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PhoneFace puts a face (or weird avatar) for your frequently dialed contacts.

Like Cover Flow for contacts, PhoneFace lets you create a custom favorites list comprised entirely of photos (and/or avatars).

In other words, it's a visual alternative to the iPhone's own Favorites list. And a terrific one at that.

To get started, you tap the Plus icon, then choose an existing contact from your address book. If there's not already an associated photo, you'll have the option to snap one with the iPhone's camera, choose one from your photo library, pick an avatar from PhoneFace's collection, or even pull down his/her Twitter profile photo (if it's someone you're already following).

After you've added some contacts, you can flip through them just like flipping through album covers in Cover Flow.

When you tap a photo, you'll see a menu that lets you call any of that contact's numbers, send a text message, or compose an e-mail.

The idea, of course, is that it's easier to find a contact by face than by drilling through a text-based list. It definitely is, which is why I wish you could link the iPhone app's Favorites icon directly to PhoneFace. Having to hunt for the icon kills a bit of the convenience.

Of course, you could always add it to your "dock" icons at the bottom of the screen. My only real complaint with the app is its weird assortment of avatars. A silhouetted cowboy? An astronaut carrying a briefcase? Uh, whatever.

Still, if you're a fan of Cover Flow, you'll love PhoneFace. It's 99 cents.

Not a fan of Cover Flow? Then what's your favorite speed-dial app for the iPhone?

The cracked Kindle 2 that's at the center of the lawsuit.

Here's quick update to the story we posted the other day on a couple filing a class-action lawsuit over a potential design flaw in Amazon's Kindle 2 involving the company's cover and cracks developing around the clasps where the cover attaches to the device.

Amazon has decided that it will now replace Kindles that have been cracked by the cover free of charge, reversing its earlier stance that the Kindle 2's warranty didn't cover such cracks and required a $200 fee to repair. As expected, Amazon wouldn't comment on the lawsuit itself, which will apparently continue for the time being.

The couple's lawyer, Beth Terrell, told the Seattle Times that the lawsuit would proceed: "If they [Amazon] would like to resolve the matter, I think the way to do it is through a court-approved process."

We'll see how the settlement plays out, but I think the plaintiff is looking at free Kindles for life and lot of free e-books.

Comments?

(Via Engadget via Information Week)

The cracked Kindle 2 that's at the center of the lawsuit.

Amazon prides itself on customer service, but it now finds itself the target of a $5 million class action lawsuit because it failed to replace a Kindle 2 that a customer alleges was damaged by Amazon's own $30 protective case.

Matthew Geise, executive director of a Seattle property management firm, and his wife, Alisa Brodkowitz, are behind the suit (the $5 million sought represents damages for all Kindle owners who are affected by the problem, as well as legal costs).

The story goes like this. Brodkowitz's Kindle 2, which she received as a gift from her husband, developed cracks around around the points "where the cover attaches with metal clips," Geise told Seattle Times reporter Brier Dudley. On July 6, the screen froze and the device stopped working.

In user reviews of the e-reader, other Kindle owners have complained about cracks in the area around the clasps, so the issue is apparently not isolated.

Brodkowitz spoke with a customer rep, who said the screen freeze was covered under the Kindle 2's warranty, but not the cracks, which the rep allegedly said "were caused by improperly opening the cover backwards." A $200 repair fee was required to fix the maimed Kindle.

Instead of paying, Geise and his wife decided to file a class action lawsuit. According to the suit, what seems to have ticked the couple off was an Amazon customer service supervisor telling Brodkowitz that the cracks are a "common problem," but that the $200 repair fee still had to be paid. Brodkowitz says she never did any backward bending of the cover.

Here at CNET, we didn't have any issues with the cover causing damage to our initial review sample, but we only had it for three weeks. ... Read more

(Credit: Kotaku)

As far as video game box art goes, no game cover is more touted than the EA franchise Madden NFL football. Every year EA picks a special athlete to grace the game's cover, forever etching them into video game history. In the franchise's 21-year history, no two athletes have ever shared the cover--until now.

This year, Madden 10 will feature two players from last season's Super Bowl, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. Last year saw quarterback Brett Favre as the title's leading man, only to have been signed by the New York Jets after the final retail copy showed him in his former Green Bay Packers uniform.

Madden 10 will be released this August on every major gaming platform. We highly recommend checking out some of the latest screenshots here.

Of course we can't neglect the infamous "Madden curse," a somewhat peculiar string of coincidences that has affected the game's cover star. All that's left to wonder is what's going to happen to each of these guys this season?

(Via Kotaku)

This iShelf design by Li Jianye takes the iTunes Cover Flow idea and brings it to real life. Think about it too hard and you might notice its small inadequacies (it can only hold five jewel cases and doesn't rotate), but it's the cleverly ironic idea that counts, right? Plus, you can put it on your shelf and brag to your Mac friends that you don't need the PC version of iTunes to make you happy. The iShelf is currently still in the prototype stages of design and might never see the light of day.

More pics after the jump.

In case you hadn't heard already, this morning Esquire officially unveiled the first "digital" E-Ink cover in paper magazine history at an event in a Borders store in Manhattan. The special cover, which helps promote/commemorate Esquire's 75th anniversary edition, is only incorporated into 100,000 copies, all of which are available only at newsstands for $5.99 a pop--that's $2 more than the usual price. Sorry, subscribers, you get a ho-hum nondigital version.

The whole venture is sponsored by Ford and its campaign for its new "crossover" vehicle, the Flex. The cover is actually pretty cool in a gee-look-what-we-can-do sort of way; it's basically an electronic billboard that flashes on and off in different sequences, highlighting words and images. E-ink is monochrome but there's a plastic overlay that has some color images printed on it, so from a distance, the ink appears to be in color in spots--but it's not. On the inside of the cover, there's also a bit of e-ink flashing on the background of a Ford Flex ad that kind of makes the car look like it's moving (OK, not really, but I'm trying to be generous).

Neither Esquire, Ford, nor E-Ink would say how much it cost to produce the special cover, but we imagine it wasn't cheap. As for the built in battery that powers the 2.0 by 4.75-inch electronic paper display (EPD), Esquire Editor in Chief David Granger said they initially expected it to last 90 days but it appears it will last significantly longer--upwards of 250 days. Once the battery dies (it's not replaceable) a static image will be left on the EPD. In other words, part of the display will remain "on" with the ghosted remnants of the E-Ink, much like what Amazon's Kindle does with its screensaver images.

All in all, we're not sure what the point of the whole exercise is because Esquire is a paper magazine and wants to stay that way. But as a marketing stunt, it's fantastic for all the parties involved. Esquire gets to appear cutting edge, as does Ford. And E-ink? Well, plenty of people have heard of the Kindle and maybe Sony's Reader, but not that many people know what kind of technology is at their core. With potential competitors like Plastic Logic and its superslim electronic reader popping up, E-Ink needs to try to stay ahead of the curve.

What do you guys think?

Related news: Plastic Logic's plastic reader is thin, simple, strong

When Cover Flow for iTunes was first introduced, I was initially pretty excited. After all, who wouldn't want to browse through their music and movies by flipping through covers? It's almost like flipping through records or CDs at a music store. But once I got Cover Flow up on screen with iTunes, I was faced with something I'm sure a lot of people experienced--there were so few album covers associated with my music library, Cover Flow was almost useless. I've been able to add many covers to my library since, but I still had gaping sections where no cover art would show up at all.

Perform multiple searches simultaneously to fill in the blanks of your album art quickly.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Well, I have good news: there's a program available which will search several online databases to track down cover art for you, and does many more cool things to bring back that CD-flipping feeling of old to Cover Flow. It's called CoverScout, and though you will have to pay to register after a trial period, it really goes the extra mile to fill in the blanks of your music library. Like other programs of this type, it searches the Amazon.com database for matches, but CoverScout searches Google images too and can perform multiple searches simultaneously. It can also seek out art for singles and compilations with its advanced search system, so you're not limited to just the main stream albums. What's more, even if CoverScout can't find what you're looking for, you can use it to snap a picture of your CD cover with your Webcam or iSight camera to fill the art in manually. CoverScout supports iTunes, the iPhone, iPod Touch, and even the Apple TV.

Choose from multiple search results to find the exact cover you're looking for.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

If you're like me, you probably thought Cover Flow was great until you actually saw how few albums were represented from your library. With CoverScout, you can breath new life into your iTunes music library and flip through your albums the way Cover Flow was meant to be used.

Though she resides in New York, Laura Cantrell has genuine Nashville roots and a classic country heritage, which comes across clearly through her warm, rootsy recordings. On her travel-themed '08 covers collection "Trains and Boats and Planes," she blends her penchant for purebred honky-tonk with new takes on pop, folk, and country forget-me-nots, including New Order's "Love Vigilantes."

Download free MP3 now!

A cow for your candy bar phone

(Credit: Funfriends.com)

Now, here is an unnecessary, landfill-filling product. Perhaps you're a person who thinks a standard cell phone case is just too dull. Or perhaps you're a pink-loving person who collects Precious Moments memorabilia and squeals with delight every time you see a picture of a baby or a cutesy animal. If either of these descriptions apply, then a company called Fun Friends has something just for you.

Here boy!

(Credit: FunFriends.com)

Now you can protect your cell phone and give it some "attitude" (as the company says) with a animal cell phone cover. Available for candy bar and flip handsets, these plush covers will secure your phone from scratches and nicks while turning the stomach of everyone around you. Sure, you may look ridiculous while using one, but they're just sooo sweet! Each "fun friend" is $9.99; you can choose from 66 flip phone covers and 24 candy bar phone covers. If you do buy one our only advice would be to ditch that cell phone dangle. It's important to remember that you can have too many accessories.