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25 Handmade Animal iPhone Cases on Etsy [Limited Stock]

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Bear iPhone Case

My girlfriend was browsing for Christmas gifts online today when she came across these cute handmade, animal iPhone cases on Etsy. She forwarded me a link and said I should share the cases with my readers. Good idea!

Since the Holidays are right around the corner, check out these (literally) one-of-a-kind animal themed iPhone cases. It looks like there is only one of each case in stock, so supplies are very limited. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend.

Disclosure: I have no affiliation to these sellers on Etsy. I just thought these simple felt & fabric iPhone cases might bring cheer this holidays to the iPhone owners in your life.

25 Handmade Animal iPhone Cases on Etsy

  1. Owl iPhone case
    Owl by SydneyAngel
  2. iPhone case
    Orange Kitty by VintageCoquette (Sold)
  3. iPhone case
    Baby Lamb by Coolbeans717
  4. iPhone case
    Penguin by SydneyAngel (Sold)
  5. iPhone case
    Panda by SydneyAngel (Sold)
  6. iPhone case
    Tree Monkey by FamilyCraft45
  7. iPhone case
    Owl by rutik
  8. iPhone case
    Monkey by crafttreasures
  9. iPhone case
    Bird by FamilyCraft45
  10. iPhone case
    Panda by crafttreasures
  11. iPhone case
    Teddy by SydneyAngel
  12. iPhone case
    Lion by crafttreasures
  13. iPhone case
    Neko by FamilyCraft45
  14. iPhone case
    Cute Pig by SydneyAngel
  15. iPhone case
    Ducky by motherof4scrapper (Sold)
  16. iPhone case
    Cute Chick by SydneyAngel
  17. iPhone case
    Bear by knittingdreams
  18. iPhone case
    Cutie Giraffe by FamilyCraft45
  19. iPhone case
    Bird by SquirrelsNest
  20. iPhone case
    Sweet Pup by VintageCoquette (Sold)
  21. iPhone caseBunny by FamilyCraft45
  22. iPhone case
    Silly Doggy by nokomomo
  23. iPhone case
    Vegan Pig Brown Faux Leather Case by squierrellicious
  24. iPhone case
    Jellyfish by buttoneyesboutique
  25. iPhone case
    Deer by SquirrelsNest

Search Etsy.com for more handmade iPhone cases.

4 Ways for Apple to Fix the App Store Approval Process

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Mashable reports that Apple is fixing the App Store approval process by adding “the ability to track the status of apps submitted to Apple’s store.”

It’s good to know Apple is giving developers some insight into the App Store approval process by providing status updates, but Apple needs to do more to embrace developers, who have been a crucial part of the iPhone’s success.

Here are 4 changes we need to see in the App Store approval process:

  1. Shorten the approval time for trusted developers. I remember waiting weeks between when Facebook submitted their Facebook 3.0 app to the App Store and its actual arrival to the App Store. Must Apple continue to make trusted companies wait weeks before their apps are approved (or rejected) in the App Store? If anything, Apple could appoint more employees to the approval committee to make it a more pleasant process for the people who keep the App Store afloat, developers. Update: Facebook’s iPhone app developer has quit, citing his discomfort over the App Store approval process.
  2. Stop rejecting apps that criticize public figures. Apple recently rejected Bobble Tap because it contained caricatures of politicians that were not even objectionable. The developer said the app was in good taste, just an informational database. Judging by the screenshots of the app, I agree. Apple, lighten up and let people express themselves however they want. If apps are threatening or illegal, we have the government to deal with that. We don’t need you to police the App Store. Update: Apple has reversed its decision about the Bobble Tap app.

    Bobble Tap iPhone app

  3. Don’t diss Google. Apple rejected the Google Voice app, claiming that the app “duplicates features that come with the iPhone.” But plenty of apps duplicate native iPhone features. Look at how many apps in the App Store record voice, display weather and even send text messages. Apple, if you continue to ignore Google they are going to ignore you, and you don’t want that, especially considering the Android army that is about to be unleashed. Play nice, boys.
  4. Allow adult content. It’s called “Parental Controls,” Apple. It changed television by allowing parents to block objectionable content from children. It could change the iPhone, too. Just add an “18+” Restriction to the Settings and we’re all set. Apple, stop trying to play Mom and Pop and let adults be adults.

These solutions are good for Apple, these solutions are good for developers. As far as I’m concerned, if it places Apple in a good light with iPhone developers, it’s a smart business decision. You don’t want all your App Store developers flocking to Android, do you Apple?

5 Reasons Facebook for iPhone is F**ked Up!

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Facebook for iPhone

—
Want Facebook fixed? Post this on your Wall!
—

Dear Facebook,

Pardon my passion, but it must be said: the Facebook iPhone app is f**ked up! I hoped it wouldn’t come to cursing, but you just won’t listen, and I need your attention.

Facebook is the most downloaded app in the App Store, yet still your company manages to ignore some critical issues with the app.

Words can’t explain my frustration with the Facebook iPhone app these days, so I’ll shut up and let these 5 screenshots do the talking:

(All screenshots accompanied by the relevant bug report on Facebook.)

  1. Discussion Topic: I can no longer post pics on friends wall

    Facebook for iPhone image upload problem

  2. Help Center Topic: iPhone: Your video could not be uploaded at this time. Except this time is 100% of the time.

    Facebook for iPhone video upload problem

  3. Discussion Topic: Time Zone data incorrect even in 3.0.1

    Facebook for iPhone events problem

  4. Discussion Topic: bug: posted “links” to photo albums show no pics

    Facebook for iPhone photo album problem

  5. Discussion Topic: “Your message could not be delivered at this time”

    Facebook for iPhone messaging problem

Notice that no one from Facebook has replied to any of the discussion topics above? Some of these Facebook iPhone app issues occur less frequently than others, but all are common enough to be an annoyance, and an impediment to my work.

Facebook is not just a venue for vain status updates. I use Facebook as a tool for organizing people and a vehicle for marketing my work, and a mobile Facebook offers enormous potential for keeping in touch with customers/users/constituents on the go. But these problems with Facebook for iPhone prevent me from doing my job well, and they need to be fixed if I am going to continue to take your social network seriously.

Why is it that some independent developers — like those who develop iFitness, for example — are able to keep up with customer feedback and make improvements, yet this social networking giant will let even obvious issues go unattended?

These issues are demonstrative of a larger customer service problem at Facebook. I am sure the talented Facebook developers could resolve some of these things in a day with a simple update. Yet as of right now we don’t even know if Facebook is aware of the issues. Am I going to have to wait a year for another major update to the Facebook app before I can use it to its full potential?

PLEASE, go take a look at the Facebook for iPhone fan page. Look at the Wall: “No recent posts.” Look at the Discussion Board: many complaints, few responses. Look at the Notes: the latest is three months old, “What’s New in Facebook for iPhone 3.0.”

The Facebook for iPhone fan page lists a whopping “17,312,515 monthly active users,” and still no one at Facebook is taking the time to update or reassure us that you’re working on the issues.

Look, I applaud the Facebook for iPhone developers for the great work they’ve done so far, but seriously Facebook, you have to dedicate more resources to your iPhone platform.

Facebook, your iPhone app is f**ked up! Now please fix it.

(Quite) Sincerely,
Chris

Want these issues resolved ASAP? Spread the word about this story!

3 Ways the Nook iPhone App Will Beat the Kindle iPhone App

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Nook iPhone app

I recently reviewed the Kindle iPhone app and exposed some serious weaknesses. How will the upcoming iPhone app for Barnes & Noble’s new Nook ebook reader be better than the current Kindle iPhone app?

Although the Nook iPhone app is yet to debut, here are 3 reasons I think it could be a Kindle killer unless Amazon steps up its game.

  1. If the image posted on Barnes and Noble’s new eReading blog, Unbound, is any indication, Nook will have a “Find” feature that lets you search for specific text in books. The Kindle iPhone app lacks any kind of search feature.
  2. It seems to me that one of the icons on the bottom panel of what is presumably the Nook iPhone app says “Import.” If so, Nook may let you import content into its iPhone app. With Kindle for iPhone, you are bound to the books you buy in the Kindle store. I hope Nook will be unbound by DRM restrictions and allow you to view other ebooks and content.
  3. Nook will let you lend books to people who use iPhones, Blackberries and iPods. This kind of sharing is not possible with the Kindle iPhone app.

Up In the Air

Still undetermined is whether the Nook iPhone app will let you copy and paste content, and whether ebooks you purchase will be viewable online as well as on your iPhone and Nook reader. Kindle does not let you read your books online or in PDF form.

What do you think? Is Nook looking like it might be a Kindle killer?

7 Augmented Reality iPhone Apps You Can Download Right Now

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The iPhone 3.1 update enables a new realm of “augmented reality” iPhone apps, which use the iPhone’s GPS, compass and accelerometer to impose a virtual layer of information over a view of the real world as seen from your iPhone’s camera.

Augmented reality iPhone apps will revolutionize the way we access information on the go. Don’t believe me? Check out these 7 augmented reality iPhone apps that are in the App Store right now:

Note: Because they use the iPhone’s compass, many of these apps are compatible only with iPhone 3GS.

  1. Cheap Gas!

    Cheap Gas augmented reality iPhone app

    The Cheap Gas iPhone app is a gas station locator for your iPhone 3GS with an Augmented Reality View that shows you icons of nearby gas stations and prices in the direction where you’ve pointed your iPhone’s camera.

  2. cAR Locator

    3. cAR locator augmented reality iPhone app

    cAR Locator is an iPhone 3GS app that shows you in the camera viewfinder where your car is located and how far away. Just press “Save Location” when you get out of your car, then point your iPhone camera in any direction and you’ll be reminded where your car is.

  3. Cyclopedia

    4. Cyclopedia augmented reality iPhone app

    Cyclopedia shows you information about nearby landmarks and historic locations in your iPhone’s viewfinder. Point your iPhone’s camera at the Statue of Liberty, for example, and it will overlay the Wikipedia entry for that landmark. Cyclopedia relies on the 65,000 entries on Wikipedia that are geotagged.

  4. Wikitude

    5. Wikitude augmented reality iPhone app

    The Wikitude World Browser finds “Points of Interest” in your vicinity and overlays information from Wikipedia, Qype and Wikitude.Me.

  5. Robotvision

    6. Robotvision augmented reality iPhone app

    Perhaps the most intriguing example of an augmented reality iPhone app is Robotvision for iPhone 3GS, which uses the power of Bing’s local search feature to show you nearby attractions in your vicinity, including ATMs, art galleries, bars and pubs, coffee shops, gas stations, gyms, hospitals, hotels and motels, movie theaters, restaurants, rest stops, schools and tourist attractions.

    Robotvision also shows you Twitter updates from people in your area, based on geotagging information embedded in the tweets; and Flickr photos of nearby attractions. It seems the app places a limit on the number of attraction, tweets or Flickr photos you can see in a given area, but nevertheless this app shows a lot of promise.

  6. Fairy Trails

    Fairy Trails augmented reality iPhone app

    Fairy Trails is a children’s game that overlays flying fairies, fireflies and butterflies on the real world as seen from the lens of your iPhone camera. Your mission is to capture them before they fly off the screen.

  7. Nearest Tube (UK only)

    Nearest Tube augmented reality iPhone app

    Nearest Tube is a UK app that shows you train/tube stations in the vicinity.

Although these augmented reality iPhone apps leave some things to be desired, they are the first wave of a new kind of app that that is bound to dramatically change the way we find information.

Have you downloaded any augmented reality iPhone apps? If you don’t own an iPhone 3GS, would you upgrade for the opportunity to use AR apps? Speak your mind in the comments.

16 Stunning iPhone Photos on Flickr

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Wired.com reported yesterday that “despite its minimal camera features, the iPhone has just surpassed Canon’s Digital Rebel XTi as the most popular camera” on Flickr.

Amazing, but not surprising. iPhone’s portability and constant connection to the web make it an ideal tool for photo sharing. That’s not to say the device has littered Flickr with a bunch of crappy photographs, though. In fact, the iPhone can capture some pretty great shots, which is why today I’ve decided to highlight these 16 beautiful iPhone photos that have been shared on Flickr:

Note: I have posted these images here to honor the work of great photographers, not to steal it. I include a credit and a link above all of the photos below, but if you are the photographer and you object to having your work displayed here, please contact me on Flickr and I will happily remove your photo.

Click the images to see them on Flickr.

  1. Lyon, France


    By: Fauxmantic

  2. inspiration…


    By: sharaff
    Caption:

    I have been watching a documentary about Ansel Adams, and he said that photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.
    I am beginning to believe he was and is true!

  3. “Umbrella Duel”


    By: sionfullana
    Caption:

    In the rain: (1 of 5)

    He shouldn’t have given that man a dirty look… Under the rain, now he walks towards him, and he’s going to want to settle business once and for all, rain or not…

    🙂

    During the next days, considering that it’s raining almost every day this week in New York, I’ll be posting a series of my newest rain shots. Most of you know it’s one of my fondest photo fetishes… So here they go… the first five.

    7th Avenue
    New York

    (Taken with 3G iPhone)

  4.  


    By: Ehsan Khakbaz

  5. “Someone Left that Phone”


    By: sionfullana
    Caption:

    Who ran away halfway through a call and left the phone hanging like that…. I couldn’t help but wonder… would there be a voice on the other side of the line, had I picked it up?

    Too creepy a possibility for me to even consider it… 😛

    East Village
    New York

    (Taken with 3G iPhone)

  6. Cop Call


    By: antonkawasaki
    Caption:

    ***RING!***

    Yeah, Officer O’Brian here.
    Huh? Ma? What are you…?
    Look, Ma – this ain’t a good time to talk. I’m in the middle of an arrest here.
    Yeah, I know I said I’d call you back earlier today, but I’m busy.
    What? Ma…I’m telling you..this isn’t a good —
    Gosh, I don’t know…meatloaf, ok? You can make me meatloaf! Whatever.
    What?? Side dishes? Oh for cryin’ out loud…
    Seriously, Ma — can we talk about this later?
    I know, but I don’t care that you’re at the supermarket now!
    I’M TRYING TO MAKE AN ARREST HERE!!
    I’m…
    *sigh*
    Ma, I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to raise my voice. It’s just…
    Ok ok ok ok.
    I know. Just get whatever, ok?
    No, I’m not going to complain later. I swear I’ll eat whatever you get!
    Ma, c’mon…you’re embarrassing me here. My partner is starting to roll his eyes at me.
    Aw, don’t make me say it now…
    MA!
    –I don’t–
    *sigh*
    ….I love you too, ok?
    I’ll be home at 8.
    Ok ok ok! 7! I’ll be there at 7.
    Geez!

    Times Square, NYC
    Taken with a 1st gen. iPhone

  7. watching the bridge, waiting for hanna


    By: absolutwade
    Caption:

    Hurricane Hanna was just about to start pouring down over Manhattan on Saturday. Waiting at the waterfall cafe to meet with broker who turned out to be a joke and needs to find a new line of work.

  8. “Two (French) Hipsters”


    By: sionfullana
    Caption:

    So when the L train finally arrived, I walk in and sit… and first thing I notice is these two guys (apparently strangers, as the black guy is reading and the other is just people watching). Very hipster-ish outfits and looks…

    So there I go… and snap their photo. Across, sitting at my left, there was a black girl, also a bit hipster… who saw me taking the image and gave me quite a look, but didn’t say anything…

    A few minutes later, it turns out the THREE OF THEM were together… and the girl told them something in French and they started talking (probably about me, as the two guys looked at me briefly while the conversation was going on).

    Hey, if you don’t want your picture taken, don’t be calling attention with those looks, boys!!! :-))))

    L Train,
    From Brooklyn to Manhattan.
    New York

    (Taken with a 3G iPhone)

    Series “What we see on a train” (2 of 5)

  9. I want to close my eyes listening to your sweet voice every night…


    By: Nuhatoa
    Caption:

    And wake up to the sound of your whispers in my ears…

  10.  


    By: athir

  11. Color Admiring Color


    By: antonkawasaki
    Caption:

    A colorful family stops to look at the window display at the Musuem of Modern Art in NYC.
    I love how the girl’s dress is similar to the neon lights behind the glass!

    MoMA, 53rd St. between 5th & 6th Aves., NYC
    Taken with a 1st gen. iPhone

  12. “Riding East”


    By: sionfullana
    Caption:

    ‘Bikes in the Rain’ Trilogy (3 of 3)

    West Village,
    New York

    Taken with a 3G iPhone

  13.  


    By: davidteter
    Caption:

    rodeo de galisteo
    galisteo, new mexico

    apple iphone

  14. little boxes


    By: .fenster.
    Caption:

    recent iPhone love.

    Explored 2008-08-05. Thanks for all the iLove y’all! =)

  15. a dawn of a lovely day


    By: devilsclone
    Caption:

    a hope of a wonderful start………taken with an iphone…

  16. Flower Macro on iPhone


    By: tristanmayer
    Caption:

    A flower macro taken on my new iPhone 3GS

Some of these iPhone photos have been digitally edited, but they are impressive nonetheless. Have you taken any good snapshots with your iPhone camera? Or have you seen iPhone photos on Flickr that really caught your eye? Please share in the comments.