Archive for July, 2008
July 31, 2008
If you're on the lookout for an iPhone case that does something besides keep your iPhone well protected, then you might check one of these out. It doesn't have quite the chic look of a Mophie Juice Pack, but it is a nice alternative.
It does have that nice leather look going for it too. Unfortunately, these won't help anyone with a 3G iPhone. It is purely for 1st Gen iPhones and the iPod Touch.
Thankfully it is a great deal cheaper than a Juice Pack, a Juice Pack goes for just under $100. This one is retailing for $25.19. Granted I'm sure that the Juice Pack is going to be a safer bet and better quality all around, but if you're just looking for something cheap this would be great.
[via coolestgadgets]
July 31, 2008
Those that know me are aware of my addiction to World of Warcraft. There have been talks at Blizzard about creating a mobile version of the game, likely as some sort of add-on rather than a full-fledged version. Naturally, the iPhone would be the perfect platform for such a title, however, with a recent merger, it's possible that this project may never see the light of day.
Recently Activision and Blizzard merged to form Blizzard Activision, which is now one of the largest gaming companies in the world. Unfortunately in the process, one of the smaller companies was virtually eliminated. Vivendi (the smaller company) happens to have their own mobile gaming division, which was most likely to be the one working on the mobile WoW title.
While Blizzard never confirmed that they were indeed going to make a mobile version of WoW, it seems that this recent merger may very well destroy any chance that it had. I still have my hopes up for an application that will allow me to buy and sell my goods on the auction house, and perhaps even chat with my guild mates via the iPhone. Perhaps we'll hear something at Blizzcon later this year.
[via WoWinsider]
July 31, 2008
When you go to look for a shiny new app for your iPhone the next time, you'll no doubt notice that there are a ton to choose from. How many? At last count, the App Store had just over 1,000 programs waiting to be downloaded. In around two weeks the number of apps has almost doubled.
To break it down, 20% of the available apps are free, with a total of 90% costing less than $10. It's good to see that with the flood of applications that most are reasonably priced. I remember trying to get software for my old Windows Mobile phone and having to shell out $20 for even the most basic of software that I can find for far cheaper on the App Store.
While Apple revolutionized the phone market with the original iPhone, the App Store is really what is going to make sure that the iPhone is here to stay for many, many years to come.
[via Fortune]
July 30, 2008 Thursday, July 31, 2008 -- 2:13 a.m. -- on my couch Use caution when downloading iTunes 7.7.1 and syncing your iPhone with it. Caller Michael reported that his iPhone crashed and is currently non-functional. I've read all kinds of reports...
July 30, 2008 Wednesday, July 30, 2008 -- 9:59 p.m. -- at my desk iTunes 7.7.1 is out, which, according to Apple, promises to fix stability issues. No specific mention if it's iPhone related or what. Sadly, from the early reaction on some...
July 30, 2008
Everyone knows that it's hard to get your hands on an iPhone 3G these days. But that's to be understood. After all, with a worldwide release, the iPhone is in serious demand, pulling Apple stock a bit thin. Even so, the 16GB model is running out much quicker than all other models. 
My basic assumption is that people are merely going after the largest capacity possible because they know the iPhone 3G cannot be updated. Even though it costs more, gadget hungry consumers are definitely favoring the 16GB model, as per the iPhone availability tool.
If you haven't gotten an iPhone 3G of your very own yet, sit tight. Keep your eye on the availability tool and you'll get one, especially with Apple's new ticket system.
[via iPhonic]
July 30, 2008
If you've ever had the urge to add functionality to your iPhone, a new program called DataCase can help you do that. In fact, this nifty app will turn your iPhone into a wireless drive. You can store your files on it just like an external drive. It will even show up in your Finder window as such. 
The interface is drag and drop and appears very easy to use. You can also view your files right on your iPhone or iPod Touch. It will also work on both Mac and PCs.
Watch the video below to see DataCase in action. It will be available in the App Store in the coming days, weeks or whenever the developers feel its done for $7.
[via iPhonews.com]
July 30, 2008
A lot of people have been having trouble with the Contacts application in iPhone 2.0 on both first-gen and 3G models. And though lag has been reported throughout much of the iPhone, it is especially apparent in Contacts. 
But there is a quick fix until this bug is addressed. You can use the Google app to access your contacts. If you need to search for a contact, this is especially helpful, as the search function in the Apple Contacts gets rather sluggish after awhile.
So, once you install the Google app, all you have to do is search for a contact and you'll get results much faster than searching or scrolling through your standard Contacts list. This isn't a permanent solution, but it will certainly be helpful in the meantime.
[via iPhone Atlas]
July 30, 2008
One thing that's long been missing from the iPhone is MMS or Multimedia Messaging Service. While the SMS on the iPhone is fantastic, you still can't send photos through it, which leaves you to send pictures by means of e-mail, which is not exactly convenient. 
But Palringo is now offering its "rich messaging service" to iPhone users everywhere. It works by connecting with your existing AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, Windows Live, or Gadu Gadu account. Once you've input your account information, you can send both picture and text messages to your friends over your data connection. This way, you don't rack up extra expenses on SMS.
The only real drawback here is that the images, when sent, don't pop up on your friend's phone like a typical instant message. Instead, your friend will be sent a link where they can view the image. I guess it's a quicker way to send pictures to people but it seems like once you factor in upload and download time, it'll be about the same as e-mailing them the pic.
[via MacWorld]
July 30, 2008
I recently reviewed a few recording and note-taking apps, but none have tried to be so all inclusive as YouNote. This little app lets you take note of the world around you in five different ways, which, if you ask me, is pretty impressive. Especially for a free app. 
You can take standard notes, first of all. Just type in the information you want to save. Then, you can add tags to it to help keep your notes organized. You can also change the font color and add contacts to the note.
This same structure applies to all of the note-taking functions. You can take a picture of something and file it away as a note and you can record an audio clip to save for later. However, when I attempted to record audio nothing happened. I could not hear a thing during playback.
There's also a freehand tool that lets you scribble and jot notes with your finger tip. There's a straight-line tool, a shape tool and an eraser. Think Microsoft Paint but with touch. This is a fun feature but I don't know how practical it is. Perhaps when you want to demonstrate to friends that you really can draw the Prince symbol? I don't know.
Lastly, there's a feature that lets you bookmark a website and add notes to it for future reference. All in all, this is a pretty good way to keep track of information from many different sources. It's pretty easy to navigate and you can adjust how the notes are organized (alphabetically, by date or none) for easier access.
I was pretty impressed by this app, I have to say. But the lack of audio on the audio recording feature is no doubt a bug. Plus, the app crashed quite a bit, requiring a phone reboot. Is YouNote perfect? Not hardly. But is it a solid start? You bet.
