Articles by Chad Garrett
In these tumultuous times you need some sort of protector; the kind that will prevent your iPhone from flying off the seat to who knows where. What kind of protector is here to save the day? The iGrip cigarette lighter mount of course! [$19.95 - TiPb store link]
We have all been there. You know, our iPhone is about to die from a drained battery and no charge cable in sight. Well, the Seidio 3-in-1 Retractable Charger [$29.99 - TiPb Store link] is here to change that. The Seidio charger gives you everything you need for any portable situation. You get a USB cable that actually snaps into place (I love that. Most cables I see these days don’t actually snap in place, they just fit, but not securely) and the always capable wall charger and large grip-friendly car charger.
I love Facebook and this is a preview of the hotly anticipated Facebook for iPhone 3.0, coming soon to the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPod touch.
Where to begin? When I first installed the app, I was frozen with anticipation. I have seen some sneak peeks on Facebook’s app page, but that was it. Now with it in my hands… Let’s begin by looking at the basics.
UniWar [$4.99 - iTunes link] is a turn-based strategy game for the iPhone and iPod touch that provides a great challenge and three races to choose from.
UniWar is quite the little gem of a strategy game. You have four modes of play: Online, Campaign, Solo and Vs. and three species to choose from: Sapiens, Titans and Khraleans. The variety of units is very diverse. You have units that can bury them selves underground and move a space at a time to units that can teleport across the screen. One of the great things I enjoy about this game is the plethora of maps you have to play; 50+!!! That is plenty to keep me busy. As of this writing, I have only played about 10 maps, so I have a long way to go!
This game is very polished and I have lost many hours playing it. If you like StarCraft, this is an excellent diversion to keep you busy. The developers are quite active in delivering updates (they are up to 1.0.4 already). They have also added the little extra touches that can make a difference such as the ability to play in portrait or landscape in real-time; just rotate your iPhone. Nice.
When you play online you register on the UniWar website and it keeps track of your stats and even has a ladder to see your ranking. You also have the ability to save multiple active games and resume them at your leisure.
If I were to mention some areas of improvement it would be the AI’s time to play; it can be lengthy at times (I once waited 20 seconds). Though trivial, I think with the modern hardware of the iPhone, that the AI can be sped up a bit for mobile gaming. Also, though the graphics are good, the animation appeared to be a bit jerky. Perhaps this could be improved with more animations per unit. If i had to guess, there are only a few frames of animation each. The fluidity of movements would make the play that much more immersive.
Overall, if you like Sci-Fi turn-based stragatey games, this is a steal at $4.99! Check it out now! Sreenshots after the break! Read the rest of this entry »
Smartphone Experts SidePouch for iPhone 3G is available from The iPhone Blog Store for $14.95. If you are looking for an attractive side pouch at a very affordable price, check out this case! Let’s see how it measure up after the break! Read the rest of this entry »
SplashID [$4.99 - iTunes link] is an app for the iPhone and iPod touch that provides a great place to store your data securely with a password. Just how secure is it? Super secure. 256bit Blowfish secure.
I have used SplashID for years on the Palm OS. I was so excited to see that SplashData brought SplashID to the iPhone last year as I was easily able to port my old files over to the iPhone using their desktop companion app.
So what does SplashID do for you? A lot, let’s take a look after the break! Read the rest of this entry »
The Griffin Streamline is available from The iPhone Blog Store for $19.95. If you are looking for a running/workout case that is lean and comfortable, then look no further than the Griffin Streamline! Let’s see how it measure up after the break!
After braving 4 hours in line on Friday morning, I was able to walk away with a 32GB iPhone 3GS in white. So what do I think? There are more than a few things that impress me about the iPhone 3GS. These observations are from using the device, not from mere published technical specifications. Let’s start to tackle them one at a time shall we?
[TiPb vs. TiPb time! In the blue corner we have Jeremy who tells us why he IS SO upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. In the red corner, Chad who tells us why he IS NOT upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. Two writers, one issue. Check them both out and tell us who's side you're on!]
There have been a lot of people out there who are very disappointed with the third generation iPhone — iPhone 3G S. They’re saying that it is pretty much the same phone as the current iPhone 3G, or that the upgrades are not enough to warrant purchasing the new iPhone 3G S. I’m here to say, they’re right – the upgrades are not significant enough!
More after the break!
Come this “summer”, iPhone 3.0 — see our walkthrough — will allow iPhone 3G (and perhaps next-generation iPhone users) to enjoy new Bluetooth functionality including stereo headsets, both the A2DP audio and ARCP control protocols. For consumers, the Motorola HT820 Stereo Bluetooth headset (available from our sibling store, WMExperts) may be an option you want to consider come release day. For developers testing using the A2DP/ARCP profiles on the iPhone 3.0 Beta, they might even be something you want to consider now.
Note: This pre-review will not be focusing on iPhone 3.0 functionality, which is currently in closed beta. It will concentrate only on the headset itself. However, for those developers needing an A2DP headset for testing 3.0, it’s our understanding this one works well on multiple units, over multiple carriers.
