Articles by Jeremy Sikora

UPDATE: Zippo and Moderati respond.

This seems to be a new trend going on in Apple’s App Store as of late. A few weeks back TiPb mentioned how Coors was being sued for 12 million dollars by a small time iPhone developer of a small gimmicky app, iBeer. Well yesterday we received a news tip telling us the story of how Zippo has allegedly stole the idea of the small developer regarding their app store application, iLighter. [iTunes link] I say “allegedly” because I want to fair to both parties and we only have one side of the story here. We did contact Zippo and Moderati to get a response to the accusations, we’ll let you know if they have any official comments they can make.

You can read the developers full story at www.zippostolemyapp.com. Be warned, it is a bit lengthy but I can give you a quick overview. An iPhone developer claims to have brought the idea of iLighter to Zippo. Zippo seemed to be interested in working together to get the app to the App Store. Communication was then ended abruptly by Zippo when they sent a letter demanding to remove their name from the app. A few months later, surprise, Zippo had a lighter app available on the App Store - Virtual Zippo Lighter. [iTunes Link]

If this is indeed all true that is a hit below the belt from Zippo. Especially for such a large company, very poor move on their part. On the other hand, there were a few other lighter apps in the App Store before either iLighter or Virtual Zippo Lighter ever appeared. So what is your take on all of this? Sound off in the comments!

[Thanks for the tip, dummaloop]

It looks like Dexter will be hacking his way into the App Store and onto your iPhone!

If you have not watched Showtime’s Dexter on Sunday nights you have no idea of what you are missing. And what a time it is right now to be a fan, as Showtime has just extended Dexter for another 2 seasons. (I know forum member Reaktor5 will be pleased with this information.)

According to G4tv.com:

Developed by Icarus Studios, the video game debut of Dexter will stay true to the TV series, putting players into “investigative” style gameplay. In the show, the main man Dexter Morgan is a blood-splatter analyst for the police, although his fascination for blood isn’t professional at all times. In the game, players will analyze crime scenes, uncover evidence and ultimately decide whether to turn in a suspect to the cops or have Dexter do what he does best–yes, just like the TV show.

Keep your eyes open for Dexter coming to the iPhone sometime before the end of the year.

[Via G4tv.com]

Let me just start off by saying, no this will not take the place of a real MMS app. I think that ball is in Apple’s court. But Fliq will come in handy if you have a few friends with iPhones and are connected to the same WiFi network.

What is Fliq? Fliq was created by Mark/Space and is a “social networking application that allows iPhone and iPod touch users to instantly send, or “beam”, photos and contacts to one another”.

Now this is all fine and dandy but one thing I wish this app allowed you to do to is send data via a 3G or EDGE signal. Because lets face it, how often do you share a WiFi signal with a bunch of friends with iPhones? None the less, this app is worth trying out and for the low price of free at the App Store you really have nothing to lose. Give it a go and let us know what you think in the comments!

Looks like Apple wasn’t the only one to release record-breaking iPhone revenue numbers this week!

Now I have a theory with this one… the iPhone is still doing big business for AT&T, who do you think has helped Apple’s cause? RIM! The BlackBerry Bold is finally about to be released on November 4th, should Apple be worried? Not at all. As far as I’m concerned the Bold is old news already and not a threat what so ever. Think the BlackBerry Storm will take customers away from AT&T like the iPhone did from all of the other carriers? No chance… [end rant]

So with that all out of the way, AT&T released it’s 3Q earnings today. Since July 11, there have been 2.4 million iPhone activations. And a astonishing 40% of those activations were new AT&T customers. (Let’s see the Storm do those numbers with Verizon!.)

AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson said:

“I am particularly pleased with the customer response to the iPhone 3G, the new customers we’re winning are high-value, with attractive revenue and churn profiles.”

iPhone 3G sales are currently flowing at a higher-than-expected rate, showing zero signs of slowdown. AT&T is now expecting the iPhone 3G will run higher than its previous estimates. Apple and AT&T are laughing all the way to the bank and will continue to do so.

Love it or hate it - there is no way to dispute which device is king of the cellular hill.

[Via macrumors]

Any of you looking to add some life to your iPhone’s camera with some new options? It is no secret that the camera lacks any type of features besides point and click. So once again, where Apple let us down, a 3rd party developer comes to our rescue.

Now let me introduce you to Pano. Pano was created by Debacle Software, and enables you to take panoramic photos using the iPhone’s camera app. Here’s how it works:

For Pano, stitching photos together is a three-step process. First, it uses pattern-matching techniques to find out exactly how each pair of adjacent photos overlaps, and then it finds the best way to align them. Second, Pano applies a colour-correction gradient across each pair of photos to correct for the iPhone camera’s autoexposure and white balancing. Finally, all the photos are blended together and the image cropped to a neat rectangle. Voila! All in a matter of seconds.

Pano is now available in the App Store with a price tag of $2.99. It really is a worthy application for what it does. If you use your iPhone for taking photos I definitely recommend checking this one out.

(Via TUAW)

Have you ever traveled out of the country just to come back home and get smacked upside the head by your AT&T cellular bill? Well one of our faithful readers, Mike, has a very unusual situation… he asked us to share his story with you in hopes of preventing this happening to any other readers.

Mike recently added a International Data Roaming Plan before a trip out of the country. It seemed like all was covered… until he got home and received his latest bill. Here is Mike’s story, in his own words:

I was informed by an AT&T service rep that AT&T had charged me the exorbitant per KB rate for international data useage because I had cancelled my International Data Roaming plan after I returned to the United States. The plan is available on a month-to-month basis, so cancelling it when I got home seemed like an obvious thing for me to have done, since I have no plans to go overseas again in the foreseeable future. But the service rep said that AT&T’s policy (unwritten, so far as I can tell) is that one needs to leave the roaming plan in place for 90 extra days, so that it is still in place when the foreign carrier finally reports the subscriber’s roaming back to AT&T. If the plan is not in place when the foreign data useage gets reported to AT&T, then AT&T’s billing system is incapable of recognizing that I had an international data roaming plan in place on the dates that the foreign carrier says I used its data connection.

Ouch, I could imagine this bill would have really hurt. Luckily for Mike, he spoke with a “very nice” AT&T rep and she credited his account for the appropriate amount. Mike is not alone either, for similar stories be sure to check out this thread in AT&T’s official forums.

And for more information regarding International plans be sure to check out the plans available here. Mike and all of us here at TiPb really want you to be aware of AT&T’s policy. So before you leave the country, if you have any questions be sure to call and ask a service rep! It may just save you a pretty penny… or two…

Thanks for the tip Mike!

Our iPhone Forums have been busy as of late, so lets get things going…

Jailbreaking has been a very popular topic lately here on TiPb. So, it’s fitting that everyone interested in that topic check out the thread and click on the link. There are a few pieces of software out there today that allow you to Jailbreak. Personally and for most of the TiPb Team QuickPwn is the popular choice, and we tend to avoid “others” out there. This must-read link for iPhone jailbreakers will tell you why.

Forum member HymerSchmid, started an interesting thread a while ago wondering about a attachable keyboard for the iPhone? Or an iPhone with a physical keyboard? I don’t see it happening, but look at RIM and their new Blackberry Storm. (Thought they were all about the physical keyboards…)

Next up we have a fresh thread just started the other day. All iPhone owners are always craving a new updated firmware fix, so… when do you think the next firmware, 2.2, will actually be released? Next month? December - just in time for the holidays? In the new year? Will be interesting to see just how this all pans out won’t it? Make your voice heard and get in on the vote!

Ever need to copy music from your iPhone to your computer? I personally have not had that need but some of you may, so Wegmans brought it up in his own thread. Check that one out and get some answers!

Curious about a certain iPhone application? Have no idea if it is any good or not? Well if you really want to hear a quality review let cjvitek or msbaylor, our new TiPb iPhone Forum Reviewers, know about it right in the review request thread! If you app is reviewed you can be sure to check it out right here in the iPhone Apps forum!

Like I said, it has been busy in the forums… if you want in on the action, be sure to register here! You can do so here and it will only take a quick minute.

See you on the forums!

Just a reminder that voting ends tomorrow for TiPb at Work Week 3! Vote for your favorite remote desktop/VNC apps for your chance to win! Free apps people! What are you waiting for?! Go ahead and vote!

With all this talk about the economy being in the dumps lately, Rene wants to know what, if any, cutbacks will the economy make on your iPhone usage? There are some interesting replies in the thread so far, check it out and add your own opinion!

So you recently jailbroke your iPhone by following some of our “how to” guides and you installed Winterboard… well show us your creative side and post screen shots in the thread started by schartzr of the Winterboard iPhone themes you are sporting.

Having any issues with your iPhone or iPhone 3G and cant not seem to get a answer? Well have you tried our forum for iPhone related issues? Post your question here in the iPhone help forum and a friendly forum member will be sure to lend you a helping hand.

Before you can start posting the our forums be sure to register, it only takes a minute or two, very simple process. It’s about time you joined our growing community and get in on the action!

See you on the forums!

If you happened to miss our first Apps for Less, be sure to check it out for some great App Store deals! We here at TiPb are all about saving you money, so without further ado…

Arguably the top racing game available on the App Store, Raging Thunder, is now on sale for $3.99. That’s 50% off folks… not a deal to pass up if you enjoy your racers!

Ok, next up we have some good news for those of you who still have not bought a great little game called Spore! Spore has just dropped a few bucks to $7.99. Two bucks off is better than nothing right? Definitely check this one out people. You won’t regret it, and if you still need some more information on it be sure to check out Dieter’s full Spore for the iPhone review.

I’m one of the biggest South Park fans you will find, so anything related to South Park I love. Well South Park’s ImaginationLand is now on sale for $2.99! For all you fans out there, do not let this one pass you by! Also be sure to check out what else is coming to the App Store soon from South Park.

Seems to have been a slow week for price drops but the ones that did drop are quality apps. Be sure to pick them up for those sale prices! If we missed anything worth mentioning, please let us know in the comments!

It’s been a while since our last Today on the Forums post, but hopefully today’s topics will make up for it.

Today on the forums we have some great ideas from Alienwhere, who would like to see some more integration with his iPhone and his Mac. I agree… Check out some of his ideas and add to them if you can.

Next up we have Reaktor5 who wants to know, do you feel inferior when a new Apple product comes out? Everyone who is in this game of electronic gadgets knows there is always something around the corner that will be better. That’s just the way it works. But do you care about the newer device?

How has MobileMe been treating you lately? Fed up to the point where you can not take it anymore? Well look no further than gymnofrool’s thread, MobileMe Alternatives. I recently made the switch to an Exchange account and it has been working perfectly for me. I’m actually getting all of my mail…

Lately there have been so many new devices being announced and released. Everyone here at TiPb is curious as to what you think about the latest and greatest. To comment about devices such as the Touch HD, Palm Treo Pro, Blackberry Storm, etc… head on into the Smartphone Different: Other Gadgets forum.

So what are you waiting for? To get in on the forum action be sure to register, only take a few minutes of your time!

See you on the forums!