iWant is a free iPhone app that helps you find what you’re looking for. Now, this could be anything from car rentals to restaurants. The GPS finds your location, then show you the nearest places to you. 
Granted, there are many other apps out there like this–Yelp, Nearby, urbanspoon, just to name a few. But I think iWant is interesting because it’s attempting to give you information on all major business types. Pretty bold, don’t you think?
The interface is very neat and easy to use. The icons are representative of the categories. You can organize the search results by distance of rating, plus a five-star system (powered by yelp) helps you keep tabs on what’s good and what’s better left avoided. If you have the yelp app, you can read reviews on places you find in iWant through yelp. Pretty cool synchronization, there.
Plus, when you want to see where something is, you just click on the map icon in the lower right hand corner.
All in all, I like this app. But it doesn’t offer anything extra. But something has to be said for an app that lives up to what it claims to do. I have to respect that.
One thing that has been notably missing from the iPhone is the ability to use MMS. Sure, the SMS has a great interface, but you still can’t send picture messages through it. And while you can e-mail photos to your friends, that can be cumbersome at times. But what the iPhone can’t do, an iPhone app just might. 
Palringo is an application that syncs up with your instant messaging accounts and lets you send text and picture instant messages over the iPhone. The real bonus here is you don’t rack up SMS charges–it goes over your EDGE/3G/WiFi networks.
Now, I like this app. It’s pretty neat with a nice interface that’s easy to navigate. I only have one qualm, but it’s a doozy.
Even though you can send picture messages, they don’t immediately pop up on your friend’s screen. Instead, they are sent a link to the picture and they have to click on it to see your picture. Ehh, not exactly picture messaging, now is it? Why not just e-mail or use Flickr? Kind of defeats the whole purpose and convenience of built-in picture messaging if you ask me.
One cool thing is that you can take a picture right this second and it will send in the IM. But then again, you could always take a picture and e-mail it right this second, too. (As a bonus, you can see a frightening image of me demonstrating this feature below the fold.
So, I guess what I’m saying is that this attempt at convenience certainly is appreciated, but it’s not quite there yet. Built in MMS would do the trick, but that would mean more charges from AT&T and who wants that?
I know people are still on the lookout for ways to unlock their iPhone 3Gs and now some people are claiming they’ve done with just a YESSIM sim card. No software needed. The only prerequisite is that you have a jailbroken iPhone. 
So what’s the downside? I still don’t see any proof. Sure, there’s a video–and it’s posted below–that showcases this YESSIM unlocking method. But the site’s FAQs and information are vague at best. Plus, the video doesn’t really show all that much.
What will it take for a video showing this unlocking process for real to show up online? Until then, I’m not convinced.
[via The iPhone Blog]
Some people just don’t love the touch part of the iPhone. Sure, they love the idea of it, but if you have large fingers or aren’t quite so nimble, even zooming in can’t help you touch the right links. Many have turned to the option of a stylus, but it would seem this just wouldn’t work on the iPhone, right? Wrong! 
The Pogo Stylus works great. It works right with your iPhone and those over at GottaBeMobile have posted a video of this tool in action. And I have to say, it looks responsive and like a nice alternative to using your finger.
But $24.95? That’s a bit steep for a stick with some felt on it, don’t you think? Granted, it’s a special stick with special felt, but once the price drops a bit, I may just have to get myself one of these.
[via GottaBeMobile.com]
Could the iPhone 3G’s GPS system cause you some trouble? That’s what some people are convinced of. As you know, when you take photos now, the GPS can help keep track of where the photo was taken and organize it all for you for later reference. The issue arises once these photos are uploaded to sites like Flickr. 
Even though you can hide the GPS information from viewers, some are concerned that the info still may be accessible. This potentially, could allow others to pinpoint your location.
Want to avoid the risk altogether? Disable the GPS in your iPhone’s settings. Or, do it on a case-by-case basis. Once you open a GPS-using app, just press “Deny” when prompted if you want it to use your location. That will probably do the trick for now.
[via MacNN]
It’s not a localized problem, anymore. It looks like there is a serious manufacturing fault in the new iPhone 3G, specifically, the cases are cracking. The problem seems to be happening primarily in the white phones, but it could effect all of the new 3Gs. 
It appears that the metal frame on which the plastic case attaches is too small. This stresses the plastic to the point of cracking. Many are reporting that their brand new phones are cracked or have small fissures on first sight. The cracks are appearing mainly around the headphone jack and buttons.
All phones, with daily use, get scuffed or develop cracks to some degree. But a brand new phone sporting flaws is a problem, for sure. You may want to take your phone back to the retailer where you purchased it. You may be able to get a new one after an inspection.
[via MacRumors]
If you’re on the lookout for an iPhone case that does something besides keep your iPhone well protected, then you might check one of these out. It doesn’t have quite the chic look of a Mophie Juice Pack, but it is a nice alternative.
It does have that nice leather look going for it too. Unfortunately, these won’t help anyone with a 3G iPhone. It is purely for 1st Gen iPhones and the iPod Touch.
Thankfully it is a great deal cheaper than a Juice Pack, a Juice Pack goes for just under $100. This one is retailing for $25.19. Granted I’m sure that the Juice Pack is going to be a safer bet and better quality all around, but if you’re just looking for something cheap this would be great.
[via coolestgadgets]
Those that know me are aware of my addiction to World of Warcraft. There have been talks at Blizzard about creating a mobile version of the game, likely as some sort of add-on rather than a full-fledged version. Naturally, the iPhone would be the perfect platform for such a title, however, with a recent merger, it’s possible that this project may never see the light of day.
Recently Activision and Blizzard merged to form Blizzard Activision, which is now one of the largest gaming companies in the world. Unfortunately in the process, one of the smaller companies was virtually eliminated. Vivendi (the smaller company) happens to have their own mobile gaming division, which was most likely to be the one working on the mobile WoW title.
While Blizzard never confirmed that they were indeed going to make a mobile version of WoW, it seems that this recent merger may very well destroy any chance that it had. I still have my hopes up for an application that will allow me to buy and sell my goods on the auction house, and perhaps even chat with my guild mates via the iPhone. Perhaps we’ll hear something at Blizzcon later this year.
[via WoWinsider]
