On the day of the original iPhone 4 press conference, I posed a Question of the Day that garnered a little bit of attention, mostly negative in nature.  Essentially, I posed the question asking if the iPhone is substance or hype?  It’s obvious to most that the iPhone is a good device, but in my opinion there has always been a layer of hype around it that seemed bothersome.

I’m of the belief that nothing should be blindly accepted without first trying it out, yet countless people rushed out the door on the day of the iPhone release to do just that.. to purchase the iPhone 4 without even trying it out.  It had to be great.  Someone told them so.  Someone who wouldn’t lead them astray.

But, what if that was exactly what the company was counting on?  People would already have purchased their iPhone 4 before even knowing about the signal problem!  This is the same problem that Consumer Reports has recently mentioned fixing with duct tape of all things, all the while stating that it couldn’t endorse the phone.  These accounts at MSNBC of Apple senior antenna engineer alerting Steve Jobs to the problem prior to release, would almost seem to support this theory.

In the end, Apple left countless people lifting the veil of their new bride to find that what they married was not what they thought.

Narrative is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to encouraging excellence in literary form and content in the digital age, and to helping reverse the downward trend in reading by reaching readers via the digital media. Today they have announced a reading application for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Here is what to expect:

The Narrative App for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch application is now available for download and places the magazine’s entire library at your fingertips, for free.
The application allows you to enjoy thousands of new stories, poems, essays, interviews, cartoons, and features by eminent authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Tobias Wolff, Amy Bloom, E. L. Doctorow, Jane Smiley, and many other established as well as up-and-coming talents, all at the touch of a button.
Users can download Narrative’s contents onto their devices for easy offline reading, customize the library by turning content categories on and off, and browse the current, regularly updated issue of Narrative, including features such as Story of the Week and Poem of the Week. The application also includes an extensive video and audio gallery where users can watch and listen to great stories read by their authors.
With the application, we have launched two new genres: the iStory and the iPoem, short, quick reads by authors such as Sherman Alexie that fit quality literature easily into readers’ daily routines.
Our goal in the evolution of digital media is to encourage and support literature by connecting readers and writers as directly as possible. Narrative was the first and foremost literary periodical online, the first on Amazon’s Kindle, and Narrative now leads the way on Apple’s newest electronic reading devices.
Narrative is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to encouraging excellence in literary form and content in the digital age, and to helping reverse the downward trend in reading by reaching readers via the digital media.
Authors and works published in Narrative have received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Best American Short Story Award, the PEN/O. Henry Prize, and many others.

HERE’S WHAT WRITERS, REVIEWERS, AND APP USERS SAY ABOUT NARRATIVE:
“Narrative is the gold standard of online literary magazines.”
—Esquire
“You are doing a splendid job for the short story, and writers like myself are very much aware of that.”
—William Trevor
“Narrative is one of the most exciting and innovative literary magazines I have seen in the past decade. It’s attractively edited, wonderfully readable, and diverse in its contents. I look forward to reading it for a very long time.”
—Joyce Carol Oates
“Narrative is atypical in terms of quality. There is no whiff of literary hipsterism here, no veil of coolness to cover up the mediocre writing that is often found in new publications. Instead, Jenks and Edgarian offer a wide, well-edited, and stimulating selection of narrative forms.”
—Tamara Straus, San Francisco Chronicle
“Best online publication.”
—storySouth
“Now my new iPad is starting to be what I wanted it to be with this great new App providing wonderfully edited prose and poetry. Great quality and richness. Very exciting! Five stars.”
—Ace9699
“This App is brilliant. it makes it so easy to use Narrative, honestly I can’t believe HOW easy. Now when I’m taveling, waiting at the doctor’s office or car wash, two seconds and I can be reading something wonderful. Fantastic!”
—applover2
“Here we are, expanding the range of the best of contemporary literature to the very boundaries of the cyberspace universe and beyond. Narrative is a writer’s dream come true.”
—T. Coraghessan Boyle
“The App has a very handsome interface and is very easy to navigate. And if you accept a call while you’re reading, the App will save your place. Also, the App has easy to use preferences and settings adjustments.”
—apl2114

DOWNLOAD
THE FREE APP NOW

USBFever has the goods!

The folks over at USB Fever always have great goodies for us computer nerds.  The latest batch this week was updated not once, but twice, as they shot over some additional goodies at the last minute.  This week’s list can be found below.

Enjoy!

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USB Data Sync and Charging Cradle for iPhone 4 (4G)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1893
USB 3.0 Cable assembly (B male to Micro A male)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1894
USB 3.0 Cable assembly (Micro A male to Micro A male)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1895
Dual Suction Car Windshield Mount (Mount only)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1896
Wooden-look Hard Back Cover Case for iPad
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1897
Leopard-Fur-Look Hard Back Cover Case for iPad
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1898
Italiano Flag Hard Back Cover Case for iPad
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1899
Deutsche Flag Hard Back Cover Case for iPad
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1900
OEM Replacement iPhone 4 Sensor Flex Cable
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1901
OEM iPhone 4 head phone jack cable assemby
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1902
Internal WiFi & Phone Antenna Module for iPhone 4
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1903
Golden Shine Hard Back Cover Case for iPad
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1904
Jeans-Look Hard Back Cover Case for iPad
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1905
OEM Replacement battery for iPod Touch 3rd
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1906
Car Windshield Mount for Sony Ericsson Xperia x10
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1907
Octopus-like Flexible Camera Tripod Stand
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1908

Mini Sim to Micro Sim Trimmer / Cutter
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1909

Silicone Case for iPhone 4 (or 4G) with Color Bean Dot
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1911

Tyre-Look Hard Back Cover Case for iPhone 4 (4G)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1912
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Hot on the heels of Astraware releasing OddBlob for Windows Mobile, another previously only available on iPhone title has made it to the Microsoft operating system.  This time it is Police Range, a shooting game that looks to inspire future law enforcement and help everyone blow away a little pent up frustration at the same time.

Police Range, costing $4.99 to register, is available here.

SPB announced today they have updated their Mobile Shell for Symbian, and while they have lots of feature improvements, probably the biggest news is that this update provides less RAM usage providing the user with more available memory. Here are a few of the other details:

· Multiple screens with widgets

· Fast access to all your smartphone features

· Photo call log

· Adaptive skins and background

· Integrated weather forecasts

Purchase SPB Mobile Shell for Symbian
($29.95)