AT&T Offering iPhone 3GS for $9

If you are looking for an iPhone and don’t mind going for the 3GS instead of the iPhone 4, AT&T is the place for you. They are basically giving away refurbished iPhone 3GS’s.

Just earlier this year, AT&T dropped the price of its iPhone 3GS to $49.99, and we thought that was a great deal. Now customers will be able to purchase a refurbished device for a mere $9.

Right now AT&T lists a black 8GB iPhone 3GS on its website for $99 with a two year contract; however, if you go ahead and subtract $90 for a refurbishing discount, you’ve got yourself an iPhone for $9.

It was in January that AT&T dropped the price of the iPhone 3GS, right before they began to offer the iPhone 4. The newer version of the smartphone obviously has some extra features that you won’t find on the 3GS. It offers a front-facing camera, retina display and the FaceTime app, among other things, but when you consider the difference in pricing, who really cares about all of that stuff. If you’re someone that is desperate for those features, you’re going to be looking at spending anywhere between $200 and $300. To me, it just doesn’t seem like it could possibly be worth it.

So what does AT&T mean when they say a “refurbished phone?” It’s not some phone that was destroyed and then put back together, I can tell you that. It is simply a pre-owned phone that was returned during the 30-day trial period that AT&T offers its customers. All of the devices that are returned have then been reset to their original factory settings and have been put through extensive tests before AT&T resells them. They also come standard with a 90-day warranty and a 30-day trial period.

If you’re looking for a good deal on a smartphone and don’t mind dealing with AT&T’s service, this could be the deal for you!

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Navigon Releases New iPhone Car Kit

Navigon has just unveiled a new iPhone car kit at the Macworld Expo 2011. The kit consists of an iPhone mounting device as well as a suction cup for mounting it on nearly any surface in your car. An Apple-certified connection cord is also thrown in as well as a car charger to power the iPhone while driving.

According to Gerhard Mayr, Vice President of Worldwide Mobile Phones & New Markets for Navigon, "The iPhone is the most elegant smartphone available, therefore a mount should never get in the way of showcasing the design." This kit from Navigon is a more stylish rendition of German tech design with a "barely there" look.

The mount is easy to fix in any position on any surface in your vehicle which reduces distraction to the driver and also places the iPhone in a position that is optimal for a GPS signal. The included car charger, as well as the 5-foot long connection cable, are perfect if you need to use your iPhone's navigation system on long trips or vacations.

It appears that the physical cradle could fit other devices besides an iPhone. However, if you buy this kit and you do not have an iPhone, then you now have a 5-foot long iPhone cable that you do not need. The charger, however, is a simple one that plugs into your lighter jack and has a USB port on the other end making it universal with practically every smart phone on the market that uses a USB charging system.

My point is that this case, while designed for the iPhone, would be good for most smartphones out there or even smaller GPS devices. The Navigon Car Kit is available now for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 for a market price of $49.99. However, you can get an introductory price of $44.99 if you purchase one before February 3rd.

Source: Engadget

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Brando's New Power Pack for iPhone

You may ask what is special about this specific portable battery pack, since there are plenty of different battery packs that can be used with your iPhone. Well, the new iPhone power pack from Brando is unique. It uses EL film to allow you to see the battery’s status at all times. It shows you whether or not the battery pack is charged or not and how much charge it has left. With this battery pack, you will never have to wonder about if you remembered to recharge the battery or not.

The front of the battery pack is completely covered with the special EL film that shows the status of the battery pack’s life at all times. When you use the battery pack to recharge your iPhone, the battery pack pulses like an on-screen charging indicator to let you know that your phone is connected and recharging.

The iPhone power pack is a very convenient accessory to own. It features a 100 mAh capacity. This will charge your iPhone 3G for up to 3 hours of talk time and the iPhone 2 with up to 7 hours of talk time. 100 mAh can also add 18 hours of audio playback or 5 and a half hours of Web surfing time. The pack itself is slim and easy to carry around, so with it you will never have to worry about your iPhone running out of power while you’re out and about.

The power pack from Brando is compatible with the iPhone 4G, iPhone 3G/3GS, and the iPhone 2. It is available from Brando’s online website for $52.00.

Check out some of the iPhone's other accessories like a solar powered iPhone charger or a bluetooth headset.

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Gowalla 2.0 for iPhone 3G

Gowalla, a "social network that connects people with places by inspiring them to discover and share the world" based out of Austin, Texas, has announced Gowalla 2.0 for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The new version is much like the older version, but with better, enhanced features. The location-based social networking app is said to be better than ever and offers tons of great features that let you check in and let your friends know where you are at any time.

Not only is the new app designed better - it's more flexible, readable and over all usable, but gives users the ability to do so much in the way of social networking. Users can check in and add new spots, upload photos, brows friends' photos, or see photos taken at a particular spot. They can also receive comments from friends and other users once they've checked in. If you want to add a message to your spot, you can do so, and if you want to do it later, you can come back and do that too. Hot spots in nearby areas will be highlighted so users can discover them and you'll have the opportunity to browse friends' bookmarked spots, as well as create trips.

You can build your network by staying in touch with friends from Twitter, Facebook, and other websites, as well as keep up with addresses, phone numbers, Twitter names, and Facebook pages of various check in spots. There is so much to do! The app is fun and useful.

In a press release, Josh Williams, the co-founder and CEO of Gowalla said, "Gowalla 2.0 for iPhone is an amazing step forward for us and our product. We’re very excited to have Chevy working with us during SXSW to showcase the new features of our platform. Gowalla is about going out and exploring the world around you, and it’s always great to have some friends along for the ride.”

Gowalla has also updated their SXSW website (gowalla.com/sxsw), to include real-world rewards, events, competitions, and challenges.

Chevrolet has partnered with Gowalla to let Austin, Texas users receive icons redeemable for transportation in a dedicated fleet of Chevrolet vehicles, or information at Chevrolet lounges around the city.

Gowalla 2.0 is free from the Apple App Store, or you can download it from Gowalla.com. People from over 165 countries have already checked in at over 600,000 places.

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Netflix App to Soon Come to the iPhone

On Friday, Netflix announced that they are releasing an app for Apple’s new iPad, but it looks like the iPad is not the only device to be receiving attention from Netflix. Netflix Vice President Steve Swasey said via the official Netflix blog, " For those of you asking whether Netflix will be on the iPhone and iPod Touch: We wouldn't invite you to dinner without planning to serve dessert. In other words, we're working on it so stay tuned."

The app that Netflix has developed allows users streaming access to their Instant Queue. This means that you can watch anything from Netflix’s online collection of movies and TV shows anytime that you want. This streaming access is free and unlimited for any Netflix users that have an unlimited Netflix account.

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The New Helix Gaming Grip for Your iPhone

Do you do a lot of gaming on your iPhone? Do you have trouble holding or touching your iPhone just right when your trying to steer your virtual racecar or navigate through an asteroid field? If you do, there is now a solution to your problems.

PosiMotion has developed the new Helix Gaming Grip for your iPhone or iPod Touch. The iPhone was not designed to be utilized like a steering wheel or joystick, so this new gaming grip can really make playing games a whole lot easier. The grip is very easy to use. It has two handles on each side of your device that make it easier to twist and turn your iPhone without risking dropping it.

The Helix Gaming Grip is obviously for those who utilize games on their iPhone or iPod that involve steering, flying, or any other game that requires the twisting and turning of the device.

The gaming grip is designed to fit onto the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS and the second generation iPod Touch. The grip features a swivel clasp that will allow you to fit youyr device in both landscape and portrait mode, in accordance with which game you might be playing. There are also convenient slots in the side and bottom of the grip that allow for cables incase you want to play games while you charge your device.

If you just want to make your iPhone gaming a little bit easier or rid yourself of the risks of dropping your phone, the Helix Gaming Grip is just the thing for you. Now the grip is not available yet, but you can pre-order it and they will ship out this spring. For only $20, gaming can be made much easier on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

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A Health and Environment iPhone App

So once again we have another quite interesting iPhone app that is just being released. The San Francisco based company GoodGuide has just developed the first iPhone app that will allow you to scan a bar code and receive information on health, environmental, and social responsibility ratings of the products and their companies.

GoodGuide has shown to be a very helpful resource in the past when performing such tasks as shopping for toys. Their website will relay the levels of lead, mercury, and chlorine that can be found in different toys.

Now with the new developments that GoodGuide has made, you don’t have to remember to be super organized and do all of your research online before you start your shopping. Now all you need is to have your iPhone on you. You can simply scan the bar code and with this new application you can find out all the information that you might need from GoodGuide.

Now it will be so much easier to compare items side by side and see which one is better for your body and for the environment. I find this new application quite fascinating. It makes me want to borrow someone’s iPhone simply to scan a product and see the app at work. The other great part of this is that the app is free. So what more could you ask for? There is now an app that will help you find products that benefit you and the environment and the service is completely free.

Overheating iPhones

In response to the reports of iPhones overheating, whether these reports are true or not, Apple has disclosed that the iPhone 3G and 3G S have been equipped with a temperature warning screen.

Although these reports are most likely small in number, Apple still wishes to appease their consumers. It has been reported that some iPhones were so overheated that they changed from their original white color to a pinkish tone.

As a precaution, Apple has issued a warning that to most average iPhone customers should be pretty obvious. Users are advised to make sure there iPhone is not in an environment that exceeds 113 degrees Fahrenheit, including their car. Apple also warns consumers that applications such as playing music or utilizing the GPS systems feature in direct sunlight could increase the possibilities of overheating.

Using the iPhone in an environment where the temperature is over 95 degrees Fahrenheit can trigger the phone’s temperature warning. Apple warns that in this condition of high or low temperature problems, the iPhone’s battery life may be temporarily shortened or the device could possibly temporarily quit functioning properly.

On the flip side, Apple also stated that the iPhone 3G or 3G S should not be kept anywhere where the temperature could drop below -4 degrees Fahrenheit and should not be utilized in a temperature below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the iPhone is exposed to either of these extreme conditions, the temperature warning screen will most likely appear and the iPhone could experience a variety of problems. The phone could stop charging, the display may be dim, or you could experience problems with a weak signal.

With extreme heat this summer in various areas of the country, iPhone owners should take precautions so that nothing happens to their phone. Apple says that if you do experience an overheating problem, you should let your iPhone cool down before utilizing it again. So the moral of the story is to simply be smart. Don’t abandon your iPhone in any extreme temperature situations and you and your phone will be just fine.

Apple Appeases iPhone 3G S Customers Experiencing Activation Issues

So it seems that some customers that have just recently bought their newly released iPhone 3G S are still currently experiencing delays concerning the activation of their new smartphone, but Apple isn’t looking to have disgruntled customers and has found a way to make it up to the iPhone consumers.

These issues that that those who purchased the iPhone 3G S have experienced started the moment the iPhone was introduced to the public on Friday. Customers affected by this activation problem were notified by Apple, via e-mail on Sunday, that they might experience further delay for up to 48 hours due to the issues with the system and the high amount of iPhone activations.

Apple hopes to appease these customers by offering a $30 iTunes store credit. The email that they sent out stated:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you'll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,

Apple Online Store Team

Similar problems were experienced with the launch of the iPhone last July. When customers tried to accomplish the required in-store activation procedure, AT&T activation servers overloaded and eventually completely crashed. Apple was forced to abandon the in-store activation process and allow customers to activate their new iPhones at home on their own.

Hopefully these issues with the iPhone 3G S will be solved quickly and for all their trouble customers will receive their much deserved $30 to spend at iTunes for their patient waiting.

iPhonne Apps: The Best and the Worst

The iPhone is one of the coolest devices around. Everybody loves using it to surf the internet, take pictures, record videos, watch movies, and.....uh....what's that other thing it does? Oh yeah, make calls. Probably the greatest thing about the iPhone is the ability to download different apps, or applications, to your phone. There are a reported 43,000 apps in the online store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. But finding the right one for you can be tough. So, here is a list of the top 10 smartest iPhone and iPod Touch apps, along with the top 10 dumbest.

Smart 10.) FTP On the Go - perfect for an IT professional or web designer.

Dumb 10.) Rate a Fart 2.0 - Not only is it bad enough that somebody created this app, they had to go and recreate it for a 2.0 style. Wow, really guys?

Smart 9.) Bloomberg - The best app to have for keeping track of the financial market. It allows you to track your individual portfolio, foreign futures and indexes.

Dumb 9.) iPickupLines - I don't know if they are serious with some of these pickup lines or just joking, sometimes its hard to tell. But some of the intended lady-getting lines include "Your eyes are as blue as my toilet water at home" "Baby you're like a student and I'm like a math book, you solve all my problems" and mt personal favorite "Do you mind if I hang out here until it's safe back where I farted?" Honestly, I'm speechless.

Smart 8.) Shazam - Just point your iPhone at any piece of recorded music, press Tag, and the shazam app identifies the song, the band, info, lyrics, and related videos while also letting you buy the song directly from iTunes with ridiculous accuracy.

Dumb 8.) iGirl: She Obeys (Lite) - For those of you who can not get a real girlfriend, there is iGirl. You can poke, flirt, swivel and fantasize about this 3D girl all you want. And by upgrading to the actual version for 99 cents. The full version allows you to get more clothing, hair colors, and "action" options. Wow. Plus the attraction of "blowing-on-your-iPhone" fun, whatever that means.

Smart 7.) Pandora Radio - Just like it's computer counterpart, the Pandora App allows you to look for a song you like then the Genome project goes into affect finding songs that are similar to the one you picked, hoping you will like it as well.

Dumb 7.) iStrip: Sexy Pen - There used to be these pens out there that when you tilted them, the clothing of a very attractive woman would slip off, leaving "all natural". well the iPhone has digitized this pen in an app. The only difference is that the models are depressed looking an unattractive, the graphics are ridiculous, and there is no nudity, which was the whole point of the pens in the first place.

Smart 6.) Kindle for iPhone - The ability to download a book and read it whenever and wherever you want to is the best way to defeat boredom. With nearly 300,000 books on the app, you are sure to find something you like.

Dumb 6.) Wooo! Button - Uh yeah, that is all it is, a button that when you push it it says "Wooo!" That's it, probably one of the moist pointless acts ever created.

Smart 5.) BeatMaker - With 16 trigger pads, you can play samples that are included in the library, or something you recorded on the go. A multi-resolution, multi-track step sequencer supports pattern creation and assembly. There are also a ton of other features on this app as well that makes it worth your purchase.

Dumb 5.) SoftServe Poop Machine - What do you say about an app that allows you to create defecation? Stupidity, utter stupidity.

Smart 4.) Vlingo: Voice App - A voice app that allows you to tell your iPhone what you want it to do and it does it. Simple as that.

Dumb 4.) A little, yellow face that sings off key. Its just stupid. Sincere, charming, but just plain stupid .

Smart 3.) Remote - This app allows you to control your music's computer, AirTunes speakers, or even the Genius Playlist creator from any part of your house that has Wi-Fi.

Dumb 3.)The Crazy Frog - This is simply a cheap rip off of the original crazy frog, which was at least remotely entertaining. This version is a boring frog and a boring sound.

Smart 2.) Bento - Just a basic organizing app for your iPhone. It helps you organize all the details of your life easily. The iPhone app can be synced with Bento 2.0 v4 fir the Mac or can be used as a stand alone app.

Dumb 2.) iKissMe - An app that allows you to scroll through a variety of kisses and then delivers said kiss when you actually kiss your iPhone! To quote Apple, "iKissMe is a great way to practice your kissing skills, or to just ring you up when you're feeling down." I feel really sorry for anyone who needs to kiss their iPhone's virtual lips to make them feel better.

Smart 1.) LogMein Ignition - Trying to trouble shoot a friend or family member with computer needs over the phone is difficult. But with LogMein ignition, you can wirelessly take control of that persons computer and do what you wish with it. The app itself is pricey at $29.99 and you and the other person both have to be LogMein account members. But it's all worth it to become a god in the IT field.

Dumb 1.) CalmCandle - Wow, the only thing this app does is show you a burning candle, thats it. The only real thing happening is that the candle slowly burns down over time. Not a bad app if you want a screen saver or love the sight of burning candles but a $4.99 are you kidding me!? The dumbest app ever.

So there you have it, a list of 10 apps to check out and 10 to stay away from, that is unless you are stupid or have the brain capacity of a grapefruit. If that is you they hey, go get as many stupid apps as you want, I'm not going to stop you.

List courtesy of The Register.com

BlackBerry Curve Rises Above Apple iPhone

Smartphones are the popular way to go right now for cell phone users. The possibilities with such a device are endless and people all over the world are finding new things to do with them.

Apple's iPhone has long been the reigning champion in the smartphone market but now a new device has dethroned the "king" and taken the spot as number one. According to the Q1 smartphone sales released by the NPD group, Blackberry phones took three out of the top five positions and took out the iPhone 3G from the top spot. This is mainly due to the fact that the Curve is available on the four biggest U.S. cell phone carries and the fact that Verizon is giving a special buy one get one free sale for the Curve. Aside from the Curve, the other top spots were grabbed by the Storm and the G1.

But how did the Curve topple the iPhone 3G? The availability of four major carriers helps, considering the iPhone is still restricted to AT&T. The price is also better than that of the iPhone coming in at $99 with a two-year contract. A trend for Apple which could have helped them get bumped is that RIM's share of the market in smartphones jumped from 15% to a nice 50% whereas Apple saw shares drop 10%.

But who knows? People could be delaying their iPhone buying for both models due to the thought that Apple's new iPhone model may be announced next month. But one shouldn't underestimate the BlackBerry products. Their smartphones are among some of the best on the market with an added boost from low prices and a wide availability of carriers. You can get the Curve on four different carriers for $99 whereas you can only get the iPhone 3G on AT&T for a higher $199. The iPhone is still a good product and it will be interesting to see how the Curve and iPhone do against each other in the upcoming months.