Billshrink.com is at again, this time comparing the upcoming T-Mobile’s MyTouch 3G versus the AT&T Apple iPhone 3G S and the cost of ownership of each cellphone.

Will MyTouch be the iPhone killer with the news this week that Apple folded under pressure from AT&T and excluded Google’s Voice app from the App store? Perhaps it could be for those obsessed with getting their hands on the new voice app, which is alive and kicking on Blackberry and the Android Market.

While the MyTouch 3G, iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre each cost $199, it’s important to evaluate the total cost of ownership over 2 years:

• MyTouch: $1998 – 1000 minutes/month + unlimited data and messaging
• Palm Pre: $2359 – 900 minutes/month + unlimited data and messaging
• iPhone 3G S: $2839 – 900 minutes/month + unlimited data and messaging

Seems like the more I read about the MyTouch 3G, the more I like it.

Hit up Billshrink.com for a lengthier comparison.

[ Billshrink ]

Aw man… I really remember Kai Krause’s Power Goo. In fact, it was one of the few Adobe Photoshop plug-ins that I actually used and liked. Mostly for fun, I’d make my graphic design professor look like Droopy, which in retrospect wasn’t that hard to do. But it was just fun.

Well, MetaTools is back. And Power Goo is now named Making Faces and it’s coming for out for your beloved Apple iPhone. No price yet.

[ MetaTools ]

Yep, what the title says. UltraSn0w for breaking open your iPhone (2G) and iPhone 3G, but not iPhone 3GS (yet) is out.

Ultrasn0w for iPhone 3G is ready!
1. Ensure you have upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0
2. Jailbreak your iPhone 3G using redsn0w or PwnageTool (this will also install Cydia/Icy)
3. Run Cydia or Icy
4. Please add the repo repo666.ultrasn0w.com to Cydia or icy
5. Search for ‘ultrasn0w’ in cydia or icy and install ultrasn0w
6. Reboot your iPhone 3G
7. T-Mobile USA users should disable 3G before using ultrasn0w
8. Enjoy

Go get your official information from [ here ]

As much as I love my Apple iPhone, sometimes the battery needs “help”.

We all know that the Apple iPhone has a lot of accessories and accessory manufacturers. Some are well known, well-trusted. Some… well, not as much. I was approached by HardCE Electronics by one of their representatives and to be honest, since I had not heard of their products, my expectations were automatically lowered.

I was proven to be very wrong.

Based out of Foshan, which is in the Guangdong province of China, this company actually tends to do a lot of OEM manufacturing for their other products, but their iPhone and iPod products are being offered from the company directly. Their flagship product, the iPower for iPhone/iPhone3G is yet another backup battery for the Apple iPhone which also brings along a flashlight/camera flash, a removable cover, USB charging for both the phone and battery when connected, a stylus and all is covered in leather.

The battery at 2300mAh Li-Polymer battery exceeds the internal battery for the iPhone3G (rated near 1600mAh) and is a bit more than the competition from Mophie (Juice Pack – iPhone 3G is rated at 1800mAh) and Richard Solo External battery, also rated at 1800mAh. Unlike most external batteries though, the iPower battery case does not need to dangle in the way – like the Kensington Mini Battery/Charger – or forcing the user to use a different type of connection like the mini-USB connector that the Mophie iPhone3G Battery forces you to use. Just keep using the same Apple supplied connector with the iPower.

HardCE currently has two versions of their patent pending iPower battery case. Their standard iPower case that has just the battery portions and notches out of the way of the camera and maintains the same Apple iPhone connector for charging and synchronizing as its bigger brother, the iPower All-in-One. The iPower All-in-One comes with a stylus, light/camera flash (more on this in a bit) and a power button that turns it on/off. And on first look while still in the package, I thought the “leather” was going to be rough, tough and hard. Instead it was quite soft, pliable and easy to grip. And the All-in-One also includes a magnetic cover on the closing side and a plastic fastener for affixing the face cover. I personally didn’t like the face cover since I’d have to flip it open to answer all of the time to answer/see who was calling or just to use the phone.

Just like the other connecting iPhone battery cases, having this added to your phone is basically like having two iPhones stacked upon each other. So if you wear tight jeans or have a small pocket, don’t try to shove this combo in there. I’ve been placing this into my jean pockets without issue so far though.

The Good: While on an overnight trip, I neglected to take along my phone charger but had packed along the iPower All-in-One. Per usual, the iPhone3G – as much as I love my iPhone, it does have a weak battery if you play games, use the phone more than just a little bit. And since this was an overnight business trip, I had been using the phone plenty. By that night, it was about to die. Attached on the iPower All-in-One and hit the button the back (tap it for the light, hold it to turn it on to use the charge) and the familiar charging icon popped up and in a short time, I had a full charge. The next day while traveling back to my home, there was enough charge on the phone and the iPower All-in-One to top it off before the battery in the iPower gave out.

The fact that I don’t have to use a different adapter – I’m already carrying enough as it is while traveling. And having a lithium-polymer battery, I don’t have to worry about the battery “memorizing” a much lesser charge after repeated usage.

The Bad: Take the sleek profile of an iPhone3G… and double it. The iPower All-in-One does not have a battery indicator level like some of the other offerings out there. Via the manual, you’ll see that it’s a series of blinking lights – Green light blinks, it’s about 80% filled, Orange light blinks fast, it’s 60% filled, and some other combination of blinking lights. Despite this odd measure of lights and blinking, it gives you a visual indicator of the power level in the iPower battery case.

Also, the risk of accidental button pushing on the discrete button on the back of the iPower is all too easy – I’ve had the light go off in my pocket and people have asked why my back pocket was glowing. Oops! The iPower comes from a company that you’ve never heard of… to some, that’s a negative. I’ve been in contact with HardCE’s sales and customer support; put that to rest. Each question I’ve had has been answered in under a day.

The part I don’t like the most though… it forces me to use a different case than my Vaja Leather case.

The Ugly: It seriously doubles the size of the phone in thickness. It’s fine with me for a while – I just pack it and use the iPower as needed instead of keeping it connected. And the “camera flash” portion, it’s not integrated with the camera usage, you have to manually turn it on. Which isn’t that bad either. At least it is there to use.

To be honest, I can overlook the “bad” and the “ugly” and recommend the iPower for the mobile warrior. After a long day of MS Exchange synchronization, a few games of Chop Sushi and while using Safari to hit some sites, like iTalk Magazine among others and you’re not near a wall or car charger, the iPower does the job quite well.

And for the record, my iPower case was black… not the bright orange in the photos.

[ iPower ] [ HardCE ]

The stress of finding that gift for your favorite geek person in your life and don’t want to be trampled at the local stores during the Christmas rush? Well, RTL* to the rescue with the 12 days of Christmas Geek Gift Guide for the Last Minute Shopper!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to the iPhone3G lover that has everything already:

A Vaja ivolution Top Special Edition iPhone3G Case in special Renato leather in the unusual color name of Carchofa. What could be seen as just a bunch of fancy words to describe an all Argentinian, quality hand-made cow-hide leather case that downright looks better than most any darn thing that any other iPhone owner can pull out while in line at your Starbucks. Imagine their lust over your hand-made leather case that is darker than a venti frappuchino but lighter than Wesley Snipes. It arrives in a rather unassuming white box with glossy “Vaja” embossed on the box.

Much like the other Vaja cases that come in limited editions, they carry a premium price – this one costs $120.00 USD. But you’ll be the one iPhone3G owner that sticks out from the rest of the pack. But the good thing, Vaja has some on hand… so they’re ready to ship the moment you pay for them and no need to wait.

As much as I like the Vaja case, this is definitely a purchase for the diehard iPhone fan. But this is definitely something that nobody around will also own (cross fingers); and we all know that uniqueness counts despite Apple having sold millions of iPhones.

Having had touched one, used one, slipped my iPhone into it and have it snugly stay put and when I pull it out have a few remarks asked about it; despite the price, I can fully recommend this to the iPhone owner that has wipes for it in their car, office, home and blazer pocket.

You know the type. Next!

[ Vaja Cases ]

I’ve been an user of Joost since the days it was called “The Venice Project” when I thought the guys behind Skype and Kazaa couldn’t do any wrong. As long as I had my laptop and broadband/wireless access to the internet, I would catch a couple of shows.

However they’ve gone through a few changes from a desktop P2P based client to a web based client… now to an Apple iPhone application. And I couldn’t be any happier. It means that I can get my Fat Albert or Transformers fix even during meetings if I so wished.

Oh hell yeah.

Tonight should be known as the night of updates. After the PSP 5.02 update, Apple releases the highly anticipated iPhone 2.2 firmware. So you know the drill… fire up iTunes, download away.

So far, my experience isn’t that bad. Doesn’t seem to really perform any slower, nor does it seem to be more buggy. Copy and paste though… ha! Not yet…

A quick collected list of gadget rumors going on over the weekend and morning:

• iTunes 8.0 and iPhone 2.1 on September 9th?
• Nokia to release the 5800 “Tube” on October 8th?
• New Zune features leaked
• GM Volt EPA rating could be cut by new standards
• Joost to go from the desktop to browser only? Screenshots!
• Adobe CS4 is nearing the door?

More news, reviews – I have my reviews of the Mint 220 and my first year with MagicJack – and gadget stuff upcoming.

We’re not sure how this one got past Apple’s App Store censors, but the clever kids at Nullriver have released what appears to be the first tethering solution for the iPhone. The $10 NetShare app is just a SOCKS proxy that links an ad-hoc WiFi network to the iPhone’s 3G or EDGE connection — and if we could get it to work, we’d probably think it was a fine, if hacky, solution to a major limitation of Steve’s baby. As it stands, though, the instructions are pretty sparse, and while we can get the app to recognize a connection, we’re not able to actually load anything. We’re not sure how long this one’s going to last — anyone else willing to give it a shot before it gets yanked?

As an iPhone owner, I noticed the above story over at Engadget while at work yesterday. I just put it in the back of my mind as something I’d do a little later in the day, spend the $10 bucks on the Nullriver app that allows my iPhone 3G to do something I’ve been wanting to since I’ve had the thing… connect to it wirelessly via my Nokia N810 or laptop while mobile.

That is until Apple, who had previously allowed and authorized the useful app into their coveted App Store, adding a functionality that’s on most smartphones worth more than 2 cents, as well as jailbroken iPhones as well. For free.

So at the end of the day, what happens? Apple pulls the app. Now who do the geeks with an iPhone that’s honestly lacking a few areas of functionality that other users have had for years get mad at? AT&T or Apple?

Can’t say that I’m surprised though.

Update: It’s back in the Apple App Store. I couldn’t even begin to tell you what’s going on with this; but if you really wanted it, go get it now before they change their mind… again.

Update: And it’s gone again.

My mother bought an iPhone this morning. Got it home, ripped off all the factory sealed packing, registered it and while changing the wallpaper, found three photos in the camera roll. Two are blurry, but this one is something else…

Now that’s a lot of iPhones. A sight most people would kill for wish they could see at their local stores due to continuing shortages globally. All isn’t in vain though; you can always check availability via the Apple Store iPhone availability checker.

Update: Here’s the fullsized images – here, here and here.

Thanks to Thomas for letting me republish the photos.

Where will you be on July 11th? If you’re a red-blooded gadget hound that’s gotta have the absolute newest thing that’s anything from the mind of Steve Jobs and company, it’s more than likely you’ll find your way into a AT&T store for the very first time for a long time. How much will this new wündergadget really cost you though?

AT&T raised the price of the unlimited data from $20 to $30.
The prices this time are $299 and $199, not $599 and $499 – that’s only if you qualify for an upgrade or bought your iPhone 1.0 before July 11th.
Additional lines in the AT&T Family plans are no longer $9.99 for iPhone lines… it’s now $39.99.

Among other things. The good folks over at Dealnews have put together this article called “iPhone 3G: Is $199 a deal?” and over at Engadget has one article called “AT&T announces iPhone 3G pricing plans“.

Both are good reads.