iPhone

I'll admit that I'm more into puzzles and brain games than I am into, say, poker. Don't get me wrong. iPhone poker is cool, but the word game Wurdle is the one I can't put down as I nearly miss my bus stop.

In Wurdle ($1.99), you drag your finger in any direction over adjacent letters in a grid to form as many words as you can before time runs out. The grid size, word length, game duration, dictionary, and even tile color are all customizable. Wurdle keeps track of high scores and the longest … Read more

Speaker systems for the iPod are a dime a dozen, but a few of them stand out from the rest. Altec Lansing has built a solid reputation for building affordable iPod speaker systems with above-average sound quality, and its latest inMotion Max portable speaker system is no exception.

The Max is compatible with both the iPod and iPhone, and comes stocked with an FM radio, charging dock, aux input, and an internal rechargeable battery good for about 3.5 hours of iPod playback. We're not bowled over with the Max's unique industrial design and touch-sensitive controls, but at $… Read more

I'm a month-to-month T-Mobile customer with a Nokia 6133 that is on its lest leg. I want to get a phone with a full Internet browser and I'm deciding between the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1. I'd also like access for my Yahoo mail, but I don't need my work e-mail. Which do you recommend? Also, I don't own an iPod or use iTunes (I usually use Amazon to purchase music), so I'm concerned about moving to an all-iTunes environment. - EJ

That's a a very good question, EJ, and the answer depends on your individual needs and desires. Though the iPhone is the better overall device (at least right now) a person in your situation should seriously consider the G1. Here is why.

I always tell people who are considering purchasing an iPhone 3G that there are three reasons to buy one. Forget the slick design and the flashy and user-friendly interface; I recommend buying the iPhone for its Web browser, its media player, and (to a somewhat lesser extent) its support for third-party applications. These three areas are where the iPhone performs very well, so I advise basing your decision on a comparison of those points. Sure, the design and interface are important, but I'd treat them and the e-mail integration as secondary motivators. And of course, I wouldn't base my decision on call quality alone, as the iPhone 3G still suffers in that area.

When boiled down to those three points, the G1 offers a compelling alternative to the iPhone. It also has a Web browser and media player and it supports third-party apps. While those apps are limited for now, more will come in the future. And as Bonnie Cha and Nicole Lee reported in their G1 review, the media player and browser offered satisfying performance. Sure, they may not be as good as on the iPhone, but they may be good enough for you. And here's another advantage for you: the G1's integration with the Amazon MP3 store means you wouldn't have to switch over to iTunes. And on a similar note, the G1 would enable you to stay with T-Mobile if you're happy with its service. … Read more

Apple is ready to start a new chapter in the history of the iPod with a new leader for that group.

The company's selection of Mark Papermaster as the new head of iPod and iPhone hardware engineering points the way toward a more sophisticated future for Apple's mobile computers, as Apple has been hinting for over a year. The veteran chip and system designer will be tasked with overseeing the transformation of the iPod lineup from relatively simple music players to complex and powerful mobile devices, with the iPod Touch as the first example.

Longtime Apple executive Tony Fadell … Read more

For at least a few minutes in the daily spin cycle, the news about Mark Papermaster and Tony Fadell topped the interest in the fate of those two other guys attracting lots of attention today.

Since Apple's preferred mode of communicating with the rest of humanity is via the issuance of press releases, we're only left to speculate about the cosmic import of what is, on the surface, a big event in the company's recent history. The company confirmed that Mark Papermaster, who had been a vice president at IBM, who will join Apple as senior vice … Read more

In case you're just awakening from a coma, today's election day in the United States, and turnout's expected to set records.

But what about tomorrow? After the polling places have closed and the results are in, what can you do if you still hanker to cast a ballot and make your opinion count? OurStage offers you the chance to make or break thousands of independent artists by listening to and rating their songs.

The Web site's been around for more than a year, but last week the company added a free iPhone application as well. You … Read more

After the California primary earlier this year where my touchscreen voting machine literally rebooted in mid-vote, this time around I was wondering what California and/or San Francisco election officials would do. Sure, my buggy e-voting machine did have a paper receipt behind glass next to the machine that looked to have captured my choices accurately, but the whole experience was not particularly reassuring. What about those folks in states that do NOT have a paper record next to the machine?

This election, with all the hype, all the California propositions that really matter, is one where an independent record … Read more

Ever since the RIM BlackBerry Storm was introduced in early October, I've received a ton of questions about the smartphone. A majority of the queries have been about availability and pricing, but there have been some more specific questions about features, competitor comparisons, and whether it will come to other carriers.

Given all the interest in the BlackBerry Storm, I decided to round up some of the most frequently asked questions about the first touch-screen BlackBerry and share them with you in this Ask the Editors post. I've tried to answer them to the best of my ability, but please realize there are just some things I can't completely answer, whether it's because the companies aren't talking (trust me, I'm trying) or because I haven't had any real hands-on time with the device. Still, I wanted to get as much information as I could out there.

Also, if you have any questions that weren't answered here, post them in the comment section below and I'll try to get them all.

Q: When will the BlackBerry Storm be available and for how much?

A: Ahh, the million dollar question. I talked to Research In Motion on Monday to try to get more information, and not surprisingly, I got a canned response: "The BlackBerry Storm will be available from Verizon Wireless this fall. Pricing in the U.S. will be determined by Verizon Wireless and they haven't announced the price."

To be fair, these details will largely be determined by Verizon, so I can't really fault RIM. I did also reach out to Verizon Monday and have yet to hear back (I'll update as soon I do), but I suspect I'll get a similarly vague response. … Read more

You just bought a new MacBook Pro. You can't wait to pull it out of the box and sync it with your shiny new iPhone. Perhaps you travel abroad a lot, and you can't afford to pay AT&T's insane international roaming rates (Who can?). Or perhaps you have an application that Apple won't provide you through its App Store but that can be installed on a jailbroken phone.

If you have a new MacBook, you may be out of luck. If you have Windows, however, you should be fine. The irony is stifling.

Gizmodo is reporting … Read more