The Otterbox Defender case ($20) for the iPhone 3G/3GS offers the most protection we’ve seen in an iPhone case yet. It surrounds your iPhone with a fortress of hard plastic, soft silicone, and screen protectors, leaving almost no gap unprotected. But protection requires sacrifice, and for the Defender, that sacrifice is convenience. While gaining superb protection from smashes and scractches, you’ll lose dockability, quick access to the iPhone’s ports, and the iPhone’s slim profile.
The Defender's inner hard shell and outer soft shell.
We wish we could say there was one iPhone case that offered it all: complete protection, minimal profile, lightweight, full access, and slick design. Instead, there are just well-made cases designed toward a purpose like fashion, slim profiles, or protection. The Otterbox Defender is designed for consumers who abuse their iPhones.
For protection, the case is composed of two parts: a hard plastic interior and a soft, shock-absorbing exterior. The hard plastic interior snaps together around the iPhone with clasps that lock the two pieces together. Over that goes a soft silicone rubber skin. Together the pieces offer excellent shock absorption for accidental drops.
The latest version of iTunes has added the ability to give apps to friends and loved ones with a new feature called Gift This App. This feature should particularly come in handy with those paid apps you want someone to try out but couldn’t quite persuade them to pony up for.
How to Gift an App
1. To gift an app, you’ll need a iTunes account with a credit card attached.
2. Find an app you want to give and click on the arrow next to price. A drop-down menu will appear. Click Gift This App.
3. A form will appear that will, at the top, ask you whether you want to send the gift as an email, or if you want to print out a certificate and present it in person. For email, the recipient will receive a link they’ll click to download the app. For the printed-out certificate, the recipient will be given a redemption code they must enter into iTunes in order to receive the app. Choose one of the options, then fill out the fields in the form:
4. If given via email, the recipient will receive the gift via an email that looks like this:
The iPhone comes with a default ringtone that plays anytime a call comes in. You may know you can easily change that ringtone in the iPhone’s settings, but did you know you can also give each person in your iPhone contacts list their own special ringtone? Below are step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
1. Go to your iPhone’s contacts list:
2. Tap a contact:
3. Tap Ringtone if you see a Ringtone field, otherwise tap Edit in the top right corner, then scroll down until you see Ringtone and tap it:
4. Scroll through the list of ringtones and tap one to select it (the ringtone will play when you select it):
And that’s it. You’ve changed the ringtone. A checkmark will appear next to the ringtone to let you know it’s the assigned ringtone, and the name of the ringtone will appear underneath the contact’s name.
Notes and questions:
What ringtones can I use?
You can use any of the iPhone’s default ringtones, ringtones you buy through iTunes, or even ringtones that you make yourself.
How do I make my own ringtone?
You can make your own ringtone using your own songs and iTunes. Check out our step-by-step instructions for how to do this.
Guys, last night I did that thing where I dropped my phone in the toilet, and it wouldn’t even turn on afterwards. I was at Video Isle whining about how I was going to have to buy a completely new iPhone, and there was a man there who just happened to work for AT&T. I asked him if I should try to blow-dry my phone, and he said:
SAVIOR FROM AT&T: Turn it off completely, put it in a bag of rice, and leave it there for a couple hours. The rice will absorb the moisture.
ME: *Blank stare*
S.F.A.T.&T.: Just do it.
So, I went home, got out a bag of rice, and stuck my phone in there. I took it out about an hour later, tried to turn it on, and the screen kind of lamely flickered at me. But at least it was turning on, so I stuck it back in there. A couple hours later, before I was about to go to sleep, I took it out and turned it on…AND IT TOTALLY WORKED.
Good tip, as water damage voids the iPhone’s warranty.
Case-Mate recently launched a nifty new site called ‘I Make My Case’ that allows you to design your own iPhone case. The interactive website includes art from 10 designers and artists, including the likes of Chuck Anderson, Hannah Stouffer, Anthony Yankovic, and Shadow Chen. The premise of the site is simple—you start with a blank case, add a background color, and experiment with different graphics until you’re satisfied with the design. The design-your-own cases are available for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
The website is very easy to use, even if it is a bit slow to load at first. I selected the artist Shadow Chen and got to work. The site displays a plain white iPhone case with a subtle Case-Mate logo at the bottom. There are eight background colors to choose from, along with a variety of loops, swirls, and other designs to play with. The undo button comes in very handy if you make a mistake.
All told, it didn’t take more than a few minutes to create a design I was happy with. You can save multiple designs and share them via Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr. Check-out was fast and easy, and since the cases are a bit on the pricey side ($39.99 each), I was glad to see that shipping is free. The case was sent via USPS First Class Mail, and it arrived approximately 10 days after I ordered it.
The Case-Mate case comes in a snazzy white box, which is much better packaging than most iPhone cases. It also comes with a soft cleaning cloth and a screen protector.
The iPhone lists your contacts alphabetically, but did you know you can change whether it sorts by first or last name? To change the way the iPhone sorts your contacts, just follow these steps:
If you have a broken iPhone screen, the warranty unfortunately does not cover accidental damage—it’s going to cost you money to get it fixed. To repair it, you have three options:
Get it fixed at an Apple store.
Do it yourself.
Send or take it to a third-party repair company.
Below is a look at each option along with the costs and advantages/disadvantages of each.
Apple Store
The most convenient way to get your cracked iPhone screen fixed is to take it to an Apple store. Apple keeps special equipment in their store and can have the iPhone repaired in about 15 minutes. Be sure to make an appointment at the genius bar before heading to the store (you can do this online).
The cost of repairing your screen is $199. Why so expensive? Because not only does Apple replace the glass, they also replace the LCD screen, sensors behind the screen, and the home button.
If you paid $199 to buy your iPhone, this may seem expensive, but the price you originally paid was a subsidized price, meaning the wireless carriers paid for part of the iPhone.
The Apple store is the most expensive option, but it’s also the most convenient and safest. We recommend this option, especially if your screen has stopped working.
Do It Yourself
Another option to fix a cracked iPhone screen is to do it yourself. And it’s dirt cheap. You currently can find a repair kit on eBay for around $20. The website iFixIt sells an excellent screen repair tool kit for around $80 that comes with adhesive strips, metal spudger, spudger, 26-piece screwdriver kit, suction cup, touchscreen glass, and integrated digitizer.
It’s not a simple process to fix an iPhone screen. Apple didn’t intend for you to take the phone apart, so they’ve made it difficult. You’ll need a good set of instructions. The iFixIt site has instructions that accompany its screen repair kit. There are also videos on YouTube that walk you through the process, including an excellent 5-part series by GetterScott‘s, the first of which is shown below:
There are always dangers with the do-it-yourself approach. First, it voids the warranty on the iPhone. If your iPhone conks out and you take it to Apple to be repaired, they could, in theory, refuse to fix it (if they notice your repair work). Second, you could do even more damage to the iPhone, again voiding the warranty. Third, the damage that created the broken screen may have hurt other parts of the iPhone as well, in which case, repair may be beyond the do-it-yourself scope.
Third-Party Repair
Using a reputable third-party repair company to fix the iPhone can save money over Apple’s price, especially if it’s just the outer glass that is damaged, and not the LCD or electronics underneath. These companies can also repair other parts of the iPhone as well. A popular iPhone repair company is Milliamp.com, which charges $120 + shipping to fix the iPhone screen.
A Google search will reveal dozens of companies that offer to fix your iPhone, many for dirt cheap. It’s important to pick a reputable one. There are dangers in using a third-party company, including scam artists who will steal your iPhone or hack into your private information.
You can also search for local iPhone repair shops. The New York Times recently did an article on the burgeoning iPhone-repair cottage industry. It’s much easier to find such repair shops if you live in a large city, but those who live in smaller towns may have to go the mail route.
What About Insurance for Accidental Damage?
There are a few companies that offer insurance for the iPhone. Best Buy offers a Geek Squad Black Tie Protection Plan that costs $16 a month and covers all sorts of damage, including cracked screens. You’ll need to purchase the iPhone at Best Buy in order to sign up for the protection plan.
State Farm used to offer insurance for the iPhone for a mere $40 a year that covered accidental damage. It was called a “personal articles policy.” However, due to the number of claims they received, they’ve discontinued coverage of the iPhone. You should check with your insurance agent for similar plans.
Casual strategy and puzzle games have long been standout genres on the iPhone, as their gameplay tends to fit perfectly with the iPhone’s interface and mobile usage. So it’s particularly exciting when we come across an excellent game in this area. Sword & Poker ($3.99) is an addictive, challenging game that belongs in the top tier of casual iPhone strategy games. Poker and RPG elements may seem like strange bedfellows, but here they combine perfectly to create a deep game with layers of strategy. We found Sword & Poker to be rewarding casual gaming.
At the heart of Sword & Poker are the mechanics of poker. Players are given 4 cards each round that they place on a gameboard of 9 random cards to create poker hands like pairs, straights, flushes, etc. Forming hands deals a certain amount of damage to the enemy depending on your character’s weapon and other factors like shields and spells. And that’s where the RPG elements come in. As enemies are defeated, you gain gold and collect treasures, with which you can buy new weapons, shields, and health points (in the form of “coins”) to make your character stronger.
The blending of Poker and RPG strategies makes for a great if somewhat strange combo. The poker element has you running through the various possible hands as well as watching your opponent’s cards. The RPG element has you waiting for the right moment to cast spells that can favorably rearrange the cards and deal massive damage. The blending of the two requires a multi-layer approach to your thinking. Yes, the game eventually grows complicated, but it also does a good job of slowly introducing each layer of strategy so players are not overwhelmed at the start.
Although Sword & Poker is mostly a thinking man’s game, it’s also possible to play (and win) with minimal brainpower. But that approach takes longer, and battles will be much messier. A clever use of a spell and cards can sometimes end a battle in a single stroke, preserving your own resources for the next opponent. It’s this blend of a casual difficulty level with rewards for advanced strategy that works so well on the iPhone.
All the laughs that made it a classic are still there in this iPhone version of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition ($7.99). And that’s ultimately why players should revisit the game and why we give it our recommendation. But grab a walkthrough, because its interface wasn’t ported well. The ill-designed touch-cursor system replaces mouse and keyboard and slows the game way down. And the iPhone’s tiny screen makes discovering the game’s innumerable tiny hidden objects a joyless task. But once you get the general idea of what to do, Secret of Monkey Island plays out like the world’s funniest interactive comic book, and you’ll enjoy nearly every moment.
I had never played Secret of Monkey Island until this version (I was a Maniac Mansion kid myself) but knew of it via word of mouth. Still, I was caught off guard by how funny the game is. Most surprising was the great voice acting. Already working with a great script, the actors deliver the lines in a way that wrings out every last drop of comedy. The graphics, music, and sound effects are likewise professionally done.
The Artwizz SeeJacket Crystal ($25) case is designed to be a full-protection solution for the iPhone, covering both front and back. While we liked the solid feel and 360-degree protection of the case, we’ve noticed a wear-and-tear problem with clear plastic cases in general, and with the SeeJacket specifically, we had problems with decreased touch sensitivity. That and a few other flaws prevent us giving the case a recommendation.
Right off the bat, we had problems with the ClearJacket. The case is composed of two pieces that snap together around the iPhone. It took us a good 15 minutes to get the tiny grooves that ultimately hold the case together to snap into place. It almost seemed as if the case was made too small. The good news is that once the grooves are snapped into place, the case holds together well—we had no fear of it accidentally coming apart during normal use.
Brand new, the case looks nice on the iPhone. At least from the back. The clear plastic allows for the Apple logo and lettering to show, and when looked at from afar, it may appear as if there’s no case at all. The front of the case is a combination of black plastic frame that covers the iPhone’s own black bezel and a clear plastic casing that covers the iPhone’s screen. Also on the front are two visually odd elements: an “L” shaped cutout for the iPhone’s light sensor as well as a thin disc of plastic that goes over the home button (a complaint about which we’ll get to later).
This is the second clear plastic case we’ve reviewed, and we’re noticing a bad trend. The cases show dirt and scratches too well. After using the ClearJacket for only two weeks, it looked like we had been using it for two years instead. The case was covered with scratches and gouges that were made highly visible thanks to the clear plastic. Likewise, dirt and grime was way too visible. One advantage of opaque rubber silicone cases have over hard plastic cases is that silicone doesn’t display such scratches and darker cases can hide dirt.
But the SeeJacket’s killer flaw is that we found it decreases the iPhone’s touch sensitivity. Right off the bat, the iPhone frequently did not recognize our finger touches. We had to be much more deliberate in our touches to get consistent recognition. Overtime, we got used to touching the iPhone in a certain way so that it recognized our fingers, however, we also found that the extreme corners of the screen became dead spots—a big problem when typing in landscape.
