iPhone Article Zone

The Sticky Strap ~ A Stand that Loves to Suck

Sometimes the most creative and useful inventions can just be so simple, the Sticky Strap is one of them. If the late Billy Mays were here to sell it he’d probably start his pitch with something like “it wraps, it hangs, it sticks, and it sits! It’s the iPhone stand that works in almost every situation but still manages to fit in your pocket!”

Honestly the first time I saw the Sticky Strap I don’t know what the heck I was looking at. The bizarrely unique stand, designed by aprodukt, is made of 2 double sided suction cups, a nylon strap, and a red plastic hook on the end. Trying to explain how to use it would be a nightmare, it’s just easier to watch this video.

What the video doesn’t show is how durable the Sticky Strap really is. It’s 100% water proof, can be folded in half, mashed up into a ball, short of taking a hammer to the red plastic hook I can’t ever imagine breaking the thing, making it tougher than others like the iBend. Being able to fit in your pocket makes it more portable than something like the Gorillamobile while still retaining some of its versatility. The video does show some of its uses but don’t think that the Sticky Strap limited to those alone. One of the additional uses I found is its ability to hang around poles or wires the red hook couldn’t fit around by sticking one end through the other. If you’re creative with it I have no doubt you could find dozens of other uses for it also.

It’s not to say that the Sticky Strap is limitless, quite the opposite, and aprodukt’s list of “Do’s and DON’TS” is liable to scare anyone a little bit but the basic message is use common sense. If you don’t think sticking your iPhone to a cold surface over a fish tank is a good idea, then don’t do it. The biggest drawback of this design is that it can’t stick to just any surface, it has to be a very smooth and clean surface. While that sounds obvious it’s important to note that includes your iPhone or more specifically the case you may be using on your phone. I tested it with 5 different cases, all three of the hard cases worked just fine but the two silicone soft cases couldn’t be used at all. Taking the case off for use may not be the end of the world but it could certainly become annoying after a few uses. However, for less than $10 the Sticky Strap worth buying for quick on the go use. For only $3 more, aprodukt also offers a kit which includes a 3 pack of protective stickers and a polishing cloth which usually run about $15 through other competitors.

Tekken Coming for iPhone and iPod Touch!

Putting an end to past/previous speculation, PocketGamer confirmed today that Tekken is coming to the iPhone and iPod touch, stating a source close to Namco, speaking to them anonymously, told them the game is far along in development and looking good.

To paraphrase, “The game is being finished up and it plays rather nicely.”

They’re not sure if this iPhone version was developed “from scratch” or if it’s a “touch-enabled port of Tekken 6 as developed for PSP.” They believe the latter seems more likely, which they believe is wise, given how well-crafted the PSP version is.

Multiplayer has not been confirmed, but hey expect head-to-head bouts to be of the local variety.

With competitor Capcom having just announced Street Fighter IV for iPhone, Namco’s move with Tekken is a logical one.

Although it was previously reported that both games would be shown at next week’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), PocketGamer.co.uk has since confirmed Tekken won’t be shown during the GDC.

“We are NOT showing anything at GDC with regards to Tekken. We will be previewing new stuff, but it will NOT involve the Tekken brand whatsoever.” Emphasis is theirs.

The company didn’t confirm or deny the game’s existence, just that it has no plans to show Tekken next week.

FreeAppCalendar.com is Live!

Who doesn’t love free apps? Thanks to FreeAppCalendar.com, iPhone and iPod touch owners can visit the site and find great games and apps for FREE, every day! In addition, site visitors will have the opportunity to vote for which games and apps they want to see become free the following week. This allows the site’s visitors to control which games and apps will be featured on the main app calendar each week.

FreeAppCalendar,com, created by Mind Juice Media Inc., is dedicated to providing independent developers with a powerful way to promote their games and apps to hundreds of thousands of people in a very short period of time. The developers benefit from greatly increased exposure for their apps and the public benefits by receiving free games and apps featured on the site! Everybody wins!

Every week, site visitors can browse through the available list of apps on the site and vote on which game or app they would most like to get for free the following week. When voting is closed, the 7 apps with the most votes are chosen to be featured for free the following week.

This is a great opportunity for developers and app lovers! Please help the site grow by telling all your friends about freeAppCalendar.com, by following them on Twitter, and by becoming a Facebook Fan! Go to freeAppCalendar.com for more details!

Related Free App Sites:

http://www.greatappaday.com/
http://freegameoftheday.com/
http://www.freeappaday.com/

Radiation vs. Germs ~ Which Should Worry You More?

For as long as I can remember cell phones being around I can remember people questioning whether or not they’re safe. The argument has always seemed to center around cell phone radiation, and more recently bluetooth & Wifi waves. The bluetooth and Wifi scares have pretty much dissolved by being labeled as pure conspiracy theories, but the radiation concerns continue to surface every few months. With each study that comes out though it becomes more obvious that we just don’t know the long term risks of RF radiation exposure This article gives a little more insight into the potential jeopardy we’re in while at the same time the FDA is stating that “the available scientific evidence does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of mobile phones.” With all of these mixed signals and unknown effects I wonder if the theoretical brain tumors and Alzheimer’s we could contract 20 years down the line is really the number one thing we should be worried about?

Some would say no, common germs could have a much bigger impact on our every day lives. A recent study has shown that an average person’s cell phone can have 100x more bacteria than a toilet seat. When it comes to germs I’m more the type to say “bring it on, what doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger,” but this kind of statistic concerns even me. After all, putting our heads on a toilet seat and talking to it isn’t something most of us, beyond our 21st birthday of course, would ever even consider doing. Being an iPhone user appears to have an even greater danger than standard phones because we tend to show off and share our phones with more people on a regular basis. This leads to the greater opportunity for skin infections, flu virus, and cold viruses to spread. God, how pissed would you be if you got Swine Flu from a cell phone?!

So how do we avoid this plague? Well the two news reports below suggest using rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to periodically clean it. Thats all well and good but, as the first report eludes to, how often do people really remember to clean their phones? At least one company has decided to step up and help protect us, even when we didn’t know we needed protecting. iSkin has come out with two lines of cases which contain Microban in them. Microban is an antibacterial protein that has been around for quite some time and can be found in many normal office products like mouse pads, keyboard covers, even paper and literally thousands of other products out there. iSkin’s two case model lines are the Revo and the Solo (which I recently mentioned in my Case Buying 101 article). Of the two I would recommend the Solo over the Revo for a decent all around case. While the Microban doesn’t automatically make either of them the best case on the market it could certainly add enough benefits to tip the scale in iSkin’s direction.

Ok I admit some of this may be a little dramatic and I certainly don’t want to walk out of my house tomorrow to see everyone talking on their phones, holding it with a handkerchief, and keeping it few inches away from there ear. Well ok, I do want to see that, but only because that would mean every person in Phoenix reads my writing. Seriously though, I do think it’s important to know about these risks, and knowing is half the battle (I can’t believe I just worked a G.I. Joe quote into an article.).

One Man Band

I was reading my Twitter feed a few minutes ago and saw this tweet from @wmcraver: This app reminds me of something @imogenheap would use…http://bit.ly/9T0hPJ Pretty amazing!

I haven’t messed with the app at all (yet), but thenextweb.com (the site the video came from) says that it has a “fairly steep learning curve” i.e. I should probably never touch it. Regardless, this video is awesome and really shows off the iPhone’s ability as a music device. Enjoy!

Everyday Looper

Category: Music
Released: 2009-10-23
Price: $4.99

Zen Bound 2 Coming To The iPad

Who would’ve guessed that one of the biggest App Store hits thus far would involve wrapping string around a wooden object? Apparently the success of the original Zen Bound even took developers by surprise. “We never expected the calm gameplay of wrapping wooden statues with rope to find such a great audience on the iPhone, much less win multiple awards over the year.”

Fortunately for us, the team over at Secret Exit announced Zen Bound 2 today, and it is specifically being tweaked to take advantage of the iPad’s graphic and size advantages. On top of that, Secret Exit has said that Zen Bound 2 “is both a sequel and a revision to the original, with more music from Ghost Monkey, new levels and new kinds of gameplay, but Zen Bound 2 also includes the original soundtrack and upgraded versions of all levels from the first game.” Secret Exit expects Zen Bound 2 to launch right around the iPad launch date… my guess is that the launches will coincide. There’s no video trailer yet, but there are a ton of screenshots after the break. Enjoy!

Major Update to Sentinel 2: Earth Defense to Bring Downloadable Content!

Origin8 have today announced that a major update to their hit iPhone and iPod touch tower defense sequel “Sentinel 2: Earth Defense,” Version 1.4 is now in submission. The new update will enable players to have access to a bunch of downloadable content, as well as providing free enhancements to the base game. Expansion Pack One, priced at $0.99 or regional equivalent, will be available as an in-app purchase upon approval.

Here’s just some of what you can expect from this new update:

Free content features:
- One menacing new enemy unit, integrated into all existing campaign maps.
- A new Sentinel ship weapon, the ION bomb, providing a spectacular explosion and damage over time.
- Two new missions based on existing campaign maps.
- New OpenFeint achievements.
- Bug fixes and balance tweaks for existing missions.

Expansion Pack One features:
- Two new maps, Barracks and Overpass, with unique mechanics and challenging layouts.
- A tough new enemy present on DLC maps only.
- Three new missions based on DLC maps.
- OpenFeint leaderboards and achievements for the new maps and missions.

Look out for this update hitting very soon!

Sentinel 2: Earth Defense

Our Rating: :: INCREDIBLE :: Read Our Full Review >>

Category: Games / Strategy
Released: 2009-06-26
Price: $2.99

Ready Your Wallets America: iPad Drops April 3rd In the US. Pre-Orders from March 12th.

If you’re like me and have been spending your mornings hoping to see that little yellow sticky note appear on Apple’s website .. this one is for you. In an official press release published by the Cupertino firm on Friday morning, Apple has announced that its latest tablet invention, the iPad, will be available in the US on April 3rd. The device will start at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models however will only be available in late April, starting at $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for the 64GB model. The device will be available to pre-order from Apple.com and Apple resellers from March 12th, and Apple noted it will be offering an in-store collection option.

Alongside the announcement, Apple also revealed its future plans for an international launch, announcing that the iPad Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Its worth noting that this announcement didn’t seem to bring with it any hint of international pricing, something which has evaded Apple product pages since the original announcement. Apple states international pricing will be announced in April. For any countries not mentioned in this initial press announcement, it’s bad news I’m afraid. iPad will ship to those countries later this year.

One other interesting tidbit to come from this announcement though is the US-only launch of iBooks. While Apple.com has stated since the device’s introduction that its iBooks application will be US-centric at launch, we didn’t yet know for sure if iBooks would be available internationally at a later date. According to the press release today, the UK and other countries can expect iBooks “later this year”.

Will iBooks make the UK iPad launch in late April? .. Who knows!

Deliverace Coming Soon: Looks Incredible!

Sure .. we’ve seen rally-type games before, but what you probably haven’t seen is one that just looks this good. Below is the first teaser trailer from Pixelbite Games of their debut App Store application, Deliverace. Imagine a classic top-down racing game like Neo Drift Out .. and then times it by ten!

I have to say, if this teaser video does depict anywhere close to what we can expect from Deliverace’s actual gameplay quality, I’m pretty excited. I think this one could be a pretty big hit.

With no word on pricing yet, it’s hard to tell just how much of a hit this will be on its debut. But, with 3D graphics like the above .. I think we’re in for quite a visual treat. According to the studio Deliverace is set to hit our iPhone screens ‘Early 2010′ – and considering its the start of March already, I can’t see the release being too far away, can you?

Apps To Help You Watch The Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are Sunday and I can just feel your excitement. Whether you are a tech geek who is praying for Avatar to be the best picture or a softie who wants to see Precious get some awards, you have to be excited about knowing what to put in your Netflix queue next, and everyone wants to see all the winning movies. To get us fully ready for the show, I’ve come up with a list of some apps that will really get you into the Oscar loving spirit.

1. The Oscars – Sure, it may seem like an obvious selection, but sometimes the obvious is necessary. The Oscars app has lists with small descriptions of all the nominations, as well as a way to lock in the movie or actor you think will win… just to show off to others. Once you’ve submitted your picks, you can go to a results page to see what the rest of America thinks will win. According to the app, 51% of people voted for Avatar to win best picuter. Interesting. Well regardless, The Oscars is an inviting, well made, free app. Get it and make some guesses, it’ll be fun.

The Oscars®

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2010-02-10
Price: FREE

Vanity Fair Hollywood

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2010-02-03
Price: FREE

2. IMDb – Just like IMDb.com, the app tells you everything about any particular movie or actor out there. You can also look up box office results, top all time films, new releases on video, movie showtimes, and more. If you are watching the Academy Awards and realize that you’ve never heard of a movie, this is your chance for a quick education.

IMDb Movies & TV

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2009-12-08
Price: FREE

Alternative Option – Rotten Tomatoes – RT doesn’t quite have the Wikipedia-like knowledge database that IMDb has, but it does compile a ton of reviewers around the country to come up with a super dependable aggregate score. It also gives you a link to every review, so you can really do some investigative reporting on those movies.

Rotten Tomatoes

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2009-12-16
Price: FREE

3. Six Degrees of Separation – “Oh, I know everything about every actor, I don’t need IMDb.” Everyone knows this guy. He’s really annoying. With Six Degrees of Separation, you can challenge him to the ultimate actor knowledge game, connecting actors to other actors in six or less steps. For example, Elvis worked with Edward Asner in Change of Habit, and then Edward Asner worked with Kevin Bacon in JFK. This means that Elvis can be linked to Kevin Bacon in two steps. (I got that example off Wikipedia by the way… just look up Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon). The app will give you random people to link together, or if you really want to stump someone, you can pick your own people to link together. The app is quite fun, and will definitely give you some talking points during the Oscars.

Six Degrees of Separation

Category: Games / Trivia
Released: 2010-01-28
Price: $1.99

4. E! Online – I don’t find myself watching E! all that often, but missing out on Joan Rivers would just be a shame, mostly now that Paula Abdoul isn’t on American Idol. We all just need a small dose of crazy on TV. In the “Live From The Oscars” section, you can check out old videos, and once the event starts, new videos. If the red carpet is your thing, or you just want want some help critiquing all the outfits, this is your app.

E! Online

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2009-05-14
Price: FREE

That’s all folks! Enjoy the show!

By the way, the cool picture came from sputnikreviews wordpress.com.