Art of the iPhone

Apple Confirms Elusive White iPhone Available Tomorrow

Apple today officially announced the white iPhone will go on sale tomorrow (Thursday, April 28), available on their online store (Apple.com) as well as their retail stores, AT&T and Verizon stores, and authorized resellers. The white iPhone 4 arrives after a 10-month delay from its June 2010 announcement. In a press release, Apple VP Phil Schiller thanked customers for their patience:

The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful. We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.

The reason for the white version’s delay is still unknown. Apple published two press releases in 2010 claiming the device had “proven more challenging to manufacture than expected,” twice pushing back the release. Finally, in October 2010, Apple told Reuters they were pushing back the release date for a third and final time until spring 2011.

The white iPhone 4 costs $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model along with a new two-year contract.

Side-by-side Speed Comparison of iPad 2 vs Original iPad

We know the iPad 2 is faster than the orignal, but just how much faster? Nothing like a little visual comparison for some perspective. The video below shows the iPad 2 and original side-by-side, booting up, then launching various apps at the same time. The video was done by the same people who compared all 4 generations of the iPhone in a similar manner. In one surprise, the original iPad beats the iPad 2 time to shut down. It turns off a full 14 seconds faster.

A few numbers from the video:

iPad 2 Original ipad
Cold boot up 25.3s 28.6s
Infinity Blade 10.6s 26s
Google Earth 17s 20.3s
Garageband 3s 6s
Angry Birds 8s 10.5s
Shut down 26s 12s

The 25 Best iPad Games So Far

The number of great games for the iPad has grown quickly since the iPad was introduced. The quality of the graphics likewise has increased to rival that of recent home gaming consoles. To celebrate how far the iPad has come as a gaming device, we’ve gathered together the 25 best-reviewed iPad games of all-time.

Picture Summary
1. Plants vs Zombies ($2.99) is one of the most popular and bestselling games ever for the iPad. It’s a tower-defense game where the object is to defend your home from endless waves of Zombies using special plants and their powers. A whimsical cartoony style belies the serious strategy it will take to successfully defend your home. Beautiful graphics and deep gameplay make this one a winner.
2. Angry Birds Rio HD ($0.99) is the sequel to the famous physics puzzler and a tie-in with the recently released movie Rio. The object is to launch birds and crash into structures to destroy your enemies and free your friends. Features the same great gameplay from the original as well as some unique twists from the movie.
3. Dead Space HD ($9.99) is a horror survival game based on the popular console titles of the same name. Provides a cinematic experience in a FPS structure, with professional voice acting, a movie-esque score, and sound effects. Cutting-edge graphics for the iPad.
4. Flight Control HD ($4.99) is the popular iPhone game given its own iPad version. Land planes by drawing their paths to the runway with your finger. Make sure planes don’t collide, else it’s game over. Sound simple, but when the skies get hectic, it’s harder than you think. One of the first truly classic mobile games that showed off the potential of the touchscreen for a unique gaming experience.
5. Infinity Blade ($5.99) features some of the most cutting-edge graphics available for the iPad (and iPad 2). Battle one-on-one through a castle full of warriors looking to test your skill. Collect gold and upgrade your weapons, armor, and spells. Learn gestures to perform various attacks and defensive moves.
6. Sword and Sorcery EP ($4.99) is a cutting-edge, beautifully crafted adventure game designed especially for the iPad. Filled with humor and clever puzzle-solving, it’s a unique experience with an incredible soundtrack thrown in. Come for the gaming, stay for the artistry.
7. Cut the Rope HD ($1.99) is a beautifully designed puzzle game for the iPad. Strategically cut pieces of hanging rope so that candy falls into the monster’s mouth. Sounds easy, but multiple strands of rope, moving obstacles, and all sorts of other clever twists complicate the task. One of the most well-balanced puzzle games I’ve played—not too easy, not too heard. A visual treat.
8. Fruit Ninja HD ($2.99) is a fun fruit-slicing game that offers a unique fast-finger-swiping touchscreen experience. Slice up fruit when it flies onto the screen. Avoid slicing the flying bombs. Create special combos by slicing up the same fruit into multiple pieces during flight. A whimsical game that will have your fingers, hands, and arms flying and your mouth smiling.
9. World of Goo ($4.99) is a classic puzzle-solving game that has been a hit on just about every platform it’s come to, and the iPad is no different. Stretch, sling, and build the various types of goo in order to solve the various puzzles. Unique whimsical gameplay that is only enhanced by the iPad’s touchscreen.
10. Osmos for iPad ($4.99) is a beautifully unique puzzle/physics game. Swallow smaller orbs to grow your own, carefully navigating around bigger orbs that consume yours. Avoid the stronger gravitational pull of larger orbs. Propel your orb by spewing out its own mass, only don’t spew too much, less you make your orb too small. Unique strategy and gameplay. Simply a beautiful game.
11. Real Racing 2 HD ($1.99) is a realistic racing game featuring over 30 real cars to race in 15 different locations. Play in a career mode or race others via online multiplayer. Supports up to 16 racers! Keep your progress synched across multiple devices. Sharp, detailed, realistic graphics.
12. Little Things ($2.99) is a hidden-object game with beautiful, colorful graphics. Search among the hundreds of items that make up a picture of a much larger item. Zoom in and out and the graphics stay sharp. Find all the requested items to move on to the next level. A casual, stress-free game with relaxing background music. Great for kids and adults alike.
13. Dungeon Hunter 2 HD ($6.99) is a hack-n-slash RPG game that is a sequel to the popular original. Choose among 3 character classes with 2 specializations. Improve your skills and spells, collect hundreds of unique items, change your characters look with new armor and weapons. Quest through a world 5 times bigger than the original. Spectacular graphics with nice animations.
14. MaxAdventure ($0.99) is a combination of a survival shooter and an adventure game. Aliens have invaded and locked up all the adults. Use Max to kill aliens and free friends. Collect new weapons and treasure to upgrade Max. Use the right kind of gun to destroy alien pods before they hatch. Addictive gameplay.
15. Bug Heroes ($1.99) is like a blend of tower defense, RPG, and adventure game genres. Defend your base from hordes ofbugs by fortifying your bases with supplies and killing enemies with various weapons and fighting skills. Explore new territory and collect coins and weapons. There’s a little bit of everything here. One of the best critically reviewed games on the iPad.
16. Uber Racer 3D – Sandstorm ($0.99) is a realistic racing game with plenty of jumps, shortcuts, and extras to keep this from becoming a boring racer-on-rails experience. What it lacks in über graphics it makes up in excellent deep gameplay and a cheap price.
17. Drawn: The Painted Tower: HD ($6.99) is a beautiful point-and-click adventure game that will satisfy even hardened veterans of the genre. Make your way through the painted tower, gathering clues and solving puzzles in a quest to rescue a girl who has the power to bring her drawings to life. Features well-designed puzzles.
18. War Pinball HD ($2.99) may be the best pinball table from Gameprom, makes of other iPhone/iPad pinball classics like Wild West Pinball and Pinball HD for iPad. War Pinball offers three different tables based on three classic action movies: Platoon, Missing in Action (with Chuck Norris!), and Navy Seals. Features soundtracks and voice acting from the movies.
19. Reckless Racing HD ($4.99) is a racing game with Dukes of Hazzard-like physics and gameplay. Compete not only to win the race against competitors but also to earn medals by improving your times. Features 8 tracks to rip through, then unlock the reverse direction for 16 total tracks. Features online multiplayer as well—race against strangers from the Internets. Race several different vehicles, from an Indy car to Humvees and trucks.
20. Tapper World Tour HD ($2.99) is the classic arcade game updated for the iPad. Features Retina-Display graphics with artwork from legendary artist Don Bluth (Dragon’s Lair). Work in bars around the world. Serve patrons before they reach the end of the bar and catch their empty glasses. Use special powers like stage shows to distract the customers for a brief respite. A beautiful update to the classic version with HD graphics.
21. MiniGore HD ($2.99) is a survival shooter with a unique artistic style. How long can you survive against wave after wave of monsters from the dark? Collect more powerful weapons, retreat or advance, just don’t let the monsters get to you.
22. Rage HD ($1.99) was one of the first games with high-resolution graphics for the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, so it looks great on the iPad’s larger screen too. It’s also a great first-person shooter with wicked gameplay. Make your way through a twisted game-show world, killing horrific monsters before they kill you. A well-designed game providing a console-like experience for only $1.99. It’s only drawback is that it’s a bit short.
23. LEGO Harry Potter ($4.99) brings the entire console Harry Potter game to the iPad in one huge game. Dozens of hours of gameplay that fans of the books and movies will love. A true bargain. Travel through the stories of books 1-4 and solve puzzles, cast spells, and battle enemies like Draco and Snape. A truly epic game that puts you in control of not only Harry but dozens of other characters as well. Simple gameplay perfect for kids and adults alike.
24. AirAttack HD ($0.99) is a wicked airplane shooter-on-rails that asks, what if the Nazi’s actually developed futuristic weaponry like UFOs and Zeppelins that launch ball lightning? Take them on with nothing but your trusty P-51 Mustang. Intense gameplay, fun retro-futuristic enemies, and lots of power-ups. One of the lesser known gems in the App Store.
25. Labyrinth 2 HD ($7.99) is a masterfully designed labyrinth puzzle game. The original Labyrinth was a popular iPhone game, and the sequel takes things up a notch. Navigate your pinball through the maze, avoiding the various obstacles. Cannons, magnets, bumpers, resizers, and more complicate the task. Besides the included levels, also play tens of thousands of levels designed by the community or design your own. Limitless unique gameplay.

Basics: How to Make a FaceTime Call on the iPhone

FaceTime is Apple’s video chat service that is built into the iPhone 4, iPad 2, and iPod touch 4th gen devices as well as now being available on Macs. But to use FaceTime requires a few conditions. To start off, if this is your first time using FaceTime on the iPhone, you must make sure the feature is activated (instructions).

You also:

  • Must be connected to a Wi-Fi network.
  • And the person you’re are calling also must be connected to Wi-Fi and have a FaceTime-compatible device.

Now, you’re ready to make a FaceTime call. Here’s how:

How to Make a FaceTime Call

1. Open the Phone app:
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The 50 Best Travel Apps for the iPhone

Whether you’re traveling to Paris or Yellowstone, there are apps for the iPhone to help get you there, feed you, and find the best places to visit. Below are 25 of the best travel apps for the iPhone.

1. TripIt (free) is the premiere travel-organizer app and website. Simply forward confirmation emails to TripIt to have them automagically organized into a travel itinerary. Collects check in/out dates, flight plans, gates, flight times and delays, rental car info, etc, into one place. Never fumble through stacks of papers again. An indispensable tool for travelers, see our review for full details. We love this app.

Download TripIt
2. Kayak (free) searches for prices and availability of flights, hotels, and rental cars. A beautiful interface makes it a pleasure to use on the iPhone. Book travel, check flight statuses, and look up baggage fees. An indispensable travel tool for finding out basic pricing and availability of flights and hotels.

Download Kayak
3. TripAdvisor (free) lets you browse through millions of reviews for hotels, attractions, and restaurants. Know everything about your destination from real traveler’s experiences. View millions of photos uploaded by travelers who have stayed at the locations. Use the iPhone’s GPS to find nearby bars, restaurants, etc, and read their reviews.

Download TripAdvisor
4. Priceline (free) is the popular travel bidding website on the iPhone. Currently supports only bidding for hotels as well as access to rental car deals. Bid on hotels right within the app. View recent winning bids from other Priceline customers.

Download Priceline
5. Packing Pro ($2.99) helps you organize and remember everything you’ll need for a trip. Create and edit packing lists. Discover ideas for packing through sample lists. Packing wizard can suggest packing lists based on the number of people traveling, children, destination, temperature, and more. Customize the look of the app to suit your tastes, including themes, fonts, and layout. The ultimate packing tool.

Download PackingPro
6. FlightTrack Pro ($9.99) helps you organize and track the entire process of flight travel, from creating itineraries automatically, to ticket confirmation emails, to supplying offline maps with satellite and weather radar images. Get push alerts for flight updates and delays. Works with the TripIt service. Syncs with iPhone’s Calendar.

Download FlightTrack Pro
7. Gate Guru (free) provides gate information about 115 major airports in the US, Canada, and Europe as well as lists of airport restaurants, shops, and services. Features over 20,000 reviews of those airport services. View airport maps. Share and view airport security wait times. Sort airport shops and restaurants by rating.

Download GateGuru
8. Yelp (free) is a way to find and get reviews for nearby restaurants, businesses, and services. Use the iPhone’s GPS to quickly find and filter nearby bars, cafes, restaurants, etc. Get addresses and phone numbers for businesses. View on a map, or call from within the app.

Download Yelp
9. Google Translation (free) is a powerful translation tool from Google, and it’s free! Translates both text and speech (simply speak into the app and it will return translated text). Translate between 57 languages. Hear the translated text spoken for you. Access translation history offline. View additional dictionary results for words or short phrases.

Download Google Translate
10. Flightboard ($3.99) turns your iPhone into a beautiful airport arrival and departure board. Interface based on the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport board. Features flights for 4,000 airports and 1,400 airlines worldwide. Updates flights every 5 minutes. Search for flights and quickly filter and narrow down results. Email flight statuses or share via a URL.

Download FlightBoard
11. Hipmunk (free) is a fresh take on searching for flights. View available flights on a timeline along with price and a special “agony” factor that calculates flight times and number of stops. Book flights using the phone, or email the flight to finish on the computer.
12. ZAGAT To Go ($9.99) is the trusted classic restaurant review guide on the iPhone. Get access to all 45 ZAGAT guides for the price of one guide. Quite a bargain. Features offline mode.
13. TripTracker Pro ($0.99) provides real-time flight status info. Get push alerts for travel and flight status updates. Check gate numbers, delays, cancellations, and baggage claim areas. Get hotel and car rental info, including confirmation numbers, check-in/out dates, etc. View flight maps with weather radar.
14. Maplets ($2.99) gives access to over 3,000 maps in the US that you can download and store on the iPhone for offline viewing. Visit their website to see all available maps, which include city subways, national parks, bike maps, hiking maps, zoos, theme parks, etc.
15. Word Lens (free, $9.99 for Spanish language pack) is an amazing app that instantly translates text using the iPhone’s video camera. It even maintains similar font style and color. It has to be tried to believed (free version lets you try it out). Cool app.
16. Southwest Airlines (free) is the official app from Southwest that lets you book plane tickets, check in for flights, view DING! deals, get notified of DING! deals instantly. Access Rapid Rewards accounts.
17. Fly Delta (free) helps you take care of your flight details for Delta Air. Check in for upcoming flights. Download mobile boarding passes. Rebook canceled flights. Get flight status and terminal and gate info. Search for upcoming flgihts. Get airport weather info. Save a photo of your parking spot.
18. American Airlines (free) lets you log in to your American Airlines account and view flight info. Get push notifications for upcoming flight details and alerts. Monitor your place on standby lists. Set parking reminders. Track Elite Status progress. Get gate and seat info for your flight. Access a mobile boarding pass. View terminal maps. Play sudoku.
19. British Airways (free) provides info for your flight on British Airways, including flight status, check-in, gate numbers, and departure times. Use a mobile boarding pass to board your flight. Access tweets from British Airways.
20. UpNext 3D Cities (free) offers free 3D maps of several major US cities (New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, and Austin, with more cities to come). Need a Wi-Fi to download the maps, which can be up to 30MB.
21. AAA Roadside (free) makes it easier to access your AAA roadside assistance on your iPhone. Send assistant requests using the iPhone. Use GPS to give your exact location quickly and easily. Get confirmation that help is on the way. View and display your AAA card within the app. Find nearby AAA-approved repair shops, branch offices, and AAA discounts.
22. Autostitch Panorama ($1.99) lets you capture the broad, sweeping landscapes you normally couldn’t with your iPhone’s camera. Easy to use. Stitch together multiple photographs. See our review. A great way to capture your vacation.
23. Google Places (free) with Hotpot helps discover nearby restaurants, cafes, bars, etc using your iPhone. Rate the places you visit, and Hotpot will supply you with recommendations based on your reviews. Automatically syncs your ratings with Google Maps.
24. AllSubway ($0.99) puts the subway maps of 128 cities around the world into your pocket for offline viewing. No Internet connection required.
25. XE Currency (free) converts over 180 currencies using live exchange rates. View currency charts going back to up to one year. Use the app and currency-conversion feature offline—the ratings from when you last connected will be used.
26. Free WiFi Finder (free) helps you find over 465,000 free and pay Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. Use the iPhone’s GPS to find the closest Wi-Fi hot spot.
27. UpNext 3D Cities (free) offers free 3D maps of several major US cities (New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, and Austin, with more cities to come). Need a Wi-Fi to download the maps, which can be up to 30MB.
28. Google Earth (free) lets you view gobal satellite and aerial imagery of cities and regions from around the world. View Wikipedia articles and photographs from icons laid on top of the maps. Search for places and businesses.
29. Taxi Magic (free) lets you find and book a taxi in over 4,000 US and Canadian cities. A “Magic Booking” feature lets you book a cab inside the app without a phone call (supported in 40 major US cities). Instantly find taxis based on your location. Chard the ride to a credit card. Expense the ride with an e-receipt.
30. OpenTable (free) helps you make restaurant reservations and earn rewards from doing so. Browse restaurants with open tables for a planned evening out. Get restaurant reviews. Earn Dining Rewards points that can be used for meals.
31. Best Of (free) answers the question, What is the best….barbeque in Chicago? Best sushi in New York? Brought to you by the Village Voice. Quick and easy way to find great ideas in dozens of major cities across the US.
32. AroundMe (free) quickly provides information about the businesses around you. Find bars, banks, restaurants, supermarkets, etc, around you quickly and easily.
33. GateMaps ($0.99) provides offline viewing of airport gate maps. Currently supports 38 airports.
34. World Customs and Cultures (free) provides info on customs, cultural info, and interesting facts for over 165 different countries. Discover info on common greetings, taboos, communication style, gestures, and laws. Use GPS to quickly find the customs of the country you’re in.
35. Foursquare (free) lets you quickly and easily share your adventures with friends and family. Simply check-in at various locations using the iPhone’s GPS. Share pictures and get comments. Get discounts and freebies based on location.
36. Gas Buddy (free) helps you find the cheapest gas near you. With one tap, find nearby gas stations and their prices. Easily enter in gas prices to help the community stay informed.
37. Orbitz (free) lets you search and book flights, hotels, and rental cars using the iPhone. View your booked trips, check current flight status, and find hotels near your location using GPS.
38. Menu Pages (free) provides you with the menus of local restaurants. Find nearby restaurants (and their menus) using the iPhone’s GPS. Search for restaurants by cuisine type, meal type, price, etc. Get restaurant reviews. View locations on maps. Call restaurants directly within the app. Currently only supports 8 major US cities.
< 39. iPhraseBook ($12.99) has over 10,000 audio phrases in 5 different languages available for offline playing (American English, French, German, Italian, and Latin American Spanish). Bookmark your favorite phrases for quick access. Search for a specific word of phrase within the app. Built-in access to Google Translate service.
40. InnTouch (free) helps you find the perfect Bed and Breakfast place. Search through thousands of B&B’s and boutique inns. View locations and contact info and browse photos. Read guest reviews. Bookmark your favorites.
41. Rick Steves’ Audio Europe (free) gives audio tours for tourists in European countries. Download and store audio of self-guided tourist of sights and historic places. Comes with complementary maps for the the tours.
42. Royal Carribean International (free) lets you find cruises and discover special offers. Get information on the various destinations as well as facts on Royal Carribean ships. View image galleries. View deck plans. Watch the Oasis of the Seas webcam. Get the latest Royal Carribean news.
43. Tipulator ($0.99) makes figuring out a restaurant tip easy, even when you’re splitting a check among friends. Enter the bill amount and the percentage of tip you want to leave. Check the restaurant bill’s math to make sure you aren’t being overcharged.
44. LiveATC Air Radio ($2.99) lets you listen in on the air traffic control talk between pilots and controllers. Features over 350 airports and 500 audio feeds from around the world.
45. Roadside America ($2.99) helps you find the interesting, odd, funny, and weird attractions across America. $2.99 unlocks one of the 6 regions of the US. $5.99 in-app purchase unlocks all regions. View over 6,000+ attractions with photos, maps, and directions. Find the oddities near you. Call attractions using the app. Mark attractions you’ve visited.
46. The Weather Channel (free) is our favorite app for the weather. Find out the weather in locations around the world. A no brainer download, as weather is probably the most important info to enjoy a vacation!
47. Homeaway (free) lets you search and browse over 230,000 vacation rental properties worldwide. Sort by price, location, etc. View photos. Call directly using the app. Read reviews. Check availability via a calendar.
48. iCruise – Cruise Finder (free) lets you browse cruise information for 20 different cruise lines, including 220 ships with 25 destinations and 12,000+ itineraries. Get hot cruise deals. Get port weather. Save your favorite cruises.
49. TripDeck (free) is basically a pretty wrapper for the TripIt service. If you think the TripIt’s interface is ugly, use this one instead.
50. Camp and RV ($4.99) helps find campgrounds, RV parks, and related places, featuring everything from BLM camping to Walmart (where they let you park your RV) to RV tank dumping stations. Supports both online and offline. View maps with camping and RV locations. Over 17,161 campgrounds. View campground photos.

6 Free iPhone GPS Navigation Apps

6 Free iPhone GPS Navigation Apps:

Waze
  • Voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation.
  • Live crowdsourced traffic information.
  • Notification when approaching police traps and speed cams.
  • Learns and personalizes your preferred routes.
  • Free, community-updated maps.
  • Voice-alerts when approaching a hazard.
MapQuest 4 Mobile
  • Free voice-guided turn-by-turn directions.
  • iOS4 compatible—make calls or listen to music while voice navigation continues to work.
  • Live traffic updated every 5 minutes.
  • Search for locations, restaurants, businesses, etc..
  • Auto Re-route.
  • Energy savings mode.
  • Multiple stop route.
  • Landscape view.
  • Customizable avatars.
2. NavFree USA (no longer free)
  • 1.8GB of stored local maps.
  • Voice guided, turn-by-turn directions.
  • Auto-rerouting.
  • Live ‘Google’ search.
  • Google Local.
  • Bing search.
  • Night driving mode.
  • Search for nearest point of interest.
  • Uses OpenStreetMaps.
Skobbler (no longer free)
  • Voice-guided turn-by-turn directions.
  • Integrated iPod controls.
  • Night driving mode.
  • iOS 4.0+ compatible—keeps working during calls and listening to music
  • Quick take-me- home navigation feature.
  • Pedestrian navigation.
  • Uses OpenStreetMaps.
TeleNav GPS (no longer free)
  • Free 30-day trial for voice guidance, followed by $2.99/month or $21.99/year subscription fee.
  • Free maps content and local search
  • Text directions
  • Spoken dtreet names
  • Automatic teroute
  • 2D maps
  • 3D moving maps
  • Navigation preferences to avoid.
  • HOV lanes.
  • Tolls.
  • Fast Routing.
AAA TripTik Mobile
  • Gas station location and latest price information.
  • Provides route maps and turn-by-turn narrative directions to selected locations.
  • AAA approved hotels, restraurants, attractions, auto-repair, and camprounds.
  • AAA office locations.
  • Calculate routes to AAA points of interest (POI) as well as user-entered addresses.
  • Voice guidance on your next maneuver at the press of a button or by shaking the iPhone.
  • Pinpoints and tracks your location and allows you to turn on POIs around you.
  • POIs are automatically updated as your location changes or as you move the map.
  • Drag and pinch and double tap to move around and zoom in on the map.
  • Call for AAA Roadside Assistance.

Review: Instapaper for iPhone and iPad

Instapaper ($4.99) is one of my most-used apps for the iPhone and iPad, but it’s more than just an app—it’s a free web service that lets you quickly and easily save interesting articles for reading later by clicking a bookmarklet in your web browser. Instapaper strips away ads and presents the content back to you in a minimalistic format, available for offline reading. In a world where online ads are getting more annoying and intrusive, Instapaper is the TiVO for the web, giving control back to the user over web content.

Saving Articles for Later

The primary way to save articles to Instapaper is via something called a bookmarklet—a fancy bookmark that performs a function when clicked. Setting up the bookmarklet takes 2 seconds, just go to this page and drag the Instapaper bookmarklet into your browser’s bookmarks. When you come across an interesting article you want to read later, click the bookmarklet, and the article is added to your Instapaper account.

Instapaper also works with over 130 iOS apps as well as Google Reader and NetNewsWire, letting you add content to your account using those services Also available from Instapaper is a special email address that allows you to forward email to your Instapaper account for offline reading.

Besides the iPhone and iPad, Instapaper also works on the Amazon Kindle as well as having its own website where you can access and edit content.

iPhone and iPad Apps

The Instapaper app is a universal app, so buy it once and it’ll work on both your iPhone and iPad. You’ll also need to sign up for a free account. While Instapaper is a good iPhone app, it excels on the iPad, mostly due to the iPad’s bigger screen and more comfortable reading experience.
Continue reading…

Review: Tapper World Tour for iPhone and iPad

Tapper World Tour ($0.99) is a blueprint on how bring classic arcade games up-to-date for iOS. Not only have the graphics been beautifully redrawn by a team assembled by legendary cartoonist Don Bluth (Dragon’s Lair) to appear incredibly detailed on the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, Tapper’s gameplay too has been updated to be more challenging in later rounds and less repititous thanks to new powerups and a story mode that takes you on a tour of bars around the world. If you were a fan of the classic Tapper and are looking for a brain-hurting challenge, Tapper World Tour is an excellent modern revision, as well as my current addiction.

Gameplay

For its core gameplay, Tapper World Tour closely follows in the path of the original: you play a bartender who must keep customers happy by sliding drinks to them down a bar as they walk in. You must serve them before they reach the end of the bar. Fail to do so and you lose a “life,” of which you have three before it’s game over. You also can lose a life by sliding too many drinks down the bar, causing a glass to break against the wall, or by allowing an empty glass from a customer to fall off the end of the bar after it’s been slid back toward you.
Continue reading…

Review: Ballistic SG Case for iPhone 4

The Ballistic SG ($20) is a thick, protection-focused case for the iPhone 4 that combines hard-plastic and silicone rubber in a bulky profile. With its dual-layers and extra-padded corners, it goes farther than most iPhone cases in providing shock absorption for your iPhone. We found it a well-designed case and one of the better overall choices available for iPhone 4—that is, if you don’t mind a little extra bulk. The Ballistic SG is currently only available for AT&T iPhones, but a Verizon version will be available soon.

The Ballistic SG is a composed of two sections of material that you wrap around the iPhone, one by one, to form the case. The first layer to go on is a silicone rubber sleeve that wraps snugly around the iPhone. Over that goes a hard-plastic exterior that provides rigidity, strength, and shape. By themselves, the layers are not very thick, but together they create a form bulkier than the average case and thus with excellent protective qualities. The four corners of the case are heavily padded with silicone and protrude out from the rest of the case. These corners create impact areas designed to take on the brunt of the force from accidental drops. All things considered, the Ballistic SG offers premium protection for your iPhone 4.
Continue reading…

Review: Scosche Kickback Case for iPhone 4

The Scosche Kickback case for the iPhone 4 ($25) is a combination hard-plastic and silicone-rubber case with a built-in stand capable of holding up the iPhone in landscape orientation. While not the thickest dual-layer case we’ve seen (the silicone rubber layer is very thin), the Kickstand still manages to offer above average protection in a slim, pocketable shape. Overall, the Kickback is a well-designed, functional case, with our only complaint being the single angle provided by the stand. The case is compatible with both the Verizon (CDMA) and AT&T (GSM) iPhone 4.

We’ve reviewed several iPhone cases with built-in stands, and the added functionality of a stand can come in handy more than you think. But it’s important that the stand offer a variety of angles for a variety of situations (see the ZeroChroma Teatro as a good example). Unfortunately, the Kickback’s stand only offers one viewing angle, which is in landscape. Attempts to use the stand in portrait caused the iPhone to wobble and fall over. One positive characteristic of the stand is that it lays flat and out of the way when not in use.

Cases that combine hard-plastic with silicone rubber are designed to mine the best qualities of both materials. We wouldn’t consider the Kickback a true combo case, as it’s almost all hard plastic. The case has only the thinnest layer of silicone rubber lining inside. The rubber keeps the case from scratching up the iPhone, but the small quantity means the Kickback is not as strong as we’d like in the area of shock absorption. But that’s not to say the case lacks any protection—we rate it as above average. It’s just not on par with protection-focused cases like those from Otterbox.

The exterior of the case is a high-quality, glossy hard-plastic. Our Kickback was white trimmed with gray, but it’s also available in black and gray versions. Aesthetically, we found the glossy exterior to be modern and attractive, providing a surface similar to the previous generation iPhones (the 3G and 3GS) while maintaining the iPhone 4′s new contours.

To help provide better grip, the Kickback has four triangular strips of silicone near the four corners of the case. When held in one hand, the rubber comes in contact with your fingers and helps prevent the otherwise slick plastic from slipping in sweaty hands. It’s not the most comfortable case we’ve reviewed, but it is generally pleasant to hold.

The case does a good job of staying out of the way of using the iPhone. There is a single wide cutout area for the iPhone’s ringer mute switch and volume buttons. This wide area makes the case compatible with both CDMA and GSM versions of the iPhone 4 (Verizon and AT&T iPhones in the US). For the iPhone’s sleep button, the case covers it with a raised area of silicone rubber that simulates a button. The button works accurately when pressed, but doesn’t feel quite as tactile as the normal button.

Conclusion

The Scosche Kickback ($25) is a good-looking dual-layer case with a built-in stand. Well-designed and offering above-average protection, the case has few faults. Our only complaint is the single angle provided by the stand. We rate the case an 8.0 out of 10, highly recommended.