Articles by Jeremy Sikora
Fans of EA’s ever popular SimCity series should be jumping with joy right about now. Later this month EA will be releasing SimCity for the iPhone on the App Store. Kotaku was able to demo the game recently and here is what they had to say:
The controls act the same way they do for Google maps. Sliding your fingers together, inward, zooms out, while sliding them apart zooms in. Touching and dragging moves your view around the map, while continuous taps cycles through the zoom levels. Placing singular objects is simple, but placing large zones or roads can be tricky to maneuver. Once you’ve selected the zone you want, you touch and drag to the appropriate length and width. However, there are times when you may find zones overlapping or roads not lining up properly. EA allows for easy corrections as you can reposition or delete unwanted blocks by the touch of a finger. I found this to be a little wonky at times the more dense an area becomes due to the increased chances of deleting the wrong block or building.
Being a unfinished demo it sounds pretty promising for fans of the series! The bugs and kinks mentioned should be fixed by the time it rolls in to the App Store, at least we are hopeful they are. Price point for this game is expected to be $9.99. We will update you when it drops!
[Via Gizmodo]
There have been a few rumors regarding the iPhone 3G and Wal-Mart. It turns out the chances of the last one happening, that Wal Mart would sell a 4GB iPhone for $99, are slim to none at this point. Are you really that shocked? What does seem to be true is the iPhone is still coming to Wal-Mart, just $2.00 cheaper than Apple, AT&T, and Best Buy — $197 and $297.
Mac Rumors received Wal-Mart training materials and advertising. They are also saying the iPhone 3G, 8GB and 16GB, will be available on December 28th. So there you have it, 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G’s at a Wal Mart low price… $2.00 below is lower but seriously… HTC G1 users are able to get that device $50 cheaper at Wal-Mart.
[Via Mac Rumors and thanks to The Reptile for the tip]
Is one of your New Year resolutions to shed a few pounds? Well if it is then this application, Weightbots, by Tabots[iTunes Link] is just for you.
Whether you are trying to lose (or gain) a few pounds, tracking your weight has never been more fun. Set your goal weight, record your weight at any interval (one weight per day max), view your BMI, and see your progress on a beautiful graph. Weightbot also has a built-in secure password feature to protect your weight from prying eyes. It’s easy to use, surprisingly addicting, and designed for everyone to enjoy. Even if you are not actively dieting, you will love tracking your weight just to use Weightbot.
Get it now for the holiday sale price of $.99!
Next up is a nice little 21 and over bar app from Helmes Innovations, Party Pro. [iTunes Link] There are a few other free solutions if you are looking drink recipes, but what makes this app stand out is a GPS bar locator! Very nifty indeed. 
Got an iPhone or iPod Touch? Like to Party? Party like a Pro. Everything you need for a party is now on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You can mix a drink, find a bar and much more all from your iPhone or iPod Touch. This is the ultimate party guide for your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Again, this app is on sale for a limited time for $.99 so be sure to grab it soon!
Last but not least we have a great new game on sale! Tricky Software’s Armado [iTunes Link] is now on sale! Check out the video after the break to see what you get for $.99!
Have you found an app on sale we might have missed? Your favorite at a bargain price? Hit the comments and let us know!
I’m usually not a fan of games like Resco Bubbles, but I have to admit that this one is pretty addictive. The premise is simple:
Resco Bubbles for iPhone/iPod Touch is an action puzzle game where the idea is to clear the grid of bubbles in order to advance to the next level. You are given a sequence of bubbles, which should be quickly and efficiently popped. Numerous explosive, speed-up, slow-down and damage bubbles keep the game play exciting and challenging.
You can now purchase the full version of Resco Bubbles in the App Store for $1.99 or you can give it a try for free simply by downloading the lite version.
[Thanks to Hobbes for the tip!]
A while back we posted about the iPhone 3G coming to Wal Mart. BGR originally said to look for it to hit the retail store on November 15th, and more recently to look for it early next year.
Well BGR is back with yet another Wal Mart rumor, this time that a $99 4GB iPhone 3G will be available. Keep in mind that price is with a 2 year service agreement. Also, take this rumor with a very large grain of salt as BGR does not sound too convinced by the “source”.
A lot of people were expecting a 32GB to drop in the new year, not a 4GB… So what say you? Is it worth going back to a 4GB iPhone just to save a hundred bucks? Sound off in the comments!
[Via Boy Genius Report]
(Thanks to The Reptile for the tip!)
Well I’m sure by now you have heard the latest Smarthphone Experts Roundtable Podcast! (If you haven’t had a chance to listen you better get on it, great podcast!)
You may have heard our very own fearless leader, Dieter, chime in on one thing that he hates about iPhone 3G, the fact that you can not turn on Wi-Fi while the radio is off (in Airplane Mode). Or so Dieter thought. You can indeed turn Wi-Fi on while the radio is off! And doing so is a snap!
Black Friday may be over, but there are still some good deals happening in the App Store and we have a few notables for you today.
Are you a Star Wars fan? Well then you’ll be happy to know that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed [iTunes Link] has dropped $2 and is now available for $5.99. If you are not sure if it’s your type of game check out Rene’s full Star Wars: The Force Unleashed review!
This next app is perfect for all of you skiers and snowboarders out there. Snow Reports + GPS Ski & Snowboard Trail Maps [iTunes Link] is a great app that uses iPhones GPS to keep track of where you are on the mountain. View all of the trails, lifts, and more! You can now get this app for half off the regular price of $5.99. So if you are hitting the slopes this winter do not pass up on this one for $2.99!
Finally, we have a racer’s delight… Asphalt 4: Elite Racing. [iTunes Link] If you missed out on the reviews for this racer and more, be sure to visit the TiPb Grand Prix! You can now get this top racer for only $5.99, that’s $2.00 off the regular price.
So there you have it folks, just a few sales going on in the ever popular App Store! Enjoy!
For those of you waiting for Apple’s new headphones, the patience you have displayed for the past 3 months has paid off. The day is finally here and you can now place your order.
Hear every detail of your music every time you tune in with the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. They offer pro audio performance and impressive sound isolation, and convenient buttons let you adjust the volume and control music and video playback.
The Apple store is claiming the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic will begin shipping within 7-10 business days and will run you $79. The earphones with remote and mic carry a 3-4 week wait and have a price tag of $29. And with that 3-4 week wait, don’t expect these before the holidays.
Place your order today!
The forums continue to grow and today we have a few interesting threads that you should not miss.
Sturamsden started a thread that asks the question I’m sure a lot of people who do not currently own an iPhone may be asking: should I wait until the next generation iPhone comes out before I make my purchase? To see what type of advice he is getting please head on over to his thread, how close is the next gen iPhone?
Next we have forum member Dizzy, he seemed to be having some battery life issues after the 2.2 firmware update. I know I had some similar issues after the 2.1 update, is anyone else having similar battery drain problems with the 2.2 firmware?
The next thread will help a lot of you out there looking to add ring tones to your iPhones. It was started a while back by cjvitek: Want to make your own ringtones but you don’t want to have to pay for them? Well if the answer is yes, then please check out that thread. All the information you need is contained in the link.
Finally we have a whole sub forum dedicated to jailbreaking and we’d like to point it out to all of you interested. It seems jailbreaking has gone to the next level with the 2.2 firmware and I urge anyone interested to check this sub forum out now! It can easily be found right here in Jailbreak Central. I see a lot of you are asking questions on the front page, if you have not found your answer there you will sure to get the help you need in our forums. For those of you who are jailbroken, we want some feedback from you. What are your top 10 favorite jailbroken apps? Even if it’s your top 5, that will do. Thanks!
To get in on the action all you need to do is register. It won’t cost you anything and it’s a painless process. So what are you waiting for?!
See you on the forums!
We already told you about the UK banning Apple’s “just the internet” ad, and why they were wrong. Well, the BBC is reporting yet another Apple iPhone 3G television ad has just been yanked off the UK airwaves by the British government’s advertising standards watchdog group. Why? For exaggerating the iPhone 3G’s speed.
The advert boasted the new 3G model was “really fast” and showed it loading internet pages in under a second. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints by 17 people who said the TV advert had misled them as to its speed.
Seriously? I would love to meet the 17 people who complained that the speed of the iPhone 3G did not match the above commercial. [Ed- ladies and gentlemen, Paul Thurrott!] I understand that the phone is nowhere near being that fast but do they not realize that is a 30 second advertisement displaying the top features of the iPhone 3G. Maybe I am crazy but I like to think I have the common sense to know the difference between a 30 advertisement and reality.
Well if you are like me, you’d want to get some insight from at least one of the 17 people who complained, then let me introduce you to a man named Roger Browning. It seems he did not have anything better to do with his time but to get “revenge” for having his own iPhone 3G stolen. Yes, you heard me correctly, “revenge”. Be sure to check out the link to read his story.
Sound off in the comments, we are curious to see what our readers have to say about this!
[Via BBC News]
