The iSkin Vibe and iSkin Solo aren’t the same sizes and they don’t fit the same devices, but for all intents and purposes I think they’re essentially the same product, so I’ve put both skins into one review. They’re both red gel skins with cut-outs in the appropriate areas, and they both come with a thin screen protector to round out the complete scratch protection package. This wasn’t my first time with an iSkin product – the last iPhone 2G Fuze case I reviewed was rather disappointing – but the gorgeous colours on the Vibe and Solo were intriguing enough to give the brand a second shot.

Installation
Fitting (or squishing?) the skins onto the appropriate devices was very easy. I started by tucking the top of the device in and then squeezing the bottom of the skin until it literally clicked into place. Both skins aligned perfectly during the first installation, and I never felt like I was going to accidentally rip or tear them during fitting (unlike some other silicone skins I’ve installed).

Fit and Protection — iSkin Vibe for Blackberry Bold
The fit on the Vibe is nearly perfect, with the button and port support being the only downside. The iSkin’s rim stops short of the RIM keyboard, and typing remained as pleasurable as ever. The faux leather back of the Bold is mimicked by a harder and rougher gel that covers the rear — it’s still fake, but it feels just as good as a naked BB Bold. If you install the screen protector (I held off, as this Bold has been doing quite alright with its older protector — and it’s good to have an extra), then the keyboard will be the only exposed portion on the whole of the device. The skin is perfect for scratch protection and doesn’t have a mark on it after three weeks of usage. I wouldn’t really count on it for a fall, but that’s for skins in general.

As I mentioned earlier, every side button and port is covered by the gel skin. Unfortunately, I found the covered buttons made device navigation a much clumsier affair. The volume buttons were difficult to press without accidentally triggering the left convenience key, and the ringer switch along the top was basically impossible to reach. I’d also prefer cut-outs for the earphone jack and mini-USB port, but that’s really more a matter of taste than anything else.

Fit and Protection — iSkin Solo for 3G/S
Of the two skins I received from iSkin for review, I think the one for the iPhone is definitely superior. The cut-outs for the ringer switch, dock, and speakers are just perfect, and the power and volume buttons are still easily accessible, despite being covered by gel. I found there was ample room for typing in both portrait and landscape modes, and the Solo was (ironically) the perfect companion for gaming.

Solo on a black iPhone 3GS

The included screen protector is appreciated, but I found the quality a little under par. I remember the iSkin Fuze for the 2G coming with a great matte screen protector that was ridiculously easy to install, so it’s too bad the Solo’s is just a thin and flimsy film. In terms of overall protection, the Solo does for the iPhone what the Vibe does for the Bold – it’s a complete scratch absorber that happens to come in an awesome package. There isn’t any “protection” for the ports and speakers, but I’ve never been very worried about those areas anyway. Dust can always be blown away.

Solo on white iPhone 3GS

Colour
There are already plenty of silicone cases available for cellphones, so I’d say the main draw of the Vibe and Solo would be colour (spelled with a ‘u’, since iSkin is based out of Toronto!). Simply put, the available colours are gorgeous, and they bring a new dimension of cool to the devices. Both skins looks amazing from the front — bringing a sometimes neon, sometimes Cylon red to the devices they cover. The Bold still looked great from the back, but I found the bright white/red appearance of my iPhone 3GS’ back a little disappointing. I think there’s just a bit too much contrast between the cool, dark red front and the candy shell red on the sides and rear.

Conclusion
I enjoyed my time with the Vibe and Solo, although I wish iSkin would just pick one name or another. It’s confusing when you name your gel skins differently for different devices, and I think it would be a lot easier for customers to identify things if they just chose one brand and differentiated the variations by model (Solo for Bold, Solo for iPhone, etc.).

There isn’t really a hierarchy for phone protection,  but I do see gel skins as the most affordable solution, and with that in mind I think the Vibe and Solo are priced a little out of their range. In my experience, the average price for most decent hard cases is $35, so I’d expect skins to start at around $20-25 instead of iSkin’s $30 asking price.

Although the Vibe could still use some work in terms of button accessibility, both skins are still high quality. Both the Vibe and Solo are easy to install (and take off again), and they add light, stylish protection to your device. However, at $30 each, I’d probably invest my money in a hard case or wait for a sale.

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You can pick up your own Vibe for the Blackberry Bold or iSkin Solo for iPhone at the iSkin Store. Each skin costs $30, although the Solo also has an FX version that costs $3 more with a glossier finish and a mirrored screen protector.

Xi-Art, Inc has recently released Towers to the JAMM Store.  Towers is a Civilization style game designed for play on the Android OS.  The game promises to provide four different civilizations, including Egypt, Rome, China and Europe.  Furthermore, each civilization has it’s own skin, sounds and cards.

Towers is currently availabe in demo form, with a download being available here.  The full version can be registered for $1.95 through September 30th, at which time the price returns to $2.95.

While visiting the JAMM Store, please be sure to check out the remaining new and updated titles for Android.  Links to the product pages are listed below for your convenience.

New Software

• aiCurrency v1.0.0
• Talking SlovoEd Classic German-Italian & Italian-German dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Compact English-German & German-English dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Compact French-German & German-French dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking Concise Oxford Thesaurus for Android v1.2.6
• Talking Oxford Russian dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing v1.0.0
• Ringtone Expressions v1.0
• Ringtone Expressions Monthly Subscription v1.0

Updated Software

• English Talking SlovoEd Classic English-Turkish & Turkish-English dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking Concise Oxford English dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking Harrap’s English-French & French-English dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Spanish Talking SlovoEd Compact Portuguese-Spanish & Spanish-Portuguese dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Classic French-Spanish & Spanish-French dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Deluxe French explanatory dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Compact English-Italian & Italian-English dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Compact English-French & French-English dictionary for Android v1.2.6
• Talking SlovoEd Classic English-German & German-English dictionary for Android v1.2.6

I just got an email from Microsoft this afternoon, informing me that they will be performing some system maintenance on all Zune services.  From 11:00 PM Pacific (2:00 AM EST) on September 14 until “the early hours” of September 15, Zune.net, Zune forums, and Zune marketplace will all be unavailable.  We can only speculate as to what might be happening during that period of time.  though considering the Zune HD is set to be released immediately following that down time on September 15, I am pretty sure you are thinking what I am thinking.

So, bottom line, if you are a fan of Zune.net, Zune forums, or Zune marketplace, then get ready for some downtime between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.  But watch out, because after that slight inconvenience, it will be a whole new online experience…or so I suspect as Microsoft launches the new Zune service.  As for me, I will be anxiously awaiting what Microsoft refers to as, “the next level of Zune entertainment” when I receive my Zune HD on Tuesday.  The full text of the email follows:

As we work to bring you the next level of Zune entertainment, we want to inform you the Zune service will be down starting at 11:00 am (PDT) September 14th until the early hours of September 15th. During this time you will not be able to sign into Zune.net, Zune forums, or Zune Marketplace. We’re sorry for this inconvenience, but come back to www.zune.net on September 15th and get ready to experience a whole new world of Zune

You’ll receive an e-mail update on 9/15 when the new service goes live, giving you the highlights of the new Zune update.

I knew there was a reason I loved Firemint’s Flight Control game, but I had no idea it was this important.  With this latest release, the game which had you flying around the globe, landing airplanes at the local airport, Hawaii, and even an aircraft carrier, takes you deep within the Australian Outback. 

while guiding airplanes deep in the Australian Outback, you had better keep an eye out for the flying doctors’ plane, with its wailing siren.  That plane always has priority landing clearance, and you will have to move other planes out of the queue in order to get that one on the runway as quickly as possible.

Also in the new release is the ability to play head-to-head over a wireless network and the ability to play your own iPod music in the background.  Keep reading for the full press release.

Firemint today revealed the latest update to its hit game Flight Control for iPhone and iPod touch, which features an “Australian Outback” map as a tribute to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS). The update also allows players to access songs from their iTunes Music Library while playing, and expands the existing two-player mode to support a wider range of iPhones, iPod touches and operating systems.

In the latest update, players can get a taste for the Australian Outback and take on the role of an air traffic controller with oversight of an airport set in a remote country location. At random intervals, a “Flying Doctor” plane will enter the airspace on an emergency medical flight with priority landing permission, and players must redirect other aircraft as needed to ensure a safe landing. The simple but highly addictive gameplay challenges players to touch and drag aircraft to their landing zones and avoid collisions.

Firemint developed the new game content in association with the RFDS, a not-for-profit charitable service that provides emergency and primary healthcare services as well as communication and education assistance to people who live, work and travel in regional and remote Australia. Firemint’s CEO, Robert Murray said “The RFDS is an iconic Australian institution and the men and women who operate this service are true blue Aussie heroes. It’s our privilege to support them in our own small way, and hopefully raise awareness of the incredible work they do.”

Gerri Christie, Executive Director of the RFDS, Victorian Section said “As a charitable service we depend on donations from the public to help us deliver and support the many emergency and preventative health services we offer through the world’s largest hospital without walls. We’re excited about the Flight Control app, it will give players the opportunity to experience what it’s like to deal with incoming emergency medical flights. We’ve really enjoyed working with Firemint to put it all together."

Most of Australia’s population lives in a few densely populated coastal areas and has easy access to world-class medical facilities. The RFDS brings access to the same first rate services to people in remote areas. At over 7.6 million square kilometers, Australia is the world’s sixth largest country by landmass, and 80% of this area (equivalent to almost twice the landmass of India) is serviced by the RFDS. Each year, the RFDS flies more than 23 million kilometers, attends 250,000 patients and undertakes 35,000 aerial evacuations with 54 aircraft. While it receives some government funding, the RFDS relies on donations from the public for the purchase of aircraft and vital medical equipment.

Flight Control is one of the most popular paid games for the iPhone and iPod touch, and is the first title to have announced sales of more than 1,500,000 copies. It has reached the #1 paid app position on the iTunes charts in 20 countries including USA, UK, Japan, Germany, France, Canada and Australia. Since its release, several free updates for owners of the game have added a dedicated web site with extensive leaderboards and social network community features, new airfields and aircraft, and two-player mode.

Flight Control is available for AU$1.19 or US$0.99 from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore/.

For more information about Flight Control, please visit http://www.firemint.com/flightcontrol.

For more information about the Royal Flying Doctor Service or to make a donation, please visit http://www.flyingdoctor.net.

Yesterday, Palm expanded its WebOS App Catalog once again, adding ten new apps for Palm Pre users.  Most notable among these was one of my favorite Homebrew apps, gDial Pro, an unofficial Google Voice App for the Palm Pre.   I have been really impressed with the speed at which Google Voice has gone from an obscure Beta to almost a necessity, with apps on almost every mobile platform.  So, I was disappointed when I started using the Pre to find no way to access my Google Voice account in the App Store.  That changed today with the addition of gDial Pro (though there are also several other options available through the homebrew apps.) 

GDial Pro is a slick and clean alternative to the native dialer, which allows you to dial using your Google Voice account, rather than your normal mobile number.  I really liked the effort the developers put into this one, ensuring that it matched the look and feel of the WebOS interface.  That being said, the ability to change the background color would have been nice.

In addition to dialing, gDial Pro allows you to send text messages, check your call and message history, access your Google Voice account online, and mark your favorite contacts for easy access.  The app is available for free in the Palm Pre App Catalog.

Also making their way to the App Catalog yesterday, were:

• Forbes.com: Mobile access to the financial and market news.
• Local Concerts: Uses your GPS to find local conerts, purchase tickets, and even obtain directions.
• Checkers: The classic board game with a myriad of options.
• Currency Converter: No need to do complex math when you travel abroad.  Just enter the amount and currency and let your Pre (or Pixi) do the hard part.
• Lights Out: A classic computer game, which I have highlighted on several different platforms makes its way to the app store for the second time (joining Blackout).  All you need to do is turn off all the lights. 
• Video Poker: Includes several variations of video poker machines
• Simple Bible: Includes the King James version of the Bible
• 4:20 Wallpaper: Background graphics for your Pre created by the bans Moonalice
• AccuRadio: Internet Radio app