Despite recent information suggesting otherwise, a  USA Today story reports that “people familiar with the situation” say, that a Verizon Wireless-branded iPhone is in the works and is expected to drop sometime next year once LTE, the next generation high speed wireless standard is operational on Verizon’s network. The sources also say that talks surrounding this deal have been in the works for a few months, leading back to the point when Steve Jobs was still running Apple full-time, and despite being on medical leave, the talks have continued. What do you guys think? How many of you would like to see the iPhone come to Verizon Wireless? I know I certainly would, but it would have to retain certain aspects of the current generation iPhone - such as WiFi and unlocked GPS. Let us know your opinion in the comments! Related Posts AT&T Wants To Extend iPhone Deal Until 2011 iPhone 3G Tethering World of Warcraft For iPhone Caught On Video? AT&T Activates 1.6M iPhone 3Gs, Wireless Business Grows Apple More Likely To Work With Verizon Because Of 4G?

Despite recent information suggesting otherwise, a  USA Today story reports that “people familiar with the situation” say, that a Verizon Wireless-branded iPhone is in the works and is expected to drop sometime next year once LTE, the next generation high speed wireless standard is operational on Verizon’s network. The sources also say that talks surrounding this deal have been in the works for a few months, leading back to the point when Steve Jobs was still running Apple full-time, and despite being on medical leave, the talks have continued. What do you guys think? How many of you would like to see the iPhone come to Verizon Wireless? I know I certainly would, but it would have to retain certain aspects of the current generation iPhone - such as WiFi and unlocked GPS. Let us know your opinion in the comments! Related Posts AT&T Wants To Extend iPhone Deal Until 2011 iPhone 3G Tethering World of Warcraft For iPhone Caught On Video? AT&T Activates 1.6M iPhone 3Gs, Wireless Business Grows Apple More Likely To Work With Verizon Because Of 4G?

All of you World of Warcraft fans out there try to contain yourselves; it appears as though software developer Vollee has posted a video on YouTube, which allegedly shows an early port of World of Warcraft to the iPhone. WoWInsider posted a link to the video evidence yesterday but the people responsible for it on YouTube have made their profile private and as such, is no longer viewable to the general public. Having viewed the video prior to it going private, I can tell you that I personally don’t believe that it’s a fake but in fact a early build of WoW for the iPhone. WoWInsider also shares that view and points out that the developer who posted the video, Vollee, has already been contracted to port Second Life to the iPhone and that they previously announced a partnership with Activision. Finally, they go on to say that Vollee has also indicated that they’d be working on the iPhone in the future. Given all those facts and then now to have solid video evidence, the iPhone and iPod touch fans of the world who also share their love of World of Warcraft might be in for a delightful suprise sometime in the future. No time frame or information about it’s release was talked about in the video so it’s anybody’s guess as to when we might see this hit the App Store. Related Posts iPhone 3G Tethering iPhone Nano Knockoffs iPhone Nano Rumor: Update Stevenote Missing From MacWorld Expo 2009 CrudeBox Changes To PrudeBox, Gets Approved

Everyday applications are rejected by Apple’s silly review process for various reasons, it’s nothing new.  We have heard countless stories of developers complaining how unfair the App Store approval system is and how Apple needs to change their ways, but this story has a bit of humor, so we think it is worth telling. Three recent college graduates formed a small development company called Alkali Media and decided to try their hand at the App Store by creating a relatively harmless soundboard application titled CrudeBox , and to their amazement, the application was rejected by Apple.   CrudeBox contained 16 high-quality sounds that consisted of the usual fart noises, burping sounds, laughing, coughing, and what have you.  The application was rejected for being too offensive: “Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.” So the team went back to the drawing board and decided to remove and change a few of the sounds that they thought Apple had a problem with.  The application was submitted a second time and once again,  CrudeBox was deemed too offensive by Apple’s review process.  Instead of giving up, they tried something else.  They chose to poke fun at the whole idea of CrudeBox being too offensive.  They changed the icons and graphics to be more “flamboyant,” and changed the name of the application to the more appropriate PrudeBox .  The application was then submitted for a third time. PrudeBox is now officially available at the App Store thanks to a couple “flamboyant” changes.  It’s Alkali Media’s own little way of poking fun at Apple’s review process. PrudeBox is available at the App Store for $.99.  It is compatible with the iPhone and second generation iPod touch. Related Posts Apple Sued Over Touch Screen Patents Apple Job Opportunities Listing References iPod Camera, Confirms New iPhone Camera? Next-Gen iPhone, iPod Touch To Feature 802.11n Chips iPhone And iPod Touch Dominate 2008 Engadget Awards AMBER Alert Developer Sends Open Letter To Steve Jobs

The App Store is loaded with all kinds of ridiculous entertainment applications and developer Comeks’ new offering is no different.  Instead of allowing you to simply view hot ladies in bikinis, you can be one yourself with their application Bikini Babe Yourself .  Hey, it’s the weekend, we are allowed to do this. The application is very simple, just choose one of the eleven bikini babe frames that you think would best suit your facial features.  Then, take a photo of yourself or choose one from your photo library.  Use the usual tap and drag, and pinch to zoom controls to align your face within the space provided.  You can then do a number of things with the photo like save it to your iPhone, send it via email, place it on Twitter, and more. If you are tired of looking at the same old bikini babes, this is the application for you.  I must say, I do look good in a pink top.  Yikes! Bikini Babe Yourself is compatible with both the iPhone and second generation iPod touch, and is available at the App Store for $.99. Related Posts World of Warcraft For iPhone Caught On Video? CrudeBox Changes To PrudeBox, Gets Approved Peapod Car Uses iPhone As A Key iPhone Leads US & Worldwide Mobile Web Traffic Use Lemonade Tycoon Is Back At The App Store

Overview Re-live 1992 in this classic first-person shooter that started it all. With all sixty levels included, battle your way out of Castle Wolfenstein as you fight the evil Nazi regime with your best friend, the all-inspiring chain gun. Wolfenstein 3D Classic has just about everything the original did, albeit some alterations to the controls, and will definitely bring back those memories of MS-DOS and the days of constantly pushing the space bar looking for secret hidden rooms. Features The main feature here is the game itself. All sixty levels from the original are packed into this app. That alone is worth the price right there. Aside from that, the ability to completely customize the control scheme and layout is available (although I prefer the default myself). You can disable the background music and play your own if you choose and you can also use the accelerometer to move the character around too. They’ve also added a stats button on the map screen so at anytime you can check where you are at in the current level you’re playing in. This new version has also fixed some bugs here and there and improved the graphics as well. Breakdown The Good: Did I mention you can play Wolfenstein on your IPhone/IPod Touch? Because that’s the good right there! Everything about this is good, assuming you’ve played the original before this. If you have, then grab this immediately. It’s awesome in every way. It feels and plays just like it did back in ‘92. They haven’t really added or left out anything so you pretty much get the same game here. The one-liners from the Germans is just as good as it was back then and once you find the chain gun…it’s on! Granted FPS’ have come a long way since this game, but it’s still surprisingly fun to play and will keep you busy for quite a while. The Bad: The controls are a little difficult to get used to at first, but once you get them down I found they worked alright. I preferred to use the default control settings as any other layout just didn’t really seem to work very well for me. Even the default controls can get a little annoying at times. The updated graphics, while smoother looking and less glitchy, are too good now. I loved the “bad” graphics and little glitches here and there. It’s what made the game feel like the original. Yeah, it runs better now, but I feel you kind of lost something with the new update. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know? Either way I liked the look of the game before the update. Also, when you update your character loses all of his guns. So bye-bye chain gun…not that it’s that hard to find it again, but still… The Verdict Bottom line: If you played the original and loved that game, buy this now! It’s absolutely worth the $4.99 and you won’t be disappointed at all. As I said before, this really does have the same look and feel of the original. If you’ve never played the original…it’s still a decent FPS for the IPhone/IPod Touch and in my opinion is easily the best FPS out there right now for these devices. Even though $4.99 might seem high so some of you, there is so much gameplay here that it’s well worth the price. Plus, you get to kill Nazi’s…what more fun than that? Related Posts Evolution of the FPS Review: Tap of the Dead EA Releases Trivial Pursuit Review: Gravity Well Magnificent Gizmos & Gadgets - Build Gizmos And Watch Them Go!

We have documented other concept cars that use the iPhone in unique ways, but Chrysler’s Peapod neighborhood electric car uses it in the most effective way that we have seen, and the best part is, the vehicle is actually going to be produced. The Peapod is a neighborhood electric vehicle, which basically means it doesn’t go very fast but it is really good for the environment.  The car will feature an iPhone docking station that will turn your iPhone into a key.  With the Peapod exclusive software, your iPhone will not only be able to turn your car on, but it will also show you how much energy you are saving while driving, control your sound system, and display a navigation system. The Peapod will also come with a standard low-tech key, just in case you lose your iPhone. What do you think?  Should all future cars feature a standard iPhone docking system like the Peapod’s? [via AutoblogGreen ] Related Posts Go Green And Receive An iPhone iPhone Leads US & Worldwide Mobile Web Traffic Use Lemonade Tycoon Is Back At The App Store Poop The World - Inappropriate Slogan Goes Here EA Releases Trivial Pursuit

For the last few months we have been reporting on AdMob’s mobile web traffic results and during that time the iPhone has faired extremely well. The iPhone has consistently led mobile web use by smartphones in the U.S., but never worldwide.  It looks like for the month of March things have changed because the iPhone has finally overtaken Nokia’s Symbian OS by a single percent. The iPhone was able to nab 38 percent of the total mobile ad requests worldwide for the first time ever, beating out Nokia’s Symbian OS which had 37 percent.  In the month of February , the iPhone had a 33 percent share of the worldwide smartphone ad requests while the Symbian OS had a 43 percent share.  RIM’s OS was a distant third with only 11 percent. The iPhone also led all smartphones in the U.S. with 50 percent of the mobile ad requests.  This is the exact same percentage the iPhone held last month.  RIM was able to gain a single percentage point over last month’s results with 22 percent.  Windows Mobile OS dropped 2 percent from last month’s results, placing it in third at 11 percent. These results are simply based on mobile web use, not device sales.  They basically show that people enjoy using their iPhone’s for web surfing more than any other device.  Also worth noting is that the iPod touch isn’t included in smartphone mobile web traffic use since it obviously isn’t a phone. AdMob tracks ad requests from mobile devices from their 6,000+ published sites to determine mobile web traffic. c use. Related Posts AdMob Data Shows iPhone On Top Once Again Apple’s Devices Lead Mobile Ad Market Manage Your Hulu Account With My Hulu Panda Mittens Releases Gravity Shmavity Lite Are Sweaty Workouts Damaging iPhones?

Overview New York City has been overrun by zombies. What should you do next? Grab a shotgun? Find a safe and secure place to hide? Nope…pull out your IPhone/IPod Touch and tap your way through the horde of the undead in this fast-paced game that is sure to take your reflexes to the level. Features This game is pretty straight forward here and doesn’t have a large amount of features in it. (not that it really needs them) The game features over 45 different levels that are based on actual locations in and around New York City. Not a bad addition if you’re familiar with that particular city and its surroundings. There’s also over 40 different zombies that try and attack you so things don’t get boring or stale. A future update is coming that will add a survival mode where you will have an unlimited amount of time and an unlimited amount of zombies thrown at you. A basic, “How long can you survive,” type of thing. There is also a world leader board addition coming that will allow you to see how you match up against other players around the world. Breakdown The Good: It’s simple and entertaining…what more can you ask for? The game is well worth the price of $1.99. It looks and sounds great. Amazing detail on the backgrounds and character models too. The controls are simple and you basically just follow the pattern and hope you can tap fast enough before being eating by the zombies coming after you…and there’s a ton of them coming after you! The Bad: Although the controls are simple in concept, tap the shape that corresponds to the pattern shown and defeat the zombie, they aren’t as responsive as you’d like them to be. I noticed that sometimes when I would tap one of the shapes it didn’t register right away and there was a very small lag going on there. Now, this might not be that big of a deal in any other game, but time is crucial here as the longer you take the closer the zombies are to eating you. It gets a little frustrating at times. The only other thing “bad” about this game is it is very similar to “Typing of the Dead” released in ‘99 by Sega in arcades and later ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. (wow, I’m a nerd for knowing that) Anyways, if you played that game and really enjoyed it…this is kind of a cheaper version of that in my opinion. Maybe that’s why someone might like this though? To each his/her own I guess. For me, I was a little disappointed. The Verdict So here’s the bottom line folks, the game is fun and entertaining. No doubts there. It does have a few minor issues about it as well that might make you want to stay away. It’s also similar to “Typing of the Dead”, but not in a good way. Is it worth the money, yes…but make sure you realize what you’re getting. Check out the screen shots and read the reviews. If after all of that you’re still intrigued…try it out. It is fun and as someone that’s a fan of the zombie genre, I like the game…but the replay value on it is pretty low compared to the other games that I own. Related Posts Tap Of The Dead - Tap Sequences To Kill Zombies Gamer’s Corner EA Releases Trivial Pursuit Review: Gravity Well Magnificent Gizmos & Gadgets - Build Gizmos And Watch Them Go!

I am not an application developer, I simply write for an iPhone application website, there is a big difference.  Some days I wake to find emails from people asking for tips on how to get their “great application ideas” started, or other emails asking where to find developers who will build an application at a low cost.  It may sound surprising to you, but I truly don’t have all of the answers. My personal lack of knowledge in this area made me take a second look at iPhone application development.  It’s not like I went out to purchase some how-to books, I just started digging around the Internet to see what it is other people have successfully accomplished on their own, just so I could have something to recommend to others. Most of the major success stories include people with coding knowledge or a background in this or that, offering little hope for people with little to no coding experience.  Hopefully I can change that with this simple advice: you don’t have to do it all by yourself - there are other ways. Let me first introduce you to Carla White.  Carla’s initial inspiration for her application came from Oprah of all people.  She started to keep a gratitude journal, which is a journal where you write five things you’re grateful for each day and eventually — at least according to Carla — your attitude and general perspective on life will change.  But, it’s not like she just decided to make an application the day she started keeping her journal, she had other things going on in her life as well.  She was concerned about the economy and her job, so she started to take on new endeavors. She eventually came to the decision to make an application for her iPod touch based on her gratitude journal. Nervous about losing my job due to downsizing and the economy, I thought I better come up with a back-up plan. I tried finding a more secure job. That didn’t work. I tried starting my own web shop business. That didn’t work either. Then I decided to try my hand at iPhone apps. I decided to combine my best talents (design and project management) with my newest obsession (my iPod Touch) and create a gratitude journal for the iPhone. Carla began her quest to create an iPhone application by signing up for Apple’s developers program, purchasing a Mac, hiring a developer, and purchasing ad space.  Through all these steps, she was able to create her own application, Gratitude Journal , in as little as four months - and without any coding experience.  I must warn you, she did most of the graphical work herself, but don’t worry, that can be contracted out too. To tell her story, she decided to write a book titled Inside Secrets to an iPhone App .  In her book she documents from start to finish how she was able to bring her simple idea of a gratitutde journal to the App Store.  Having read the book, I would love to tell you the entire story as it is quite inspirational, but then why would you want to buy the book from Carla? I can tell you that her book is available for purchase and it includes two other books that highlight how to market your application, as well as interviews with some of the more popular developers from the App Store. Ah, but wait, that wasn’t just a sales pitch because thanks to Carla’s overly generous nature, she has decided to provide us with a copy of her book and a couple copies of her application, Gratitude Journal , to give away to our loyal readers.  But, that’s for a different day coming soon (so keep an eye out). What I can tell you about Carla’s story, and something that may be helpful to all of you with a “great application idea,” is that there are plenty of developers out there who would love to do all of the heavy lifting for your application. All you need to do is have a solid plan and pay them.  Don’t forget though, everything costs money, so do your best planning job before jumping in head first. Before stepping completely away from Carla’s story, I want to point out that she was able to create her own application in a male dominated environment. I thought being female would be like getting my car fixed — the men with the knowledge would walk all over me. In fact, being female brings certain advantages. When I first surfaced on the iPhone developers circuit, my gender attracted a lot of attention which helped my promotion. Most apps are created by men for men, so women iPhone owners were pleased to buy a female created app for a change. And I think some developers might actually enjoy working with a woman more. Regardless of your background, creating an iPhone app is something anyone who with determination can do. I thought I had everything against me — gender, location, time, knowledge — but I managed to successfully pull it off! I don’t want to trivialize what she was able to do by throwing gender into the mix, I just wanted to allow her words to inspire men and women alike. Alright, so back to the point.  By utilizing my sleuthing skills, I was able to come up with a few examples of where to find developers to help you get the ball rolling.   iPhoneAppQuotes.com offers three free quotes from experienced iPhone developers, iPhoneAppBids.com is another free quote iPhone application development site, and my last recommendation is the much more high profile Elance .  There are quite a few more sites out there that offer these services, this is just a short list.  Just be sure to read over the terms and conditions, you don’t want your ideas getting stolen or your information getting sold. So is that the big secret?  Well yeah, kind of.  People don’t just walk into a book store and learn Objective-C in an instant - that stuff takes time!  And if you take the time you learn all of it from scratch, chances are your idea might have already been taken. Here are my simple steps to developing an iPhone application without any coding experience: Have a solid idea, not just an idea you think is going to get you rich quickly, but something you care about and are willing to follow through with from start to finish. Put together a basic concept of everything you imagined the application would look like and create a solid blueprint. Find someone you can trust to do the job for you correctly at one of the sites provided or look somewhere else - there are tons of talented people out there. Once the application is complete and to your liking, promote the crap out of it. Advertising is not free, you must market products to sell them. Contact sites like ours and give out promo codes wisely. Finally, don’t expect to get rich quickly, do it for the joy of doing it. I can’t stress enough how important the planning portion of this process is.  A contracted developer is going to do exactly what it is you ask them to do, nothing more, and if your idea is not clear, possibly less.  If you are not able nor willing to put the work into planning out your application, you may as well just stop right now.  In all reality, you will be the one doing all of the important work, so make sure you do it as thoroughly as possible.  Without a detailed vision of your application, you have nothing more than just another “great application idea.” I would like to thank Carla White for sharing her insight on the matter.  Until recently, I was actually never aware that there were so many developers out there looking for work on these freelance websites.  Hopefully some of you out there will be able to take something from this and successfully create and publish your own applications in the App Store.  Good luck! 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