These days, you will find thousands of iPhone applications that are available for sale on the internet and iTunes stores. since 2009, there has been whooping increase in the iPhone app development and the total number of available applications have now crossed 360,000 and there are no signs of this trend slowing down anytime sooner.

The mobile iPhone has emerged as the most preferred smart phone that is now being increasingly used by the people for communication, as a computer and for the internet surfing. With so much to do, if you still wants more from you iPhone, you can download various applications from the internet and add several new and exciting features on your device.

There are numerous iPhone applications available for the iPhones concerning various aspects of the life such as social networking, entertainment, business, travel, music, news and so on.

When the iPhones first came on the market, they were priced on the higher side by the Apple Inc. But with the availability of so many brands of smart phones, the competition for the mobile iPhone has now increased and its developers are now reducing its price. this competition has been beneficial for the iPhone users as their sales have increased manifold. With the increased iPhone sales, the sale of iPhone applications is also increasing.

With so much on offer for the business persons who use mobile iPhone, they now rarely use laptops. These smart phones are much smaller in size and are handy as compared to various laptops. The senior managers and business persons are constantly on the move for their business expansion. many big companies have their branches in different parts of the country and even world. They can easily enhance the coordination among their branch offices by using the iPhones and its various applications.

The increasing interaction among the various iPhone users and the high usage of the iPhone by the worldwide businesses for their operations has led to the spurt in the demand for the iPhone app development. Businesses have realized the importance of iPhone for the growth of their business and also appreciate the role of applications for the iPhone in this endeavor.

The commercial iPhone applications available for the businesses are used for keeping track on the finances and view their accounts, check the status of their credit cards and even make financial transactions. Businesspeople can easily process their business data, track all their projects and secure their passwords and other sensitive information by using these applications.

If a user is not satisfied with the application he is running on his iPhone, he can even ask some developer to design an application specifically for his needs. A good iPhone app development can go a long way in enhancing their productivity.

Aside from business, there are many exciting gaming applications for the iPhone that will be suitable for all those who can spare some time for the pure fun. A great thing about games on the iPhone is that they have amazing sound quality and graphics and are much more affordable than the PC games.

With millions of iPhone users, this is now considered a separate market segment. nobody would like to miss this chance to cash in on the demands of the iPhone users. this has led to the need for various types of applications for the iPhones and they are indeed becoming popular day by day.

One search on Google and you’ll find thousands of articles on personal privacy and how yours is not safe. a new way of protecting it is to use the new Gliph app for iPhone and Android. Launching at SXSW today, the app allows you to store your personal facets such as first and last name, phone number, email, Twitter and Facebook information and choose how much and to whom you share it. better yet, your private details are encrypted for maximum privacy.

Gliph uses simple native interfaces and allows users to select their own “gliph” pseudonym, which is a combination of three to five visual icons such as a star, mushroom or diamond. so instead of divulging all of your important and private information, you can simply hand over your gliph and follow up via in-app text messaging. It’s a natural progression of building a relationship. you can give as much or as little of your personal details as you’d like. Besides, not everyone is Facebook worthy and it’s not always good to give out your number to strangers. 

“We believe people are multi-faceted and should be allowed to reflect a unique identity that matches each relationship, whether it be professional or social,” said Rob Banagale co-founder, and CEO. “Gliph lets people reveal only what’s appropriate and earn trust over time—just like we all do in off-line relationships.”

Banagale says that Gliph is the first company to offer cross-platform applications that deliver encrypted text messaging and personal information exchange. The app uses security measures to ensure your conversations and personal data are signed and encrypted, in transit and prior to being stored on the server.

“we secure your first name better than most websites secure your credit card information,” Banagale added.

If you’re at SXSW in Austin, then make sure to stop by their cart at the southwest corner of 4th Street and N. Congress Avenue where Gliph will be offering free mobile device charging daily from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. CST. their “Yeti” mascot will be making appearances downtown and they’ve partnered with Brookly-based band Runaway Dorothy, which will perform showcases throughout the week as well.

Gliph on YouTube

Since Apple opened its App Store in 2008, catering to the needs of gamers has been increasingly important for mobile-device makers. while the iPhone was not designed primarily for games, they soon dominated the best-selling app charts, a pattern that was duplicated on Android devices and looks set to repeat with Windows phones. Qualcomm, a major manufacturer of chipsets for mobile devices, estimates that 60 percent of smart-phone users regularly play games on the devices.

Consequently, chip makers have been competing to provide mobile-device manufacturers with better and better graphics capabilities by means of dedicated processors that are now among the devices’ most complex and powerful subsystems. Painting hundreds of thousands of pixels at a time, these graphics processors don’t just display two-dimensional icons, pictures, and video but can render the complex 3-D environments of many modern video games—calculating, for example, how a sunbeam will reflect off a tattered flag as it flutters in a breeze.

Qualcomm spent $65 million in 2009 to buy the handset graphics operations of Advanced Micro Devices, which were originally part of ATI Technologies, an early leader in graphics processors for personal computers. ARM, which designs the general-purpose processor cores that power most of the world’s smart phones, has been placing increasing emphasis on its Mali family of graphics processors, the first versions of which were announced in 2007. The overarching importance of graphics has even allowed Nvidia, which created the first commercial graphics processing unit in 1999 for the personal-computer games market, to enter the market with an eight-core graphics processor and a dual-core general-purpose processor bundled on the same chip. “The catalyst was Apple’s iPhone,” says Matt Wuebbling, director of product marketing for Nvidia. “It showcased a mobile device that is purely display based.” That is, it relies on a graphical interface for all interactions with the user.

One of the biggest challenges companies like Qualcomm and Nvidia faced as they developed graphics processors for mobile devices was to provide advanced processing without draining a battery within 20 minutes. while graphics cards for personal computers often required beefed-up power supplies and cooling fans, Qualcomm calculates that its latest chips render a scene nearly as complex as those found in desktop computer games but use less than 1 percent as much energy as a desktop graphics processor.

Because the mobile market is so huge, chip makers can make investments that they couldn’t afford for smaller targets. Market researcher iSuppli says that last year 295 million smart-phone handsets were shipped, compared with 27.2 million dedicated handheld gaming devices such as the Nintendo DS. The result has been a positive feedback loop: better hardware leads to more advanced games, which in turn stoke the demand for better hardware. Progress has been so rapid that mobile devices are moving toward the kind of graphic performance normally associated with video-game consoles and high-end PC systems. for example, last spring Sony Ericcson introduced the Xperia Play phone, which is capable of playing games designed for the original PlayStation console, and Apple says the iPhone4S contains a graphics processor from Imagination Technologies that is seven times faster than that of the iPhone 4.

Indeed, as mobile graphics power increases, growing numbers of users are likely to play some of their favorite mobile games on their big-screen TVs, by hooking up the handsets through a cable. in terms of the graphic capabilities available, says Wuebbling, “on the mobile side, for gaming, we’re where PCs were 10 years ago.”

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What's driving a lot of that revenue increase? Rthe iPhone 4S, a sensation, and it's one that bodes

The licensing of Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 4S in October, to Sprint (S), not only has the capacity to rejuvenate Sprint, but it also could spark an “iPhone 4S wave” in the cellphone service provider sector. That wave also bodes well for downloads – apps, music, movies and books.

In other words, a sector renaissance is occurring — one that attracts new minds (translation: subscribers) that previously hadn't considered the iPhone 4S or even a smartphone, and one that bodes well for Apple's shares.

Most investors know that the past 10 years, and in particular the lost decade of 2001-2008, was difficult for investors, but there are always companies that manage to outperform competitors and shine, and the iPhone 4S-clad Apple is one of them.

Apple's shares closed Monday down $5.93 to $369.17, on a day when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 249 points to 11,547 on Europe / U.S. budget deficit concerns.

The iPhone 4S is also the last chance to buy a product developed by the late, great innovator, Steve Jobs. Simply, he was the Thomas Edison of our age and he left this life far too soon.

iPhone 4S-Boosted Revenues

As noted, look for Apple's FY2012 revenue to surge 30 percent — boosted by the aforementioned “iPhone 4S wave,” and strong unit sales of the iPad and MacBook (Apple's name for laptops).

What's more, the above-mentioned robust sales trend means iTunes revenue will also increase at an impressive rate in fiscal 2012, as Apple's hardware sales lead to more downloads of apps, music and movies.

The lone negative in Apple's line-up? The iPod, whose market share will likely decline, due to market saturation and Apple's huge market share in the sector.

The Thomson Reuters first Call FY2012/FY2013 EPS estimates for Apple are $34.39 to $38.80, respectively. That FY2012 EPS estimate looks about 10 percent to 15 percent too low, and the FY2013 EPS estimate looks about 10 percent too low, according to my analysis.

Reuters also expects Apple to register FY2012 revenue of $138.4 billion, and FY2013 revenue of $160.4 billion.

Meanwhile, margins should total about 41 percent in fiscal 2012, as Apple ramps up iPhone and iPad production, benefits from economies of scale and eliminates inefficiencies detected in the ramping up process.

There's some concern among analysts regarding softer demand for desktops and laptops, but the iPhone 4S revenue stream will more than make up for it.

Also, Apple's cutting-edge design capabilities, product durability, marketing prowess and strong free cash flow can scare off only the lowest-risk investors.

Apple is that rare technology company you can buy for your kid's college fund and in 10 years, you'll be glad you did. That's a testament to its founder, Steve Jobs – an American icon.

Technical Analysis: Technically, as noted Apple's shares have been hit by the recent U.S. stock market volatility, but what shares haven't been? the stock cycled between $325 and $360 for much of the first half of 2011, then vectored to $400 in the summer. A roughly (and healthy) 30 percent correction followed to about $360, before the stock retook the $400 level in September.  there is some concern about Apple's shares dropping substantially below the key, 50-day moving average this autumn, but I like the uptrend from early summer. A sustained drop below $290 would be a concern, however.  Apple's destination? Most likely, to $425 by the end of 2011, and to $550 by mid-2012.

What's more, Apple's P/E of 14 isn't low, but it's not stratospheric either, given the company's growth rate and potential, and if institutional investors ever sense that the global financial crisis is over, Apple may be granted a higher P/E. if the latter becomes a reality, Apple will venture higher in late 2012 to $600.

Stock Category: as noted, an iPhone 4s-clad Apple is an exception to the tech sector rule that argues against adding tech stocks to your kid's college fund. Apple is battle-tested and symbolizes U.S. innovation capabilities: its shares are headed north, assuming even sluggish 2012 U.S. GDP growth. however, consider Apple only if you have the patience to wait two years to realize a capital gain. There's also a 2 percent chance you'll lose your entire investment with Apple over a 10-year period.

2011 Outlook: I view Apple as a long-term play, but if you're looking to sell within the year, it's probably best to take your profits after it rises to between $450 and $475, if it fails to rise above $500.

Stock Analysis: Apple is a moderate-risk stock. if an investor has already purchased the company's shares, I'd hold them. if not, I'd consider buying a 50 percent position now; then buy another 50 percent in one month, if U.S. and global economic conditions don't worsen substantially. I'd put a sell/stop loss order at: $220.

Disclosure: L.C. Jacobs of new York, N.Y. reviews stocks on a quarterly, semi-annual, and annual basis.

L.C. Jacobs has no positions in stocks reviewed, but does own federal, municipal, and corporate bonds.

To see additional stock reviews by L.C. Jacobs, click here.

To contact L.C. Jacobs about this stock review, write to: stockreview@mail.com.

To contact the editor, e-mail:

The App Store is home to a number of worthwhile side-scrolling games, and the clever Mighty Fin clearly belongs in the top tier of that category. the iPhone and iPad game from Launching Pad Games blends stylish graphics, lively gameplay, and plenty of challenges that are sure to hook casual gamers.

As with most side-scrolling games, you’re trying to get from Point A to Point B, avoiding any obstacles along the way. In the case of Mighty Fin, you’re a fish bobbing along assorted aquatic settings and capturing valuable bubbles along the way. the obstacles you’re trying to avoid include everything from jagged reefs to hungry penguins to sharks that seem far less lovable than the ones you’ll find in Finding Nemo. you can steer Fin away from danger by tapping down on your device’s screen—holding down a finger causes him to dive, while releasing your hold makes the fish swim toward the surface. the controls are relatively simple, though it takes some practice to fully harness the size of Fin’s dives and jumps.

Rising Tide: Mighty Fin leaps out of the water to avoid a dangerous jellyfish and captures some valuable bubbles in the process. the ear muffs are, of course, optional.

Mighty Fin really shines with its multitude of levels. the game debuted with eight tropical, arctic, and stormy settings; a recent update added eight more scenes that appear to be set at a down-at-heels theme park. the music is tailored to each setting, and extra special attention has been paid to the sound effects, from the splash of Fin leaping out of the water to the flopping noise when he meets his unfortunate demise. Mighty Fin’s graphics are also noteworthy, particularly the title screens that evoke tacky postcards.

Side-scrolling games can get a little repetitive—there are only so many obstacles you can throw in someone’s way, after all. so Mighty Fin varies things up by unlocking new game modes—Survival and Endless Zen—whenever you complete a level. you also collect costumes along the way—some bunny ears here, a sombrero there—which you can then use to dress up your fish. the costumes don’t seem to infuse Fin with any special abilities, but the feature should appeal to younger players.

If there’s a flaw to Mighty Fin that keeps it from reaching the heights of top-notch side-scrollers like tiny Wings and Jetpack Joyride, it’s that Launching Pad Games was a little too successful in recreating the density of liquid. Fin bobs up and down as the action scrolls by, and it’s up to you to keep his movements under control with the aforementioned taps. It can be a little challenging to keep your fish on the straight and narrow, which becomes problematic in later levels that demand more precise control than you might be able to muster. even casual games should have some degree of difficulty, but some players could well find that Mighty Fin lands too far on the frustrating side of the spectrum.

Still, Mighty Fin gets far more things right than it gets wrong. Graphics, sound, and gameplay all add up to a delightful iOS app. the App Store may be an increasingly growing pond, but this is one fish that more than pulls its own weight.

[There’s nothing fishy about Macworld.com editor Philip Michaels.]

Cool as she is, the iPhone 4S’ new personal assistant Siri hasn’t been able to tell me in a meaningful way which iPhone 4S offers the fastest data speeds. In the end, I resorted to the usual do-it-yourself approach: a real-world test. And the results were interesting.

Prior to the testing, I expected some big differences between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S (both GSM versions), since the iPhone 4S supports AT&T’s faster HSDPA 14.4 network, which is capable of reaching an upload speed of 14.4Mbps and download speed of 5.8Mbps, theoretically twice the speeds of the iPhone 4.

This wasn’t always the case, however, and sometimes it was quite the opposite. But first let’s talk about how the testing was done.

How we testIt’s generally hard to figure out the way to get the best picture of how fast a mobile cellular Internet device’s data rate is. The truth is that the speed of a cellular Internet connection varies a great deal from one location to another. It also depends on the server on which the app’s data resides and sometimes even on the time of day.

The truth is that the speed of a cellular Internet connection varies a great deal from one location to another.

For the testing, I used the Speedtest.net mobile app, which is the most popular app for the purpose. The app automatically connects to a nearby server to download and upload data. how busy the server is during the test affects the scores, but the app still offers a good representation of data speeds in a local area.

I gathered iPhone 4Ses from AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, and tested the three smartphones against an iPhone 4 at a few well-known places in San Francisco: CNET’s lobby, Union Square, and the Fisherman’s Wharf area of Pier 39. I picked the first location for an obvious reason: it’s the lobby of the building where I work, which is near the Financial District. The others are two of the most popular spots in the city, with lots of people using their phones. Also, I tested three 4G hot spots from various carriers for a comparison.

Keep in mind that these tests only evaluate data speeds for these phones in San Francisco and are not designed to be representative of data speeds you’ll find in your area. However, they at least should show how the data speeds compare between each carrier version of the iPhone 4S, as well as the difference between AT&T’s iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4.

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Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

[prMac.com] Cambridge, United Kingdom – The infamous board game, "War on Terror", by TerrorBull Games, has been turned into an iPhone game that is set to explode onto the app store on 25 November.War on Terror, the boardgame stirred controversy before it was even released for using humour and satire to tackle the subject of terrorism, resulting in death threats being issued against its inventors. it was summarily banned from every major toy fair in the world and ultimately secured notoriety when it became the first board game in history to be branded an offensive weapon by the police when they seized some copies at an environmental protest camp, citing the balaclava that comes with the game as a security threat. Now the digital version of what has been dubbed the "most dangerous board game in the world" will be available for 2.99 / $4.99 on the iTunes app store from 25 November 2011. Initially released for the iPhone and iPod touch, TerrorBull Games hopes to produce an optimised iPad version of the game, followed by an Android version shortly after.War on Terror, the application is a strategy game of global liberation (ie. domination) that sees you establish your own Empire, which you then spread by various means across a world map divided into 49 countries, matching the rather simplistic view of the world that helped form foreign policy in the real ‘war on terror’. Along the way, you must secure the richest oil reserves, since oil lubricates the liberation machine. you can also make and break alliances with other players and anonymously fund terrorism to eradicate or weaken the greater threat posed by other rogue empires. but don’t forget to save some money for building missile defences or you’re the one that might find themselves liberated.The game additionally features dynamic oil distribution (every game is different), advanced, reactive artificial intelligence, simulated 4,5 and 6 player game options, all original artwork by award-winning illustrator, Tom Morgan-Jones, original sound and music by Robert Taliesin Owen, additional music by Jarvis Cocker and a School of the Americas-inspired "Torture School" that doubles as perhaps the most disturbing credits screen yet witnessed on the app store.Deemed an "impossible project" by no fewer than three programmers, the digital version of War on Terror was just a pipe dream before TerrorBull Games found a willing development partner in David Partouche, a French, vegan anarchist and artificial intelligence specialist. even then, with no budget to speak of, it took over a year and 17,000 lines of code before the game was complete. In fact, the only money TerrorBull Games spent was crowdsourced from loyal fans who rallied behind the independent games studio so that they could purchase the music licence for Jarvis Cocker’s satirical epic, "Running the World".Game designer and Director of TerrorBull Games, Andrew Sheerin commented, "we were ultimately convinced to enter the mobile app market by the success of angry Birds – not because we have aspirations to imitate their success, but because we’re the much-needed antidote to the glut of mindless, valueless fluff that bulks out 99% of the mobile games market. we want to kill the ‘casual gamer’. The term is offensive – especially as nothing about their nature is remotely casual. The average casual gamer probably logs more hours and owns more games than your hardcore console freak. No one boasts of being a ‘casual reader’, it’s unacceptable. we need to get away from this idea that games – particularly mobile games – can’t do anything other than provide 30 seconds of brain-numbing distraction. our mission is to make gaming both fun and meaningful."Pricing and Availability:Now the digital version of what has been dubbed the "most dangerous board game in the world" will be available for 2.99 / $4.99 on the iTunes app store from 25 November 2011. Initially released for the iPhone and iPod touch, TerrorBull Games hopes to produce an optimised iPad version of the game, followed by an Android version shortly after. Promo codes for War on Terror, the application are available upon request.

TerrorBull Games are recognised the world over as leaders in satirical and subversive games. they have been called the ‘Sex Pistols of Games’ and the ‘Bad Boys of Board Games’. It’s true that controversy follows this small, independent games studio (to paraphrase Eric Cantona) like seagulls follow a fishing trawler. Their first release, the infamous "War on Terror, the boardgame" quickly gained an underground, cult following after it was banned from every major toy fair in the world, then seized by the police for the balaclava that comes in the box and later found itself being exhibited in the Berlin Academy of Arts. The three friends from Cambridge, England who started the company now count several notable and ‘celebrity’ individuals as fans of their work, among them John Pilger and Graham Linehan. Subversive, difficult, darkly humorous and "almost as educational as a Chomsky book" – according to the Morning Star – it’s safe to say TerrorBull’s games are not quite like anything else. Copyright (C) 2011 TerrorBull Games. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Andrew Sheerin Director +44 (0)845 643 1513 United Kingdom

The HTC Droid Incredible 2 is an excellent smartphone from Verizon Wireless and its price has just  been reduced to $49.99, a good deal compared to iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.  

Droid Incredible 2 is a 3G phone with a newer microchip that compares favorably to iPhone 4.  we saw the $49.99 deal in local Target stores.  we used the Droid Incredible 2 last summer and reported that it compared favorably with the iPhone 4 we normally use; now it’s available for half the price of the iPhone 4.

Size and weight- Droid Incredible 2 is almost exactly the same size as iPhone 4, weighs less, and has a slightly larger screen — Incredible 2′s screen measures 4 inches diagonally, versus iPhone’s 3.5 inches.   

Pricing: HTC Droid Incredible 2 with 16 gigabytes (GB) of storage costs $49.99.  The iPhone 4 with 8GB of storage costs $99; iPhone 4S with 16GB costs $199.  all these prices require extending a phone service commitment 2 years.

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Speed and response time - Droid Incredible 2 is a 3G phone so has connectivity speed like iPhone 4 and 4S; it is a newer phone with a faster microchip and that makes tasks that are run inside the phone faster than iPhone 4 — closer to the speed of iPhone 4S.

Screen resolution- Like iPhone 4, Droid Incredible has excellent screen resolution. 

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Copyright © 2011 Susan J. Walker.  Subscribe above to receive an email whenever Susan Walker publishes on Examiner.com.  Follow @WalkerSusanJ on Twitter.

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Josh Buckley, a 19-year-old serial entrepreneur, wants to build the dominant company in the mobile gaming industry.

It’s not an easy task with everyone from Zynga to EA to various startups moving into the space. But Buckley, founder and CEO of MinoMonsters, has reasons to be excited. His company has raised $1 million in seed financing from Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, Y Combinator, Yuri Milner, General Catalyst, Ignition Partners, Raymond Tonsing, and Alexis Ohanian.

He’s the youngest entrepreneur funded by Andreessen Horowitz and was the youngest at Y Combinator as well. MinoMonsters cofounder TJ Murphy was cofounder of early social gaming startup Social Gaming Network, which was later acquired by MindJolt. Most recently Murphy was at Zynga.

MinoMonsters is preparing to launch its 99-cent mobile iPhone game in December. It’s a pet monster game that is meant to harken back to Pokemon, but updated for today. In MinoMonsters players can use their monsters to battle and trade with friends.The game has social hooks focusing on in-person real-time game play. MinoMonsters uses Bump Technologies to connect two players face to face on separate phones. Then they can play and see each other from opposite perspectives in the game.

Buckley and Murphy don’t just want to build a mobile game company–they want to build an icononic media brand that could span across games, TV, comics, and movies. “We’re still building cool technology,” Murphy says. “But at the end of the day MinoMonsters is a brand and entertainment experience.”

They also want to take on angry Birds. Because he doesn’t see mobile gaming as strictly a tech problem, Buckley’s focused on design and creative. for a tech company it has relatively few engineers–only three–and eight creative people.  He sees angry Birds’ graphics as relatively limited compared to what he is doing and wants to do.

Most mobile games on iOS shoot up to the top of the App Store and slowly decline. To prevent that, the company tested out the game by launching about 10 small versions of the game on the iOS platform under different names. It did so that MinoMonsters could test the ability of a game to rise on Apple’s App Store leaderboard–and stay there. “We measured how much people come back,” Buckley says. “now we’ve got a game mechanic so that the game can hold onto its leaderboard position once it hits that spot.”

Originally from Kent, England, Buckley was 11 or 12 when he built his first websites and started selling them for $200 each. At age 14 he sold a website for $2,000 which convinced his parents that he was doing something useful. At 15, he created a gaming community website called Menewsha. He eventually sold it in October 2007 for “six figures.” He spent some time then figuring out what to do with the money. Eventually Buckley decided in 2009 to start another company, focusing on mobile gaming. In between, he finished high school in 2010. He was accepted to various universities but decided not to attend, and instead applied to the Y Combinator incubator. He participated in the program in the beginning of 2011 and then met his cofounder TJ. now he’s preparing for the launch.