[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVMCvGNXn1o[/ame]

The I.D. case from CameMate is an interesting case that allows you to keep your I.D. or credit cards in the back. Personally, I think this would be a great case for people who go to bars a lot, just so they don't have to remember much. The case is very slim and doesn't add too much bulk to your phone. If you use your debit cards or your I.D. a lot, and you have an iPhone 4, this is the case for you.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV7BnbhwgHE[/ame]

The long-awaited sequel to Gameloft's Hero of Sparta is finally here, in all its "optimised for iPhone 4" glory! This tends to be one of those love or hate type games, the people that love it really love it, the people that hate it really hate it. Judging by the very favourable ratings in the App Store though (54 5-star ratings at the time of writing), I'd say that this second installment in the series has definitely found favour with the fans. The iPhone 4 optimised features include high-definition graphics specially designed to get the best out of the Retina display, and support for iOS 4 multitasking.

The new game sees the triumphant return of hero Argos, who has made his way back to Sparta from Hell. He's managed to make it back in one piece, although the many enemies he vanquished were not quite so lucky! However, causing that much trouble in the bowels of Hades is bound to have consequences, and so Argos must face a new journey, and many new challenges, with lots more slashing and stabbing and OTT swordplay and all that good stuff that we like to see.

The control scheme has been optimised to such a degree that you now don't just tap the screen, you can actually aim your attacks, and the new 360 degree jump control enables you to jump anywhere and pull off spectacular air combos. The new adventure features 12 new levels to explore, across 8 new environments, and enemies and bosses that are bigger and badder than ever before.

Basically, if you loved the first one, and weren't too put off by the criticism that it was simply a God of War rip-off, you should waste no time in handing over your £3.99/$6.99 at the App Store, as this is very much more of the same blood-splattered orgy of violence, but with even better graphics!

Source: iTunes App Store

Macworld reports that Amazon has released update 2.2 for its free iPhone and iPod touch Kindle apps. The new update is quite a significant one, as it includes a free dictionary with 250,000 entries and definitions, which enables you to simply tap on a word to get its meaning, as well as an improved "search inside the book" facility on iPhone and iPod touch, and the addition of a "search inside the book" facility on iPad. Line spacing on iPad has also been improved. The update has also given the user the ability to look up words on Google and Wikipedia, although they'll have to leave the app to do so. Last but not least, the update has also added fast app switching on those iOS 4 devices that can handle it, and fixed a couple of iOS 4 bugs.

The Kindle app is free to download from the iTunes App Store, and gives you access to over 620,000 books.

Source: Macworld, iTunes

The iPhone 4 has today been launched in 17 more countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, HongKong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It's already sold out in New Zealand, where the Wall Street Journal reports that hundreds of customers were turned away, and Vodafone sold out of its entire stock allocation in hours. Over in Sydney, Australia, where Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland turned up for the launch festivities, the Sydney Morning Herald reported another interesting development, namely the fact that Australians did not appear to be having the same "death grip" antenna woes as their American cousins, and the South China Morning Post reported the same in Hong Kong. Very interesting. Maybe this is an updated version of the iPhone 4 with an antenna fix? It's certainly a bit of a mystery, hopefully one that we'll find out more about in the next few days.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, South China Morning Post

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2KPjTovcG4[/ame]

With these two cases you can get your iPod Touch closer to an iPhone. The first case is releasing in China for around $50 which allows you to put a Sim Card into the case to enable a cellular GSM network on your iPod. You will have to Jailbreak and download a few free apps from Cydia to make the calls. The second case is coming from Sprint, which enables a 3G WiFi on your iPod Touch. So where ever you have 3G you will have service on the iPod Touch. Both of these cases are cool and more info to come.

3G Equipped iPod Touch Case
[ame="http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/3410dTBUsHQ/"]Turn Your iPod Touch Into A Phone Case[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENYGs9gW3sE[/ame]

So the iPhone 4 Jailbreak is on its way and it is coming soon. I took the time to make a video on the age old question, "What is Jailbreak?". This video explains some of the things that will be open to you and available once you do Jailbreak your device. Your device will be able to have endless possibilities to what you can do. You can unlock your phone to use on any carrier, or even change your entire UI. There will be an abundance of videos being made here for what you can do, once the Jailbreak is released.

Both AT&T and Verizon have recently been expressing woes that their smartphone users consume too much data. As such, AT&T has already imposed tiered-data plans to its 3G customers. And many ultimately believe that by the time LTE rolls out (mid-November is our best guess), Verizon will do just the same. So how much data are Verizon and AT&T customers really consuming? Is it such an outlandish figure that would eventually bring these networks to their knees? And finally, how does Verizon smartphone customers compare to iPhone users in data consumption?

Validas, an independent research firm, tackled these questions in their latest survey of the four major carriers. Between 2009 and 2010, the amount of data users went up from 42% to 53%. Also, the average data usage went up from 96.8 MB to 145.8 MB. Verizon Wireless customers showed the largest percentage increase in data usage, from 48.2MB to 147.2 MB per user. And the amount of data users increased from 33.4% to 42.9%. On the other hand, AT&T led the four major carriers with 71% of users consuming data, up from 58.4% last year; the average AT&T user consumed 149.6 MB per month.

So that's for all phones in general. What about smartphones, specifically? Validas discovered that Verizon smartphone users on average "are consuming more wireless data than AT&T iPhones by a ratio of roughly 1.25:1." Real world values have the average Verizon smartphone user consuming 421 MB, as opposed to iPhone users averaging 338 MB, per month. Also, "nearly twice as many Verizon Wireless smartphone users are consuming 500MB to 1GB per month compared to AT&T iPhone users." Verizon, are you really crying over the fact that the average user consumes 421 MB per month? Give me a break.

So, in conclusion, Verizon Wireless smartphone users consume 25% more data on average than their iPhone counterparts. What does this signify? AT&T users rely more on WiFi because of reception issues? Verizon users tend to stream media more often? We can't say for sure. What we can say, that Verizon Wireless will surely use figures such as these to validate a move to tiered data pricing.

via Engadget
source Validas

Image courtesy of Mobile Tech World

SimCity Deluxe has finally hit the app store, and is now available to download for iPhone/iPod touch for £3.99/$6.99. The familiar SimCity experience has been freshly updated for iPhone and iPod touch, with both dedicated and casual fans in mind. Key new features of the update, which has been iOS 4 tested, are an improved user interface with larger buttons, better flow and more accessible items. The gameplay has also been visually enhanced, with the graphics and frame rate both being improved, making the game closer in visual style to Sim City 4. Another new feature is the way in which the player can now modify terrain by touch - water, land and trees can now be "painted" in with your fingers, for example. As far as new modes and gameplay are concerned, seven scenarios and seven bustling starter cities have been added, increasing the replayability factor of the game, and there are now four distinct seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) linked to seasonal disasters. Check out the brand new screenshots and see what you think.

Source: EA

We all love our iPhones, iPads and iPod touches for cool fun things like playing games, but they can also be used to do good and to help people. For example, the VitaTrack Folate Tracker is a new free app launched today by VitaPath Genetics, the Spina Bifida Association and the National Council on Folic Acid, which enables women to track their daily intake of folate and folic acid. This is very important for pregnant women to do, as maintaining an adequate level of folic acid prior to and during pregnancy can reduce the risk of serious birth defects, such as Spina Bifida, by up to 70 percent. Studies show that folic acid may also help prevent congenital heart disease, pre-term labour and cleft lip and palate.

The app has been designed specifically for the iPhone, with the intention of helping women ensure that they are consuming the recommended amount of daily folic acid before becoming pregnant. Users can enter the food eaten each day by selecting from more than 8,000 diverse menu items and portion sizes to calculate their folic acid intake. Here's Lee Kao, MD, PhD, a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and a Reproductive Endocrinology Infertility specialist in practice at Laurel Fertility Care in San Francisco, talking about the app:

“This application is a great way for women who are considering pregnancy to assess whether or not they are getting an adequate level of folate in their diet. In many cases, women will discover that they are far below their recommended intake and should consult their doctor about folic acid supplementation before becoming pregnant.”

The VitaTrack Folate Tracker app is available now to download for free from the Apple iTunes App Store, and you can click on the link below for more information.
Source: VitaTrack

We've all seen those stories of how someone's iPhone has helped them escape from a dangerous situation, such as the man who was trapped under rubble after the Haiti earthquake, and the truth is, you never know when you might find yourself in a dangerous situation, so it's a good idea to have a couple of emergency apps on your iPhone, just in case. One such app that could save someone's life is the newly launched OnCallDefender from Advanced Mobile Protection. The app includes a panic alarm and a medical alert, or a combination of the two, and connects subscribers to a 24-hour monitoring station with a direct line to law-enforcement and EMS dispatch.

Panic alarms can be sent with either a high-pitched police siren to create attention, or as a silent alarm sent secretly to the monitoring station. Using the iPhone's location-based technology, OnCall Defender can quickly determine where the alarm is coming from, and will then initiate continuous ten-second tracking, keeping first responders informed. The app will also provide the central monitoring station with vital background details, such as restraining orders, medical conditions, location details and a photo of the victim.

They really do seem to have thought of everything, as users can also run a network connection test with the app to ensure that the all-important connection to the monitoring station is working, as well as testing the GPS satellite connection, the cellular network, the siren and the medical alert.
The app has found favour with the YWCA, an organisation whose programs for women and girls instill the skills and tools needed to stand up against and prevent violent attacks, including domestic violence. Here's Julia Miele, executive director of the YWCA Santa Monica/Westside branch, talking about the app:

“Among the preventative tools that people can use to ensure peace of mind wherever they go, OnCall Defender offers a fresh, high-tech approach that is easily accessible to so many people today."

OnCall Defender is free to download from the US iTunes App Store, and you can check out the AMP link below to find out more about it and about subscription options.

Source: AMP

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTkswNCcUxw[/ame]

Zen Bound 2 is a great universal app that works on most devices. The game is has beautiful graphics and relaxes you throughout your journey of tying things in a knot. What you do is you get a 3D figure that you can freely move around and tie a rope around. The rope will slowly paint the figure as it sticks on and your objective is the get as much of it painted, percentage-wise, to get to the end. You move up to figures that get trickier and tricker, but it's all in good fun. Great app on the iPad, still great on the iPhone, but it's always better to have a bigger screen for this type of game.

Know Your Mobile is reporting that both Three and T-Mobile will be launching the iPhone 4 in the UK on Friday July 30th. Three sent out an email to those who expressed an interest confirming the launch, and telling customers to either wait for a further email for more details, or to go to their local Three shop to find out more. The Three website has not been updated with any new information as of today. Meanwhile T-Mobile announced via its Twitter that it would also be launching the iPhone 4 on July 30th in the UK, saying that official pricing details would be published "imminently", so clearly, it's waiting until the very last minute to show its hand as far as pricing is concerned. As Know Your Mobile points out, this leaves Virgin mobile mysteriously as the only UK provider not to have pledged that it will be carrying the iPhone 4.

Source: Know Your Mobile