Crave

(Credit: Apple)

File it under the "get this while you can" category. Last week Apple approved a 99-cent application called iRwego that features both the sounds and artwork of the Super Mario series from Nintendo. And yes, it's still up--though probably not for long.

The app, not blessed by Nintendo, plays more than a minute of music from the Super Mario game while using the iPhone/iPod's accelerometer to take into account any physical movement by the user. In turn, it plays back the same jump sound effect found in Nintendo's Mario games. The idea is to run the app, then stick it in your pocket and pretend to be everyone's favorite plumber.

Along with its accelerometer-powered sound effects, the app also acts as a soundboard, playing familiar sounds like the "worp worp worp" of the green warp pipes, jumping on enemies heads, and hitting the familiar orange question mark power-up boxes. There are also two Mario quotes: "Here we go!" and "Oki doki!" which can be played just by tapping the white, on-screen speech bubbles.

In the app's description, developer Jerome Alves says there's an updated version awaiting approval from Apple that adds extra music as well as vibration for sound effects like breaking bricks. That is, if it doesn't end up in the App Store's blacklist first.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNET. But based on recent IP squabbles over games like Stoneloops of Jurassica, expect action to be swift if Nintendo gets involved. If it does, there are a slew of other Mario-specific apps on the App Store, but most are simply game guides. Though others like Ricky, iMarioSounds and iMario could draw Nintendo's ire, since they don similar use of the company's sound and visual assets.

Here's a demo of what it looks like:

(via the Touch Arcade forums)

We live in a digital age, so why do business cards refuse to die? They're a hassle to store and an environmental suck to produce. Plus, who among us has time to manually transcribe contact info into a phone, PDA, or PC?

Needless to say, I was geeked to try Business Card Reader, a $5.99 app that turns business cards into iPhone Address Book entries.

Specifically, BCR leverages your iPhone's camera to take a snapshot of a card, then uses built-in optical character recognition (OCR) to convert the image into text and populate the appropriate contact fields.

After snapping a photo, Business Card Reader scans the card and adds the data to a new contact.

That's the theory, anyway. In practice, BCR requires near-perfect lighting conditions and decidedly non-fancy cards to achieve reliable recognition.

Make no mistake: This is a terrific app, one I'd absolutely buy despite its limitations; it's just that handy. But let's not overlook those limitations.

For starters, it requires an iPhone 3GS. Older models lack the autofocus capabilities necessary for sharp close-ups (though you might be able to get by with one of those third-party macro lenses).

Next, while BCR does a decent job identifying names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers, in my tests it rarely got the company name right. Likewise, if a name included a middle initial, it placed that initial in the Last Name field and ignored the actual last name altogether.

It's also a challenge to get sufficient lighting while avoiding glare off the card itself--particularly if it's a glossy card. And what with all the fancy logos, layouts, and color schemes these days, it's no wonder BCR encounters its share of difficulties.

That said, when it works well, it's a thing of beauty, and it's a lot faster and easier to edit a few OCR mistakes than it is to manually enter the information.

I also like the app's option to look up a contact on LinkedIn and/or merge the scanned card data with an existing iPhone contact. Plus, it recognizes not only English, but also French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Another perk: the Card Holder view, which stores the actual scans in a slick-looking mock-leather "holder."

Business Card Reader may not be perfect, but it's about $150 less than a dedicated bizcard scanner--and it works right on your iPhone.

Have you found another card-scanning app you like better? If so, hit the comments and tell me about it!

Print Magic can produce hard copies of text, photos, and Web pages.

The App Store offers a handful of solutions for transporting data from iPhone to printer, but few work as easily as Print Magic.

The $6.99 app makes it a cinch to print text, Web pages, and photos, all without wires: it connects via Wi-Fi to any printer on your network (or any shared printer on your Mac).

Well, almost any printer. While the app had no problem detecting my Brother HL-2170W laser printer and MFC-440CN multifunction, it couldn't figure out how to print to the latter.

Ideally, you should take Print Magic for a test drive before plunking down your 7 bucks. You can't just yet, but developer Wellala says a printer-testing trial version of the app was just submitted to Apple for review. Look for it in about two weeks.

Assuming you're able to print successfully, you'll definitely enjoy the results. You can print any text just by copying it to the iPhone (or iPod Touch) clipboard, then firing up the app and tapping Print.

Web pages work much the same way, except you copy the URL. As for photos, Print Magic provides direct access to your library--just tap the one you want to print.

The app doesn't support documents or e-mail attachments, but it's ideal for turning snapshots into prints, Web pages into real pages, and any copyable text into hard copy.

My only suggestion: wait for the trial version to make sure Print Magic can work its magic on your printer.

The Curve 8900 is just a penny.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

Service contracts may chain you to a wireless carrier for up to two years, but they also can save you some serious cash when you're buying a new cell phone. And since carriers love holding on to their customers, they're quick to offer free phones of all types. Some handsets will just make calls, but others will offer media players, cameras, Web browsers, and full keyboards for messaging.

If you're looking for a phone that won't put a dent in your wallet, CNET has pulled together a list of free phones from the major carriers. Prices can change frequently, but these handsets are free with a service contract at the time of this writing. Admittedly, AT&T's RIM BlackBerry Curve will actually cost a penny, but I thought it deserved a place on this list anyway.

To help you make the best choice I've also thrown in a link to the CNET review for each phone. Most of our reviews should also offer you a link to buy your handset, though you may need to visit the carrier site to get the very latest price.

AT&T
LG CF630 (blue and red) LG Neon
Motorola EM330
Nokia 2600
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900
Samsung Magnet
Samsung SGH-A237 (red and blue)
Sony Ericsson W518a

T-Mobile
Motorola V195s
Mototola W490 (bubble gum pink and heather grape)
Nokia 5310 (orange and red)
Samsung Comeback (pearl white plum)
Samsung Gravity (aqua)
Samsung Highlight (fire and ice)
Samsung SGH-T639
Samsung SGH-T819
Sony Ericsson TM506 (emerald)

Verizon Wireless
Motorola Rival (silver and purple)
Motorola VU204
Motorola W755 (black slate)
Nokia 2605
Samsung Intensity (flamingo red)
Samsung Smooth
Samsung Sway
Verizon Wireless CDM8950

Sprint
LG Rumor2
Samsung Reclaim (green)
Samsung SPH-M330
Sanyo SCP-2700 (impulsive pink)
LG LX370
Sanyo Katana LX (elegant pink)
Sanyo SCP-3810 (red)
Motorola i776 (silver)

Where's the Grinch? In this uninspired game, only his hand appears. Grinchmas, indeed!

(Credit: Oceanhouse Media)

Maybe I'm feeling extra Grinchy today because stupid iTunes keeps timing out when I sync my iPhone, but I don't like Grinchmas.

In this new game from Oceanhouse Media, you're a disembodied Grinch hand that flings snowballs--or presents, if you're in more of a "Merry Grinch" mood--at houses down in Whoville.

And that's it. The challenge, if you can call it that, lies in flinging accurately: you have to swipe at just the right speed and in just the right direction to score a hit.

If I'm any indication, grown-up players will tire of this in about 18 seconds. The littler Whos in your house might enjoy it for longer--the game skews cute, colorful, and Seussian--but ultimately, Grinchmas works so hard at being "casual" that it forgets to be fun. Skip it.

Give your snapshots a fun, Grinch-ian makeover with Dr. Seuss Camera.

(Credit: Oceanhouse Media)

The real Dr. Seuss-inspired fun lies in Dr. Seuss Camera: The Grinch Edition, which uses the iPhone camera to create whimsical, Grinchy holiday cards you can share with friends.

Start by choosing from 20-plus different cards, then point your iPhone camera (sorry, Touch users) at the kids, the dog, cranky Uncle Fred, etc.

Each card has either a face cutout area or an empty space alongside a Grinch-related character (if not the ol' meanie himself).

After you snap the photo, you can decorate it further with stamps and borders, then save it to your Camera Roll and/or e-mail it to friends and family.

It's a cute little app, easy to use, and a perfect slice of holiday fun. Here's hoping that "The Grinch Edition" subtitle means there are other versions in the works. (I've always wanted a photo of myself next to Horton the Elephant.)

Apple's original Newton

(Credit: Apple)

Back when CNET UK was a baby, it pitted an Apple Newton MessagePad against a Samsung Q1 UMPC in a brutal boxing match to the death. The Newton, despite being 10 years the Q1's senior, emerged victorious and the crowd--that's you lot--went wild.

Today, we've taken the reigning champion, the very same Newton, out of retirement to put it up against a brand-new contender. This time, the opposition is no Windows-tainted experiment doomed to failure. Oh no--this time it's the Newton's very own grandchild, the iPhone 3GS.

It would be a little unfair to compare the two devices on a like-for-like basis. One's a phone, for goodness sake, and one's a 400-year-old tablet thingy. CNET UK's Flora Graham and Rory Reid take a relative look at each, focusing on how innovative they were for their respective times...

Read more of "Apple Newton vs Apple iPhone at Crave UK.

And, of course, there is a lame prize as usual. So watch the show, then come back here and post your trivia question answer below. We'll choose one of the the first 10 correct posters to win the Star Wars Episode 1 Electronic CommTech Reader.

The answer to the lame prize question from last week's tech turkeys countdown was: Meet Me Tour.

(Credit: Novothink)

The greening of homes and gadgets is a growing consumer trend, and many exhibitors will debut their eco-friendly products at CES 2010. Last week, we highlighted the Electronic Houskeeper and the PICOwatt, two devices that monitor in-home energy use. Today allows us to highlight the Surge, an iPhone and iPod Touch case with solar panels.

Solar chargers like Solio are chunky and need to be carried around. But the Surge solar case is sleek, ergonomic, and certified by Apple. Two hours of sun exposure power 30-60 minutes of talk time. The Surge features an LED battery-level indicator.

The charger is manufactured by Novothink, a company that vies to pair solar technology and portable devices. The California-based company is focused on creating solar chargers for devices in high demand, as the mission is to allow consumers to live off the grid easily.

The Surge may seem like a gimmick on the face of it, but it might be a perfect solution for Apple iPhone and iPod owners on the go. Emergency chargers are available, but those are often cumbersome, especially for men, who generally don't have the luxury of a purse for portable storage.

Those looking to harness the sun's energy will have to fork over $70, but it could be the right investment for consumers on the move. Novothink has already released the Surge for the iPod Touch and will make it available to iPhone users on December 15.

How you choose to protect--or not protect--your iPhone is a matter of personal choice. Sure, plenty of people like to leave their iPhone naked, reasoning that any protective cover diminishes its sleekness. But the majority of iPhone owners realize it's probably a good idea to give your precious device some degree of armor, particularly if you don't like the idea of seeing your iPhone's lovely finish dinged and scratched up over time.

Going rugged isn't always pretty.

If that's the kind of heavy-duty shielding you're looking for, this is the list for you. Now, we can't guarantee all these cases will protect your iPhone--and particularly its screen--in the event it gets dropped or has a large object fall on it, but at least they give it a better chance of surviving unscathed.

While we tried to pick tough, protective cases that look good and don't make your iPhone too bulky, we should point out that a few of the cases have more extreme designs that aren't intended for everyday use. We should also note that some of the more rugged cases can be a bit of a chore to remove and aren't friendly toward iPod docks. And finally, before slipping your iPhone into any of these case, be sure to wipe your iPhone off carefully because having any bigger dirt particles wedged between your case and the back of your iPhone or the chrome trim can lead to scratches.

Click on any image to begin slideshow.

Top 20 tough iPhone cases

Note: The top 20 is listed in alphabetical order, not by ranking. If you don't agree with our choices or feel we missed some, please submit a comment, and we'll consider making changes in our next update of the list.