but Mace argues that the business model is basically dead.

If Mace is right, what does the future hold for native apps on the iPhone?