Two weeks ago his online store Twitter account tweeted a little sneak preview of the box of the new Burgerdoodles iPhone 4/4S cover. Naturally my ears pricked up and I have been checking the site almost daily, keen to purchase one as soon as it was launched.

I’m generally not a fan of iPhone cases. I buy a cover/sleeve so that I can see and feel the beauty of the iPhone in my hand. However, I got bored with abiding by that particular rule and decided that a case probably isn’t that bad. I can take it off when I want and admire the iPhone in all its magnificent naked glory whenever I’m feeling, you know, weird. It’s not superglued on there, so let’s give it a try at least once.

On Thursday the Burgerdoodles case landed on the Burgerplex website for a snip at just £15. I purchased it and it arrived fresh and early this morning with two free packs of Burgerman stickers thrown in! The Burgerdoodles case is…

- Designed for iPhone 4 and 4S
- Includes FREE screen protector and screen wipe
- Protects four corners and back from dirt, scratches and bite marks
- Super smooth polycarbonate case
- Snug fit, no extra bulk
- Ideal for expensive smart phones that crack too easily

I couldn’t wait to snap it onto my phone and wow, it looks pretty amazing. I’ll shut up now and show you some photos.

Because I tend to carry my iPhone in a pocket when I’m out and about, I like having all round protection. With the Burgerdoodle case on it’s just a teeny bit too big now to fit into my SwitchEasy Duo case which is a pretty snug fit all on its own. I have ordered a neat denim iPhone 4S case from Etsy which will hopefully be here soon and you’ll no doubt here from me on here when it is.

Head over to Burgerplex and pick up the ONLY accessory your iPhone will ever want to be seen wearing.

Now all I need is a sleeve for my iPad and MacBook Air…and something tells me it won’t be too long of a wait for that…

Two days ago news broke that Facebook have bought Instagram for a whopping $1bn. Straight away Twitter exploded, mostly with shock and then outrage from…well, just about everyone, myself included. I hate Facebook and have done long before it’s become cool to hate them. I had an account for less than 2 years and it brought absolutely nothing to my life. I deleted it over 3 years ago and haven’t missed it. I don’t hate it just because of the privacy issues, I hate it for the fact that when anything cool and individual comes along, the big blue corp throw a wad of cash at it and despite their initial claims of nothing changing we all know from past experience that it most probably will – remember Gowalla and Spotify?

While there will be no knee-jerk reaction from me and I won’t be deleting my Instagram account just yet, I am preparing myself to move elsewhere should Facebook make Instagram a Facebook-login service only like they did Spotify, or make similarly unfavourable changes. My gut instinct tells me that this will happen in time, with the use of ads in app to get back some of that huge ONE BILLION they forked out for it. I don’t think they will lock current Instagram users out of the app even without a FB account, but I’m sure profile photos will not be visible unless you are logged in via Facebook like so many apps out there, Draw Something and Spotify coming to mind. Should even a hint of that ‘lite’ profile occur unless you are linked up to their service then I’m outta there.

After a bit of searching around and some recommendations, I found PicYou which seems like a clone of Instagram – perfect. The filters aren’t as good as IG just yet, but the whole app feels very much like it and there are some things I prefer about PicYou over IG. It’s early days and only a handful of people I know from Instagram have installed the app but I’m hopeful that in time it will gather pace. Currently it is iPhone only.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Instagram then do check it out [download the iPhone app here] and come give me a follow: purplelime

The next Bluelounge gadget on my list after the CableDrops was their Nest iPad stand. It seemed to do everything; iPad in portrait or landscape mode in the slide-out cradle or lie it down on the rubber lined cushions of the Nest for typing or drawing. Here’s some photos of how you can use it…

Such a nice simple design which looks great on your desk. I’ve had so many people on Twitter and Instagram ask me about it these past few days that I had to write a post about it.

Nest is €16.95 direct from Bluelounge or £14.99 at Amazon.co.uk and comes in a variety of colours.

By chance I happened upon Bluelounge last week where I discovered they make some really cool stuff which really makes sense. There I discovered the CableDrop. You can stick these onto your desktop, side of desk or even onto a wall and they simply grab your power and peripheral cords so that they won’t fall to the floor.

They come in a variety of colours; brights, muted, black and white. With my colourful decor in the home office I opted for the brights and here is how they look in action…

I also have another stuck to the back of the desk which holds my iPhone and iPad syncing cable in place.

You can buy them direct from Bluelounge for €12.95 or from Amazon.co.uk for £6.48 like I did.

Tweetbot for iPhone

I have been using Tweetbot for Twitter from Tapbots since it’s release day last April and it has gone from strength to strength, getting updates and new features added on a regular basis, unlike the free and almost forgotten Twitter for iPhone, iPad and Mac. The latest update, Tweetbot 2.0, landed last Wednesday with a refreshed UI and more new features to its already bulging catalogue which includes Push Notifications (at no extra charge unlike some apps!), Mute for hashtags, users and clients and so much more. If you love Twitter then you need Tweetbot to enhance the experience. £1.99 on the App Store [iTunes link]

Tweetbot for iPad

Shortly after Tweetbot for iPhone hit the streets, we had one more thing from Tapbots and it was what we’ve all been waiting for: the Tweetbot experience on the iPad. And it didn’t disappoint. Tapbots make beautiful apps – every pixel has been given that special tapbots love and attention. It has all the features of the iPhone version including push notifications, mute user/hashtag feature and so much more. It’s gorgeous. If you love Tweetbot on the iPhone then you’ll love this running alongside on your iPad: £1.99 [iTunes Link]

Clear for iPhone

You’ll have to wait just a teeny bit longer for this but not too long as tomorrow, Wednesday 15th February, is launch day for Clear for iPhone by Realmac Software. They make beautiful, functional apps for iOS and OS X and Clear looks to be no exception. They teased us with this rather lovely video demo a few weeks back during Macworld. I’m really excited about getting my hands on it. You can find out when Clear is released by following their Twitter account, @UseClear.

What I love best about Stamped is the non-clutter. You only see what your friends are giving their stamp of approval – no comments from strangers. The typography is beautiful as you can see from the photo above.

Read an in-depth review of Stamped on Beautiful Pixels and remember, if you’re on Stamped then feel free to add me: purplelime

Stamped: free [iTunes App Store link]

I’m not a fan of skins or permanent cases. While practical, I just hate to see the beauty of the iPhone design hidden away so like with the iPhone 4 I decided to go for a sleeve/pouch that I can easily slide the phone into between uses.

I happened upon the SwitchEasy website where I found the DUO. Made from high quality real leather and sporting a unique design where the phone can be pushed in at either end and still be held in place securely, I decided to order the White straight away through Amazon.co.uk for just over £19.

The material inside is a soft microfibre which cleans your iPhone with every use. It also comes with 2 anti-static Screen Guards, a microfibre cloth and a Squeegee Screen Guard applicator.

I’ve been asked on Twitter a few times over whether I am concerned about whether the iPhone could drop out of one end. My answer is not at all as it is securely held in place by a discreet inner safety strap and the case feels very snug around the phone.

If you’re looking for a stylish sleeve for your new shiny white (or black) iPhone then I’d recommend the SwitchEasy DUO which is also available in black, tan and brown.

My friend Chris’ thoughts, over at techese, pretty much sums it up for me;

I think one of the larger benefits of iMessage will be interacting with several friends in the UK quickly and easily. There have been many times where I have a question for one of these friends, and a text message would be a fantastic medium. Sadly, I’ve had to resort to twitter or email. Twitter is great, but not everyone is constantly checking it, and email — well, no one wants more email.

Just last week during the Apple event, I wanted to ask Chris a quick question and immediately opened SMS.app before realising that we don’t and never have communicated that way due to the amount it would cost to text someone in the US. There are inexpensive texting apps on the App Store such as WhatsApp which open this particular channel up, but the app is in no way as quick and easy as texting in SMS/Messages.app. I certainly won’t miss using that thirt-party app when all my friends are using iOS 5.

Unlike my friends in other countries, in the UK it’s common for phone networks to provide UK to UK unlimited texts. I have this on my £15 per month iPhone Simplicity (o2) tariff and therefore I can text my friends on any other network as much as my heart desires without incurring any other charges. I love this as I’m quite a big texter and it’s by far the most convenient solution to stay in touch the friends I communicate with the most. To be able to do this freely and for free with my overseas friends will be most welcome.

I am really looking forward to using iMessage. I have several friends in the Apple Developer Program who are already raving about it and I must say it is rather tempting me into the program to give the new features a go. My biggest concern has been the reports of battery drain which I guess is quite normal for a Beta 1, so I’m hoping that Beta 2 will have at least helped that particular issue. If it has then you can probably expect some ooh-ing and ahh-ing from me on Twitter quite soon.

You’ll see in the photo above that the folder above the phone icon in the dock has the Apple logo. Here’s a closer look…

You can set the Apple logo as your folder name by visiting Glyphboard via Safari on your iPhone. Once you’ve added the bookmark to your homepage you have a selection of 48 icons to choose from. Simply copy the icon you want to use then in the folder of your choice paste it into the name box.

When you have a folder full of Apple apps, it’s nice to use just the familiar white logo to show what lies beyond.

Over the long weekend I found the Sinjimoru SyncStand for just £9.99 at Amazon. Its design struck me as very Apple like and stylish. And it did the most important thing – sync! You simply feed your own USB sync cable through the SyncStand, as shown in the diagram at the bottom of this page and you’re set. You can even use this with your Bumper on the phone, aswell as place your iPhone on in landscape mode when not charging/syncing.

I’ve been asked about it’s stability when in portrait mode. It’s not held into the dock by anything except the dock connector, but lies against the plastic backrest. This means that if you are touching the iPhone while it’s in this position then it does have a tendency to be a little wobbly. But it certainly won’t fall out of the dock.

The SyncStand comes in a variety of colour options including white, black, pink and blue. Prices vary on these options.

Sinjimoru SyncStand for iPhone – Amazon.co.uk

[rating: 4/5]