Big thanks to all for participating in our mind-blowing giveaway. Thanks for joining us on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for bringing friends.  

Here is the winners list. We hope you will enjoy the apps.

We’ll have more contests and giveaways soon. Stay tuned!

To celebrate the launch of our new Facebook page we are giving away 60 (!!!) promo codes for 12 fantastic iPhone/iPad apps (5 codes for each app) to our lucky readers.

The apps included in our mind-blowing giveaway:

• Storyville ($4.99) by Fatty Apps
• BookBuddy ($4.99) by Kimico
• dotfunc(camera) ($2.99) by Tuve Nordius
• Frida’s World ($2.99) by Gramercy Consultants
• Packing Pro ($2.99) by Quinn Genzel
  
• Tunes World ($2.99) by Jessica Lee
  
• Robokill ($1.99) by Wandake
  
• iShopList ($1.99) by Fabio Ianniciello
• BustaBaloon ($1.19) by Monkey Rat Solutions
• PorkosWar ($0.99) by SouthLabs
  
• Cars ($0.99) by Makayama Media
• ToonFace ($0.99) by Blank

Rules:

• Join our newly created Facebook page and comment on the giveaway post letting us know which app you would like to win the most.
• Follow us on Twitter and RT the contest message: We have 60 promo codes for iPhone/iPad apps to give away. Details at https://bit.ly/gr2vgl #giveaway (Twitter entries must include a shorturl back to this post).
• Sixty winners will be selected in a random drawing and announced on February 7th.
• Winners will be contacted via Facebook message or Twitter DM.
• The giveaway starts right now and ends at midnight (EST), Sunday, February 6th.
  

Good luck!

Skype has just issued an app update which allows for video chatting from the iPhone to the PC and/or Mac or between iPhones/iPod touches. Come the next generation of iPad, it’ll probably work on that too. The video chatting can be done on both WiFi and 3G (as opposed to FaceTime, which is WiFi only). This update is a game changer in terms of video chatting.

Not only is Skype now more capable than FaceTime in terms of video chatting, it is also OS neutral. I wouldn’t be surprised if Skype issued a similar update to its Android version in the near future. FaceTime only works on the Mac and is still in beta. Yahoo video has had this capability for a little while, but Skype is more ubiquitous globally.

Of course, if you’re using AT&T in the United States, 3G video calls could eat up your 2 Gigabyte data limit in about a 20 minute call. It’s best to stick with WiFi or the traditional voice call in that case. Perhaps upon a Verizon iPhone release, AT&T will allow for video calls over their cellular network or at least cut the data cap. I can dream, can’t I?

It took six months for this obvious update to be issued. I wondered way-back-when as to why Skype didn’t have this particular update out of the gate once the iPhone 4 was released. At this stage, I can only conclude that they weren’t ready for it at the time. Better late than never.

Ever feel like you have too many devices that need charging and too few plugs in one place to get everything charged up at the same time?  I mean its not like I mind putting my iPhone on one wall plug, and my wife’s on the other.  Then walking across the room to plug my iPad in the wall charger next to my Verizon palm (yes, the AT&T signal is that bad in my area).  Or how about those iTouches, or any number of other devices that have taken their place in our daily lives.

Enter the iB969, a charging station that can charge up to 4 devices at the same time.  iHome has not only included 2 docking ports for iPhones, they also included cables for charging BlackBerry phones, e-Readers, iPads, iPods, and even my Palm device.  The fact that all of my devices can sit in one place and get charged at the same time make this one of the easiest ways to avoid the inevitable "where did I put that device" feeling you get rushing out in the morning.

With a retail price for the iB969 of $50, we think its a reasonable price to ask for a multi-purpose dock.

We tested station with an iPhone, a Palm, and an iPad. All 3 devices charged successfully while we synced the iPhone.

The iB969 has 2 Apple device docks, one provides a quick charge, and the other for full charge.

 Underneath the dock, there are switches that can change the ports between quick charge and full charge. In addition, there are 2 USB ports and some very nice cable management hardware which will let you wrap your cables before snaking it out the back.  This keeps things very neat and makes the station look like it was custom made for the devices you decide to use it on. The other nice feature we liked was that the front half of the station can be extended to provide a larger area for larger devices like your e-Reader.

For anyone with multiple devices who want a neat flexible solution for keeping all devices in one area, the iB969 can’t be beat.

This is a three part series on tips and tricks for blogging and writing on the go using the iPhone. Part one will cover the stands that can be used, part two will cover helpful hardware to buy for your mobile blogging setup, and part three will discuss the software that is available.

Part 1: Stand by Me

If you have read my posts in the past, you know I work as a Paramedic and that I do much of the writing during the down time between calls. In the past I would lug (I can’t believe I’m saying that about my Macbook) my laptop to work with me and would use it to play movies, browse the web, or play games. When a call would come in, or you would move to a new post, I would have to close the laptop and carefully slip it into my laptop bag. This wouldn’t take too long, but it was cumbersome to take this laptop in and out all day.

When the first iPhone came out I quickly embraced the power and flexibility of this mobile device. Now my movies and web browsing could be done without my laptop. A year later apps would take the play of laptop gaming and I would virtually never bring my laptop to work anymore. My iPhone had replaced my laptop as my mobile computer and relegated my Macbook to a portable desktop. With the release of the iPhone 4, I began doing the bulk of the writing from the passenger seat of my ambulance. In order to do this effectively I had to combine many tools to enable an efficient system of writing. In this article I will discuss the many different stands that are available for the iPhone.

When I started working on this article I contacted several companies that manufacture stands for the iPhone and requested some review products so I could get an idea of what the options were. I saw beanbags, full cases with suction cups, and stands that could fold to fit in your pocket. Each of these appeared to offer both advantages and disadvantages and the prices ranged from a couple bucks to $40-$50!

Most companies I contacted did not return my email, and the few that did were not able to offer any review products. The exception was a small company called In Your Face. Their single product, aptly named In Your Face flexible iPhone holder, has proven to be a versatile tool and you can read the hand on review here. Since one stand was not enough to do a complete lineup, I turned to the internet to fine some DIY options for an iPhone stand. It seems make other people were put off by the options available to them, and found solutions from the items they had around them.

Most homemade stands are variations on a similar theme. I notch is made near the front in whatever material you are using. This is where the iPhone rests. The material in front of the notch keeps the iPhone from sliding forward. While the material (if it is in two pieces ) is joined together in the back. The back is usually higher than the front to keep the iPhone propped at the correct angle. These cases done have to be heavy, though a heavier case does add stability. My first version was made from a heavy plastic that in a earlier life was a piece of schwag from Macworld that folded into an iPod stand. I have also tried the credit card stand that is outlined here. Both of which were ok, but were still a bit unstable for my taste.

The  next idea I had was to use the stand that came with my first generation iPhone. I had read here that the iPhone 4 fits perfectly in the original’s dock, and so I dug around on my desk, found the white paperweight and tried it out. The idea was taken from a stand Belkin makes to pair with their alarm clock app. You basically place the iPhone in the dock and then turn the iPhone on its side. The dock acts as a kick stand keeping the iPhone sitting upright.  This method still allowed access for a charger do the iPhone connector on the back of the dock. The only down side was that the dock was wider than the iPhone, which caused the iPhone to be tilted vertically on a level surface. As nice as this method was, the tilt bothered me, so I continued to search for a better solution.

I currently am making use of an object that is usually at hand on a regular basis in this business: the Starbucks coffee sleeve. A few quick cuts with a pair of scissors and this round sleeve does a great job of holding the iPhone at the proper angle while it sits on the dash. If the stand is damaged or is lost I can pick up a new one at any Starbucks which isn’t too hard to find.

It may not be the most professional, but it certainly performed the task well enough for the cost. At some point I am tempted to try and make my own bean bag since it seem that its dynamic shape could be a more stable base, especially on the uneven dash of an ambulance.

With the stand problem squared away for the most part, I moved on to other hardware I would need. In part two I will discuss the options for other hardware that will interface with the iPhone when writing. Stay tuned.

In case you haven’t heard, Apple is having a press event on September 1st.  Big money says it’s to announce the new line of iPods (including an iPod touch that would be much, much closer in functionality to the iPhone).   There is also a line of thought that says Apple will also announce the next generation of Apple TV which would have a price point of $99, utilize iOS and allow folks to buy apps to play on their televisions.

So what do you think?  What else will Apple announce?  Are you looking forward to these possible products?  Sound off in the comments.

One could argue that an article on Apple TV is outside the purview of this blog.  However, given the rumors about AppleTV’s next generation, it becomes more relevant.

For those not keeping score, the popular rumor is that the next iteration of Apple’s television console will only have 16 GB of internal storage.  Essentially, it will be an iPod touch that you can hook into your TV (although apparently at only 720p.  That’s going to make some hesitate).  The price point will be $99 and it would be tough for even the most ardent Apple haters to argue with that cost.

The most interesting issue (and relevant to this site) is that this console will have its own set of apps in the App Store as well as running television programs and being interactive with iTunes.  You know what I think?  I think Apple just entered the gaming console market with a price point of about half of it’s cheapest competitor.

Granted, the games will likely be simpler, but they’ll also be cheaper than any of the competition and that will be a big factor.  If this device comes with its own trackpad, then existing App Store games could work with only minor modifications.

The only problem is that, according to the rumor, the new AppleTV will be called iTV.  Mr. Jobs, there already is an iTV and it’s a major television network in England.  You may have to license that name just as you did iOS.