iPhone screen guards scrapped by Apple

iPhone and iPod Touch owners will no longer be able to buy the hugely popular screen guards from Apple’s flagship stores, nor from its online retail outlet, after the tech firm decided to ban them completely.

It is not only the standalone film guards which keep scratches and scrapes away from the iPhone that are being axed, but also any case which integrates a film-based screen guard.

Apple fan site iLounge said that Apple will be outing all of these accessories from its official shops from May this year.

iPhone users have reacted with confusion to this news, as the film-based screen protectors are the most popular form of iPhone guard accessory out there, winning over more customers than full blown cases.

Some observers have suggested that Apple could be instigating the ban as part of a campaign to make the iPhone seem more rugged and resilient, with the implication being that the screen protectors are superfluous.

It has also been said that Apple might be banning these products because their use creates too many issues when questions over warranty are brought up as part of the repair and returns process. This conclusion sounds to be a more likely reason for the ban, although nothing official has been made public.

Third party iPhone accessory sites could see an influx of new customers if the ban goes ahead, as many Apple users stick to the official outlets for their latest add-ons. This would be a positive step in some respects, as it would allow many more businesses to benefit from the iPhone’s popularity.

Sausage used as capacitive touchscreen stylus for iPhone

A number of enterprising South Korean residents have started using meaty snacks to interface with their iPhones. The news comes after it was discovered that a certain brand of sausages, created by the CJ Corporation, possess the correct electrostatic charge to allow for the iPhone’s capacitive screen to register them.

It may seem a little odd to use a sausage as a prosthetic finger, but the main motivation behind the switch has been the cold weather, which leaves people wearing gloves unable to use the iPhone unless they first remove their unwieldy but warming hand-wear.

At the moment there is no real way in which to use the iPhone, or indeed any other mobile that has a capacitive touch screen interface, without getting your fingers out. However, both Apple and Taiwanese manufacturer HTC are in the process of patenting special styli that will allow for precision input on capacitive screens.

According to reports, the sale of the snack sausages in question has risen markedly since their iPhone compatibility was discovered, leading many western media outlets to label them as the ‘meat stylus’. It is certainly a low-fi way of getting around the iPhone’s capacitive interface.

Sadly the sausages are not sold over here in the UK and it looks as though you will have to wait for some brave souls to spend a few hours smearing their iPhone’s with local sausages to see if there is any brand available over here that can achieve the same results.

The hygiene factors at play here are, of course, another matter entirely!

Next-gen iPhone could be a monolith

Apple could be set to launch the largest iPhone yet if new online shots of what appears to be the casing for the device are to be believed.

iResQ, which is an iPhone website focused exclusively on providing repairs for the popular smartphone, has published pictures of what it claims to be a side by side comparison of the existing iPhone case and the upcoming iPhone 4G case.

The original size and shape of the iPhone has remained relatively unchanged ever since it was launched in 2007, but the new case appears to be both taller and wider than its precursor, towering half a centimetre above.

Little more can be gleaned from the snaps, although it is clear that Apple may well be keeping the general look and feel of the new iPhone consistent despite adding to the size.

Over the next few months many more details about the fourth iteration of the iPhone will be made available and with a firmware update on the way, the specifics about the software will enter the public domain soon.

The site that first published the snaps of the cases said that there was a chance they were dealing with a prototype rather than the finished article, which means ultimately there could be little similarity between the current iPhone 3Gs and its impending replacement. There are just a few more months of waiting to endure before Apple launches the iPhone 4G.

Photogene Iphone App Micro Review

Although the iPhone is nowhere near as capable as a digital camera as some of the more dedicated mobiles on the market, it can make up for its technical shortcomings with excellent software like Photogene. It is a simple and intuitive photo editing suite that does not require you to transfer your photos over to your laptop before you can polish them up a bit. Whilst it does not have the same tools as you would expect from a professional package, it is perfect for keen amateurs.

Add your comments and thoughts on this app below.

Solar-powered iPhone and iPod rumoured

Apple could be in the process of developing the technology necessary to integrate solar panels into its portable electronic devices, leading some to claim that an eco-friendly iPhone is not too far away.

Apple has allegedly filed for patents which would cover solar technology being added to touch screen displays. This would allow the outer design of the iPhone to remain intact and unchanged by the new power source, but would boost its green credentials and keep it operational without the need for a recharge for much longer.

According to sources, Apple is looking into sandwiching a layer which would draw energy from sunlight in between the touch screen technology and the pixels of the display itself. This would make the solar panel completely invisible and would allow Apple to continue to create beautiful electronic devices without compromising their design.

Solar panel technology has been used to power electronic devices for years and other mobile phone manufacturers have already taken advantage of it as a secondary power source. The LG GD510 Pop, for example, was shown in all of its promotional material as coming with an interchangeable battery cover complete with a solar panel, although LG has since said that this accessory will not make it to market until later in the year.

Apple will be the first mobile manufacturer to attempt to disguise their solar panel, although some have predicted that it could compromise the responsiveness of the touch screen and others have said that the cost of the new technology could make it too expensive for general sale.

Sonos Iphone And Ipod App Review

The Sonos wireless music system is one our favourite gadgets at the moment but the one thing that puts many people off is the price. Well Sonos have designed a free app that works on either the Apple iphone or iPod touch, this eliminates the need for the Sonos controller which is quite expensive to buy.

We have been putting the app through its paces to see if it can measure up to stand alone controller available from Sonos.

Sonos iPhone App Review

Once you have located and installed the app you will have to set the app up to work with your system. Thankfully the process is amazingly simple, once you open the app for the first time you will be given two options. You can add it to your set up system or use the app to set up your system for the first time. Both options work equally well but I would suggest you set up the system using your pc and then add the app as this was quicker.

The home screen of the app gives you a number of options including music Library, playlists, radio (including internet radio), line in and settings. The most popular options will be your music library, radio and external services.

Your music library follows a similar format to your standard iTunes library. You can access your music from a range of options including artists, imported music, genres, albums, tracks and imported playlists. The system is very simple to navigate and actually easier to use than the dedicated Sonos controller because there are a lot less buttons to fiddle with. God bless touch screen!
The radio feature allows you to listen to a choice on over 25,000 radio stations from around the world. You can select different sources for different rooms, so you can be listening to the radio in one room while someone in the other room can listen to their mp3’s.

Sonos gives users the opportunity to access web based services like Napster, last.fm, Pandora, Rhapsody and SIRIUS satellite radio. Sonos have managed to swing a 30 day free trial for Napster so you can try it out, a lot of the other providers offer similar offers.
The system settings option allows you to change or add things to your system. For example you can switch music sources, make or add playlists, update your system or contact the help desk.

The best thing about having the app over the dedicated controller is that you can carry it around in your pocket and it is free. There really is no feasible reason to purchase the controller so long as you have an iphone or itouch.

Read our sonos 250 bundle review

Audiovox Zentral Turns Your Phone Into A Remote For Your TV Or Garage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past their have been apps and devices capable of turning your iphone into a remote for your TV or Hi fi. Only some of these have been successful and many have been disappointing and lack luster. Thankfully Audiovox have invented a device that will turn your iPhone, Blackberry or smart phone into a blue tooth driven remote that can operate your TV, Hi fi, DVD player or even open your garage door.

The Audiovox Zentral comes with a base station that bridges the gap between your phone and the devices that you want to control. You install the app and then you can control your household devices in all in a single place. This great gadget is set to cost around $80 when it is released and we are sure it will be a popular choice for people who want to minimize their remotes.

Wildcharger Pad For IPhone Review

Wireless charging may sound a little like it is an impossibility dreamt up by a sci-fi writer, but it is in fact a reality that you can benefit from today. In fact wireless charging has been around for a while now and is more usually associated with charging electric tooth brushes where an exposed conduction service would result in many electric shocks for users of the often damp device, so a wireless solution is required. Technically referred to as ‘inductive charging’, it allows for the transfer of electricity between two surfaces via an electromagnetic field. It sounds complex and it is, but it makes charging things much simpler. That’s where the Wildcharger pad and the iPhone charging adaptor come in.

The Wildcharger pad itself is thin and ideal for placement on a flat surface like a desktop or a kitchen counter. It measures 8 inches by 6 and looks suitably modern at a glance, with rows of shiny bars breaking up the surface. You will need to place it near to a mains socket to provide the pad with power.

In order to charge a device you will need to install a compatible ‘charging skin’. The iPhone skin is available as part of a pack that also includes the Wildcharger pad, so it is quite a good way of saving money and making sure that you have the right equipment as soon as you get the pad. The charging skin fits snugly around the iPhone, with a hole to allow the camera to peek out. However, it does bulk out the iPhone quite a bit and there is a small protrusion that extends below the bottom of the mouthpiece that looks a little ugly. This does allow for the charging interface to connect to the standard iPhone charging port, but a slightly more elegant solution would have been desirable. The iPhone adaptor partially doubles up as a protective cover for your iPhone, so if you do not mind losing a little bit of the aesthetic appeal of the phone’s design then this will be a bonus.

With the charging skin attached to the iPhone you can place it onto the Wildcharger pad and if the battery is running low it will automatically begin to charge. Because the electricity is transferred wirelessly there is no need to seek out the cable. The Wildcharger pad draws and transmits enough power to charge up to five different devices simultaneously. You will of course have to buy the separate charging skins for your various devices, but there is a constantly growing list of compatible devices, including mobile phones, MP3 players and handheld gaming systems. In the future you should be able to charge a whole household’s worth of mobiles overnight.

The Wildcharger pad is completely safe to use in virtually any environment. Spillages on its surface will not damage the Wildcharger or harm you. You can also place metallic objects, such as coins or car keys onto the surface without causing damage or injury. The Wildcharger pad automatically detects the nature of any object that is placed on its surface. If the object is not compatible with the Wildcharger it will shut down. This does mean that you will have to make sure that the surface of the pad is completely free of clutter, as even if you have your iPhone laying on the pad ready for charging, the power will not be transferred if the Wildcharger detects any other object.

The Wildcharger pad is an energy efficient way to charge your devices. It only delivers the right kind of charge when a compatible device is placed on it and it deactivates itself if nothing requires charging. Once you have installed the charging skin on your iPhone and placed it on the pad the charging process will begin instantaneously and when you need to move on you can just grab the phone from the pad and you will be ready to go. The Wildcharger pad will power up your iPhone at exactly the same speed as if it was plugged into the standard charger.

The purpose of the Wildcharger is to provide a more convenient way for busy people to recharge their iPhones and other electronic gadgets. It works really rather well and though there are other examples of wireless chargers on the market, this is one of the cheapest. However, this value does come at a price. The main problem is still the iPhone charging skin itself. There is no way of avoiding the fact that it makes the iPhone look a little bit chunky as it swaddles it in a thick coating. On the up side, the technology contained within the Wildcharger pad itself is excellent and as time goes on it is likely that Wildcharger will release a new charging skin for the iPhone which will hopefully be a little bit sleeker. The wildcharger can be purchased from the mobile fun website www.mobilefun.co.uk

Zagg Invisible Shield For Iphone Review

The iPhone set a new benchmark in terms of smartphone design and more than two years after it first hit the market it is one of the sexiest mobiles around. However, these good looks come at a price and a single scratch to any of its glossy surfaces can spoil the look of the thing and irritate for years. Most people resort to cases or covers which protect the whole body of the phone. Whether you pick leather or silicone you will be able to reduce the risk of scratching the iPhone, but you will also have to add to the bulk and weight of the device, ultimately spoiling the look. There are alternatives, in the shape of self-adhesive film coatings which you have to apply to the body of the iPhone. Though there are several different products in this category, we shall examine just one in depth, the Zagg Invisible Shield.

The Purpose
The Zagg Invisible Shield is designed to protect your iPhone or iPod Touch against dust, scratches and scrapes and the thin film covering is supposed to blend into the design of the device completely to allow for the standard look and feel of the phone to be retained whilst protection is improved. Zagg claims you should only ever need a single Invisible Shield to last you throughout the lifespan of the iPhone and if their product is ever damaged they will you provide you with a free replacement. The lifetime guarantee should at least persuade you that Zagg has confidence in its products.

In The Box
The Zagg Invisible Shield is one of the more expensive film coatings available for the iPhone, but you do get a decent selection of items inside each kit. As well as the protective films for the front and rear of your iPhone, there is a small rubber squeegee to help you apply the film, as well as a spray containing the water-based adhesive solution to allow for firm application.

Applying the Invisible Shield
You should set aside a bit of your spare time to make sure you can carefully install the Invisible Shield on your iPhone. Rushing things will result in a poor finish and will mean you will only have to start the process over again. First you need to clean up your iPhone, making sure to remove any dust, dirt and greasy fingerprints from the outside surface. If you miss any they will stay lodged under the film until such time as you choose to remove the Invisible Shield. Make sure you clean the iPhone carefully and with a soft cloth to avoid scratching the surface of the screen or the rear case.

The film sections of the Invisible Shield are attached to paper backing and you need to peel them off to apply them. Once you have peeled them off, it is a case of spraying on the adhesive solution to coat the film and then pressing them both down onto the surface of your iPhone, making sure you are placing the correct film on the correct area. To smooth out the film once it is in place and to remove any air bubbles or remaining adhesive solution, you will need to use the included squeegee. The film that covers the screen is simple to install as it is simply a flat section, but for the rear there are flaps which cosy up to the curved sides and corners. For this you need to apply the rear film to the flat portion of the back of the iPhone, leave the solution to dry and then return later to finish off the corners. This can be rather fiddly to perform and obviously makes the task more time consuming. It also requires a degree of dexterity and patience and if you are looking for a quick fix to the problem of scratches then the Invisible Shield is not the product for you.

Interaction after Installation
If you are worried that the iPhone would be less responsive after the Invisible Shield was installed then allay your fears, as the film coating does not dampen the capabilities of the touch screen interface whatsoever. The one thing that does change is the way that the iPhone feels; the plastic film coats over the glass screen, which may take a little getting used to even if it does not actually alter the performance of the phone.

The Invisible Shield is extremely thin, so the iPhone still looks and weighs exactly the same as it did before. The film is also very, very strong. Scratching it in day to day use will be impossible and after a long period of protection using the Invisible Shield it will be easy to see why Zagg were so confident in their product.

Conclusion
If you are not a particularly practical person then avoid the Zagg Invisible Shield. The installation can be a little frustrating if you are not in the right frame of mind. However, if you want to cushion the iPhone from the wear and tear of frequent use and you have steady hands, then the Invisible Shield is the least obtrusive form of protection on the market. It is available from the mobile fun website.

Call Of Duty Zombies Iphone Game Review

The name of this game is a little bit of a mouthful if you decide to give it its full title, but we’ll give it a go:
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies
Right, now that is out of the way we will stick to referring to the first iPhone-based game in the immensely successful series as CoD Zombies. It is based on the special zombie-slaying mode that you may have unlocked if you played through 2008’s World At War and the emphasis is on slaughtering the reanimated corpses of Nazi soldiers. Since various computer games throughout the ages (most significantly the Wolfenstein series) have established the Nazi’s proclivity for dabbling in the occult, it is fairly easy to accept the existence of Nazi zombies in the CoD universe, if you allow its creators a bit of artistic license.

Gameplay
The iPhone version of CoD Zombies retains exactly the same gameplay mechanics as the original, but since not that many people bought World At War it is worth going over the basics. You start off trapped in a single room in a house and from the first moment you are bombarded by wave after wave of zombie soldiers all trying to climb in and relieve you of your delicious brains. You will need to use a variety of WW2 weapons to dispatch the undead fiends and you can also board up the window in order to earn money. The more money you earn, the more rooms in the house you can unlock. Unlocking more rooms of course means that there are more windows to protect and board up, but it also allows you to purchase much better weapons and of course earn a higher score.

As the game progresses and the zombies become more numerous and aggressive, the tension is ratcheted right up as you struggle for your life against seemingly overwhelming odds. Despite this feeling of helplessness, CoD Zombies is actually perfectly balanced so that you are kept constantly on the tipping point of failure but always able to regain control when you feel that you are about to breath your last.

There are several different control schemes available in CoD Zombies. You can use the motion sensitive controls to tile the iPhone and move your character about and this is probably the best setting if you are relatively new to first person shooters. Alternatively you can use your finger to swipe across the touch screen to turn and this at least means that you can keep the screen pointing directly at you at all times. However, the best control scheme of them all is ‘dual stick’. This allows you to use two virtual touch screen analogue sticks and if you are familiar with the home console versions of the CoD games then this should be the control setup of choice. You can control your motion through 360 degrees as well as your aim with far better accuracy and it is the only way you will be able to survive for an extended period.

Graphics
The iPhone is known for its powerful hardware which puts to shame standalone handheld consoles like the Sony PSP. As such the CoD Zombies graphics are really rather impressive. You shouldn’t expect to get the same level of detail and fidelity as you would from a home console version, but considering that the action is taking place on a small screen everything looks sharp and highly defined. Most importantly the frame rate never gets choppy even when there are many shambling corpses on screen and it looks authentically scary at times. If you are a fan of headshots the results are pleasingly graphic and this is not exactly a kid-friendly game. However, since most iPhone owners are around 30 this should not really be an issue.

One area in which the slight limitations of the iPhone’s hardware are revealed is the length of time for which dead zombie bodies hang around. You will not find them piling up to litter the floor, as they will disappear quite sharpish. As such the CoD Zombies maps can feel a bit empty after you have just killed off hundreds of foes, slightly detracting from the feel.

Multiplayer
If you want to take on CoD Zombies with some mates then you have two options. You can either jump into a match with a random group of four other players from around the world using a Wi-Fi connection. Alternatively you can connect using Bluetooth for a local match. This is a multiplayer game where working together is important, though it is still about getting the highest score. There is built in support for leaderboards, displaying the top scores from players worldwide. It is necessary to verify your copy of CoD Zombies and register with a username and password before you can upload your own scores.

Conclusion
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies is quite an expensive iPhone game. But you get your money’s worth with excellent visuals, quality controls and extensive multiplayer options which bulk out the package and provide incentive for repeat plays.

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