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Review: OtterBox Defender Series for iPhone

Many iPhone cases on the market offer fairly simple protection that serve more for an iPhone owner’s peace of mind than offering extreme protection. The OtterBox Defender Series for iPhone ($49.95), however, is one of the few cases that carefully map and design their product to ensure superb protection.

How does the Otterbox perform? Is it as secure and successful as the case suggests? Or is it just another case in the iPhone pipeline? Could it all be just a gimmick?

Read on for the rest of the review!

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TiPb GRAND PRIX: Asphalt 4 vs GTS World

[This is a GRAND PRIX App vs. App Review! Congratulations to our first winner, Dorthensensens, who gets a copy of last week's winning racer: Crash! Want a chance to win this week's? Comment below, and make sure you leave a valid email address in the comment form -- it won't be made public, but it will be used to contact you if you win! Check out the full contest details, then grab your iPhone and get ready race -- Heat 2 of the TiPb GRAND PRIX starts now!]

Continuing TiPb’s GRAND PRIX we have two racing games with sophisticated graphics and sweet controls. Introducing Asphalt 4 Elite Racing (available from iTunes for $9.99) and GTS World Racing (available from iTunes for $7.99)! So we must ask again, who is going to get the checkered flag this time? Will it be the game with Ridge Racer like controls or the one with a Gran Turismo type feel? See how they compare in Heat #2 of TiPb’s GRAND PRIX!

The Race Starts After the Break!

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iTunes 8 Feature Overview

iTunes 8 is here and 95% of y’all are definitely going to want to get your upgrade on. A few of you might not until the pwnage situation clears up. A few more might want to avoid that Blue Screen of Death thing on Vista, although the good news there is we now have a decent fix (check that link).

Ok, so now what are we getting with iTunes 8? Follow us after the break!

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Review: iPhone 2.1 Software

iPhone 2.1 (build 5F136) is an incremental point update to the much larger and more encompassing iPhone 2.0 software release we reviewed back in early July. Light on new functionality, it focuses instead on bug fixes, which given the many problems that accompanied the massive 2.0 rollout, is a Very Good Thing.

Like 2.0, this update is also available for the iPod Touch, but unlike its predecessor, the 2.1 update is FREE (if you already have 2.0 — if you have 1.x, you’ll still have to pony up the $10 premium.)

So, 4 betas, dropped features, somethings new, somethings fixed — is iPhone 2.x Apple’s Vista? Or is it finally the next generation firmware we’ve all been waiting for? Find out, after the break!

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TiPb GRAND PRIX: Crash Bandicoot vs. Cro-Mag

[This is a GRAND PRIX App vs. App Review! Comment on this post for your chance to win... the winning racer! Make sure you leave a valid email address in the comment form -- it won't be made public, but it will be used to contact you if you win! Check out the full contest details, then grab your iPhone and get ready race -- the GRAND PRIX starts now!]

Kicking off our TiPb GRAND PRIX and starting from the pole position, we give you Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D (available from iTunes for $9.99) versus Cro-Mag Rally (also available from iTunes for $1.99)! Who is going to get the checkered flag today? The wily Crash Bandicoot or those lovable Neanderthals? See how they compare and see who we choose as the winner of heat #1. As I’ve always wanted to say, “Gentlemen (and ladies), START YOUR ENGINES!” (and keep up with us after the break!) Read the rest of this entry »

Apple Let’s Rock Event Live Meta-Blog

Welcome one and all to the iPhone Blog’s Live Meta-Blog for Tuesday, September 9th Apple pre-Holiday Event: Let’s Rock.

Well, are you ready to rock, TiPb style? The event is now over, but if you want the full play-by-play coverage of the coverage, along with the unique analysis, color, and insight only the TiPb writing team can provide, check it out in reverse chronological order, after the break:

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App Review: SplashMoney

SplashMoney, from the folks over at SplashData, Inc., is now available in the iTunes App Store for $9.99 with a desktop version available for $19.99.

SplashData’s products have been ever-popular on other platforms, such as Palm, Windows Mobile Pro and Smartphone editions, and BlackBerry. Now, they have taken the plunge and offered up some of their goodies for iPhone.

How does SplashMoney for the iPhone measure up? Read on for the full review!

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Phone Different Podcast 26

What’s coming on Sept 9th? What’s going on with the 3G radio on ATT? What’s included in the Real Internet? What are you waiting for? Listen in! Read the rest of this entry »

Review: Plantronics Voyager 815 Bluetooth Headset

Bluetooth headsets often offer the same feature set, the same styling, and the same performance. Plantronics is known for offering unique takes on Bluetooth Headsets and often add a new wrinkle to each headset in their product line. Popular because of their comfortable fit and Audio IQ technology, the Plantronics line constantly innovates.

With the Plantronics Voyager 815 Bluetooth Headset ($89.95), the innovation is an in-ear earbud and a sliding boom mic. Do they create a better Bluetooth Headset? Or are these features just bells and whistles? How does the Plantronics Voyager 815 perform?

Read on for the rest of the review!

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Why You Shouldn’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for Realtime Turn-by-Turn Directions within Google Maps

When Rene gave us a As the Turn-By-Turn Turns update yesterday, we got a very smart comment from somebody calling him/herself GoogleLicense:

TiPB ought to do some research on the why’s behind this and break the story since the iphone press seems to love reporting this topic.
It might be something like this: Apple licenses significant parts of their map stuff from Google. Google licenses significant parts of their map stuff from several other vendors. Each license has certain restrictions.
If you dig around in the bowels of Google’s developer site looking for info on required copyrights and license restrictions when using embeddable maps, you can get a lot of details of what is and isn’t allowed for what sets of data and who the original source is that is putting those restrictions…

Indeed, we know a good idea when we see it. After the break, a short history of map providers, their licenses, and why it seems like waiting for Turn-by-Turn directions within Google Maps on the iPhone isn’t a great idea.

Read on!

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