I haven’t played the earlier version of this game – Chopper. And I am kicking myself for having missed it.

However, if you are like me and missed the first version, you have to get this new and improved game Chopper 2. Let’s see why I say that.

The first thing that jumps at you in the game is the 3D effects in the landscapes and instructions. Chopper 2 is built as a Universal app so it works both on the iPhone and iPad. It is an amazing deal at the launch sale price of $2.99 if you have both iPhone & iPad.

The graphics are eye popping and the effects are very cool on the iPad as well as in the iPhone 4’s Retina Display.

Game Play

The game starts out very simple and builds up with weapons and controls. It is essentially a side scrolling game where you tilt up/down to fly/land the helicopter. You tilt sideways to move forward or backward.

You fire your machine gun by just touching the screen anywhere. If you press and hold you will see an onscreen arc which you can trace to change the direction of fire.

You will notice that the landscape itself is kind of in a 3D thanks to the author David Frampton’s Magic Jungle software.

The game has 36 action packed missions over 12 unique and beautiful locations. The firing and 3d engine have totally been rewritten and you will see the difference instantly.

In fact, the instructions in the game are also rendered in kind of a 3D effect with great music to go with the game. It actually features a 17 minute long original soundtrack and with the OpenAL’s spatial sound effects it will be a shame to play this game on mute.

The game is rendered with HD graphics on both iPad and iPhone 4 and it looks absolutely gorgeous on the iPad’s larger screen!

On the iPhone 4, it even utilizes the iPhone 4 gyroscope for increased controls.

iPad Coolness

If you have both an iPhone or iPod Touch and an iPad, you are probably already jumping on this deal of $2.99 for both devices. Wait until you hear this.

You can use the game’s remote control feature and control the chopper wirelessly with your iPhone or iPod Touch over Bluetooth. How cool is that? It includes all iDevices except the first generation iPhone and iPod Touch.

Also, you can TV out this game from the iPad and play it with this Bluetooth remote control on your TV!

If there is one thing that I have nitpick about this game is the missile bomb control. You have to be perfectly still to fire it and aim right. The slightest move sends it off course. Maybe I haven’t figured out how to do it right.

I rarely give a 5 out of 5 for an iPhone game but this is a ground breaking effort from David Frampton and is definitely one of those games that redefines the iDevice gaming landscape forever.

If you are a fan of Coldstone Creamery, Chopper 2 game is a ‘I gotta have it!’

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Availability: App Store

Price: $2.99 (Universal app – launch sale price)

Reviewed at version: 1.0

We have mentioned earlier Gameloft sale that put a bunch of awesome iPhone games on sale for $0.99.

Today again they have a few more iPhone and iPad games on sale for $0.99. The best value is in 3 $6.99 iPad games that are on sale for just $0.99.

• NFL 2010 ($2.99 –> $0.99)
• Brain Challenge 2: Think again! ($4.99 –> $0.99)
• Iron Man 2 for iPad ($6.99 –> $0.99)
• Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front HD ($6.99 –> $0.99)
• Shrek Cart HD for iPad ($6.99 –> $0.99)

I mentioned the Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front HD sale on our sister iPad blog this morning. There are 2 more games you can snag for real cheap for your iPad.

Appigo’s Todo is one of the premium task manager apps for iPhone & iPod Touch. You can check out our Todo task manager iPhone app review here.

Appigo just announced via email that Todo 4 for iPhone & iPad is coming soon.

There wasn’t a lot more details in the mail other than the fact the app will have support for the new abilities of iOS 4.

Also, notable is that the Windows and Mac Appigo Sync clients will also be updated to support the new app features.

We will give you another heads up as soon as the update hits the App Store.

You can also read our ToDo iPad app review here.

One of the first things I ordered when I bought my iPhone 4 is the full body coverage offered by invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone.

You have heard of the iPhone 4 antenna issues. Apple’s answer is to offer free iPhone 4 cases to all customers. But, most people including myself are seeing shipping dates in September.

If you have been considering getting some kind of protection for the precious Retina display and the glass back for your iPhone 4, this is a great time to get invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone.

InvisibleSHIELD for iPhone 4 now ships with an antenna shield for the sides that could help prevent dropped calls and data connections.

You can also order the SHIELD for just the sides for $9.99 or get the full body coverage with the sides.

The best thing about InvisibleSHIELD? It’s the lifetime replacement warranty with free shipping. All you need to do is to order your replacement online and send in your old one once you have out on the old one. That easy!

Here is a short video showing the side shield that helps with the antenna issue.

You could also get ZAGG invisibleSHIELD for iPad – Scratch Proof Protection (Full Body) (APPIPADFB) only $21.39. And that is a steal!

Tip: Here is a less known trick. Before you purchase an invisibleSHIELD, go one of the above links and find a ‘Win an iPad’ label at the bottom right. Enter your email address in the drawing. You will receive an email with 10 to 50% off coupon code for entering. Plus, you have a shot at winning an iPad.

Full Disclosure: The post contains affiliate links for the product. We only endorse products that we love and care.

The whole of iPhone jailbreaking community erupted with applause when EFF announced that iPhone (iPod Touch & iPad) jailbreaking and unlocking is legal.

However, that doesn’t mean Apple is going to sit down and take this easily.

In a phone call to fellow tech site, Cult of Mac, Apple’s spokesperson said

Apple’s goal has always been to insure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience. As we’ve said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.

Apple has partly customer’s interest in their heart. I don’t know about the other possibly-sinister part. But, atleast they want you to stay safe with App Store-approved apps only. Jailbreaking lets you install software that may or may not be malicious.

However, most jailbreakers are wary of that and usually rely upon tech sites like ourselves for recommendation on good jailbreak apps.

Jailbreaking gives you more choices with your iDevice and if used ,careful like anything that is connected to the Internet, can be a boon to the consumer. In fact, there is almost 10 million jailbroken iPhones already out there and the number is going to swell when the iPhone 4 jailbreak surfaces soon.

However, as Apple has warned it can also void your iPhone warranty. If jailbreaking is important to you, you could consider alternatives like SquareTrade warranty that covers jailbroken iPhones.

What is your take on this?

{ via Cult of Mac }

Have you wondered about the evolution of the 4 generations of iPhone and their speed?

Wonder no more.. check out this video below

So what did you think about the speed difference?

iPhone 4 added a new hardware called Gyroscope. It adds another dimension to the accelerometer experience that lets you tilt your iPhone to do different things.

The accelerometer has changed gaming and iPhone has become such a huge gaming platform with hundreds of thousands of games available for it now.

iPhone 4’s gyroscope adds another dimension. It can be easily explained with an action. With iPhone 4 you can tilt your device to move left or right in a game. And if you turned your body, you will also turn inside a game just like looking around in a room. (see video below)

Ngmoco has released a game called Eliminate:GunRange which uses the iPhone 4 gyroscope brilliantly.

You are in a beautifully crafted gun range with several different weapons and you have to turn a little to see all around the room to shoot down targets.

GunRange features 12 different weapons and 144 target-shooting challenges set in 3 different HD firing ranges.

The controls take a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it it gets really addictive to shoot down those targets.

The game is available in a ad-free version for $0.99 and as a free version with ads that popup every couple of levels. I tried the free version and the ads didn’t bother me. Actually it gave my eyes a good respite after a couple of levels.

For those who like to invert the axis setting, it has been added to the options. If you want to take a look at the future of iPhone gaming that is going to make use of the iPhone 4’s gyroscope, Eliminate:GunRange is an excellent start.

You can take a look at this video if you’d rather want to quickly check out how it works before trying.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Availability: App Store

Pricing: Free (ads) and $0.99 (ad-free)

Reviewed at version: 1.1

One of the main reasons I started buying smart phones was because they are great tools for consolidating what you carry around. Before I knew the full capability, the reason why I bought my first smart phone was to get away from carrying an electronic planner and a phone.
Making my pockets even less full these days is CardStar. Almost every time I go to a new store they have a membership card to sign up for. After collecting about twice as many cards on my keychain as there are keys, and there are quite a few keys, I decided I had to do something about it. That is where CardStar comes in.

This app is a catch all for all of those membership cards you have floating around. You can even add library cards. With built in support for just about any loyalty card using establishment that I have heard of, and many I haven’t, it’s easy to input your card numbers for easy access. You can choose from one of the already know card types, or input a custom card. There are nine different barcode types to choose from when adding a custom card which will accommodate almost any barcode.

Once you have all your cards added you can select the card you need from the main screen, and it displays the barcode. If you turn your phone upside down, you can enter the gas/kiosk mode, which puts the barcode closer to the top of the screen, for easier access. And now you can store all your cards at home, and still have access to them whenever you need them. You can also go to the info tab of a card and get a link to the stores home page/member account page, place a call to their customer service, or press the store locator for locations (this feature is broken, and does not display locations near your position).

I would recommend this app to anyone carrying too many cards in their wallet, or on their keychain. The description in the app store says the next update includes “iOS4 compatibility, fast app switching, hi-res icons, cloud backup and much more.” The best part of this, in my opinion, is going to be the cloud backup. I have had to restore my phone, and most recently I upgraded my phone, and have had to manually re-enter all my numbers, which wasn’t fun. Another feature that would be great, but hasn’t been mentioned, would be to scan in your barcode with the camera.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Availability: App Store

Price: Free

Apple had previously announced that the Apple iPhone 4 will be launched in 17 countries on July 30th and it is holding up this promise. Unlike the unicorn white iPhone 4.

The black iPhone 4 is debuting in the following 17 countries

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Apple has released a press release with the same information

iPhone 4 will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland this Friday, July 30.

iPhone 4 is currently available in France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model. iPhone 4 will roll out to many more countries later this year and Apple will announce availability and local pricing for these additional countries at a later date.

As you might have heard already, the white iPhone 4 is delayed until the end of the year so don’t hold your breath if you want one soon.

If you are getting a new iPhone 4 in any of these countries, we would like give our warm welcome to you! Please leave a comment here.

{ via Apple PR }

Absolutely fantastic news for fans of jailbreaking Apple iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has  successfully established that jailbreaking your iPhone does not violate the DMCA copyright laws.

The first of EFF’s three successful requests clarifies the legality of cell phone “jailbreaking” — software modifications that liberate iPhones and other handsets to run applications from sources other than those approved by the phone maker. More than a million iPhone owners are said to have “jailbroken” their handsets in order to change wireless providers or use applications obtained from sources other than Apple’s own iTunes “App Store,” and many more have expressed a desire to do so. But the threat of DMCA liability had previously endangered these customers and alternate applications stores.

In its reasoning in favor of EFF’s jailbreaking exemption, the Copyright Office rejected Apple’s claim that copyright law prevents people from installing unapproved programs on iPhones: “When one jailbreaks a smartphone in order to make the operating system on that phone interoperable with an independently created application that has not been approved by the maker of the smartphone or the maker of its operating system, the modifications that are made purely for the purpose of such interoperability are fair uses.”

EFF has also successfully renewed the existing DMCA exception for carrier unlocking for iPhone. You can read all about it here.

Although we can atleast not worry about the legality of jailbreaking our iPhones & iPads, Apple will still continue to thwart the attempts to jailbreak and unlock their iDevices.

There is a school of thought that Apple intentionally leaves some holes unpatched. What do you think?

{ via Dev team blog }