February 2nd, 2010 by admin

We have so far avoided the hype around the iPad - but the question has to be asked:

“Just where does the iPad sit on our must-haves list?”

After all, most of us have a laptop and/or desk top for use at home and an iPhone/iPod Touch for use on the move. For most of us, the iPad would just an unnecessary extra something to haul around, without really adding any useful functionality for that extra inconvenience.

But it does offer some neat features - and amongst the most exciting, we think, is the gaming fun it will provide:

Neither the laptop nor the iPhone really compete with this. The laptop because it does not have an accelerometer!! and the iPhone because it does not have the size. We think that the gaming feature is its real strength and that it is going to be a significant competitor with the X-box and the PS3. You can be sure Apple is hoping so.

Of course, Apple are saying that the device is an alternative the the Amazon Kindle (which reported massive sales over Christmas). And so it may be. But the vote from the iPhonegizmo team is that its just too big and clunky to really attract book readers to shell out 500 bucks to use it - even with its extra features. The Kindle - at $259 - kinda makes it as a not-too-expensive Christmas gift. BUT, only the most basic iPad will cost the $500.

Well that’s the iPhonegizmo teams take on the iPad. We think it might just be the first Apple clunker - but that the gaming feature might just save it from that fate!

PS: The high quality movie watching feature is a nice extra - but not, we reckon, a deal maker. Especially as sites like Hulu will NOT run on the Ipad (because Apple continues to refuse to allow flash content). The  iPad will go on sale at the end of March. So I guess we will see just how pumped the market is to buy this expensive - but not really necessary - extra device.

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January 20th, 2010 by admin

Nothing succeeds like success - and Artificial life is counting on that to help them with their latest iPhone games releases - Spartacus and Red Bull Racing Challenge. And they have every reason to feel confident, despite the price tags that go with the new games. If you take a look at the effort they have put in over the last 12 months, it is clear that they are serious about getting games out there that we will want to download. According to a press release by Artificial Life this week:

as of December 31st, 2009, it has produced and released 24 games for the iPhone and iPod touch. So far, the top title was downloaded for close to 2.1 million times, the second most for over 1.5 million times and the third, which was launched in early December, 2009, achieved over 1 million downloads in just one month.

Now, obviously, they are out to earn $ along with our appreciation. But consider the recently released Amateur Surgeon Christmas Edition .

The original version of “Amateur Surgeon” is probably their most successful game (the lite (free) version is probably the game that has reached 2.1 million downloads) and given the game has a price tag of $2.99, they have done well with this game - it has a 4-star rating from over 9,000 reviews!!).

And yet, they gave us the Christmas version for free (there has already been 42,935 people rating this game at 3.5 stars)! They were smart and released a lite version first- which has had a massive 135, 080 people giving it a 3.5 star rating!

Their other big successes (big numbers downloading the game and giving it a 3 star or better rating) are: iSoccer Backstreet Lite (over 4500 people give it a 3.star or better rating), and BMW Sauber F1 Team Racing 09 Lite (over 2,600 people giving it a 3-star rating or better)

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Other free iPhone games they have released that have received a 3-star or better rating are:  iDroidsMania Lite; Pandorum Lite; and iSink u lite.

If you  have not tried out any of Artificial Life’s games then we suggest you start with the free games listed here.

The two just-released games have price tags. Sparticus has a split response so far. Those that have given it a rating clearly either love it or hate it (predominance of ‘5′ or ‘1′ star ratings). But its official release is not till Friday 22nd Jan - so its not been widely downloaded as yet. If that gets you interested, then check out the official video demo of the game:

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January 17th, 2010 by admin

Typical Twitter message going out across the US Twitter-sphere at present:

If you have not done so already… please consider texting the word “Haiti” to 90999 to automatically donate $10 to help

Messages like this have been spreading at amazing speed and getting big responses so that the Red Cross (via the US State Department) has raised $1.7m in 24 hours and over $10m in a matter of days in the USA. The message is spreading so rapidly that messages like this - tweeting the details for how to donate $10 - are being sent out at a rate of around a message a minute!

The spontaneous and random ordering-force of kindness in the face of chaos -Wow!

And it hasn’t just been happening in the US! The UK has set up DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal and has raised £3m over the last 24 hours through web and phone donations - the SMS amounts have not yet been counted! The typical tweet has been:

Text GIVE to 70077 to donate £5 to Haiti. £5 goes to DEC. Please RT

Social Media has enabled this spontaneous  outpouring of heartfelt care to find expression in solid material aid. Not sure how to do it? Check out this video for a simple demo:

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January 12th, 2010 by admin

Factory Media has just launched 10 iPhone Apps for its action sport magazines (with three more also soon to be released).

And whilst they each do come at a 99 cent charge, they also come with a free copy of the latest action mag!

Now Dirt, for example, retails at $12.99 a mag - so we reckon that is a good freebie for anyone who is into action sports! And there are ten to choose from (or get the lot and snag over $100 worth of free mags!)

Here are the links to the Action Mag Apps that have just been released by Pixel Mags (links are to the USA store but apparently they have been released to over 70 countries!):

Moto, Dirt, Boards, Cooler, Kingpin,, Sidewalk, Surf Europe, The Surfers Path, The Bicycle Buyer, and Whitelines. With Ride Onboard, Dig BMX,  and UK BMX,  soon to be released as well.

So go grab some great free magazines and incidentally, you can see whether you like getting your magazines this way?

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October 11th, 2009 by admin

So, as we have come to expect from Disney, Warner Bros etc - whenever a kids movies comes out, along comes a new iPhone App with all the usual freebies. We tend to only do a post on those we think are super cute, or have great graphics.

The team here at iPhonegizmo reckon the  soon-to-be-released movie Where The Wild Things Are, also has super cute graphics.

What’s more the Wild Thing App has a bit more than just the usual wallpaper (eg, left), trailers and clips from the film, clips of the  movie’s soundtrack and official movie posters. There is some fun animation of Carol - who the kids can have a dirt fight with, watch dance or eat “your photos and contacts”!

For good measure, Warner Bros also have a contest for the kids. All they have to do is sign up as a member! And, there is a sweepstake for the chance to win a wolf costume (cool Christmas presso)

Movie is due out on October 16th, 2009.

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October 7th, 2009 by admin

Does your main screen reveal your inner secrets?

Is there something about the priorities reflected there that says more about you than you might want to reveal?

Firstand20 have put several designer’s home pages on display - so we can see what iPhone Downloads (Apps) turn them on.

But is this revealing? We have included Bryony Gomez-Palacio’s home page to the left. And she claims that it reveals nothing about her. In fact she deliberately keeps it that way - as her App preferences are kept away from prying eyes!!

What is there to say about my main screen? It is basic, similar to millions of others and it reveals nothing about me—just the way I like it. Should you have access to my personal belongings then I would give you access to the more revealing applications I conceal behind the second and third screens. 

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Hmmm… Makes us wonder what is to be seen behind the third veil?

What about you, dear reader? What Apps do you hide? Let us know - anonymously, of course! In the comment section below.

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September 25th, 2009 by admin

Earlier this year iPhonegizmo made the observation:

But the real challenge has come from sites offering video porn for iPhones - an area Apple has vowed to avoid. With stats for these sites showing a big growth in traffic and revenue, it would not be surprising if  Apple was wanting to “follow the money”.

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And today we can see the first signs that maybe the Apple will to do-good is starting to crumble.

If the Apple App store management thought the new app would go unnoticed, they will now be cringing behind their designer-desks as the news of the app is being touted all over the internet, with the title:

Sunny Leone launches free iPhone porn app

Now, to be fair, the app is not strictly porn. It just provides pics of Sunny Leone in very provocative poses. But she is, after all, a well known porn star. Google for her videos quickly reveals all (literally)! Just one of her 14 sec videos of her wiggling nude has had 10,000 views. Another YouTube video of her just showing her legs (provocatively and suggestively) has had 415,000 views.

The App is promoted on  Sierra Leone’s personal - porn - site (which she monetizes with $30+  per month membership fees - and BTW, you will have to find your own way there!) From what we saw, the images for her app are just the beginning of a promise she actually does fulfill on her site!

Good move on Sunny Leone’s part. Should do wonders for her market share! (If only 10% of the 415,000 viewers from the one YouTube video signed up, that’s $1.25 mill per month!!)

Not so sure about it being such a smart move on Apple’s part!

Or is it?

Perhaps, as we suggested earlier this year, Apple are maneuvering - testing to see how far they can go. After all, porn is one of the big three of internet money-making markets (the other two are gambling and pharmaceuticals). Lotsa $$ to be made. Who wouldn’t be tempted?

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