Apple's iPhones have long been the object of affection for consumers and also thieves. New York City reports that crime has increased directly because of the iPhone. In 2011, iPhones accounted for 70 percent of all cell phone thefts and half of all thefts in New York City! As a valuable commodity, they can be resold easily, or at least they could before iOS 7's anti-theft capabilities. In addition to the preexisting Find My iPhone feature, iOS 7 added the requirement that a user's iTunes ID and password had to be entered after a factory reset.

While Apple has gotten most of the attention, they are not alone in their concern about theft. CTIA, the Cellular Trade Industry Association, has organized a voluntary agreement among several vendors, including Apple, Google, HTC, Microsoft, and Samsung as well as carriers like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.  The "Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment" essentially standardizes features like Find My iPhone and requiring a password to reauthorize a wiped device. While this won't change much for Apple users, if thieves know this is a standard feature of all smartphones, as of 2015 at least, it could deter future theft.

“We appreciate the commitment made by these companies to protect wireless users in the event their smartphones are lost or stolen. This flexibility provides consumers with access to the best features and apps that fit their unique needs while protecting their smartphones and the valuable information they contain. At the same time, it’s important different technologies are available so that a ‘trap door’ isn’t created that could be exploited by hackers and criminals,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA. “By working together with policymakers, law enforcement, and consumers, we will deter theft and protect users’ personal information on smartphones.”  If that name sounds familiar, it should.  Steve Largent is a Hall of Fame wide receiver who played for the Seattle Seahawks before his tenure at the CTIA's helm. I'm sure he hates when phones get intercepted, too!

The specific requirements of the agreement are as follows:

1. Remote wipe the authorized user's data from their smartphone (i.e., erase personal information such as contacts, photos, emails, etc.) in the event the phone is lost or stolen.
2. Render the smartphone inoperable to an unauthorized user (e.g. by locking the smartphone so it cannot be used without a password or PIN), except in accordance with FCC rules for 911 emergency communications, and if available, emergency numbers programmed by the authorized user (e.g., "phone home").
3. Prevent reactivation without authorized user's permission (including unauthorized factory reset attempts) to the extent technologically feasible.
4. Reverse the inoperability if the smartphone is recovered by the authorized user and restore user data on the smartphone to the extent feasible (e.g., restored from the cloud).

Steve Jobs encouraged us to Think Different, and at least one company has named themselves after this motto. They even spelled it differently, as in "diffr3nt." Their name isn't the only thing different. Their products are made in the USA, which is certainly different. They use unconventional materials, like canvas for their iPhone cases. And the inside of the case is lined with a grippy rubber material that looks like it came from an inner tube. All of this goes together to make a compact, comfortable, and colorful case that nobody else is likely to have.

Another nice touch on their Wallet model is a slot on the back for credit cards or ID. It's definitely a handmade item, and I'm not sure how it would hold up. Some of the edges could fray and unravel. But in reality, before the case wears out, I'm more likely to upgrade to a new phone, which won't likely fit. Fortunately, diffr3nt offers various coupons if you like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock

Picture yourself having dinner with a friend. It’s a great evening and you are really enjoying yourself. You are in the middle of explaining this amazing thing that happened to you the other day. Then your friend's iPhone rings, he picks it up, and starts chatting about something completely different with someone else. In the middle of your story!

Technology is everywhere and this can be good or it can be a curse! Sometimes I wish there were certain rules that were explained to you when you bought your iPhone at the Apple store. The sales person could say, "Thank you for buying a new phone. Before you leave this store there are some rules we would like you to follow." These are the eight rules I wish he would share:

1. Don’t look at your phone while playing with your kids.

Kids look at you and learn. If you keep playing with your phone while they try to get your attention, you are teaching them a behavior you don’t want them to have.

2. Don’t answer your phone while at the hairdresser.

When you are getting a haircut, you are paying professionals to take care of you. If someone calls you during this time it shows a lot of disrespect to the person cutting your hair. Before you sit down in the chair put your phone on silence, or even better, in airplane mode.

3. Don’t order food or coffee while you are on the phone.

I see this everyday. The person in front of me is just about to order when his phone rings. He picks up and tries to order and speak to the person on the other end at the same time! Again, this is really disrespectful to those trying to their job. You don’t have to pick up immediately. Order first and then call back. It will take less than five minutes!

4. Don't look at your iPhone during dinner with your family or friends.

We have all had the experience of enjoying a nice conversation when you see the person in front of you shifting their eyes from you to the phone. Why? Learn to actively listen and forget about your phone from time to time. If you find this a challenge, switch on flight mode.

5. Put your iPhone on silent in meetings, at large gatherings, and during movies.

Phones ringing at the movies are not OK. It's even worse when people pick up and start talking. Put your iPhone on silence! If there is something urgent leave the theater and call back.

6. When experiencing a fantastic moment, focus on the moment and not on your camera!

Taking a photo of a nice moment is great, but when you are at that magical place don’t forget to be in the now and enjoy. Once you have done that, get out your phone and take a nice picture.

7. Don’t use your iPhone while driving.

Do you drink alcohol and drive? I hope not. Yet, many of us still play with our phone while driving. They say it is even worse than drinking and driving. So please stop this bad habit! In my car the rule is I can only check my phone when I am standing completely still (at a red light, etc.)

8. Don’t walk and play with your iPhone.

Yes, you may be able to chew a gum and walk at the same time. But playing Candy Crush or chatting with your friend on Whatsapp is not the same thing. If you need to look at your phone, step to the side, stop and look, then continue walking.

Just a few years back we were all living without a computer in our pocket, and from what I remember, we were still OK. In smartphone coaching we teach our students the best strategies for a better life and use our phones to implement them. This does not mean that you ignore these eight simple smartphone etiquette rules.

I have to admit that I break these rules from time to time. I manage my business from my phone, so sometimes I can't help looking at my phone over and over again. I know it can be rude and I will do my best to stop this bad habit. If you catch me doing it, help me by giving me a friendly reminder.

A hammer can be used to build a house or to kill someone. A phone can be used in a good way or in a bad way. For many it becomes a source of stress instead of a helpful tool. When smartphone coaching I encourage my clients to use their iPhones in the best possible way to help them improve their lives.

If you agree with these eight rules, help me educate the world in phone etiquette by sharing this article!

Do you have any other rules you would like to add to this list?

alexmillos/Shutterstock

Control Center is great because it allows you to quickly do all kinds of useful things like turn WiFi, Airplane Mode, and Do Not Disturb on or off, lock your screen orientation, adjust volume levels, open your phone's calculator, and use your iPhone as a flashlight, among other things. 

What's not so great is swiping up from the bottom of the screen while using an app (especially when that app is a game) and accidentally bringing up Control Center.

To prevent Control Center from opening while you are using apps go to Settings>Control Center and toggle Access Within Apps off.

You can also choose whether or not to allow access to Control Center from your lock screen. It just depends what is more important to you, limiting access to your iPhone, or being able to quickly access Control Center's features without having to unlock your iPhone.

In addition to leaked photos of molds and casings for the iPhone 6, we're now starting to see images of cases created for the device by Asian manufacturers. Of course, sometimes they make cases based on rumored specs that turn out to be wrong. Images of cases posted on AppleInsider show that the sleep/wake button, which until now has been on the top of the iPhone, has been moved to the right side of the phone opposite volume-up button. This detail was also recently relayed by securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has solid inside information and is usually accurate in his predictions. The move is apparently intended to make one-handed operation easier, though the AppleInsider post suggests it could also be indicative of a new feature that would require more frequent use of this button.

In addition to the new location for the sleep/wake button, the leaked photos of the case also suggest that the shape of the phone's volume buttons will be an elongated pill shape, similar to the iPhone 5c. Previous rumors had also suggested that not only would the volume buttons adopt the shape of the iPhone 5c, but also the iPhone 6 would emulate the iPhone 5c's holes on the bottom for the speaker and microphone as well as emulating the phone's back, rounded edges.

The iPhone 6 is expected to have a 4.7-inch display, with a 5.5-inch model appearing later in the year. The evidence for these sizes continues to mount, though a post Tuesday on AppleInsider said that by one estimate, based on leaked images, the phone would have a 5.1-inch display and 16:9 aspect ratio.

Interestingly, at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair that's currently going on, a case maker has an iPhone 6 display that not only features cases but also metal mockups of the iPhone 6. The video below shows the display, the cases, and the mockups. 

The next iPhone is getting a lot of coverage, but each generation of iPhone also sees a new version of iOS. With Apple's WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) coming June 2, it's logical that iOS 8 will be available soon. Hundreds of new features roll out with each new operating system, but one that caught my eye is a potential integration of Shazam's music recognition service with Apple's Siri, according to Bloomberg.

The Shazam service (and competitors like Sound Hound) listens to music (or audio from a TV show or commercial) and identifies the audio "fingerprint" so it can lookup details. For songs, Shazam can not only tell users what they are listening to, it can offer a link to buy the music. This is what makes Shazam so attractive to Apple. Direct integration with Siri means it would be easier than ever to purchase music through iTunes.

Apple has often looked to the App Store as a form of research to see what features they might want to offer natively. Examples include adding flashlight capability to the Control Center or offline reading to Safari, which Pocket / Read It Later had made a living off of. Often this has put developers out of business or forced them to restructure. It's nice to see that Apple might actually be working with a developer this time, if the rumors are true. Of course, Sound Hound may have to find new ways to be viable. Apple's iTunes Radio was a warning shot (if not direct hit) on Pandora and Spotify, but they're still around!

Bluetooth headsets have come a long way since the old days of those small, thumb-sized, in-ear stick devices that weren't good for much more than talking on the phone hands-free. These days we can enjoy an ever-increasing selection of high-fidelity, acoustically precise Bluetooth headphones. Still, there aren't that many to choose from, relative to the number of wired headphones on the market. In this newly emerging market of quality Bluetooth headphones, the SuperTooth Freedom($149) have become one of my favorite Bluetooth headphones currently available. That said, there's still room for improvements. Read on to find out where these headphones shine the brightest, and where they could use some polishing up.

Design

The over-ear SuperTooth Freedom Bluetooth headphones are an excellent reminder that as a result of the compression of the digital signal, not all Bluetooth headphones offer good sound quality. With their powerful drivers and passive noise isolation design the Freedom headphones are leading the way in this new wave of high performance Bluetooth personal listening gear.

The SuperTooth Freedom sports a sleek and modern style, and while its ear cups are spacious and comfy enough to allow for hours of extended listening, it is not a bulky pair of headphones by any stretch. In fact the Freedom is an excellent pair of headphones for traveling with, as it is lightweight, sturdy, and ergonomically designed.

The padded ear cup cushions keep the speaker drivers from compressing your ears, and provide a high level of comfort, making long listening sessions an indulgent pleasure. The ear cups have a wide range of motion to accommodate any shape or size of noggin and they feature an easy-to-use (though perhaps a bit over-reactive) control system that allows you to simply tap the headphone shell to initiate playback or song selection. While I thought this feature was clever in theory, the reality was that I was felt like I was continually inadvertently causing songs to skip or pause.

Sound

The Freedom deliver a very respectable sound, superior to many wired headphones, not to mention other Bluetooth headphones. The headphone’s cushions effectively block out external distractions and the large internal speaker drivers bring a rich and robust sound that fills the listening chambers with pristine sound, reproduced with amazing clarity and accuracy.

I know all too well, that Bluetooth technology gets a bad rap for mediocre sonic integrity; but if that is the case, then the Supertooth Freedom headphones are a welcome exception to the rule. Utilizing advanced Bluetooth A2DP for audio streaming, the Freedom deliver an exceptional acoustic performance. In my testing of the Freedom I listened to everything from bass-heavy southern rap, to acoustically intricate classical music (I'm partial to Vivaldi and Handel) and I was consistently impressed with the sound delivered by the Freedom.

Pros:

• Large, plush ear cups made for comfortable extended listening sessions.

• Easy-to-use controls built into the ear cups, making adjusting volume or selecting songs a breeze.

• Includes an audio cable for plugging into your music source, for those times that the headphone's battery might be low, or when you want a totally static free, hi-res listening experience.

• Lightweight and durable, reinforced with rugged, shatter-resistant plastic.

• Allows for NFC connectivity.

• Awesome battery performance. Capable of a remarkable 15 hours of playback after just a 3 hour charge.

Cons:

• My biggest complaint about the Supertooth Freedom headphones was that it was a little too easy to inadvertently press the ear cup's control panel causing the songs to skip. Wearing a hoodie or adjusting the headphones for comfort could be enough to cause this to happen.

• I would have preferred a slightly more padded headband.

Verdict:

The Supertooth Freedom headphones are one of a handful of high quality, Hi-Fi Bluetooth headphones. At under $150, they have a relatively affordable price point and provide a comfortable listening experience with very clear and accurate sound delivery. I give the Freedom headphones 4 out of 5 Stars.

I have been a fan of Google Drive for a while now. I mean, how can you go wrong with 100 GB of storage for $2 a month? I don't think you can.

And if you don't know, part of Google Drive is their software suite that includes  Docs (documents like MS Word) and Sheets (spreadsheets like MS Excel) to name two.  At first glance, I loved this set up.  Everything was in the cloud for me, accessible wherever I had an Internet connection.

Houston, we have a problem

But then I purchased a Wi-Fi iPad Air. That's when I discovered that there is a huge flaw in Google Drive: no Internet, no access!

Now, when I am home (or someplace where I have Internet access), all is right in the world with Google Drive. But if I take my Wi-Fi only iPad Air someplace where there is no Internet access, I am stuck. Not only am I not able to view my Google Docs and Sheets, I can't create new ones either. Personally, I think Google Drive dropped the ball here. (Yes, you CAN enable Google Docs and Sheets for offline BUT you can't modify current ones or create new ones...you can only view.)

Enter Apple Pages and Numbers

Because I had purchased a new iDevice, I was able to download Pages ($9.99), Numbers ($9.99), and Keynote ($9.99) for free. (Thank you, Apple!) One of the things I immediately noticed was that the documents were in iCloud AND on my iPad, which meant I had access to them offline. Not only that, but I also could create a new document when offline. Later, when I connected to the Internet, Apple just synced up the documents with iCloud.

A learning curve

Like many, I've been a user of MS Word and Excel for years. But I don't really like their products. The reasons why don't matter for the purpose of this post. I know that MS Office is available for iPad now, but I am staying with Apple's Pages and Numbers. They are growing on me (in a good way).

Pages and Numbers are not perfect. Technically, they are still in Beta. They are updating all the time. You can see what's new with Pages, Numbers and Keynote here. One of the benefits of having the software in the cloud is that Apple can update the products without having to send out an update.

I'll be honest; learning how to use Pages and Numbers took me a little while. But after just a week of moderate use, I'm pretty good at them both. They both have room for growth but that's another nice feature of Apple's iWork apps. You can leave feedback inside each app with features you'd like to see added. I'm told by Apple that the teams responsible for each app do keep an eye on this feedback. One feature I'd like to see added is Sort By Color in Numbers. Right now, that's not an option.

Google Drive and me

I am still a huge user and proponent of Google Drive. I still back up everything there except for Pages and Numbers (I'm not using Keynote yet). I trust Google, I have my data backed up with a very secure password (more than 10 characters, upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters) plus I have two-step verification set up.

But Google Docs and Sheets are not in the same league as Pages and Numbers (or Word and Excel for that matter).

What about you?  Do you use Pages and Numbers or Word and Excel or Google Docs and Sheets? And why did you make the choice you did?

Exact measurements are beautiful! ollyy/Shutterstock

Do you always measure ingredients exactly when following a recipe? Do you say things like, "According to my pedometer app, I've walked 3.8 miles today."? Do you use decimals when filling out your weight on medical forms?

If you do, you'll be happy to know you can also quantify exactly how much battery power your iPhone has left.

Simply go to Settings>General>Usage and toggle Battery Percentage on. The battery percentage will now appear to the left of your battery icon.

And just like that, the nagging discomfort of not knowing exactly how much battery power your iPhone has will be eliminated.

Now you can go around saying things like, "My iPhone's battery percentage is down to 22 percent; time to plug it in."

Don't forget to enter this weekend's Giveaway Contest! 

Here's how it works: Every other weekend we raffle off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE then announce the winners through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code. If you win an accessory, we will ask you for your mailing address.

The next contests featured items are:

1. Karbon S Series for iPhone 5/5s (Gray and Black): Retail Price $39.95

Evutec is the first company to produce protective cases that contain DuPont Kevlar fibers. With five times the strength of steel on an equal weight basis, this composite material is extremely lightweight and remarkably strong, while allowing clear cellular signal to pass through. Made in the spirit of innovation with state-of-the-art materials and craftsmanship, Evutec offers its Karbon and Wood Series Cases for iPhone 5/5s, iPad, and iPad Mini to discerning Apple customers that demand the highest quality device protection in the thinnest profile. 

2. Otterbox Reflex Series iPad Case: Retail Price $69.95

Otterbox's engineers and industrial designers carefully considered every aspect of the iPad to create a simple yet protective case. Inspired by the crumple zone of a car, the Reflex Series case for iPad 2, 3, and 4 features a unique dual material combination of polycarbonate and silicone. Cushions of air in the corners allow the case to flex and absorb any impact force. This case not only takes a hit, it recoils and springs back, ready to protect again. If you're looking for strong yet sleek protection, look no further than the Reflex Series case for the iPad 2, 3, and 4. 

3. Speck HandyShell iPad Mini Case: Retail Price $49.95

Protect your iPad mini and enjoy it in ways you never imagined. This HandyShell iPad mini case features a sturdy flip-out handle that you can adjust for multiple standing, holding, and hanging angles, giving you the freedom to use your iPad mini around the house, at the office, or on the go.

Questions or comments? Email Brian@iphonelife.com. Good luck and remember to visit iphonelife.com/giveaways to enter! Also check out our other contests at iphonelife.com/contests. The next contest drawing is April 21st!

We arrived in Norwich after nearly 12 hours in a plane seat, first a flight from Seattle to Amsterdam, and then from Amsterdam to Norwich. We then wandered the Schiphol Airport for several hours, including a long period of time in Lounge 41. Eventually we settled in at the Holiday Inn, Norwich City Center.

Tip 1: check on in-flight entertainment before you spend hours loading devices with content you won’t use. Save room for pictures. Although I loaded up multiple tablets for family members, including enough movies to last me across the Atlantic and beyond, the in-flight entertainment on the Delta flight was so good, and so current, there was no need to turn on anything we brought, except to browse a book for a few minutes before sleep.

Tip 2: Bring more plugs. Many rooms have a very limited number of wall plugs. I highly recommend bringing an international extension cord. I found the following to be a great combo: a Lenmar World Travel Adapter with Dual USB Ports ($29.99) combined with a Simran SM-80 power strip (inexpensive international power strip I purchases from Amazon), both widely available. I plugged the power strip into the main, outward facing plug on the Lenmar Travel Adapter, turning one outlet into 3, while leaving the top US plug available, along with the two USB ports. I then used a combination of Tylt USB Travel Charger ($29.99) with two 2.1 Amp ports and other chargers, like the Cannon camera battery charger. Everything had a charging home in a pretty compact area.

Tip 3: Some universal plugs aren’t so universal. When sitting in lounge 41 at Schiphol Airport I thought it would be worth topping off my iPad now that I had Wi-Fi again, just in case I wanted to use it during the brief flight later that day from Amsterdam to Norwich, UK. Unfortunately, none of my “universal” adapters were usable in the club’s recessed outlets. The adapters simply wouldn’t fit far enough into the ports to make electrical contact. I had to switch to my Tylt Energi 5K+ ($89.99) and its Lighting plug (on one end, the other sports a micro-USB. More in a future post.)

Tip 4: Make sure everything is 110/240 Volts. Rather than worrying about power conversion, I made sure everything, from hair care items like a flat iron to the USB chargers, everything was dual voltage. Voltage converters are heavy and they can introduce unstable power elements that may not work, or may fry the electronics they are trying to power. By checking all power supplies before the trip, it makes it easy to just plug into adapters and get going, rather than sharing one big converter among several devices. Of course, as more and more devices migrate to some form of USB or USB-optional, charging issues will get easier and easier.  

Tip 5: Be Prepared to be Offline. At ₤4 an hour for BT Wi-Fi service in many places, be prepared to go off-line by downloading guidebooks and maps to the iPad or iPhone before you leave home. Many brochures also live as PDFs these days, so load those into a file system like Dropbox and mark them to be available as offline, so they can be opened at any time. Another option is to load PDFs into ApplesiBooks (Free). If you do need to get online and don’t want to pay for it, get FastConnect (free) app, which will search for Wi-Fi through the free The Cloud service. Wander outside the coverage area, however, and you’re offline again. The Cloud installs wireless profiles on the iOS device so credentials won’t be required when revisiting a hotspot.

Special thank you to the Holiday Inn City Center in Norwich for their hospitality and acting as a great sightseeing hub our first three days in the UK. One extra lesson with Holiday Inn that also applies to other hotels: your status or room reservation can seriously affect your Wi-Fi speed or access. In many hotels, booking an executive or other high-end room comes with better Wi-Fi and/or wired Internet access. Our executive room had good coverage, though turning off a device often required relogging in with a passcode, as well as a name and address. I would rather see them map a room to a database, to not only expedite data entry, but to keep items like home address less available to service providers or others.

We are now off to London for another 7seven days where I will report on batteries, solar power chargers, and several apps designed to get use around the city.

As new iOS apps flood the App Store every day—recently topping 1,000,000—we know it’s tough to tell which ones are worth their salt. But thanks to our Weekly Scoop, you can have the best for free! Here you’ll find a weekly roundup of the coolest apps free or at a discount for a limited-time only. Each week features the best and brightest from websites like Free App Report, AppsGoneFree, appsfire, and more.

Hurry! Get 'em while they’re hot!

1.Poetics (Free from $1.99)

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Poetics is being offered for free for a limited time! The app is a visual poetry app that couples moveable text with images to create a unique work of art. Just choose a photo and then type in a few words. With the touch of your finger on the screen, the words will move as you experiment with positioning them around your photo. Everything you do is saved so that when you’re done, you can share your masterpiece with the world (or that special someone).

2. Cloud Record (Free from $0.99)

Share all of your voice recordings across all iOS devices. You can AirDrop files to several places at the same time, share files through iTunes file sharing, send your recordings via email or iMessage, or use iCloud sharing to make recordings instantly available on all of your iOS 7 devices.

3.Hark(Free)

With Hark, you can hear what you’ve written to make sure it reads well and is free of mistakes. Proofread your emails, text messages—any kind of text before you send it out to make sure it’s perfect. This could save a ton of embarrassment. Sometimes no matter how many times you read something, you can miss the same mistake. This app can help you make sure that’ll never happen again.

FaceTime is not just for video chatting. If your current smartphone plan offers only limited cellular minutes, consider using FaceTime Audio (FaceTime without the faces!) when calling other iPhone or iPad users.

To initiate a FaceTime Audio call, open Contacts, tap the name of the person you are calling, and tap the phone icon next to FaceTime instead of the video icon (which will launch a FaceTime Video call.) 

Talk as long as you like without worrying about minutes!

I'm a sucker for a nice, quality, leather case. But I also like to wear my iPhone on my hip, like a modern day gunslinger. The Tradition case from Noreve suits the bill and offers additional modern conveniences. It's "no dream" either, considering "rêve" is French for dream! When the case is closed, there are still cutout openings to display the time and to answer an incoming call or swipe to open. This can be a handy feature.

Additionally, for those of us who remember fliphones (and I do, fondly) the front cover flips down and, while dangling, can help redirect your voice into the microphone. It snugly folds back to protect the screen when needed. The buttons, headphone jack and Lightning port are still accessible, regardless.

What I really like about the Tradition case is the optional back fastener for belt clip + metal clip.  Noreve gives you a choice of no belt clip, a plastic belt clip (which is still nicer than most competitors' plastic clips), and a sturdy metal clip. The metal clip is great because it's rugged and not spring-loaded, so it's not likely to fail after repeated use. Instead of using a spring-loaded button to release the phone, you rotate it 90 degrees in one direction and the phone slides out.

The clip is not the only area for customization. A dozen leather exterior colors can be selected, and for an extra charge, the interior can also be selected from dozens of more colors! The leather is top-notch as is the build-quality... everything you'd expect from a fashionable leather goods manufacturer from Saint-Tropez!

I was a big fan of iCoolgeek’s first adventure game effort, Tesla’s Electric Mist, so excitement coursed through my veins when the chance came to beta test their second outing, Mount Olympus ($0.99). While I enjoyed the experience, the game just didn’t grab me like Electric Mist did. Now that I’ve completed the game I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. I enjoyed playing through the game, but there was a certain unevenness about the different chapters; and in the end, I never much cared about my end objective, which was to locate the missing gods. Ultimately, Mount Olympus just didn’t have the same spark as its predecessor.

You are a no name commoner, and you have been sent by your village to figure out what has become of the gods of Olympus, who have seemingly vanished. Even more odd is that the departure of said gods seems to have vacated the dwellings surrounding Mount Olympus as well. You’ll need to search through abandoned homes, solve thoughtful puzzles, and make your way to the Mount itself in order to uncover the fabled beings’ whereabouts. In typical adventure-game fashion you’ll explore various locations, pick up objects to help solve puzzles in other areas, and even engage in some mini-games to keep things fresh. Of course what it really felt like you were doing, more than anything else, was traipsing back and forth from one spot to another. This easily comprised 20 percent of the game.

When you do finally stumble upon something to do, a majority of your tasks seem to be unlocking doors. This might mean simply finding and using the right key or it might involve playing one of several mini-games to open the lock, but in the end you become a glorified locksmith. Thankfully there were a couple of areas where key questing didn’t feel quite so prominent, but that’s part of the imbalance I’m talking about. While I realize the general progression of any adventure game is “get x and y to pass point z,” maybe a bit more variety could have been implemented. For example, there is one section where you have to enter a cave that has been blocked by rocks, but this is the rare exception. More often then not you’re just trying to enter one door or another.

As for the mini-games, I will give the developer a gold star for branching beyond the standard fare you find in most adventure/hidden-object games. That’s not to say there weren’t some staple offerings, but a few of them were different and actually pretty cool. The problem here is that everything was a bit too easy. Now I’m not one to use a skip unless I absolutely have to, but the only time I ever even felt compelled to in Mount Olympus was when I was beta testing and one of the puzzles wasn’t working quite right. I don’t want to tear my hair out trying to solve these things, but at least force me to put a little more effort into them.

Aesthetically the game is certainly on par with Electric Mist. The backgrounds are nicely detailed and the few human beings we see are well rendered. The sound effects are okay, but personally I find the guard’s mumbling noises a bit annoying. Apparently I’m in the minority in that regard. I did rather enjoy the music, and I’m pretty sure each section had its own theme.

Mount Olympus was a decent adventure game, and a couple of years ago it might have made more of an impact since it was much more difficult to come across good old-fashioned “point and click” adventure games. There’s actually quite a bit to choose from these days though, and even this developer’s previous title outshines Mount Olympus. Still, it was a fun play through, and buying it would certainly help iCoolgeek’s ability to publish more cool adventure games. If you’re a fan of the genre I’d suggest giving it a try, but don’t expect to be overly wowed by the experience.

Overall Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Alleged screenshots of a new iPhone 6 has been getting most of the attention lately, but the iPad Air was feeling left out! Now, thanks to AppleInsider.com's translation of the Netherland's OneMoreThing.nl rumor site, the iPad Air gets to join in the speculation game! I love my iPad Air, but as remarkably thin as it is, apparently it could be thinner, if the glass and LCD panel were bonded together. That appears to be Apple's next plan, if the photos are to be believed.

The screen of the next iPad Air would be harder to replace, if the rumors are true, but that's rarely been a concern for Apple. The next iPad Air could be thinner, or Apple could use the extra space for a larger battery. They also presumably need to make room for a fingerprint reader to bring Touch ID to the iPad line. Apple would likely want to avoid the scenario they had when the iPad 3 was slightly thicker than the iPad 2, instead of the same or thinner.

Of course, this is all speculation, but the parts seem authentic. Still, it's not clear that the young lady in the upper left corner of the photos, wearing a skirt and sandals is conforming to (Apple supplier) Foxconn's dress code!

An interesting review of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 in the New York Times says that while Samsung's new phone is "nice," it's still bested by the "aging" iPhone 5s. The article says a major advantage of the Samsung phone is its larger size, but that advantage will disappear with the expected arrival of a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in September. In comparison with the iPhone, the plastic of the Galaxy S5 feels cheap, and the interface is overly complex. Plus, even though the Galaxy S5 uses the latest quad-core Shapdragon 801 processor, the article notes that the iPhone 5s beats it on most of the performance tests conducted by AnandTech. In fact, the iPhone 5s comes out on top in a majority of the measures. And this is an "aging" phone. In a few months we'll have a new iPhone 6 with a new A8 chip that will be even faster, with its rumored quad-core processor and quad-core graphics. Apple just keeps racing ahead of the competition.

So how is it that Apple's dual-core A7 processor has a speedier performance than a phone with the latest Snapdragon processor with more cores and a higher clock speed? A great article on Macworld gives all the reasons why. It explains that Apple's A7 chip is able to run more calculations simultaneously, making it more efficient. (And because it runs at a slower clock speed than a chip such as the Snapdragon 801, it needs less battery power, which in turn allows the iPhone 5s to be thinner.)

It also uses more cached memory than other smartphones. Cached memory stores frequently used data and speeds up operation. And it has a separate image processor, which frees up some of the workload of the main processor. Plus, there's the M7 coprocessor that receives and stores the data from the device's sensors, again offloading some of the work of the A7 chip. 

The Macworld article says that the A7 chip has the robustness of a desktop computer, nearly on par with the Intel chips used in Macs. 

The article then considers why Apple used such a powerful chip in iOS devices, which don't, in fact, take full advantage of its power. Macworld's answer: Apple is "future-proofing" its devices, ensuring that they have the oomph to best the competition in years to come.

It amazes me that the A7 chip so completely outclasses the competition — and that it will be replaced by an even more powerful A8 processor this fall.

The popular Kickstarter project from PhoneJoy is now shipping and I had the opportunity to try it out. This is a Bluetooth controller that expands to fit just about any phone, in landscape or portrait. By any phone, that includes Android and iPhone, and thanks to the expanding nature of the device, the next generation of larger iPhones should fit as well!

Unlike the recently launched MFi (Made For iPhone) Lightning-based game controllers, the PhoneJoy connects via Bluetooth. This allows them to accommodate Android and iOS devices, and not worry about cables and port locations. I own several Android phones and tablets and the docking port is in a different place for each one.

The PhoneJoy controller is remarkably compact and, thanks to the spring-loaded mechanism, it can adapt easily to keep any phone nestled snugly between the controller halves. There are more buttons than most users will probably need, but that allows developers to create more sophisticated apps if they choose to. For example, there are four "shoulder" buttons, plus the typical A, B, X, Y buttons common to Sony and Microsoft consoles. There's a diamond pad and two analog thumb-controlled sticks. If that wasn't enough, there are two more buttons on the top sides of the unit, and a couple of sliders to turn the thing on or off, etc.

The device itself charges via microUSB; but it does not act as a battery pack for your phone, unlike controllers from Logitech or Mogo. That's a tradeoff you're making to give you the flexibility of working with any device. In fact, unlike those Lightning-based controllers, the PhoneJoy will work with an iPhone 4, breathing new life into older phones.  

Not every game is going to be compatible, but a sizeable number of apps are. This is because PhoneJoy is leveraging the work done by iCade, so even at launch there are many games to choose from. A future version of the PhoneJoy is expected to support the MFi standard. PhoneJoy has a free app, and a web page, that offers a directory of compatible apps that is bound to grow bigger now that the hardware is shipping.

The PhoneJoy is a lot of fun to play and the best part might be searching for retro games, especially for those of us who grew up in arcades. Many old-school games have been ported over to the iCade standard. Just keep in mind that once paired with the PhoneJoy in iCade mode, the iPhone thinks the PhoneJoy is a keyboard, so you can't use the onscreen keyboard to type and search for apps, etc. So download all the iCade/PhoneJoy compatible apps first.

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Some people take and edit photos on their iPhone like a pro, using their iPhone's native Camera app along with all sorts of other apps to produce beautiful images. Others feel majorly accomplished when they can just successfully take and post a photo to Facebook.

But what if you're part of the iPhoneography beginner group and you want to post a photo that isn't sharing ready? For example, a friend recently told me she was about to post a picture of some pretty spring flowers when she realized there was a clump of dog waste in the corner of the image. She didn't know how to crop her photo, so she just deleted it.

For anyone who has ever found him or herself in a similar position, here's how to crop a photo on your iPhone:

Go to Camera Roll and tap on the photo you wish to crop.

Tap Edit in the top right corner. 

Tap on the crop icon in the lower right corner. (And don't be afraid to play with the other editing tools!)

Choose Aspect if you want your photo to be a specific size or drag the border of the image until it is the size you want. 

Pinch to zoom in on the image and use a finger to drag the image to where you want it in the frame.

Once you have the image as you want it, tap Crop in the upper right corner and then tap Save.

Quick & Dirty Photo Cropping:

If you're not too concerned about image quality, pinch to zoom on your photo until it fills your screen, drag the image until the part you want to capture is where you want it, and then take a screenshot.

Runkeeper is one of the more notable fitness tracking apps for iPhone. Their latest app, Breeze(Free) keeps track of all of your movements throughout the day, giving you real-time status updates. Using the M7 co-processor found on the iPhone 5s, Breeze monitors daily activity, rather than a specific training session. Not only does it track all of your steps, it also provides personal goals, an analysis of your movements, and notifications for when achievements are reached.

The app runs in the background without the need for any sort of instructions. As you go about your day, Breeze will let you know how close you are to reaching your goal and offer up summaries on your progress.

The Runkeeper team wanted to find opportunities to avoid sedentary routines. The concept focuses on healthlier lifestyles without actually setting aside time for exercise.

"Even if you’ve always felt like you don’t really have the time to create a fitness routine, Breeze helps you find the hidden opportunities for fitness that are already built into your day, like that long walk you to took to get your lunch, or the steps you’re racking up without realizing while doing your household chores," the company said in a Runkeeper blog.

The company is also quick to point out the features we will see in future updates. Forthcoming versions are expected to include integration with the Runkeeper app, support for other devices, and more personalized guidance.

Compared to other fitness trackers like Nike+ Move and Fitbit, Breeze may seem overly simplistic to fitness junkies. But if you are on a budget, this free app can be an adequate step toward a healthier lifestyle.