Beejive IM provides a comprehensive solution for instant messaging on your iPhone. You will never have a problem keeping in touch with all your friends on the go with this feature laden app! The $15.00 that you will pay for Beejive is well worth the convenience and features that come with it.

Beejive is a very stable app and has not crashed on me since I downloaded it. Set-up is extremely easy. Simply launch the app and select accounts and hit the plus sign to choose an account type. Beejive currently supports Aim/Mobile Me, Windows Live/MSN, Yahoo, Myspace, Jabber, GoogleTalk and ICQ. You will absolutely enjoy the amount of customization you can apply to your Beejive app. So many options give it a very personalized feel and you are able to navigate the interface very comfortably.  Read More »

MagicPad for the iPhone is everything the default Notes app should have been and much more. I am sure it has Apple developers screaming "Why didn't we think about that?" Now these are bold - very bold - statements for me to be making about a third party app, but after you try MagicPad, you too will be petitioning for a way to remove default apps from the Springboard!

Firstly, MagicPad has all the features included in the default Notes app but with tons of options. Eg. You know how the default Notes app automatically sorts your notes by date modified? Well, what about choosing to sort them by:  Read More »

Since the iPhone 2.1 update, my iPhone's battery life has been doing much better than before. However, if you are always on the go, you simply cannot risk relying solely on the built-in battery. And since the iPhone does not sport a removable battery, it is wise to get yourself a battery pack. Today, we look at Richard Solo's 1800 (RS001) battery pack for the iPhone 3G. We brought our review unit on a 3 day intense work-out and it passed with flying colors.

Let me first say that the RS001 is super light; you can easily carry it around in your briefcase, your handbag or even your pockets without knowing it's there. As a bonus, the battery pack also doubles as a pocket flash-light and a laser pointer. The RS001 has many advantages that it's competitors lack. With a 1800mAh polymerized lithium-ion battery, you'll have enough power to fully recharge your iPhone with some extra to spare.  Read More »

Firethorn Holding's Mobile banking with AT&T is a very convenient app to have on your iPhone! It's a secure, easy to use app that conveniently keeps you up-to-date with your accounts on the go.

What is most impressive about this mobile banking app is the meticulous attention to security. In order to access your account through the app, you first need to authorize your device through your account online. To authorize it, you need to specify the phone number, the phone brand and the type of phone. Also, during set-up, if you take too long to enter the confirmation code on your iPhone, the session times out and you have to generate a new code. You then must choose a 6 digit pin in order to access the app. Compare this to other banking apps which only require your account number and password.

You will enjoy a lot of features such as the ability to view multiple accounts, balance transfers between accounts and online bill payment. There is definitely room to make improvements and add more features, however, I do like the simplicity of the app.

What we'd love to see:

• Support for more popular banks - the ones included are simply not enough
• Ability to use it on the iPod Touch

Mobile Banking with AT&T is available for free in the App Store and if your bank is supported, you should definitely give it a try. 

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If you like stacking games like tetris, then you should definitely try Ngmoco's Topple. The aim of Topple is to stack blocks of various shapes and sizes to a specified height without them toppling over. It sounds simple, but there's a catch - some blocks are round, others have uneven sides and they all have personalities. At first, you are given a flat base to start with, which makes stacking easy. However as you progress, the base becomes ueven and toppling becomes much easier.

The game is a bit short and I found that it moved from really easy to really hard way too quickly. For $0.99 however, Topple is a great game with smooth graphics and good use of multi-touch and accelerometer controls. The game also get thumbs up for the sound effects and the soundtrack.

What we'd love to see:

• Improved physics - use perceived mass, inertia and momentum in movement and stacking
• More levels - add another 10 levels, heck just bring it to 50!
• More shapes - not too many, but a few more would be ok
• Make freeplay mode unlimited where you build until you topple and you record the top height.
• Incorporate outside elements like wind or water, temperature - e.g. try building a stack in gently lapping water or in low temperatures where the blocks shiver ever so often. 

I think Ngmoco has a great idea with Topple -it's a good game that has the potential to be great, but it will require tweaks to the game play. Topple is a great appetizer from Ngmoco and we're definitely looking forward to see their other upcoming titles! 

"At the time of writing, there were 1573 games available in the App Store. Now there are games for the iPhone and then there are GAMES for the iPhone! How do I tell the difference? Well, if I launch a game and my first reaction is "ok-cool", then its just another game on the iPhone - but, if I launch the game and at first I remain quiet (in disbelief), then a huge smile covers my face and the only thing that comes to mind is "woa-are you serious?!" - then you've got a GAME on hand."

GameLoft's Real Soccer 2009 is one of those "woa-are you serious?!" GAMES for the iPhone!  Read More »

Whether you’re a big pool fan, a professional, or just a casual player, Gameloft’s Midnight Pool is an offer you simply cannot resist. The game is highly interactive and customizable and Gameloft has simulated an environment that is very close to the real thing by combining intuitive controls with great graphics, meticulous physics and amazing camera angles. You will keep coming back for more!

Midnight Pool isn’t a fancy pool tournament played with judges and referees. It immerses you in the real world in bars across America where you put your money where your mouth is. You start the game with two characters, Alison the biologist from Tallahassee and John, the sheriff from Talladega and you can unlock up to 5 others if you beat them in story mode. For game play options, you have Arcade, Story and 2 Player Modes. You can play 8 Ball US, 8 Ball UK, 9 Ball or Challenges. When playing story mode, they throw in a challenge after every victory which if completed you win bonus cash based on the difficulty level.  Read More »

Discover by D-Base Development is the latest addition to the list of file browsing apps available for the iPhone. Discover does everything you would expect in a file browser - but it has a few quirks.

The first advantage that Discover touts over the other apps is that it is 100% free of charge with unlimited upgrades, usage and customer support. Secondly, discover does not require an IP address for usage - everything is done over the bonjour network. These added features however, put a big smile on our faces over here at MAG :) 

Phone to Phone File Sharing

Undoubtedly the most impressive feature offered by Discover, is the ability to share files from one iPhone to another wirelessly over wi-fi. It is a seemless process: simply launch Discover, select the iPhone you wish to browse, locate the file and download it to your iPhone. It's that simple!  Read More »

People sometimes point out that there are many other phones that boast better cameras, removable batteries, and offer 3G, wi-fi, internet and mp3 playback capabilities. What makes the iPhone so special? "Well, other than being built on an optimized version of the Mac OS X architecture combined with multi-touch technology...nothing really."

In simpler terms, software is what makes the iPhone shine where no other phone can. The good thing about software is that you can always change it. With iTunes being the master controller for the iPhone, Apple can easily issue a software update that can change any feature that they currently provide. Thus, users of the original iPhone literally have the same functionality as 3G iPhone customers sans GPS and 3G (as these are hardware related)...but there's more...Apple calls it the App Store and already it seems destined to follow in the successful footsteps of its bigger brother the iTunes Store.
You see, before iPhone 2.0, developers were not excited about mobile platforms because there was no easy way to reach customers. Through the App Store, Apple has created an environment where third-party developers can directly reach every iPhone customer and where customers can browse through and purchase applications on the go.

Last week, we reviewed the iPhone 3G hardware, now let's take a look at the iPhone 2.0 software. iPhone 2.0 software reigns supreme in being the most intuitive and graphically appealing user interface on any mobile device.The most impressive thing about first using an iPhone is how realistically it responds to your touches and gestures. For example, using cover flow in iTunes on a computer and on the iPhone are two totally different experiences. The first feels like a programmed response to a mouse action while the second creates the illusion that the data is not on a device but that you are actually holding it in your hand.  Read More »

Though we're just in the middle of the year, it goes without saying that the iPhone 3G can comfortably take its place at number one on the list of "Best Gadgets for 2008". In order to provide a quality review for our readers, the MAG team acquired both an 8GB (black) and a 16GB (white) version for testing.

Apple's claim that they "reinvented the phone" is not an unsubstantiated one – and I say this for two main reasons. Firstly, in the pre-iPhone era, phones were more focused on hardware than software and secondly, their main purpose was to make a phone call - all other features were secondary. The iPhone changed all that. Apple entered the game as an underdog and rewrote all the rules to their advantage. In this review, we will be focusing on the hardware.

The first thing you notice when you take up an iPhone 3G is how snuggly it fits in the palm of your hands. The new tapering design provides a comfortable grip and weighing 4.7 ounces, it feels very compact. The display is amazingly gorgeous and also very bright - whether it's an album artwork, a keynote slide, or a picture from your photo gallery - everything looks great on the iPhone's display.  Read More »