After turning off Spotlight on the iPhone 3GS and the like, I was able to regain some speed; however I won’t lie. It was still slower than iOS 3. After today’s update, the speed is back, feels fresh and iPhone 4 and 3GS finally get back the Game Center function that was in the iOS 4 Gold Master Build (8A293).

Experience social gaming on your iPhone. Find friends or use auto-match to play multiplayer games against new opponents. Track achievements and compare high scores.

To be honest, Game Center sounds an awful lot like OpenFeint, which has now over 35 million active subscribers.

Oh yeah… it also includes iTunes Ping too.

As part of “You’re holding it wrong”-gate, Apple has posted today an update for their Apple iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4 as well as the iPad – only to version 3.2.1. The biggest noticeable difference is that you will now have taller first, second and third tier antenna bars. A few other fixes have made their way into this mix and if you were using the Gold Master build and still had the Game Center application, you will no longer have it after this update.

Sad part… this whole time I’ve been in 4-5 bar territory in my home, I’ve maintained a solid 2 bar coverage after this update. Seems like the coverage story showing up wrong the entire time was indeed more true than marketing excuse.

Still… nothing major in this update so far. Let’s see what Apple says tomorrow during their July 16, 2010 press conference.

[ Links: Apple iPhone ]

Mercedes-Benz has launched its new pouch designed for the Apple iPhone in the Korea market. The Apple iPhone accessory is created from a high-quality leather. Suggested price is 110,000 KRW or about $94 USD.

I like the Vaja Cases [ Related: Vaja Cases, Vaja Case Review ] better for about the same price.

Link to the original article…

I’m notorious for being late for meetings and events. It’s not on purpose or that I’m unorganized. I’m just apparently not organized enough. In fact, for meetings, I almost always tend to say “-ish” after the time we will be meeting. They know that I’ll be late. So reviewing something like Bento 3 for the Mac and Apple iPhone comes across as either a blessing or a stop being so gosh darn late hint.

Bento 3 is made by the same people that make FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server. Heavy duty products that I’ve used in enterprise level deployments and projects in the past. Of course, that might mean this product for the average desktop user will be boring, staid and ultimately deemed too complex for daily usage. Wrong. The desktop application is a joy to use.

It’s quite refreshing that the desktop application isn’t impossibly hard to use at all. It really puts you in the mind of the other Apple provided apps like iCal, iTunes and iPhoto and just as easy to approach. Mentioning iPhoto and iCal, within moments Bento will synchronize with your iPhoto photos, Address Book contacts and iCal events.

Setting up a meeting in Bento is as easy as setting one up in iCal. For instance, I have a 5pm meeting with a company tomorrow… one I actually intend on being on time for as well.

Within moments, set up, synchronized with my iCal – which my Apple iPhone connects to as well, and I’m done. And Bento does support synchronization with an Apple iPhone via wifi as well as synchronization when connected to the computer via USB. And the Apple iPhone application is also as easy to use, I’ve created and added items to my existing libraries that quickly keep me organized in all details of my digital life.

And it’s not all about meetings either. You can set up: To-Do Items, Recipes, Projects (important for me), Inventory, Time Billing, Digital Media (for collections of CD’s, eBooks, et al), TV & Movie collections, among many other options. Seriously, you can set up and organize just about every aspect of your life.

Good part? You can also set up everything as it exists on the desktop also in the Apple iPhone application as well. Yes… you can organize yourself on the go if you have to or if you happen to be on a PC. But having both the Mac desktop and Apple iPhone applications – I sorta dislike typing on the iPhone for large amounts of text – it just works well.

And yes… in the last couple of weeks, I know what movies I have at home as well as my what projects I have going on, the level of completion for each project deliverable and even have set up a couple of meetings that I have been on time for.

Shocking… I know.

I can truly state that Bento by FileMaker is an application that you need to add to your must buy list. It retails for $4.99 for the Apple iPhone via the iTunes Music Store and $49.99 for the Apple Mac desktop.

The only con(s) I have for this application is that while it is deceptively simple, it can get very complex in the creation of a blank library to suit your needs that are not covered by the library templates is somewhat time consuming. There are downloadable, update-able templates that FileMaker and the users of Bento make available but it would almost be a patience killer to create a full functional template solely on the Apple iPhone. The desktop application makes somewhat short work of that.

It is Mac only, so there is a slight detractor for being limited to OS X. Buy it. If it can make a habitual late person as myself on-time and actually help organize the bits of my life that I sorely need to add more organization to and do that easily… you just need to buy this.

Rated: 4.5 out of 5 (Must Buy)

[ FileMaker ] [ Bento 3 ] [ Related: RTL Reviews ]

Built out of quality materials, the OtterBox Apple iPhone cases, the Defender Case (pictured above) and other OtterBox Apple iPhone cases are now being offered in the AT&T stores.

Looking to personalize your iPhone™ with stylish and rugged protection? Available only at AT&T, OtterBox announces two custom color options for the Defender™ Series for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, a black shell with white silicone or pink shell with black silicone—ready to take on all the bumps, drops and scratches of life!

With 99 percent coverage to keep your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS looking new, the OtterBox Defender Series offers three layers.* First, a thin, clear membrane covers the touchscreen to keep it safe from scratches. Second, a tough polycarbonate shell fortifies the iPhone against drops and impact and finally, a silicone skin absorbs shock and keeps dust and dirt out of ports and plugs.

“The OtterBox Defender Series provides iPhone users with the ultimate protection against expensive repairs and replacements,” said Curt Richardson, OtterBox CEO. “It has been our most popular model to date and now customers can find customizable colors through AT&T.”

The Defender sells for $49.95 at the OtterBox online store [ site here ] and in the AT&T stores.

[ OtterBox ] [ AT&T Cell Phone Accessories ]

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still stuck on the anemic AT&T SMS package of 200 text messages and find yourself over each and every month. It’s not that I’m cheap, but that overage per month adds up over time and I’ve wanted a good, reliable way to send messages to people and do it for free. Some methods of sending “free SMS” via the web can’t be replied to by the person you’ve sent a message or they might not know that it is indeed you that’s doing the sending.

GOGII, Inc. [ site here ] has recently updated their textPlus Apple iPhone application to version 2.0 and added the ability for people to simply respond to your free username via textPlus 2.0 and you’ll receive the message whether you’re in the app or via the Apple iPhone 3.0 enabled push notifications when you’re not in the app.

textPlus 2.0’s highly anticipated usernames give non-app users in the U.S. the ability to start text conversations with their friends using textPlus. All they need to do is text a friend’s username to 60611, and the conversation begins. In fact, with usernames, textPlus users no longer even need a phone number to send or receive texts from inside the U.S.

New to users outside the U.S., textPlus 2.0 offers a convenient, cost effective alternative to international texting. Because textPlus 2.0 usernames are accessible worldwide, textPlus users who have registered a username can send and receive text messages for free to and from other textPlus users, anywhere. So, a textPlus user on a WiFi network located in the United Kingdom can now engage in a username-to-username text conversation with another textPlus user in the United States, Japan, France or anywhere else in the world, for free.

Not only is this a way for me to save money per month on my constant SMS overages, but my friends – one or groups of more than one – overseas or on other cellphone networks can easily contact me for free directly as well. This is definitely a new model for texting.

There are a few, unobtrusive ads that are included in the app, and normally I avoid ad supported apps. But they’re seriously not in the way… and besides, the app works great and is free, but textPlus 2.0 is definitely worth a download for your Apple iPhone. Setup to get my account up and running and my phone number verified took less than 2 minutes. All for free.

[ GOGII ] [ textPlus ] [ Related: Apple iPhone 3GS ]

Now here’s a little story for you. Once while waiting on a connecting flight from Atlanta to Oklahoma, I used my Apple iPhone to keep myself entertained for a bit. If you’ve played any iPhone game for an extended period of time, you know that it will drain your battery faster than just using it as a telephone. My plane arrives, I depart, I land in Oklahoma a few hours later, grab a rental car, plug in my car charger only to discover that the power socket (aka cigarette lighter) didn’t work. What’s worse, my iPhone had a depleted battery and was going to die.

I had packed up my HardCE iPower Case battery [ review here ], which at 2300mAh is about two times bigger than the internal Apple iPhone battery, charged and had enough juice to last me through my day with heavy usage, go back to the Hertz rental agency and get a car that worked just fine.

Story aside, HardCE [ site here ] has released an update to their iPower Case to now include solar cells too. Did I mention that while in Oklahoma, I turned about 4 shades darker… in the first hour!? A solar panel can slowly replenish the charge that’s being used and it’s a trend that finally is taking root in a lot of gadgets that require charges.

• for iPhone & iPhone3G/3GS
• Stylus/Camera Flash/Expand battery/Leather case 4 in 1
• Genuine leather
• 2300mAh Li-Polymer battery inside
• Removable cover
• Smart Power Control
• USB function
• With CE & FCC Certification
• Size: 125mm×63.5mm×22.5mm
• Packing Size: 175mm×110mm×35mm
• Net Weight: 98g

Comes in two flavors, iPower Basic with Solar Panel and the iPower Plus with Solar Panel that includes an usable stylus that simulates finger input and a LED light that doubles as a flash or flashlight and in a range of colors… including Orange.

[ HardCE ] [ Related: RTL Review HardCE iPower Case ]