Ben Jackson, Owner and Technical Director of Brainjuice, LLC, spoke about an iPhone application called Arcade Hockey.  The application is a table hockey game that is apparently a ton of fun.

The game is set to release into the App Store in early to mid November, no word on how much it will cost.  The game is very well written and executed. Posted are a few screenshots of the simple yet addictive game play. Arcade Hockey is a one or two player game. The game allows you to choose the size of the paddles and pucks as well as the version of the game. The versions include Standard, Arcade Deck or Boomerang Style.

The game play is played just as the average air hockey game most people are use to. You control your paddle with the tip of your finger, trying not to let the puck get in your goal. Physics are reported to be spot on, reacting exactly as you would expect it to in real life. Greg Hughes went on to say, “As a former air hockey addict, I can say this game is quite a bit of fun, and there’s something to be said for pulling the game out of your pocket and playing a surprisingly accurate and realistic game on the bus, before the movie, while out on a hot date you want to impress with your skillz, or at lunch.”

[Via Greg Hughes]

Many mobile phone enthusiasts can testify that Opera Mini is a really nice mobile web Browser. Reports have surfaced stating that Apple has rejected an Opera Mini application for the iPhone. Chances are Apple will say that they refused it because it copies a feature that the iPhone already has in place.

Opera Mini has found its way to several phones including many high-end phones such as the BlackBerry, as well as many feature phones such as the Helio Ocean. We have personally had a good hands on with Opera Mini and a few of us will argue that is has more to offer than Safari. Opera is a full-featured browser that looks fantastic when browsing the web. Handset makers are paying Opera around 50 cents to $1 for each phone that is made with the Browser on it.

For lower-end phones and those on slower networks can benefit from Opera Mini because an Opera server computer handles the processing of web pages rather than the phone itself. The server then sends a compressed version of the web page to the phone which saves on load time. Mr. von Tetzchner said, “3G isn’t really that fast,” he said. “We try to deal with the real world.” Opera Mini can offer a better solution to mobile browsing.

[Via NYtimes]

According to comScore, the fasting growing user base of the iPhone are people with lower income who are using the device in order to cut down on other internet and entertainment sources. ComScore found that 43 percent of iPhone owners make more that $100,000 a year, with the strongest growth in users being in the $25,000 and $50,000 range.

Between June and August 2008, iPhone owners in the lower income bracket jumped by 48 percent, increasing the figures to about 3 times as many as those making more than $100,000 a year. The iPhone user base, overall, has grown 21 percent. Mark Donovan of comScore said, “this data indicates that lower income mobile subscribers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to access the Internet, e-mail and their music collections,” “Smartphones and the iPhone, in particular, are appealing to a new demographic and are satisfying demand for a single device for communication and entertainment, even as consumers weather the economy by cutting back on gadgets.”

The study shows that with the low cost of the iPhone, it moves from being a luxury item to a means of saving money by replacing multiple devices. It appears that the witch in the iPhone user base points directly to the cost of the phone itself. The early iPhone was at least $600 making it only available to those who had a higher income. With the iPhone 3G, now starting at $200, it will now be accessible to a larger audience.

[Via MocoNews]

Amidio, Inc has released Noise.io - the first full-featured sound synthesizer for the iPhone and iPod Touch. One of the most anticipated handheld music applications, Noise.io is capable of creating all kinds of melodic sequences, basses, leads, keys, bells, percussive sounds and sound effects. Designed by an experienced electronic musician, Noise.io makes it possible to create 303-like acid basslines or any other melodies using the buit-in sequencer, or jamming live in sync with the rhythm using the TapBPM feature. Extensive sound control possibilities are implemented - fingersliding, multitouch, accelerometer, velocity-sensitive dual keyboard and a modulation matrix. 9 factory preset banks are included: Azure Leads, Warping Basslines, Infinite Keys, Distant Bells, Touch the Bass, Strange Places, Klang Percussive, FX Pack 1, totalling in 81 presets. Noise.io utilizes an original synth technology called ESFM and features 3 generators, 2 filters, 3 LFO, 3 sequencers, 6 effects, unlimited presets, extensive user support and much more. Users are able to instantly share their banks with the community utilizing the on-line preset repository at the website http://noise.io. Noise.io is available on the App Store for $9.99 (introductory price).

More screenshots from the new iPhone firmware 2.2 are surfacing over at MacRumors. First it was Google Street View, then we saw a newly added rating system for applications.

MacRumor member, TUAW posted new screenshots of the firmware, this time it seems to reveal that Apple will allow an over the air Podcast download on the iPod Touch and iPhone. The iPhone seems to be getting a lot more independence with Apple realizing that mobile phones can’t always download podcasts from a computer at any moment.

Apple seeded the iPhone 2.2 beta 2 to developers last week, still with no word as to what people can expect in this version. If what we have seen so far is true it will be more than worth the wait. There is also speculation that this may be the reason Apple rejected the Podcaster application. What we want to know is, what are your opinions?

[Via MacRumors]

AT&T has officially started providing iPhone owners with free Wi-Fi. Apple sent out a text message today to iPhone owners informing them that the service is now available. The process is really very simple.

At participating locating, Starbucks for example,  go into your settings menu and switch on Wi-Fi , then select the AT&T Wi-Fi network. When you open Safari you will see a “Get Connected Now” screen that prompts for your 10-digit mobile number. Just enter in your phone number and agree to the terms of service and your well on your way.

After just a moment another text message will appear giving you a personal link that will take you to a free Wi-Fi access screen. It is about time that AT&T gives iPhone users what they have been asking for. Now all we need is a teathering plan for the iPhone. The text message AT&T sends out has a line - “Free access is renewable every 24 hours. “ - that is not quite clear as to what exactly it means. Unlimited free access does not often need a renewal.

[Via SlashGear]

Looks like the decision to hold onto the original iPhone has finally paid off. OrangeGadgets has just announced that they will be releasing a GPS device, the iGPS360 iPhone/iPod Touch Module.

This device will give GPS functionality to those who have gone without for so long. The iGPS360 will plug into the bottom of your iPhone 2G/iPod Touch making it a bit longer than most would like. The drawback is that your iPhone or iPod Touch must first be jailbroken in order for this to work because Apple has not given the OK for any device to access the OS though the dock connecter.

The device has an on-board back-up battery that will store GPS information allowing for a quick GPS lock-on after the device itself has been switched off. You can also charge both your iPhone/iPod Touch and the GPS device at the same time through a micro USB cable that comes with the GPS device. You can pre-order the iGPS360 right now but act quick, by the looks of things they will only manufacture 1000 units.

[Via BuyMeAniPhone]

There seems to be news every day about the newly seeded firmware 2.2 for the iPhone. Yesterday it was the Google’s Street View feature, today it’s the option to rate an application when deleting it.

Recently a Greek Language website, iPhone Hellas, reported that in the new firmware version 2.2 a user is now given an application rating screen when they delete an application. After pressing the little “X” to delete an application a “Please rate before deleting” box pops up with a 5 star rating option and a “No Thanks” button.

With all the changes to the rating system to make it fair on the developers, this suggests to us that Apple is not happy with the amount of rating they are receiving at this time. We do not think that this method will accurately depict the applications worth as most people will either hit 1 star because they did not like it or just randomly select a rating just to bypass the screen. At any rate there does not seem to be any happy medium with the application rating system.

[Via iPhoneHellas]