Picashio is a social photo sharing experience that allows anyone to make money from their everyday photos. Got a phone with a camera. Great, you can too. Just snap a photo using our app, set a price, and share it. Picashio also has a request feature that allows users looking for stock photography to ping ... Read more]]> Posted in DevelopmentMobilePortfolioWebWeb Design

Picashio is a social photo sharing experience that allows anyone to make money from their everyday photos. Got a phone with a camera. Great, you can too. Just snap a photo using our app, set a price, and share it. Picashio also has a request feature that allows users looking for stock photography to ping Picashio’s user network to request specific photos for a set price. Enhanced with great stats, socials networking, and badges, Picashio is the best way to share photos on the web.

“Discover hotspots to meet likeminded people” SpotScovery is currently in private beta, but I thought I’d show you some of the initial designs and implementations.

Spotscovery gives personalized up-to-date recommendations of hotspots to meet people who share your interests. It is a great way to navigate a city for places with potential dating prospects, ... Read more]]> Posted in PortfolioWebWeb Design

“Discover hotspots to meet likeminded people” SpotScovery is currently in private beta, but I thought I’d show you some of the initial designs and implementations.

What is Spotscovery?

Spotscovery gives personalized up-to-date recommendations of hotspots to meet people who share your interests. It is a great way to navigate a city for places with potential dating prospects, new friends, and networking opportunities.

What Problem does Spotscovery address?

Primarily, Spotscovery is geared for singles looking to mingle. With so many social outlets (especially in big cities), the challenge is often finding the best places to meet singles who are like-minded.
Beyond dating, Spotscovery can help people address the general challenge of finding places to meet people who share their interests (sports, political views, professional skills, etc).

How does Spotscovery Work?

Spotscovery learns the user’s behavior over time, and continually builds a ‘personality profile’ of the user. By analyzing the social patterns of other local users with similar ‘personality profiles,’ the system is able to make recommendations for current/upcoming hotspots. The more the system is used, the better the recommendations become.

What are some use-cases of Spotscovery?

• Find weekend hangout spots based on Spotscovery recommendations.
• Browse user accounts to find prospective dates (as done on a standard dating site).
• Explore past/present weekly trends of hotspots.
• Finding out ‘who’ may be attending a specific hotspot.

You guys can’t get enough of these iPhone apps, and neither can I. There are so many great apps available in the app store, too many actually. To be honest, there is just not enough time in the day to cover every app, so I am reviewing the best of the best. If you didn’t ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

You guys can’t get enough of these iPhone apps, and neither can I. There are so many great apps available in the app store, too many actually. To be honest, there is just not enough time in the day to cover every app, so I am reviewing the best of the best. If you didn’t catch part 1, or part 2, start there first.The apps I’m highlighting today are:

• Movies
• Pandora
• Yelp
• LastFM
• Sports Tap

Movies

Attention all movie lovers out there. You have got to pick up Movies from the app store. Here is a description from the publisher:

Movies lets you find show times, buy tickets, watch trailers & get maps to your local theaters…FAST & FREE!

Do you remember the days of movie phone, Ahh I do? Waiting through previews you didn’t care about, it could take about 10 minutes to find your movie and actually match it up with the theater of your choice. With Movies those days are long gone.

You can easily find out what playing this weekend at your local theater. You can view top box office leaders, new movies opening this weekend, and upcoming flicks. You can get ratings of the movies provided by Flixster. I also love that you can view the trailer all from inside this app. Apparently you can order tickets through the app as well, however I was not able to find that feature. Definitely worth getting as it is free.

Pandora

Pandora is one of the best ways to set up a personalized radio station of the music you like and then stream it to your phone. Brilliant! Here is a description from the publisher:

Pandora Radio is your own FREE personalized radio now available to stream music on your iPhone. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a “station” that plays their music and more music like it.

Already a Pandora user? Even easier. Just log in. Pandora on the iPhone is fully integrated with Pandora on the web. Enjoy all your existing stations – and create new ones right from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

For current Pandora users it is a very simple process of signing in and having access to all of the radio stations you have already set up. If you’re not already a Pandora user then the process is slightly more difficult to get started and involves authorizing your mobile device on Pandora’s web page. But it was not too difficult. I was still able to do the whole thing through my iPhone.

With Pandora you can easily create stations around a particular artist or around a particular song you like. The interface is very simple and easy to use. While you’re listening to a song you can give it thumbs up or thumbs down. This helps customize your radio station to your match your personal preferences. You can also skip songs you don’t like, or bookmark the songs you do like. You can also purchase a song immediately through the iTunes store.

I used it while driving, and if you have 3G the service seems to run great. However, if you find yourself with edge only coverage, the service is spotty. All in all this is a great app, and hopefully with more polish it will be a favorite of many iPhone users. This app is free.

Yelp

Yelp is a great resource for finding dining and entertainment close to you. Here is a description from the publisher:

Looking for a burrito joint open now? An Irish pub nearby? A Gas station you can drive by before your tank is empty? Yelp for your iPhone is here to help. Use us to search for places to eat, shop, drink, relax, and play then read reviews from an active community of locals in the know.

I have used Yelp many times when out and about and I needed to find out what Mexican food restaurants were around. Yelp makes it very easy to do this. Just search for the type of restaurant you’re looking for and you will be provide with results. You an also switch to a Google maps view directly within the application, to show you exactly where the restaurant is located. Getting turn by turn directions however, is not that easy.

The application also provides reviews from normal people like you and me. I find the reviews to be sparse here in Dallas but as more and more people become familiar with the service the reviews should grow. Each restaurant is rated using a 5 star rating system. Yelp also provides the price, hours and phone number in most cases.

Yelp also provides information about the nearest bars and clubs, coffee & tea joints, banks, gas stations, and drugstores. When you compare the Where and the Yelp applications it a very close call. I would probably give it to Where, but they are both free so download them both and make up your own mind.

LastFM

Last.fm is very much like Pandora, with a couple more featured thrown in. Here is a description from the publisher:

Listen to more than 5 Million tracks for free with Last.fm on your iPhone. Create personal radio stations based on any artists or genres, and listen to commercial free music for hours. With Last.fm on the iPhone you can check out artist bios and concert information and share your favorite tracks with your friends using the iPhone contact list. The more you listen, the more Last.fm learns what you like and recommends new music based on your taste.

With Last.fm you have basically the same features you have available in Pandora. You can easily create stations around a particular. You can skip, ban, or love a song.  The more you listen the more Last.fm recognizes your music tastes. You can also purchase a song immediately through the iTunes store.

There are several things you can do in Last.fm that you can’t do in Pandora. You can view and artist bios, check out a list of similar artists, start a station by tags, and check out the top listeners of a particular artist. All of these features help you discover new Music. Last.fm is also set up like a social network. You can friend other listeners with similar tastes and compare music compatibility. Last.fm also tracks all of your listening habits and displays information about your actual favorite artist, album, and track based on how many times you listened to it.

For me Last.fm beats Pandora hands down. There are some who would argue that Pandora has a better learning algorithm; however the extra features I get in Last.fm is what makes it a winner in my book. If they ever get a chance to add mobile scrobbling to Last.fm I would be a very happy person. Last.fm is free in the app store.

Sports Tap

SportsTap is your one stop shop for all your sporting news. Think Sportscenter for your iPhone. Here is a description from the publisher:

SportsTap is the ultimate sports iPhone portal. Access all the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, AFL, PGA, LPGA, ATP, WTA, MLS, English Premier League and UEFA Leagues scores and stats on the iPhone or iPod touch wherever you are. SportsTap provides detailed box scores with in-depth team and player statistics as well as season statistics and transactions for many leagues

SportsTap is Real-time iPhone updates for any sport. You can select the sport you’re interested in, and watch individual game updates or score updates. This I great if you are somewhere with limited access to a computer or ESPN. I love getting updates about NBA & NFL instantly being able to follow teams that are not generally on my radar. The UI needs to be tweeked, as some of the buttons are very small. The user interface kind of feels like a Windows Mobile app. However it works surprisingly well, despite the look of it. The best part is that it is completely free.

Bonus App – Jailberak Required

Boss Prefs

Turn off what you don’t need easily. Toggle your services on or off right from one location. It also gives you a customizable dock at the bottom.

By far the the most popular postsI have written have been the posts that cover iPhone applications. I started last week highlighting some of the best app’s that have come out for this product. I have already identified about 80 app’s that are worth a look at. I will continue to posts these app each ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

By far the the most popular postsI have written have been the posts that cover iPhone applications. I started last week highlighting some of the best app’s that have come out for this product. I have already identified about 80 app’s that are worth a look at. I will continue to posts these app each week because 1 single post with with all the app’s wont work. If you didn’t catch part 1, start there first.The apps I’m highlighting today are:

• WordPress
• JerboBreak
• Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
• Labyrinth
• Check Please

WordPress

Well I downloaded the iPhone WordPress app. This app contains support for WordPress blogs and self-installed WordPress blogs (version 2.5.1 and higher). I got to say for quick blog posts and more of a micro blogging mindset, the application is amazing. But if you are more of a long form blogger like me, this app won’t really do the job. Here is a description from the publisher:

Robust but simple to use, the WordPress for iPhone Open Source application allows you to create and edit content on your WordPress blog(s) with support for offline use.

If you want a good WordPress post editor this app is great for that. It is really easy to edit and preview your changes before going live. Maybe I will start trying to write more frequently with shorter posts. If I did that I could see myself using this app a lot. Who knows, with added features this app could turn out to be something amazing.

You can currently add and manage multiple blogs, preview post through embedded Safari. WordPress app has full support for tags and categories, the ability to password-protect a post, save as draft, or mark for later review. There is also an auto-recovery feature that recovers posts interrupted by phone calls.

You will be able to add photos with photo support for both camera pics and library photos. I also was able to get HTML to work too. Not too shabby. I hope this app continues to get better and better especially since its open source. Again this app is free, so if you’re a WordPress blogger, go get it.

JerboBreak

If you are looking for a fun Breakout clone, there are at least half a dozen to choose from in the app store. However, if you’re looking for a free version Jirbo Break is the winner. Here is a description from the publisher:

Brickbreaker for iPhone, but 10 times better

One of my favorite things about this app is the touch tracking for the paddle, and JirboBreak’s touch controls work surprisingly well. The bounce paddle tracks your finger easily and accurately as you drag it across the bottom of the screen. This is definitely a waiting room game as it won’t give you hours of game play; however it will kill some time and provide re-playability. The power-ups you get in this game help make it fun and interesting every time. This game is free so go get it.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

If you liked Mario Cart chances are you will like Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D (Crash Kart). Here is a description from the publisher:

The richest 3D kart racing experience! Speed your way through 12 thrilling tracks and multiple environments! Race and battle against zany opponents and turn them to dust with 8 devastating weapons. Tilt and twist your iPhone for truly "Nitro" driving sensations.

The nefarious Nitrous Oxide has joined forces with evil genius Dr. Cortex and his demented side-kick Ripper Roo, in a plot to beat the Bandicoots into submission once and for all, and at long last clear the way for world domination. In order to lure Crash and his gang out in the open, they stage a Kart tournament. The winners will be crowned "Kings Of Kart Racing For All Eternity", the losers will be banished from N. Sanity Island. – Via Touch Arcade

The controls are pretty straightforward. You touch the screen to start the game, tilt the iPhone left and right to steer your kart, and tilt the iPhone forward and backward to speed-up and down. Crash Kart has four cups to beat. Each cup has four tracks associated with it. You can get power-ups during the races witch help you beat the other racers. Some of these power-ups include nitro boost,, and rockets.

This game is a lot of fun. The accelerometer makes it surprisingly easy to control without traditional analog controls. When you first try it out you may feel a bit out of control, but after a few races you will not miss a traditional controller. I can’t wait for more revolutionary games like this are released for the iPhone. This game is $9.99 and in my opinion worth every penny.

Labyrinth

I think the iPhone is the perfect device for maze games. If you’re anything like me when you were younger, you’ve probably toyed with a puzzle maze game that featured a steel ball you have to roll through a wooden maze. You would tilt the maze game up and down to move the ball using little dials on the side of the box. This is that game, just digitally. Here is a description from the publisher:

The classic labyrinth game where you control a steel ball by tilting a wooden labyrinth. Download and play over 500 levels and more as they are created by the community.

Using simple graphics paired with the iPhone’s accelerometer, Labyrinth is a highly fun an addictive game. It’s a perfect waiting room game. There is a light/free version available and the full version is $7.00. This will be one of the first games you show off to your friends.

Check Please

Yet another tip calculator. Hey, but I use these almost every time I got out to eat. I want to make sure I am giving enough tip. Here is a description from the publisher:

A simple tip calculator for calculating the tip or for splitting the bill evenly among multiple people.

Enough said. Like I said there are tons of tip calculators available in the app store, however this one is free. It has a nice UI and is instantly easy to use. Worth the price so go out and get it.

Bonus App – Jailberak Required

aMaze!

Classic wooden balance labyrinth where players guide a steel ball through a maze to the finish.
aMaze! Is very much like labyrinth for the app store but it’s free and contains almost 100 levels from the start.

It has been a while since I first got my iPhone 3G. Since first getting it I have downloaded a great amount of applications. Some of these applications have been awesome, or very useful, others have been stinkers. I started jotting down my favorite iPhone applications, the types of applications that are really rock. The ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviewsVideo Games

It has been a while since I first got my iPhone 3G. Since first getting it I have downloaded a great amount of applications. Some of these applications have been awesome, or very useful, others have been stinkers. I started jotting down my favorite iPhone applications, the types of applications that are really rock. The apps I’m highlighting today are:

• Toy Bot Diaries
• Aurora Feint
• Where
• Dizzy Bee
• Twitterriffic

Toy Bot Diaries

I’ve got to say that Toy Bot Diaries is my favorite iPhone game to date. It makes the best use I’ve seen of the iPhone’s touch controls in association with the built in accelerometer. Here is a brief description of the game.

Tiny Toy Bot has awakened within a strange machine and now he needs your help! Use Toy Bot’s handy grappling hook and magnet boots to navigate him through environments teeming with physics-based challenges as he plunges into an unfamiliar world. Search for Toy Bot’s lost datapads to recover his memory and guide him on his top secret mission.

A lot of the iPhone games that have come out have tended to be ports of other games that have worked on other systems. While I really like that these games have come out, they really weren’t built from the ground up with the iPhone in mind. Toy Bot Diaries is not one of these games. I believe, It is the first game to realize what iPhone gaming is about.

Toy Bot Diaries is a swing and cling platformer. You will navigate through the level using the robots electro grappling hook, magnetic boots and expert swinging skills.You will navigate three complete levels and one special boss level.

The gameplay is what amazes you, but the graphics are bad either. Everything seemed polished and finished. The sound also was very good, especially compared to other games for sale in the app store. I really can’t wait until the other episodes are released. At 3.99 this is a must have for any iPhone owner.

Aurora Feint

I have heard this game as being compared to Pokemon Puzzle League where the basic game play is to arrange three blocks in a row, either vertical or horizontal. I would categorize it as Bejeweled on steroids. Here is a description from the publisher:

Compete with your friends in an epic fantasy world. Play exciting puzzle games, level up your character, and collect magical items! Experience the world of Aurora Feint the Beginning is the first episode in what will become an MMO exclusively for the iPhone.

The unique part of Aurora Feint is the Role Playing elements. The game includes a World of Warcraft-esk character creator and allows you to level-up to useful skills such as "Time Stopper" and "Strategist". These level-ups help in the game play and keep you playing. I have to admit I haven’t gotten very far, but I have really enjoyed what I have seen thus far. This is a game I will definitely try my best to level-up to the highest I can. The best part of the game is it is absolutely free!

Where

Where is the perfect application to find out what around you when your out an about. Where plug into to great services to provide you with the information you want from what around you. Where uses: Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, & Buddy Beacon. Here is a description from the publisher:

WHERE™ is a location-based application chock-full of widgets that deliver essential information about what’s around you. Are you looking for the hottest restaurants, jonesing for your next coffee fix, or running dangerously low on gas and need a cheap fill-up? WHERE delivers the best in local information from Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, Buddy Beacon® and more.

I have used the Starbucks finder and Yelp with-in where. It really is nice to have all of this location information within one application. With rising gas prices I am probably going to use gas buddy very soon as well. The app is totally free, so give it a shot.

Dizzy Bee

Dizzy bee is a very fun accelerometer based tilt game. This game functions much like speed race, amaze or labyrinth however the game play becomes much more interesting after enemies are introduced. Here is a description from the publisher:

Guide a friendly bee by tilting and turning the iPhone or iPod touch. Lead him through windmills, bumpy bumpers, avoid the baddies, rescue the fruits and bring them to safety.

You soon realize you’ll have to watch the enemies’ movements, which are also affected by the same tilting/gravity you use to control your dizzy bee. There is a free version of this game available. It has limited levels, but still packs a lot of fun. The full version is $2.99.

Twitterriffic

I have reviewed Twitter applications for the iPhone before, but I think my favorite now is Twitterriffic. Here is a description from the publisher:

A fun application that lets you read and publish posts (called "tweets") on the Twitter social network. Stay connected with friends, family, and co-workers through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

First off Twitterriffic looks gorgeous. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a glossy black interface. What I like about Twitterriffic is the readability of everything. The tweets are big and easy to read. Furthermore there is an item view mode that allows you to view tweets one at a time. This makes it really easy to read long tweets. Links will open directly in the application saving you the frustration of having to open Safari.

Well I downloaded the iPhone WordPress app. I gotta say for quick blog posts and more of a micro blogging mindset, the application is amazing. But if you are more of a long form blogger like me, this app won’t really do the ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

This is a quick blog post. A full post is coming later today.

Well I downloaded the iPhone WordPress app. I gotta say for quick blog posts and more of a micro blogging mindset, the application is amazing. But if you are more of a long form blogger like me, this app won’t really do the job.

If you want a good WordPress post editor this app is great for that. It is really easy to edit and preview your changes before going live. Maybe I will start trying to write more frequently with shorter posts. If I did that I could see myself using this app a lot. Who knows, with added features this app could turn out to be something amazing.

There were many problems and disappointments on iPhone 3G launch day. Many people who stood in line day one were turned away at the last minute. Some because they had business accounts which couldn’t be process at an Apple store, others had credit check problems, or shared a line with someone who ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

There were many problems and disappointments on iPhone 3G launch day. Many people who stood in line day one were turned away at the last minute. Some because they had business accounts which couldn’t be process at an Apple store, others had credit check problems, or shared a line with someone who wasn’t present. In the end they all were turned away. Those of us who were lucky enough to get a new iPhone 3G at launch still have quite a story to tell. Here is mine.

Review of the iPhone 2.0 software

First off let me preface with the fact that I had a perfectly working jailbroken iPhone before the software came out. I was almost reluctant to upgrade because I had a wonder experience with my jailbroken iPhone. I decided to try it out mainly because I really wanted to try out Super Monkey Ball.

The Upgrade

The upgrade to 2.0 took forever. I was late to work because I didn’t realize how long the update process would actually take. Previous firmware updates did not take that long. Once I had the software I started downloading the top 25 that were free. I won’t go into what are the great iPhone apps as I’m planning a comprehensive roundup of the best iPhone apps for a future post.

The App Store

I’ve got to say, overall the app store works pretty good. I really like the top 25, but wish they would add a recently added section. It worked so great in installer.app. I would almost check daily to see what new apps were available. Installing an app is not that obvious. You basically tap the price button and it turns into an install button. Would it kill you to put a standalone download button? As soon as you hit the download button you are prompted for your password. This is annoying as you have to do this every time you download or update an app.

The next thing is does is kick you back to the main screen. What if I wasn’t done looking at the app store. Again, this is very annoying. I also found out there is no reason to position my apps where I want them, as every time I do an update it repositions the updated apps wherever it wants. This is partially because I like to leave the second to bottom row empty. Still, I should be able to arrange my icons how I like.

2.0 Tips

I do have a couple of tips to chare with you. If you are a two iPhone family like me you will want to share some of those paid apps with your other phone. Basically all you need to do is login to iTunes on the user’s computer you wish to share with, and download the apps. Here is a more detailed description. Another little tip I found useful if you find your iPhone crashing a lot when running certain programs. Maybe the mail application is getting mail at the same time or some other unknown process is happening. Kill it by holding down the home button. Very handy.

iPhone Backup Process

The biggest complaint I have with the new software is not on the phone, but rather with iTunes. Every time I plug in my phone to my computer, iTunes wants to perform a full backup of my iPhone. This sounds great, as we don’t have to worry about loosing any applications or data if the phone suddenly gets dropped in the lake. The band news is that this process can take a long time. I have lots of applications, and backup usually takes about 20 minutes on my Quad Core Mac Pro. This is ridiculous. If you want to stop this from happening there is a way, however it requires that you play around in the terminal. It is reversible and has not caused any problem for me yet, so try it out.

Other than the app store nothing much has changed. There is now support for exchange email and contacts, but I haven’t tried these out yet. The big feature of 2.0 is the actual apps, which I will talk about very soon.

Review of the iPhone 3G

3G

Well to be honest, the iPhone 3G is not that much different than the iPhone V1. It even doesn’t look that much different. First let me speak to 3G. 3G is fast. Apple says it is about twice as fast as Edge, and it really feels like it. Since I use the crap out of the internet connection on my phone, 3G has been a big hit. Luckily I am in an area where there is 3G coverage everywhere. However you think with this fast connection we would finally get support for flash on the iPhone. Crazy huh?

iPhone GPS

Up next is GPS. I have never gotten the nice little blue GPS dot that is supposed to show when you have a GPS fixed on your position. It’s so funny to watch the demonstration videos and it shows how fast everything is. I guess reality wouldn’t be as glamorous. I cannot even tell my iPhone has GPS as I seem to get the same results on my old iPhone. I tried to use the GPS on a recent road trip, on a road in the middle of nowhere. The iPhone basically said it couldn’t locate me. I had no cell service, but that should not have affected the GPS. Meanwhile my Garmin Nuvi knew exactly where I was at.

I’ll wrap all the other features into one. I got the black one because I thought the white one looked girly. Now I wish I would have gotten the white version as you really can’t tell I have a new iPhone unless you really notice the back. I do have the 16GB version now, so I am loving the extra space. The new speakers seem to be a little louder, which I like. Also I notice that the camera and screen seem to be a bit better. I have heard that the new iPhone screen is now at a different color temperature, sharper, and more contrast, but I haven’t heard anything about the camera. It could be that my old camera was scratched up as it was older. Who knows?

PWNING Your 3G 2.0

I got only one thing to say "do it". You get all of the great functionality on the iPhone, but now with every app every released for the iPhone. I am using it because I really missed mobile scribbler, and themes. However please note that the jailbreak software is unstable at the moment. It took me several tries before it actually worked. Plus you always run the risk of bricking your phone, so do so at your own risk. Just know that I have not had any problems yet.

On the cusps of the "one more thing" keynote from Stevie, I thought I would make my predictions once again. Last time I was pretty much dead on, well minus one. I guess it pays off to wait until the week before I make my predictions. It allows me to decipher what ... Read more]]> Posted in Apple

On the cusps of the "one more thing" keynote from Stevie, I thought I would make my predictions once again. Last time I was pretty much dead on, well minus one. I guess it pays off to wait until the week before I make my predictions. It allows me to decipher what rumors still may have merit, and which ones are completely off. However, don’t be surprised to hear something that none of us expected.

WWDC rumor roundup: what is the Gospel truth, and what is false.

I think this WWDC is going to be a big one. This is the first time that WWDC has completely sold out. Our little fruit company is doing better than ever. They are increasing market share and actually now sell the more computers over $1,000 than any other computer manufacture. The iPhone is doing very well for the company, and I think the Apple is ready to take some risks like the iPhone to shake up the market.

3G iPhone

Of course the 3G iPhone will be announced. It’s a given, and hopefully it will also launch the same day as the announcement. If they don’t release the new phone at all, I think there would be an outpouring of angry villagers with fire and pitchforks. I’ve got my pitchfork standing by.

There are a lot of rumors about what exactly will be in the new 3G iPhone, one fairly credible rumor has been the new look of the Jesus-phone. Like it, or leave it? Another rumor is that perhaps the leaked shots are actually the rumored $200 iPhone that will be released. Personally I think its looks a little "playschool". However, the new design might work just perfectly for the average person. The new case could also allow for the phone to come it more colors (which I personally hate). However, if this is actually the replacement for the current iPhone I think there is a problem. First off it looks cheap. The aluminum and black made the phone look sleek and professional. Furthermore, sleek and professional should be what Apple is going for if they are hoping to land their phones in the hands of business users. I personally would want to buy a case immediately, to cover over that ugly white thing up. Hopefully the back one is the one they go with. We will have to wait and see, but I give merit to the new design. The new skew however, is up in the air.

New features for the iPhone? We all know that the iPhone 2.0 firmware should be released. With the new 2.0 software includes better VPN and Email support for business users. I will be able to look at work email (I can’t decide if that’s a curse or blessing). The new app store will be released as well as a barrage of new applications to download. I’m also sure that Steve will highlight some of the partnered applications. What I am looking forward to more than anything is good gaming on the iPhone. Super Monkey Ball FTW!

Those are some of the software features, but what about hardware upgrades. The rumors have mentioned 2 built in cameras for video iChat support. I personally thing this is not practical, and Apple would not be able to keep their price point by adding a second camera. I also imagine that AT&T would not be pleased at the added bandwidth the video streaming would add to their network. I think this rumor is not going to happen. Plus it sounds like a feature I would use once and say, wow that was really cool and forget about it forever.

Another rumored feature is that the new iPhone will include GPS. I think this rumor has legs. Apple has seen how popular the semi-GPS is for the current iPhone. Everybody loves it, but it still is not true GPS. With true GPS begin bundled into the Blackberry, and other smart phones, I think the pressure is on for Apple to do the same.

Apple Software

The latest rumor is that Apple will demo Mac 0S X 10.6. I say bogus on this one. Leopard is so new. Why would Apple demo something that could make the current version look stale? Also, there are still many people that haven’t upgraded to Leopard yet. I mean let’s face it, Tiger was a great OS and I still have it running fine on a couple of my older Macs.

So have you heard about MobileMe? No, I’m not talking about a Microsoft product; I’m talking about the new revision to .Mac. Horrible name huh? I really hope this is not the final name of this service. Well neither here nor there, .Mac is rumored to get huge upgrades, including the possibility of adding different tiers of service. The first tier of .Mac would be free. Now that’s music to my ears. The free service would allow for a limited amount of storage and the use of most of the features of .Mac. The premium service would allow for much more storage and more features. I think this would be great, and I might actually use .Mac. However, where does the mobile part come into play? Well it is rumored that MobileMe will tie heavily into the iPhone allowing you to store, and backup data from the iPhone. The details are still sketchy right now, but look for this to be announced at WWDC ’08.

Apple Hardware

Well it is WWDC ’08 isn’t it. Let’s see some hardware upgrades. Will the iPod classic finally disappear? I mean we all knew the classic was a limited run just to appease those who wanted more storage. The iPod nano is due for an update as well. Can anyone say more storage? The big one for me is the Mac mini. What is Apple going to do about this product? Will they make updates, discontinue it, or come of with a new product all together? Bottom line is something needs to be done with the Mac mini. What I think that Apple should do is make a media center PC once and for all. Give Microsoft a run against Windows Media Center. If you could take the OS from AppleTV and put it into the Mini along with new features I think you would have a brilliant product.

Here is a rumor that I will repeat until it comes true. Yes, the true ultra portable Mac will be announced. I know the Macbook Air is cool, but I think Apple is ready to unveil a fully touchscreen tablet with similar gesture abilities of iPhone. The new product would run a mobile version of OS X with way more features than the iPhone. I would love to see something that looked like an iPhone but much bigger. It would be all touchscreen, but when you’re not on the go you could dock it and even add a keyboard and mouse. Hello Nurse!

Roundup

With WWDC just a couple of days away we really don’t have to wait long. What I really hope is that something is announced that is not on my list. I really want to be surprised, and blown away by this year’s WWDC. Happy WWDC everybody! Check back after the keynote to see if I was even remotely correct.

I’ve got to say, living in an iPhone world is great. I have an awesome phone, an even better iPod, and web browsing in Safari is the best on any mobile phone. Everything I mentioned is the default on all iPhone’s. These services are great, but I really want a phone that can do it ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

I’ve got to say, living in an iPhone world is great. I have an awesome phone, an even better iPod, and web browsing in Safari is the best on any mobile phone. Everything I mentioned is the default on all iPhone’s. These services are great, but I really want a phone that can do it all, and do it well. There is so much power packed into this tiny device, and I want to use all of it to its full extent. Jailbreak, is the answer to unlocking this power.

I really don’t want to talk to much about the process of Jail-breaking your iPhone. There are so many different ways of unlocking your iPhone its really just a matter of which option to choose. However for those of you who are missing out, one word, “ziPhone“.

Now that we got the housekeeping out of the way, lets talk about all of the great applications you can get from jailbreaking your iPhone. This list is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list. This is simply a list of the applications I have fell in love with and keep using on a daily basis. I test drive a lot of applications. To be quite honest, most of the applications are stinkers. However, every now and then you will find an application that works perfectly, and makes you wonder it if was build by a developer working for Apple. These apps listed below are those types of applications. They are, the cream of the crop. So lets get down to business, shall we? Oh, and one last thing, everything here is FREE!

MobileScrobbler

Even though these are not in a particular order I must say that Mobile Scrobbler is probably my favorite application. If you are a heavy LastFM user (like me) and can’t stand that your tracks do not get recorded on the go, then this app is for you. You can also use it to discover new music based on the music you listen to. Basically you can stream recommended high quality music from LastFM. This is great if you are starting to get board with your current music collection.

Mobile Chat

Mobile Chat supports several IM services. I use it for AIM and MSN Messenger. If you want to quickly jump online and see what your buddies are up to, then MobileChat is the answer. If you want a more advanced version, better bust out the laptop.

Mobile Twitter & Twinkle

Wallpaper

Board with those wallpapers that came with your iPhone. Refresh your phone with new wallpaper daily. Wallpaper is basically a community of iPhone users who share their wallpapers. Once launched, a new wallpaper will display every 15 seconds or so. If you like what you see add it as your wallpaper or add it to your gallery to browse and add later. Isn’t shareing fun!

iFlix

iFlix is almost more fun than actually visiting Netflix.com. This application feels natural, like it was made by Steve himself. I just wish there was a way to view all of those watch it now movies on my iPhone. I also wish you could rate your movies on iFlix. Maybe we will see more features when iPhone 2.0 firmware is released.

iSolitare

I have a whole application screen dedicated to my games. Solitaire is a beautiful looking game and functions as you would think. It uses touch very well and is a good waiting room game.

Tris

Tetris is also another favorite of mine. I have loved Tetris ever since my GameBoy days. It is always a great mobile game and this version is beautiful. It uses the touch to move the pieces and tapping the screen rotates the pieces. Lots of fun.

iScores

For the sports fans out there this is the app for you. Love getting sports scores and updates in real time? Soccer, Tennis, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, and Football are all available in iScores via ScoresPro.com. Once you are in the sport of your choice it will update every 30 minutes. Very cool. Go Mavs!

iCave

Old Skool graphics and touch screen fun. This is a really fun game. How far can you get?

iZoo

A great Bejeweled clone. This game have several different themes that completely change the way you will look at this classic puzzle game.

NoIZ2SA

TTR

Pushr

Flickr + iPhone = Lots of embarrassing photos of me. iFlickr also uploads yoru photos to Flickr, but uploads every image you take. However, I don’t want to upload every picture I take to Flickr. Pushr lets me choose which images I want to upload. Very simple and work great.

iPhysics & iPinball

Pool

Yeti 3d

Sketches

Sumerboard

Towers of Hanoi

Snapture

Snapture, gives you more control over your iPhone’s camera features. You can take multiple shots at once, take black and white photos, and even zoom. Snapture has a sleek user interface, and allows you to take photos by touching anywhere on the screen, or by using the volume button. Taking pictures this way really make sense when yo think about it. Why didn’t Apple think of this?

Capture

How else do you think I get these wonderful screen shots. Very simple and easy to use.

If your an Apple fanboy/girl, you are aware that tomorrow Apple is holding a press conference. They are supposedly going to reveal (not release) the long awaited iPhone SDK (software development kit for you n00bs). Most iPhone users have been waiting for this since the iPhone was first released. This will allow third party developers ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleVideo Games

If your an Apple fanboy/girl, you are aware that tomorrow Apple is holding a press conference. They are supposedly going to reveal (not release) the long awaited iPhone SDK (software development kit for you n00bs). Most iPhone users have been waiting for this since the iPhone was first released. This will allow third party developers to create applications specifically made for the iPhone. There is already a method for getting an application on the iPhone, but it requires the user to jailbreak the iPhone. However with a jailbroken iPhone, you already have access to some great apps that are extremely useful in your day to day life. Now with the SDK in hand developers can make these apps and many more available to all users of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The announcement also brings speculation regarding gaming finally coming to the iPhone. Thus far gaming has only been allowed by Apple on the iPod classic and older models of the iPod. Needless to say the users are ready for Games on their iPhone. I have played several games on my once jailbroken iPhone. Many of these jailbroken games were sub par on graphics, but were extremely addicting and functional. Now that the SDK will be released it also allows the big studios to jump into the game. This could fix the problems with some of the sub par games as well has create a higher standard for independent developers to strive for. EA and id Games have been strong supporters of the Mac. You know they are anxious to get their games on the iPhone and iPod Touch. There have also been rumors around and announcement from EA. This is all speculation at the moment.

What possibilities lie in the iPhone? It has a gorgeous multi touch sensitive screen. The iPhone has several sensors in it, one to recognize when you have the phone next to your face, and the other is an accelerometer. The accelerometer can sense motion, and which way the device is begin held. The iPhone has a camera, speakers and a microphone. You add all of these together are you have the ability to have a highly interactive game in a small hand held device. Look at what the Nintendo DS is doing with their touch sensitive hand held.

I recently read a post highlighting an independent games developer that has made an iPhone game that uses some of the iPhone’s features. The game is called Trism. It’s a Bejeweled-like gem matching puzzle game. Pretty straight forward right? Take a closer look. This game uses the iPhone’s accelerometer to tell the gems which direction to fall.

This game is working on a Jailbroken iPhone. He mentions he wants to put it on the iPhone through the SDK.The game is still a work in progress, but shows you some of the capabilities for the iPhone in terms of gaming. Check out the video below, you will be amazed.