I have recently been looking for a good free RSS reader. Why do I feel a twinge of guilt when I say I’ve looking for a free one? Anyway it couldn’t just be any RSS reader. I had a list of criteria that it had to meet.

Google reader synchronization.
I want to be able to add to my RSS feeds whilst at my computer so it was important that the reader app would sync with whatever I added to my Google Reader account.

Manually organize subscriptions into folders.
I wanted to have the ability to group feeds into folders rather than have a single long list of feeds or some sort of automated sorting.

Built in Web Page viewer.
I didn’t want to have to leave the app to view a feeds web page in Safari.

Look good and be easy to use.
It is important to me that an app looks good and is easy to use.

This criteria allowed me to draw up a short list of half a dozen or so apps. I couldn’t find an app that satisfied all of the above criteria, but Of those I looked at, two really stood out. iNews O by gdiplus and MobileRSS (Free Version) by Nibiru Tech.

iNews O is a very feature rich and customisable RSS reader. Notable features are its option of displaying feeds in a tiled manner rather like magazine thimb nails, the ability to customize the navigation bars and the impressive range of export options which include Mail,Instapaper, Read It Later, Twitter and Facebook. Despite these features it still lacked one important thing for me; The ability to arrange and group feeds into folders of my creation.

The RSS reader I finally settled on is the free version of MobileRSS. MobileRSS Synchronizes with Google reader and whilst I can’t manually create a folder structure, it does maintain the folder structure I create in Google reader.It does have a built in browser and it can display feeds for the small screen. Export and integration functions are quite good allowing you to send to Twitter, Facebook, ReadItLater, Instapaper, Delicious and Email.

In all these are two very good apps but I think it is the simplicity and clarity of MobileRSS that wins me over.

Link to the Proporta website

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Whilst I can appreciate the difficulties that some people have I don’t really fall into this camp of thinking. Partly because I’m not the worlds fastest typer but also because I simply don’t have a problem using the touch keyboard. Occasionally I hit the wrong key but its not a big enough problem for me to want to sacrifice the benefits of the touch keyboard for a physical one.

Rather than concentrate on the apparent shortcomings of a feature such as the touch keyboard I prefer to look at the design of the iPhone and Touch in a more holistic way. The software keyboard, like the multi-touch technology itself allows for a great deal of versatility. It’s immediately there when its needed and disappears when its not, returning the full display back to you. It also adapts to the context in which it is being used, giving you a .com key for example when needed and a selection of alternatives when a key is held down. You also have the option of flipping your device on its side to access a larger, more spaced out keyboard.

That said, I haven’t really, yet felt comfortable writing lengthy articles or blog posts on the iPhone keyboard. I can see that in some situations an alternative keyboard may be useful but they are few and far between.

iType $100

Later this year, ION Audio will be bringing out iType; an almost full size QWERTY keyboard that cradles your iPhone in the upper portion of a keyboard that looks a lot like a ZX81 I still own. The iType has its own battery so it won’t drain your device and it is rumored that it may even be able to charge it. I don’t really know what I think about this. I can imagine it could be great if you want to do a lot of typing on your iPhone but I cant help thinking that if you are going to carry this keyboard around, you may as well carry a laptop around and be done with it. Having said that I can imagine myself using this and a laptop of course, costs a lot more than the expected price of $100 for the iType.

ION Audio website here
More images here

iTwinge $30

Perhaps size doesn’t matter. In which case the iTwinge may be the keyboard alternative for you. iTwinge is sleeve that plugs into your device and covers the lower half of your screen with a tactile keyboard making your iPhone look like a BlackBerry. If you really need a tactile keyboard when writing larger quantities of text this could be a good solution. I struggle however to see this as being a good replacement for the standard keyboard in general use. The fact that it permanently covers the lower half of the screen will present obvious problems. You also lose the ability to hold a key down for additional options and of course it wont work when the iphone is on its side.

Mobile Mechanics site here

4iThumbs $15 – $20

The lowest cost item is the 4iThumbs. This is a simple clear plastic overlay/screen protector with raised pips that provide a tactile separation to the touch keys which can be through it. It appears to be very easy to apply and adds hardly any bulk to your device. Unlike the iTwinge it does not obscure the screen and is available in landscape and portrait versions. When you are not using it slips out of its retaining flaps and attaches to the reverse of your device. I like the simplicity of this approach and prefer it to the iTwinge, but I still think my device is a better product without it. Perhaps if I really had a problem with the touch keyboard I may feel different.

4iThumbs site here

That’s it for now. Please let me know if you have tried any of these, or any other keyboards I haven’t mentioned.

A beautiful selection of quality iPhone and iPod Touch accessories

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Promised Land Of Heavy Metal (or PLOHM) is a little different to most, as at it’s heart is a full length, 52 minute documentary film which tells the story of Finnish Metal, Its history and it’s philosophy. A nice looking interface (yep, I did that bit) allows you to access the apps other sections which include A guide book to Finland (the Promised Land Of Heavy Metal), Photo Galleries, Links to travel information, festivals and Merchandise.

Finland is particularly significant in the Metal scene, as it is probably the only country in the world where Metal has become mainstream. As you will see in the film; the Finnish church has Metal Masses, Finland has had a winning entry into the Eurovision song contest with LORDI and even the Finnish President approves of its Metal connections. It is this bizarre and diverse nature of the film that makes it fascinating to watch for the non Metal fan as well as the true Metal enthusiast.

The Film is Narrated by Kimmo Kuusniemi, now a film maker and guitarist for the very influential band Sarcofagus but originally a forefather of Finnish Metal. It also features a plethora of famous faces and bands such as HIM, Killswitch Engage, Nightwish, Alice Cooper, Lordi, Apocalyptica, Blake and Iron Maiden to name just a few.

Without wishing to blow my own trumpet (or should that be play my own axe) This is a nice looking app containing a fascinating and well made film with some great reviews. Perhaps this is the first of a new breed of app which offer full length films with lots of additional media tied together with an interface that gives it a good DVD feel.

iTunes link: Promised Land Of Heavy Metal

Don’t forget that you are able to connect your device to your TV using one of the systems below, which I wrote about in my previous post “Ten Christmas Gifts For an iPod Touch or iPhone User“

The Klipsch iGroove SXT MFI iPod Speaker System which also provides an S-video output.

The Logic3 WIP040 Prodock

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Speaker dock
A speaker dock is one of the most used accessories I have ever bought. The JBL On Stage IIIP is a highly rated unit with good sound quality. I own a JBL On Stage speaker and have found it to be well made, faultless and produce high sound quality. If you want the added ability to view your video and photos on a television screen you could consider the Klipsch iGroove SXT MFI iPod Speaker System which also provides an S-video output.

The JBL On Stage IIIP

Klipsch iGroove SXT MFI

Alarm Clock
If you are wanting to pair your device with your radio alarm clock; the Sony ICFC7IP Clock Radio for iPod looks like a choice that a lot of people are very happy with. It is a reasonable price and includes a full function remote control. The only thing that some people have highlighted as a problem is the display being too bright.

Sony ICFC7IP Clock Radio

Device stand
If you use your iPod or iPhone at your desk, as an alarm clock or like to watch a lot of video content you may find a stand useful. The Mobis Technology Xtand for iPod Touch 2G or iPhone is a well engineered solid aluminum king of stands.

Mobis Technology Xtand for iPod Touch 2G

Mobis Technology St-188 Xtand for iPhone 3g

iPod Touch microphone
The features of the iPod Touch can be extended considerably with the addition of a microphone. Adding a microphone allows you to make recordings, take voice notes and even use your Touch as a Skype phone. There are a few different microphones available but I feel the tiny ones are most useful. I would like to get a ThumbTack Micro-Microphone but it looks like the Mini Microphone is also a good option.

ThumbTack Micro-Microphone Black for iPod Touch 2g & iPod Nano 4G

Mini Microphone Mike & Speaker for ALL Apple iPod & iPhones

Stylus Pen
Yes I know what you’re thinking; Why would anybody need a stylus for an iPhone or Touch when you can just use your finger. I agree, in most cases your finger is fine but I have a few drawing app which I think could be easier to use with a stylus, as well as a couple of freehand writing apps. Its not easy writing with your finger. I also think if you wear gloves a lot a stylus could be particularly useful. It seems the stylus of the moment is the Pogo Stylus which also comes with a useful clip that keeps it attached to your device.

SELECT Pogo Stylus Pen for Apple iPhone 3G, 3G S (Black)

FM transmitter for the car
Perhaps the most useful FM transmitter is one that not only transmits your music to your car radio but also charges your device and provides a means to hold it. The Griffin RoadTrip 6195-RDTRPB with Smartscan seems to be a reasonable option as does the Cygnett GrooveTransmit. Both of these devices provide a cradle for your iPhone or Touch which is supported by a short flexible gooseneck with a cigarette plug on the end. If you feel you don’t need the charger or cradle you could try TeckNet MT-096 or Griffin iTrip

Griffin RoadTrip 6265-RDTRPB2 for iPhone and iPod

Cygnett GrooveTransmit FM Transmitter/Charger and Cradle for iPod and iPhone

TeckNet MT-096 Apple FM Transmitter For Apple iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S and other iPod Player

Car mount
If you don’t need an FM transmitter but just want to mount your device in your car, perhaps to use as a GPS you may want a simple car mount. The Kensington Car Mount seems to be a simple solution with good reviews. Alternatively the Sunwire – In Car Holder & Charger looks good and comes with a charger. The possible advantage of the Kensington option is it seems it will take a wider range of devices plus you don’t need to remove them from their cases. Macally make a mount that fits into your car cup holder. If your cup holder is rarely used the Macally mCup could be a great solution. Be aware that unless very thin you will probably need to remove your case with the Macally solution.

Kensington Car Mount for iPod and MP3 Players

Sunwire – In Car Holder & Charger – iPhone 3G/3GS

MCUP Adjustable Car cup holder mount for iphone and ipod

AV dock
There are a range of docks and cables that allow you to plug your device into sound systems and/or televisions. In my opinion a dock is a little more convenient than cables as it means you don’t have to fiddle about with…well…cables. The Logic3 WIP040 Prodock is a versatile dock with great reviews on Amazon. If you prefer cables you could try the Griffin HomeConnect – iPod audio / video cable. Please note that the video component of this cable does not work with the iPhone or Touch but does work with other video iPods that can send video through their headphone jacks.

Logic3 WIP040 Prodock for iPhone/iPod

Griffin HomeConnect – iPod audio / video cable (video does not work with iPod Touch or iPhone)

Protective case
I spent a lot of time looking for a case before I settled on the one I currently have. I was looking for one that was quick and easy to use, protected the whole device yet when in use covered the face as little as possible. It also had to look good. I didn’t want film covering the screen, case on the front of the device or the need to remove the device from a pouch to use it. What do you mean I’m fussy? My searching finally paid off when I found the Proporta Leather Style Protective Case. It is a very smart looking leather effect case with a flip up front cover. The iPhone or Touch is held to the back cover of the case by a couple of covered metal grips so when open your device is fully exposed. I have owned this case for almost a year now and still love it.

Proporta Leather Style Protective Case (Apple 2G iPod touch) – Black

Proporta Leather Style Protective Case for Apple 3G iPhone

Additional battery power
The battery on the iPhone or iPod Touch runs down quite quickly when being used for video, games and other graphic or processor intensive applications (See my post on extending battery life here). When traveling, this can become quite an issue. The solution is an additional battery and or solar charger. In a previous post I recommended the Freeloader Globe Trotter, a portable charger/battery system that can be charged by its solar panels. This appears to be a perfect solution but having owned it for a couple of months I find my self unable to recommend it again. If you’re away for long periods of time and unable to find regular charge points you may require a battery with a solar charger. The PowerMonkey Explorer’ Portable Charger has some very good reviews and is an incredible versatile device. If you don’t require the option to charge via the sun I would consider the Kensington Battery Pack And Charger or the mStation Mohpie Juice Pack- Case & Rechargeable 1800mA Battery. The advantage of the mStation option is it takes the form of a case which means you don’t have to worry about separate batteries and cables.

PowerMonkey Explorer’ Portable Charger – Yellow

Kensington Battery Pack And Charger For iPhone And iPod

mStation Mohpie Juice Pack- Case & Rechargeable 1800mA Battery for iPod Touch 2nd Gen

mStation Mohpie Juice Pack- Case & Rechargeable 1800mA Battery for iPhone 3G

There you go! Ten suggested Christmas gifts for the iPhone or iPod Touch user. I won’t be at all offended if you want to send me one of them

The links in the copy above are my Amazon affiliate links. I searched many many different sites for products I would want to buy and in every case the products I selected were available at Amazon and at a lower cost.

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You can make any image on your device a wallpaper by selecting it in your photo library, tapping the icon in the bottom left corner and selecting “Use as wallpaper”

To get images into your device you need to set iTunes up to sync with iPhoto or the folder containing your wallpaper images if your not using iPhoto.

Long Version:

What sort of image can you use as a wallpaper? Wallpapers can be obtained in a veriety of ways. Any photograph you have stored in the photos app on your device can be used as a wallpaper. You can also download images from a number of places on internet. These have been specialy created for use as iPhone wallpapers and are the correct size and aspect ratio and the images are usualy composed to fit well within the iPhone format. You can download my specialy designed wallpapers here if you wish.

If you are using iPhoto it’s not a bad idea to create a new album to keep your wallpapers in. You can then sync this folder with your device. If you are not using iPhoto, you can keep your wallpapers in a specified folder on your hard drive and sync with that.

Copy the wallpaper images you have downloaded or created to your iPhoto album, designated folder, Photoshop Album or Photoshop Elements. Connect your iPhone or Touch to your computer and open iTunes. In the library column on the left click your device icon. Now click on the Photos tab. Make sure “Sync photos from” is checked then in the pulldown menu either select the folder where you placed your wallpapers or select iPhoto. If you are just syncing selected albums rather than all photos make sure your wallpapers are in an iPhoto album and that it is selected in the list. Press Apply (or sync) and the images in iPhoto or the selected folder will be copied over to your device.

On your iPhone or Touch, navigate to your photos and select the wallpaper you wish to use. You dont have to use a specialy made wallpaper image, you can use any photo you wish. Tap the icon in the lower left hand corner that looks like an arrow jumping out of a box. Sometimes you need to tap the screen once to make the icons visible.?

The menu that follows will contain the option to “Use as wallpaper”. On the iPhone you could also assign an image to one of your contacts.

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1.First on the slab is Halloween Sounds by Pixel Narrative. Halloween Sounds is a collection of fifteen good quality spooky sounds and a spooky soundtrack that can be played by its self or as a background track to the various scary sound effects that can be triggered by tapping the appropriate tombstone icon. The volume and quality of the sounds is quite good and I can imagine it being a good audio accompaniment to your fancy dress occasion or you could plug it into a sound system at a party and invite passing guests to trigger sounds at will. Halloween Pro which is the pay version of Halloween Sounds offers the ability to trigger sounds remotely via a second device or set a timer so your chosen sound can be played after a set amount of time has elapsed.

2.Hallowcarver by WNRS is a surprisingly good pumkin carving app. You can choose which pumpkin you want to carve and display it on a selection of different spooky backgrounds. The actual carving process works very well, you draw the shapes you want to cut out of the pumpkin with your finger and they are automatically removed to reveal the flickering light within the pumpkin. Once your design is complete you can save it to your photo gallery, post it to a web gallery, share it on facebook or shout it on Twitter.

3.Horror Classics by Alexandru Brie is a collection of classic horror stories contained in a reasonably well presented app. The book reader within the app isn’t as pretty as some but is perfectly functional and offers the usual common features such as book marks, automatic scrolling and the ability to alter the font size. Improvements could certainly be made to the appearance and functions of this app but its still a good collection of classic stories at a great price.

4.Halloween Postage by Rogue Sheep is a Halloween themed postcard app than enables you to take a photo from your library and customize it in various ways before delivering it vie mail or Facebook or saving it to your photo library. It is a nice looking app and very easy to use with quite a good set of features but I think its appeal would be quite short lived. I would like to see a larger selection of postcard styles to choose from.

5.Zombie Pizza by Appy Entertainment, inc is fun and rather disgusting horror puzzle game where you find yourself having to create Zombie pizzas by adding eyeballs, guts, brains, hearts, bones and other such delights to a pizza base and flicking it out of the door before the zombies break in and eat you instead. It is a nicely designed game and despite its unappetizing subject matter is fun for all the family. My little boy loves it anyway.

6.On the subject of horror games; I felt compelled to add Resident Evil 4 by Capcom to this list of six. It is seen as one of the best 3D action shooters on the iPhone, the graphics are great, the controls work surprisingly well and above all it is actually quite scary…or am I just being a wimp?.

1.Halloween Sounds by Pixel Narrative

2.Hallowcarver by WNRS

3.Horror Classics by Alexandru Brie

4.Halloween Postage by Rogue Sheep

5.Zombie Pizza by Appy Entertainment, inc

6.Resident Evil 4 by Capcom

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