There is clearly a market for cases that prevent the more clumsy amongst us from damaging our beloved iPhones. Two of the most prevalent cases in that market at the moment are the Otterbox and LifeProof cases which not only protect your investment from drops but in the case of the LifeProof case from water too.
Well now there is a new contender to the crown in the shape of the Cellhelmet case from cellhelmet.com which not only promises to protect your iPhone from damage but is willing to put it’s money where it’s mouth is in the form of a years worth of accidental damage coverage for a whole year.
Think about that for a second, you purchase a case for $44.99 and not only do you get a good looking case but you also get a unlimited repairs and one full replacement for just the cost of a $50 handling fee per claim. Even with the handling charge it’s still a pretty staggering really!
Beyond the insurance the case offers a few benefits over its competitors in its space. Firstly the case has a good slim line form factor especially compared to the Otterbox which means it’s not going to add too much bulk when you are carrying it. Secondly it doesn’t have a built in screen protector like both the previously mentioned case, so if you like the direct feel of your iPhones glass then this is the case for you.
The case is made from a strong rubber case which balances the benefits of providing protection to your iPhone along with the benefit of being able to easily access all buttons and ports but also makes it easy to take on and off of your iPhone should you wish too. (Please note, your iPhone is not covered by the accidental damage insurance if you aren’t using the case at the time!)
The cases come in a clear or smoke shades and can be customized further by the use of 2 interchangeable backplates that fit inside the case to provide additional protection and a level of color customization. That being said the backplate barely showed through on the smoke version of the case that I had.
Overall the quality of the case is solid too, it feels likes it’s protecting your phone and while the smoothness of the rubber may not appeal to everyone it provides good grip and is robust. The only slight negative point about the case is some remnants of the machining process being left on one side of the case, it’s only a minor point though.
If you want to protect your iPhone and don’t want the bulk of the Otterbox or the restricted access of the LifeProof case along with a year long insurance policy against accidental damage then you should head over to cellhelmet.com and check out their Cellhelmet iPhone Case.
[rating: 4.5/5]What we like
What to know
KooFish: Break’em Out for iPhone and iPad is a slingshot puzzle game like Angry Birds. Using the wildly successful platform that Angry Birds made famous, KooFish takes to the water in this slingshot puzzle extravaganza. The puzzles are elaborate and there are a lot of them.
KooFish is a very simple game unless you are one of the few people are there who haven’t played Angry Birds. It employs the same gameplay and similar physics. You slingshot conch shells at blocks of ice that contain fish. Using your surroundings you have to break out the fish that are trapped in the cubes while using as few shells as possible, sound familiar? The characters and levels are very nice and fairly polished. This game looks great.
The fish are “cute” in the words of my wife and with 150 unique puzzles that are strategically laid out, there is plenty to keep you busy here. The game also has Game Center integration which is a must these days to compete with friends. Who doesn’t have office wide game challenges like my company?
This game is for both the iPad and the iPhone and looks great on both. I enjoyed the game very much, though I must admit, I haven’t played Angry Birds in quite a while.
Angry Birds fanatics will surely have their rips about this game not being quite the same and being incredibly similar. I say why not let someone use the same base game and have their own spin on it. It worked for Battlefield and Call of Duty. That being said, the similarities and the price made me go with 3 stars on this one.
I like the game but the audio isn’t that great, it is very similar to Angry Birds and at the 3 dollar price, its tough to go any higher. That being said if you can’t get enough of the Angry Birds style play and want a new atmosphere, this is the game for you.
[rating: 3/5]What we like
What to know
Back in September 2011 Disney introduced a new character to the world. This time though the character wasn’t their latest animated movie star, instead it was Swampy the Alligator, a friendly alligator that needed your help to get him enough water to bathe. It was an instant hit and continues to be popular with rave reviews and continual downloads.
Now though Disney have decided to make the most of the popular puzzler by combining it with one of the most popular cartoon characters at the moment in the form of Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb.
Nothing much has changed but it will still appeal to both players of Where’s My Water and new players to the game especially those who are familiar with the popular cartoon as the sites and sounds of not just Perry, but also Dr. Doofenshmirtz are used throughout the game to great effect.
80 levels are spread across four different environments and your challenge in each of them is to provide enough water to enable Perry to slide through his underground tubes. This is achieved by clearing a path through the dirt to Perry and on the way unlock the three gnomes that are placed throughout the level.
These gnomes provide the 3 gnome ranking required to complete the game at 100% but in 6 of each level there are hidden items which unlock additional ‘secret’ levels including 4 that introduce you to Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s childhood ‘friend’ Balloony!
The physics of each level is well designed and you will not only find yourself using the water to unlock and open switches and levers but you also need to avoid hazards that will attempt to suck the water away preventing you from having enough to push Perry on his way.
If that wasn’t enough challenge you will also have to change the state of the water to open, unlock and rescue certain kind of gnome that can only be rescued by either water or steam. This all adds up to a great variety of challenges and a very enjoyable game.
The game is a universal app which is currently available at just 99 cents from the app store and while you can play through all the levels for no additional charge by completing them all in order you can also pay to unlock them via in-app purchase if you don’t wish to wait, or get stuck.
As you would expect from Disney the graphics and sound are great and for anyone that has watched Phineas & Ferb before you will feel perfectly at home here. The great thing about Where’s My Perry though is that it stands up as a quality game in it’s own right too.
[rating: 5/5]What we like
What to know
You know the story, alien has diamonds, alien loses diamonds, you help alien collect diamonds! It’s the usual story that you hear everyday and now you can live it on on your iPhone and iPad in the universal game My Diamonds.
If you’ve played such games as Cut The Rope, Where’s my Water or even Angry Birds then you will feel right at home with this fun physics puzzler which challenges you to collect diamonds in over 60 levels spread across the garden, garage and kitchen.
To add an additional twist over the three star rating system of most other similar games My Diamonds creatively adds an additional star so on each level you are rated on speed and accuracy out of 4 rather than the usual 3.
The graphics are relatively simple but they effectively represent the three environments and the various tools that are put to your disposal to collect the diamonds that pour from the multiple faucets when you choose to turn them on.
Given that you are in control of when the diamonds start flowing from the faucets you are given the opportunity to move the multitude of objects that you can use to impact the movement of the diamonds.
A nice feature is the way that ghost diamonds will initially flow from the faucet that will provide an outline of where the real diamonds will go once you turn them on. Aligning them with the ghost diamonds wont always get 100% of your diamonds but it gets you to with the odd tweak of completing the levels with all the stars.
Another nice touch is that you can move the objects while the diamonds are in motion, this is sometimes a requirement of the level, other times it’s a feature that can help you take shortcuts to complete the level.
You’ll start with 20 levels in the garden before moving on to another 20 in the garage before moving into the kitchen. As with most games these days if you aren’t willing or able to unlock the later levels you can do so with a one off in-app purchase of 99 cents on top of the initial 99 cent outlay for the game itself.
Overall My Diamonds {$.99, App Store} is a fun physics puzzle game with charm and a decent amount of challenge and given the promise of further levels via free updates, achievements and high scores via Game Center integration it should be an easy choice for players that like this genre of games.
The one problem that it would be nice to see addressed especially considering that this is a universal app is the inability to synchronise your progress between devices, perhaps that will come in a future free update too!
[rating: 4/5]What we like
What to know
In the world of gaming anything goes, so a back story of a group of sharks hanging out happily in a bathtub before being joined by a noisy group of rubber ducks and helping them take revenge on them is perfectly normal, right?
Luckily, reality is not a requirement in most games these days, in fact quite often the more bizarre the story the better, and that’s certainly the case for Shark Dash.
The game uses the now traditional 3 star rule to progress through the almost 100 levels over 4 different environments, (i.e. bathtubs), and these are achieved by eating all the ducks, collecting all the coins and doing this within the given number of shots.
Each level is played within the confines of a bathtub and is viewed as a sideways cut through including, bubbles, plughole, and all of the usually bathtime accoutrements that you would expect to see around the side of a bath. The graphics are solid and are certainly in keeping with the cute and fun style of the game as is the music which in is light and jaunty.
Controls are easy to learn but the levels can be difficult to master especially if you aim to get 3 stars in every single level. Collect the coins and stars is a simple task of pulling back on the shark’s tail and launching him in the direction that you desire. Your shark will pick up coins and the rubber ducks as he passes over through them, ducks will also float along the top of the water so as long as you knock them into the water and there is nothing blocking their path then they will willingly swim into your jaws.
As you progress through the 100 levels additional obstacles will be put between you and the ducks, these include salt sticks, soap, pipes, chains and a host of other things which all affect the physics of the game. The physics are additionally affected by the water in the bath so you will have to take that into consideration if your plan of attack takes you underwater, rather than over it.
Some of the objects that you’ll need to overcome will require sharks with different skills and as you progress you’ll get to unlock Sawy, Hammy and Scuby who all have skills associated to their names.
As with the majority of these games, if you don’t want to put the work into unlocking all of the levels by competing all the stars and earning coins then you can purchase coins to spend on unlocking levels, sharks and undo’s that will allow you to rewind a shot it didn’t quite go according to plan.
As if completing the 100 levels wasn’t enough there are 24 achievements to unlock and another 24 missions to keep you entertained. Unfortunately these don’t synchronise with GameCenter so there’s no way to compare your scores and achievements with your friends.
Shark Dash is a universal app and is available from the App Store now for just 99 cents. Grab it now for hours of fun, with a bite!
[rating: 4.5/5]What to know:
Growing up I would frequently send and receive greeting cards that used the poems and character of Purple Ronnie, a stick figure, funny guy who always brought a smile to my face, and in Fancy Pants for iPhone and iPad I was taken back to that time as the lead character in this game reminded me of him.
However, most of you will know Fancy Pants from the web version of the game that’s been around for a while now and the port over to iOS is a pretty accurate representation of the stick figured platformer although the opportunity to take advantage of the iOS unique control functions of a touch screen and accelerometer was one that should have been taken advantage of. Instead the controls are simply via 4 virtual buttons.
All that aside Fancy Pants {App Store} is still a lot of fun, it’s fast, smooth and addictive and has loads of content that will keep you coming back for more again and again.
The back story consists of the everyday story of rescuing your sister from a bunch of pirates who have kidnapped her, the story is fun, entertaining but following the story is not required and doesn’t take anything away from the game play.
After a brief tutorial you’ll soon find yourself running, leaping, climbing and crawling through large sprawling levels which are full of obstacles but also various challenges and things to collect. You don’t have to complete everything to move through the store mode, in fact having something to go back to the earlier levels to do is all part of the fun.
The artistic style of the whole game is one of simple line drawings but they spring to life as Fancy Pants charges through the 11 levels and multiple arcade challenges that you can unlock as you play through the levels. These arcade games can then be played separately and you can track your success across all of this via the Crystal social gaming network.
If you decide not to complete all of the side challenges then the game can be literally run through pretty quickly, the question is though, why would you!
Despite not taking advantage of any iOS unique control options the controls do work well and Fancy Pants moves around so fluidly that even when he’s not swimming under water it can seem like he is, and that’s no bad thing!
If you like platform games but want something that is a step up from the normal jump up, jump over, stomp, repeat, repeat then Fancy Pants is for you. Fancy Pants is only 99c at the moment and is a universal game so can be played on both your iPhone and iPad, however there is no iCloud support so you’ll need to complete the game on both separately.
[rating: 4/5]What to know:
The number of iPhone 4S sold over the holiday period continue to astound and this can only mean that the numbers of people carrying an iPhone 4S with them continues to skyrocket.
There is of course an inherent risk in carrying around such an expensive investment with you everywhere you go and that’s in damaging it by dropping it, getting it wet, dirty or scratching it with a million and one things that it comes into contact everyday. And this increases if you take part in any activity in which you want to have your phone with you or if you are simply clumsy!
For as many ways that there are to damage your iPhone there are as many cases to protect it and I’ve had many of them. However, whichever case I’ve had I always felt that I’ve still had to protect my iPhone 4S especially from the inherent fear of water damage. This is no longer the case though as my iPhone is now wrapped in in a LifeProof case.
The LifeProof case is like nothing I have ever had, a case that protects your iPhone from drops, dirt, extreme temperatures and most importantly for me water, yes water. I’ve lost a couple of devices via water, one a simple drop out of a shirt pocket into a bowl of water and another via a trip through a washing machine. I also always have my iPhone with me in the bathroom, in the kitchen, by the pool, in fact it never leaves my side so having it in a case that protects it from any potential exposure to water has to be a good thing.
One thing that has put me off of other full protection cases have been the bulk of the cases, this is not the situation with the LifeProof case though as while it inevitably adds bulk it’s the minimum amount required considering the protection it offers.
The LifeProof comes beautifully packaged in a box that both shows off the case itself and all of the protection it offers. The total package contains the LifeProof case, a cleaning cloth and an adapter for the headphone socket which enables you to use your LifeProof with headphones and keep it waterproof and a spare headphone socket plug.
Putting the case on your phone correctly is key to ensuring that it stays water tight and this is covered by a range of videos that are made available to you to watch via the LifeProof website. All the videos are iPhone compatible of course and aren’t very long but are definitely worthy of a little of your time to ensure you do things correctly.
One of the steps that is highly recommended is the thorough cleaning of your iPhone to ensure that it remains both water tight and free from dust inside the case that could scratch the device. This is easily done with the supplied cleaning cloth and then you are ready to fit the case. To be fair putting your iPhone into the case is no different than any other similar full cover case, the only differance is that you need to ensure that not only is the seal around the top, bottom and sides of the case is free from dust, hairs or any other debris but is also fully snapped shut.
The final steps are to insert waterproof headphone plug and the door that allows access to the charging port at the bottom of the case. These two items enable you to fully use the case with the LifeProof case on, removing the headphone plug allows you to fit most headphone jacks while opening the charge port door enables you to charge your phone. Obviously opening both of the access points will deem the case not watertight any more, however LifeProof have thought of that too and that’s where the included headphone adapter comes in.
The headphone adapter screws into the case provides a watertight seal and still enables you to plug in your headphones while the dock extender that can be purchased seperately will allow any 3rd party adapter to connect to your iPhone while keeping your phone LifeProof’d too.
I’ve been using the case for about 3 weeks now and I’ve found no urge to remove my iPhone from my case, in fact the confidence that the case provides allowing me to enjoy my iPhone even more than I used to, if that’s possible! All the buttons are accessible and the built in screen protector works very well, in fact as a former user of an InvisibleScreen I’m impressed with the touch control and feel that I get with the LifeProof screen protector that’s not stuck to the iPhones screen.
In the time that I was using the LifeProof case I have been debating testing the waterproof feature of this case. At first I was reluctant, however after using the device with wet hands in the kitchen and bathroom and also while out in the rain with no detremental affects I decided to take the plunge as I had no reason to doubt the authenticity of LifeProof’s claims.
The videos that LifeProof providers demonstrate the case’s attributes are impressive, however due to my vicinity to a beach I decided that I would have to go a little lower in the production value department, the results can be seen below but are equally as impressive and I look forward to putting my LifeProof to the test further the next time I go on vacation.
Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast, sports person, have young children or are quite simple prone to clumsiness LifeProof is your only option when it comes to iPhone cases, in fact as soon as you wrap you iPhone in one the only question you’ll be asking yourself is why you didn’t do it earlier.
What we like:
What to know:
Brought to you by Qubic Games My Little Garden is a fun garden simulator for your iPhone. Plant and grow flowers in your magical garden completing tasks and achievements along the way.
You are in control of the little garden fairy. Help her plant flowers and vegetables that she can sell or use in tasks to earn coins. To start with you are given a small piece of the garden. In this area start planting flowers to sell.
When you have a flower starting to grow then you have to start looking after it. You do this by giving it water, light and fertilizer. When you tap on the plant you are growing it will display icons for you to choose what action you want to do. Tap on the one you need and the little fairy will help.
You then look after the plant keeping it happy until it is fully grown. When it is ready you then have the option to sell the plant or if you have accepted a task, use it for that. You do not have to do tasks but they will earn you coins which you can use to expnad your garden and buy more items. So for example one of the tasks I had was from a visiting hamster who needed some carrots to be delivered. So once you have accepted this task you then need to start growing that product and be ready to give him his order. Once you do you will be rewarded for it and also unlock more plants.
The coins you earn can be used to buy from the range of 18 different plants. You can also choose to decorate your garden with stones and ornaments like gnomes and a magic bench. There are many to select and all costing different amounts. There are also pets that you can purchase. These are all very friendly and helpful in their own unique way. The cat helps increase the water, light and fertilizer a plant has and then there are other pets like frogs who will sprinkle the plants with water for you. You can also use magic on your plants which speeds up the growing process. Magic rain, Magic sun and Murky mist.
All the meus for each section are kept on a side bar to the right and it is very easy to use and follow. If you do need some help or forget a task then there is a diary. There you will find a help section and a reminder of the current task you are doing. You can also use this menu section to purchase more coins, gold or hearts via in-app purchases.
The game is suitable for all ages. The animals and plants are animated and make great cheery, happy noises. It would definitely appeal to a young person. You can design the garden as big or as small as you like. So how challenging you make it is up to you. It is a great game to play that is a refreshing change from the usual farmville type of games currently available. There is no need to be popping in and out of the game constantly to see if your plant is growing. You can play it at your own pace.
The only thing that I could see players requesting is the ability to visit friends and their gardens. This could be done by adding Game Center integration and then tasks and achievements could be added in there to compete with your friends.
Touch Reviews [rating: 4/5]
What we like:
What to know:
[rating: 5/5]
InvisibleSHIELD by Zagg for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Review: I love to take care of my iPhone4S for two main reasons. Firstly I like the way it looks, especially sans case and secondly I like to keep it in great condition so that I can resell it when the iPhone 5 comes out.
Up until now I’ve blown my way through many, many cases, from the extreme of the OtterBox to the more streamlined Apple Bumper and it’s the later that I’m currently using with a large degree of care to ensure that the front and back remain scratch free.
I’ve purchased screen protectors before but have never been entirely happy with them. This is mainly due to my application of the said protector which has often left my devices screen covered in small, and in some case large bubbles. Needless to say they haven’t stayed on for long.
However, there has always been one screen protector that has always called out to me and that is the invisibleSHEILD by Zagg, it dominate the Internet when searching for such things and in in-store displays are full of them too and not only for iDevices.
After witnessing first had a friends iPhone which was wearing an invisibleSHIELD applied wonderfully by a local store I decided to give it a try myself.
I got in touch with Zagg letting them know that I was planning to review the invisibleSHIELD for my devices and they kindly sent me a couple to review. One for my iPhone and another for my iPad 2.
The plastic screen protectors come with 3 additional items, an instruction pamphlet, a squeegee and a tube of application solution to be sprayed onto the invisibleSHEILD, (note, not the iPhone), to help provide excellent adhesion, placement and minimize those pesky bubbles.
The document provides both instructions for applying the screen protector and installation tips as well so I went about preparing my environment so that I would be ready to apply the invisibleSHIELD.
With a clear table, clean hands, and a clean and switched off iPhone 4S I set about applying my invisibleSHIELD. In addition to washing your hands it is recommended that you spray some of the application solution onto your hands so that fingerprints are minimized. I did that and then removed the protection piece for the back of my phone and dampened it with the solution.
I wasn’t sure how much of a spray was required to meet the guidelines of ‘slightly moisten’ but I covered the protector with enough that it was completely covered but not enough that would cause the liquid to run down or collect in pools.
With the invisibleSHIELD ‘slightly moistened’ I placed it lightly against the back of my device. Luckily for me I got it pretty accurately positioned on my first attempt and then went about using the squeegee to remove any excess water and bubbles. This worked very well although I was careful to ensure that I soaked up any of the liquid that came out from underneath the protector before it got close to any of the buttons and ports.
The pamphlet states that micro-bubbles and imperfections will work themselves out over two to three days but straight away I was pretty happy with the results and so after giving the back piece 5 minutes to set I started to repeat the process with the front piece.
Unfortunately things didn’t go quite so smoothly this time and I found myself having to remove the invisibleSHIELD and re-align it multiple times. Even with this though after squeegeeing out the excess liquid and bubbles again I was pleasantly surprised with the results, especially considering that this was the front of the phone which I would be looking at most often, if not exclusively compared to the back of the phone!
With the phone given a few minutes to ‘set’ I turned the phone back on and with the screen turned on the minor imperfections that should disappear after a few days were already not showing up and the texture of the invisibleSHIELD inself makes the phone feel more secure in my hands that without.
Next it’s on to covering the much larger screen space of my iPad 2, a much bigger task and one which I will return to along with my thoughts after using my invisibleSHIELD iPhone of a few days.
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In many of Apple’s devices over recent years, you’ll be sure to come across liquid contact indicators (LCIs) if you look hard enough. They’re small white strips – usually concealed within the headphone jack and dock connector – that turn red when they come into contact with liquid. Apple uses them to determine whether or not a device has been dropped in water when it’s taken into the Genius Bar with a fault, however, to our surprise, the company has chosen to leave them out of its latest iPad 2.
Apple is yet to comment on why it has chosen to abandon LCIs for the second-generation iPad, but it’s believed that the decision was made following a string of controversy and complaints from unhappy customers. Users returning iPhones to the Genius Bar with genuine faults were refused free repairs or replacements under their warranty because the LCIs in their device had been triggered, despite over coming into contact with any liquid.
It became apparent that the LCIs Apple was using weren’t accurate enough, and were often triggered simply by a users sweat, or from use in humid environments. Apple’s method of determining water damage clearly wasn’t accurate enough, and many users with genuine faults lost out because of it – some of which even went to the trouble of filing lawsuits to get their issue resolved.
No longer will users have to suffer this issue, at least with the iPad 2, as LCIs for this device have been scrapped. Instead, Apple will identify water damage by inspecting the device’s SIM card tray for corrosion. How this method will work for the Wi-Fi only iPad we’re not sure.
In the iPhone 3G and 3GS, Apple has placed LCIs inside the headphone jack and the dock connector. If you inspect these areas closely with a flashlight, you should be able to notice the little white sensor inside. If yours is red and it’s been nowhere near your bathtub or toilet bowl, it might be cause for concern.
[via 9to5 Mac] ]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-leaves-liquid-contact-indicators-ipad-2/feed/ 0Features:
– Intense levels that will get your adrenaline going.
– Connect the pipes to lead the water to the end.
– Automatically saves the last level you were playing.
Joey Susbilla has been developing some great Social Networking, Entertainment and News apps. Pipleine is a very simple game which requires high level of concentration, the ability to be quick and plan your next move.
The game presents you with a grid which is covered with blocks and your objective is to connect the pipes to flow water from the start to end by revealing the right pipes. As you tap on different blocks you can swap one pipe from one position to the other by first revealing and then tap on the position where you want to connect it.
As you progress through the levels the the speed with which water flows will increse and force you to think quick and pre-plan your next move. The best strategy is to quickly reveal all the pipes and then try to connect the right ones.
Pipeline is a must have puzzle game for those who have the patience to try again and again till they succeed.
Price $.99
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