Source: Macworld.com

The iPhone is, by far, the most popular mobile-phone gaming platform in the U.S. Out of the top 10 models of phones used for downloading games, four are iPhones, which hold the top three spots as well, according to market research company comScore.

The 8GB, 3G version of the iPhone tops the list. It is followed by the original 8GB version and the 16GB 3G version. The old 16GB iPhone trails the others, but it is still number seven on the list.

A total of about 1.1 million U.S. owners of the four iPhone models have used the device for downloading games, according to comScore.

There are a number of explanations for Apple’s dominance, according to Alistair Hill, analyst at comScore.

“The App Store is incredibly easy to use. It’s marketed very well, so everybody knows about it, and also it allows game developers to develop for it in a very easy and transparent way,” said Hill.

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Less than a year after the Apple iPhone 3G won the hearts of Mac-heads everywhere, there’s reason to suspect a new iPhone may be in the making.

Sounds like crazy talk, right? But Apple has long been known for fast refresh cycles and updates, so another iPhone wouldn’t be too much of a pipe dream. Evidence of a new iPhone appearing in late January could mean Apple is readying it for launch in June, which would fall in line with previous iPhone launches.

According to Apple watchers, MacRumors.com, Apple’s iPhone 2.2.1 firmware update for iPhone and iPod Touch users hints of a next generation of iPhone dubbed iPhone 2.1.

MacRumors indicated that Apple uses a specific numbering scheme in firmware to distinguish between iPhone models. For example, the firstgeneration iPhone 2G is labeled as iPhone 1.1, while the 3G is iPhone 1.2. The numbers don’t change for storage increases but represent functionality of different devices.

MacRumors said the new model number can be found in the USBDeviceConfuguration.plist in an unencrypted firmware.

In addition, MacRumors indicated that an iPhone application developer suggested someone is already using a new iPhone model to load ads in the application, based on an ad report from metrics firm PinchMedia. That could mean an Apple insider is testing new hardware.

Word is a next-generation iPhone could have more processing cores and advanced graphics processing.

Source:Crn.com

Apple has released the 2.2.1 firmware upgrade for the iPhone, which brings a host of bug fixes and much-needed stability to its Safari browser.

The changes for 2.2.1 had been widely leaked, but the expected tweaks for Google Street View, alterations to email and fixes for Safari are present and accounted for. It’s the latter that will cheer iPhone users most, especially those who have been dismayed by the instability of the phone’s default Safari browser.

Safari default

Apple has recently allowed a few third-party browsers to appear in the App Store, but Safari remains the way that most users interact with the internet through their iPhones.

And the phone’s browser has been beset with stability issues, often crashing back to the home menu mid-surf. The latest update appears to have fixed this issue.

Also listed in the change log is a fix for a bug that meant some images saved from email didn’t show up in the camera roll.

Source: Techradar.com

Video on devices like the iPod, iTouch and iPhone look great because of their MPEG-4 H.264 format. The good news is that there are tons of videos that you can purchase from the iTunes store, but the bad news is that you’ll go broke in a hurry downloading everything you want. Sure, some of the videos aren’t much ($1.99 each), but the numbers add up really quickly.

Thankfully, there are a slew of sites and software packages that will allow you to convert just about any video format to the H.264 mp4 format that Apple devices require. Here are the best solutions for converting videos online as well as off. Some will convert any video you have on your local computer while others will only convert videos that you find online. In any case, you will wind up with a video file in the correct format for your Apple or other mobile device.

The various online video convertors are ConvertTube, VideoDownloader, Movavi Online Convert, Videora,Free Studio Manager, Any Video Converter etc.

After converting all your videos to the appropriate video format for your iPhone, you’ll need to store them on your computer in the right place so that iTunes can do its job and copy the videos to your device. The best thing to do is create a new folder on your system called, for example, iPhone Videos, and copy the newly converted videos to that folder. You can also get into the habit of converting new videos straight to that folder to save steps and time later on.

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iShoot is a very well designed and addicting application for your iPhone or iPod Touch. iShoot Lite is a tank battle game where you launch a variety of weapons at enemy tanks. You control the trajectory by aiming your turret and the amount of thrust depending on how long you hold down the “fire” button. Last tank standing wins. You fire your weapons at the other opponents by adjusting the altitude and the power to fire at. You are able to buy better missiles,bombs and bullets to fire at your opponents but that depends on your funds. You make more money if you win the round and you can be against up to four other tanks. You take control of a powerful tank and battle to the death. Your mission is to be the last tank standing! Its a great app and its free for the Lite version which offers plenty to keep you happy.

The Good
*  Explosions create craters in the ground, into which earth and even tanks can fall in. Although totally unrealistic, it adds to the game immensely.
*  Surprisingly addicting given the simplistic set up, mostly due to a base fascination with blowing things up, but also because of the shifting nature of the battlefield.
*  At the end of each level, you get to spend earnings on weapons, of which they have increasing power in conjunction with price. Mortars are cheapest. Most unique is a roller missile which rolls down hills. Stinger missiles and cluster bombs provide a wide cover, and the most powerful and cool is the tactical nuke which blasts a huge crater and delivers a lot of damage.

The Bad
*  You can’t move your tank.
*  Sub-par graphics.
*  Turn-based.

Conclusion
Overall, iShoot Lite is surprisingly addicting despite not being able to move one’s tank and below-average graphics. It successfully creates the feeling of blowing up the enemy before they blow you up, and with enough tension along the way that the outcome isn’t clear until the last round fired. Ultimately, that’s all a decent war game needs and iShoot Lite achieves it. Plus, the “lite” version is free.

Experience the Fun and Excitement of Racing Games with the Burning Tires iPhone Application!

The exciting racing game of Burning Tires is exclusively developed to run on the iPhone platform. Released on January, 2009 Burning Tires 3D Lite and the Burning Tires full version has gained immense popularity among worldwide iPhone users, irrespective of age group. Although, there are numerous racing games that iPhone developers have created so far, Burning Tires undoubtedly has created a class of its own. The application offers you a unique racing experience in every sense.

According to Apple Inc., Burning Tires 3D Lite application ranks top in the list of free iPhone games. The application is featured in the iTunes App Store and can be downloaded onto the iPhone directly from the store. The Lite version of the Burning Tires can be downloaded for free, whereas you have to buy the full version of Burning Tires to download it onto your iPhone. The Burning Tires game is full of exciting competitions, where you play against competitors who do not show any mercy, and neither do you.

Burning Tires 3D Lite Application Features: Unique and Attractive

In Burning Tires application, you can race on cars that are not ordinary. Each car is unique in appearance as well as functionality. The full version of Burning Tires features 7 different kinds of cars. The models change with each level. You start the game with one car, and then have to unlock the 6 other models by completing each level. On Burning Tires, you can play through 12 tracks in 3 different locations. The graphics of the application is quite impressive and is accompanied by real like weather effects, which adds to the whole impact of the race.

The Burning Tires application fully utilizes the accelerometer and the touch-technology of the device for game controlling. You can play the game either by tapping and touching or by tilting the device in order to use the accelerometer sensor. The full version of Burning Tires iPhone application further features a series of trophies that you can receive after you win the race. An Action replay feature is also added to the full version of the application. The Burning Tires paid version has incorporated several advanced 3D car physics to make the game more attractive and exciting.

So, if you really want to experience the ultimate fun and excitement of racing games, then get the Burning Tires application installed onto your iPhone and hit the road!

Freeverse, a company focused on building software on Mac and iPhone platforms, has announced the release of its SlotZ Racer car racing game for the iPhone and iPod touch.

SlotZ Racer is built in association with Strange Flavour, a small U.K. based independent games developer. Game shows realistic 3D slot cars which lets players race against the computer or friends.

It has a unique control system that allows up to 4 people to race on a single iPhone. It comes with inbuilt feature called “intuitive track editor” to give the player the ultimate freedom to design their very own courses, and offers a wide selection of cars to race.

The game also includes un-lockable new circuits, cars, track locations and championship challenges to keep the action exciting and fresh, says company.

Players can get a real car racing feel with different options to play such as lane changing, or fixed lanes for the racing purists. Users can even compete for laps or against the clock in Time Trials, drive an endurance race with simulated days and nights option, or play a ‘Quick Race’ to jump straight into the action.

SlotZ Racer is immediately available for iPhone and iPod Touch from Apple’s App Store.