I’ve joined the Sims 3 bandwagon, grabbing my copy off the shelf today for my desktop. Two days prior to the Sims 3 launch though, Sims 3 for the iPhone was released for a whopping USD $9.99 which is about half the price of the bigger game for your computer. What’s hot about the iPhone version is that it’s pretty much the real game, but revolves mostly around the Sim you create rather than the entire neighborhood. Go give it a try from the iTunes store. You won’t be disappointed! It’s Sims on the go!

[image taken from iTunes store]

And with that, we say good bye to rational civilization as we know it. World of Warcraft’s latest iPhone solution is the best yet. You still need to stream from a current game that’s being played remotely, but the iPhone version, though hard to micromanage, gives you that freedom to do the non-stressful things in WoW such as checking mail, auctions and a little bit of grinding.

The MasterCard ATM Hunter utilizes the iPhone or iPod touch’s location awareness technologies to pinpoint the search. Users can customize their hunt based on their unique banking needs – such as focusing their search to a specific financial institution if they need to make a deposit or wish to avoid ATM withdrawal fees. MasterCard ATM Hunter can also pinpoint wheelchair accessible, drive-through, or 24-hour access ATMs and provide the directions to get there. Additionally, MasterCard ATM Hunter automatically provides users with helpful ATM safety tips.

Another useful app for the iPhone is out — AND IT IS FREE! The MasterCard ATM Hunter is now available on the iTunes Store. What it does is pretty self explanatory - you can make use of the iPhone’s location based tech to find the nearest ATM to withdraw cash.

Download it now at www.itunes.com/appstore/

It seems that the latest developer agreement for the iPhone bans jailbreaking, or any support for jailbreaking. This means that developers won’t be able to even think about jailbreaking iPhones to install apps on. The problem with this is that a lot of the great innovations happen within the circle of “piracy” that truth be told, more can be gained from allowing devs to jailbreak iPhones.

Though jailbreaking allows access to apps that Apple doesn’t approve of and enables unlocking the phone from approved carriers, it also allows users and developers access to the UNIX underpinnings of iPhone OS, which both groups could have perfectly legitimate reasons for wanting. These provisions aren’t likely to stop the iPhone Dev Team from working on a jailbreak for iPhone OS 3.0, but there are certainly developers who will think twice about helping in those efforts or distributing a rejected app for jailbroken phones, lest they lose access to the iPhone developer program altogether.

I guess it’s the same with the porn industry — maybe why BluRay survived over HD DVD. A lot of innovations took place in what seems to be the most frivolous of industries and yet we take them for granted.

Happy weekend! If you haven’t heard it yet, this is the song that rocked several thousand views and even more downloads. The “I Hate My Life … I Got No iPhone Jingle” makes for the most annoying ring tone in this first quarter of 2009.

Image: apple.com

UK telco O2 has issued a price drop for iPhone sign ups.

From 3 April, customers who sign up to the 24 month tariff can get the 8GB iPhone 3G for free at £34.26 per month and the 16GB iPhone 3G for free at £44.05 per month.

On the 18 month contract the 8GB iPhone 3G costs £96.89 for the £34.26 per month, 16GB iPhone 3G costs £155.61 for the £34.26 per month, or £57.74 for the £44.05 per month.

The 24 month tarrif was put into play to encourage new subscribers to bite what seems to be the last stretch of this generation’s iPhone. According to MacWorld, we might be seeing a new mid-range iPhone on the rise very soon.

If you own an iPod touch or an iPhone, you may have already encountered iMob Online, a free online game that allows you to participate in a huge online mob war. Apart from investing time to do missions and upgrade your avatar, adding up friends to join your mob is a key element to success.

Here is a listing of iMob Online friend codes, all of whom are willing to be added to your online mafia.

[photo c/o iTunes Store]

Technically, card counting is legit if you do everything with your head. But once you use an external tool … such as your iPhone to count cards for Blackjack. The app turns the iPhone into a card counter by tapping in hot spots on the screen while the iPod screen itself is actually on sleep mode.

The iPhone card-counting program has four different strategies to count cards. Users can use the app in a stealth mode where the phone’s screen is not visible. Supposedly the program can be run ‘effortlessly’ as long as the user knows where the keys are. Are we talking about the same touch screen I’ve got? I can barely hit those keys when I’m looking right at them. [source]

The app has been banned in Nevada and the Nevada Gaming Control Board has issued a notice to all the casinos warning them of an influx of nervous players who find the need to tap away on their iPhone while it’s asleep.

Oh here’s a semi-classic. If you’ve been so bugged with not having an FM radio on your iPhone, this application allows you to stream radio over from AOL Radio.

Sadly this is only available in the US iTunes store for obvious reasons since it uses AOL Radio.

The statement does need some qualification. First off, yes it is true that Target is now developing apps for the iPhone but we don’t have the speculation to see through how effective a release of one app can coerce the retail giant to develop more applications. But the news is that Target has released an iPhone application for their holiday shoppers.

The Target Gift Globe mimics the holiday tradition of the snow globe. After downloading it, users shake their iPhone, producing an on-screen snowfall that clears to reveal a gift idea from the retailer. Users can tap through to visit Target’s site and buy the item or find a store nearby. [source]

A worthy resource allocation or not, the debate doesn’t matter - the application is just another digital channel to get consumers reeled into the store. Why no apps for Symbian or Windows Mobile? Well, first off because only the iPhone guarantees support for accelerometer enabled devices while Symbian and WM don’t. Secondly, and I’m going on a limb — the iPhone’s demographic guarantees consumers wired to buy the next tech device they see.

[source]