A Bookshelf for Your Home Screen!

Like the Bookshelf background in iBooks? I did, and I wanted it for my Home Screen. I took a screenshot of the bookshelf while iBooks was loading, played around with it a bit in Photoshop, and this is what I came up with:


The Home Screen icons & their labels neatly fit on each of the shelves, with the dock icons in front of the bottom part. If you use it and like it, be sure to leave a comment!

iPhone Attitude and Extra Life!

For any of you out there who haven't heard of it, Extra Life is a fund-raising event sponsored by Sarcastic Gamer.com wherein gamers sign up to play games for 24 hours, with donors sponsoring said gamers for a set amount for each hour played, or donating a given fixed amount no matter what. All proceeds from this event go to benefit the Texas Childrens Hospital and their fight against pediatric cancer. This is my second year to participate in Extra Life, and I plan to participate in a way which is quite different from last year. Last year, I spent 24 hours gaming on my Xbox 360, but this year, I plan to spend the entire 24 hours playing iPhone games, and I plan to stream my gaming session online. (Streaming details to be forthcoming, as I will have to nail down the details.)

If you are the developer of an iPhone game and would like to have your game featured during this marathon, please contact me via email and let me know. In addition, if you would be interested in supplying promo codes for your game to be given away during the stream to those who show up to watch, please contact me regarding that as well.

My personal site for Extra Life is located here, and the iPhone Attitude team site is located here.

This year's Extra Life takes place on October 17th, 2009, and I look forward to chatting with you all while I play.

You got GameStop in my App Store!

With the release of iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has issued new iTunes Store Terms & Conditions, and one section in particular has me intrigued:

"PRE-ORDERS

By pre-ordering Products, you are authorizing the iTunes Store to automatically charge your account and download the product when it becomes available. You may cancel your pre-order prior to the time the item becomes available, by going to your Account page and clicking Manage Pre-Orders on your computer, or in the downloads section on your iPod touch or iPhone. Pre-orders purchased from your computer can only be managed and downloaded on your computer."

Could it be that we'll soon have virtual cashiers asking us if we want to pre-order the latest app every time we download something from the App Store?

Seriously, though, with in-app purchasing now available in OS 3.0, could we start seeing pre-order incentives for the latest iPhone games? Pre-order the latest Tower Defense game and receive an exclusive tower or free level? Pre-order the latest racing game and receive an exclusive additional car or track? The possibility is there, and I have to say that I think it could be interesting to see where it goes.

Google Brings Product Search to Android and iPhone

According to InformationWeek, Google is bringing its Product Search feature to the Android operating system and Apple's iPhone platform.

Google Product Search allows users to get detailed information about a wide range of consumer products, from ant farms and audio receivers to zebraskin wallpaper and iPhone cases.

According to a post on Google's mobile blog, "Google Product Search for mobile gives you the same product information that you would get at your computer. And when you click on products like electronics and video games, you'll see dedicated product pages that include ratings charts and technical specifications."

Some speculate that the simultaneous release on Android and iPhone could signal a change in Google's strategy, as previous features had often been released on Apple's iPhone first, before being rolled out to Android users as well. My take? Google wants to support Android, being their "baby" and all, but in the end, they will go where the money is. As long as the iPhone continues to be a thriving market, Google will continue to support it.

Apple's App Store Reaches Over One Billion Downloads in Just Nine Months!

In just nine months, users have downloaded more than one billion apps from Apple's App Store. The Android and Windows Mobile online stores have quite a legacy to live up to. Congratulations, Apple, and here's to hitting the ten billion mark in January, 2015! (Assuming the download rate stays the same, of course.)

Be sure to head on over to Apple's site to see the top twenty free and paid apps to date.

Review: OtterBox iPhone 3G Defender Case ($25-$50)

Today I'd like to share with you my review of the iPhone 3G Defender Case, from OtterBox. According to OtterBox, the Defender offers "stylish and sophisticated protection in 3 layers."

1. A thin, clear membrane covering the touchscreen to prevent scratches and dings.
2. A hard polycarbonate skeleton that surrounds the device.
3. A silicone skin to absorb bumps and shock.

The silicone skin has a nice feel to it, and is thick enough that it does feel like it offers decent protection from minor bumps. For me, though, the biggest advantage it offers is that it gives you more grip, and makes the phone much less likely to fall out of a shirt pocket or to slip out of your hand. The skin features "plugs" which cover the docking port, vibrate switch, and headphone jack when not in use, and the home button and volume rocker switch can both be used through the case.

Underneath that, the polycarbonate skeleton (or shell) feels quite sturdy. While I wouldn't go running it over with a car or anything crazy like that, it does feel like it could stand up to a bit of pressure without breaking. It features clear plastic "windows" on the back for both the iPhone's camera lens and the Apple logo, as well as openings for the speaker, microphone, earpiece, and IR sensor (all but the IR sensor have a "mesh" on the interior of the openings, presumably to keep out dust).

Topping it all off is the thin membrane covering the touch screen. This, unfortunately, is the Defender's weak spot, feature-wise. The idea of having a protective cover over the touchscreen is wonderful, but it is wrought with problems. Once the iPhone is inside the fully assembled case and in use, I noticed an "oil slick" effect on the screen, caused by the thin membrane sticking to the iPhone's screen. The slick would move around slightly as I used the phone in the case, and was quite distracting. Searching the web and the manufacturer's site, I found that this was not an uncommon occurrence, and had many suggested fixes. Unfortunately for me, however, none of them seemed to work. I finally ended up removing the membrane from my case, leaving the screen unprotected. It is worth noting that OtterBox is aware of the issue and is working on a solution that will then be incorporated into cases manufactured in the future.

In addition to these layers of protection, the OtterBox iPhone 3G Defender case also comes with a polycarbonate belt clip holster which can double as a desktop/tabletop viewing stand for watching videos, slideshows, etc. While I don't find myself using it often, it does seem to be quite sturdy and seems to hold the phone in place very securely.

All-in-all, the OtterBox iPhone 3G Defender Case is quite good, and I will continue to use it, sans-membrane, until a better case comes along. If OtterBox is successful in solving the "oil slick" issue, I hope they offer some sort of trade-in program for early adopters.

To iPhone or not to iPhone... That is the $300 Question.

So... Dadditude keeps trying to talk me into getting an iPhone, but I'm really not sold on the idea yet. The only way it is going to happen is if I (personally) decide it's really, really worth it to me, since I don't usually spend that much money on anything that's not essential. Over the course of the next few months, I intend to look into some of the things I would do if I had an iPhone, so that when the time comes, I can look back and decide if I think it's really worth it for me.

Some examples might be:

• Keeping track of Sonnitude's medical and dental appointments
• Keeping track of my work calendar
• Keeping track of my mileage for work
• Keeping track of my work hours, including where each of those hours were put in
• Playing iMob - Seriously, I am truly addicted to Mafia Wars on Facebook, and being able to play something similar in my free time (what free time?) would be nice.
• Taking Pictures - My mom wants me to take pictures of old barns here in Pennsylvania for her, and we've been living here for nearly ten years now, so I figure it's about time.
• Listening to music in the car - It would certainly beat listening to the same CD over and over again.

That's all I can come up with off the top of my head for today. And Dadditude, I don't want you rubbing it in that I'm doing this. I have to do this on my own if I'm going to break down and pay $300 for a freaking phone. Yeah, I know it does more than a regular phone, but it's so much money. Ugh.

Welcome to iPhone Attitude!

Hello, and welcome to iPhone Attitude! We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our staff and let you know what to expect from us in the future.

Our two main writers at the moment are a married couple, Mommitude and Dadditude. Currently, only one of them (Dadditude) has an iPhone, but he's working hard to convince Mommitude to make the switch from Windows Mobile once its time for her to upgrade this Fall.

Here at iPhone Attitude, we plan to cover news, hardware and software previews and reviews, and pretty much everything iPhone, and we plan to do it with just a touch of attitude.

We hope you will like what you see and that you will tell your friends all about us.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute coverage of site content and coming attractions.