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.

Standeazy is a universal phone stand for smartphones such as the iPhone, or devices such as the iPod touch. It’s manufactured in the UK and made from Priplak® Polypropylene and is identically sized to a credit card which makes it easy to keep in your wallet and is super portable and sturdy. Standeazy will hold your iPhone with or without a protective case in landscape or portrait mode.

It transforms from a flat credit card sized piece of polypropylene into a stand perfect for using in landscape or portrait mode for FaceTime, Skype, watching TV and movies or a whole host of other mobile video apps. You can pop it into your purse or wallet and take it anywhere with you.

I was surprised at how sturdy this feels. This is how the Standeazy looks when you receive it…

The ‘assembly’ is very simple and is outlined on the pack. Simply lift the centre tab, raise the back support, engage tab groove in top notch and raise the foot stop and position the phone. It’s actually a lot easier than it even sounds!

This is how it looks in both portrait and landscape mode…

One of the ‘simple’ uses I’ve used it for is on my desk in portrait mode so I can easily read any texts or other push notifications that arrive on my iPhone without picking up or touching the device. I’ve also used it to view movies such as Toy Story 3, as you can see in the above photo.

Standeazy comes in 8 different designs, priced from just £3.50! If you want ultra portability then I’d recommend Standeazy.

[rating: 5/5]

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.

I bought the hilarious book Damn You, Autocorrect a few days ago. I did so after discovering their hilarious website. One night recently I sat with my MacBook Air on my lap and just couldn’t move for being creased up in silent-stomach-cramping laughter, complete with tears streaming down my face.

I wish I’d saved and shared some of my funniest autocorrects, although I’m pleased to report that I haven’t had too many embarrassing moments – luckily any risque word autocorrects were headed for friends who could take it and get great enjoyment from, not family However, I do remember a recent text from a good friend which casually autocorrected “I’m spreading Nutella on toast” to “I’m spreading Nigella on toast”. iPhone has a seriously wicked sense of humour!!

If you love laughing at others genuine mistakes then aside from bookmarking the DYAC website immediately, you can purchase the book from the following online retailers…

UK

Amazon.co.uk
The Book Depository

USA & Canada

Amazon.com

More buying options here!

It’s one of the funniest books I’ve read – and anyone who knows me knows that I just don’t do books! It’s just page after 279 pages of laughter. I reached Chapter 4 last night, so have the Freudian Slips autocorrects to look forward to.

[rating: 5/5] – without a shadow of doubt!

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]

My good friend Chris over at techese has written a nice little review explaining exactly what Seamless does. Head over and take a look and be sure to watch the video.

Seamless for Mac [direct link to Mac App Store]
Seamless for iPhone [direct link to iTunes App Store]

When Tweetie was bought by Twitter, things changed and not just the icon. More recently the addition of the #dickbar showing the latest trending topics at the top of the timeline outraged users and Twitter eventually accepted defeat and removed it. I tried moving to other apps during the #dickbar debacle, but still couldn’t switch away from Twitter for iPhone. Twitterrific was the second nicest app and I’d have probably switched fully to it, but lack of ability to post mine/see others location and save drafts was a huge miss that I couldn’t live without in the end.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday 14th April, Tweetbot for iPhone appeared in the App Store, created by tapbots. I’d heard rumblings about them working on a twitter app for months and being an owner of the gorgeous Convertbot I was very excited knowing the attention to detail they pay to their creations. Tweetbot also, in this case, didn’t fail in that department.

This app is polished to the hilt, it’s gorgeous. The sounds, the gestures, everything. Within minutes, Twitter.app was banished to a folder that resides on my second screen, named ‘Social’. That’s where all the other Twitter apps sit, having been tried and tested but not quite making Home Screen grade. Tweebot then proudly taking up home screen status next to my other most loved and used apps.

You can see the full list of features at the Tweetbot site, aswell as view the demo video which is much encouraged as it helped me understand what gestures do what. For an even more indepth look at the app, head over to macstories, who have written a mammoth review.

All I will say in ending is that this app costs just £1.19 for a limited time – you can’t go wrong. If it lured me away from being a loyal Tweetie/Twitter for iPhone users after all these years then that’s testament to a really great app. And I even gifted the app to my friend who is celebrating his birthday today, confident that he would use the app after a longtime Osfoora user. I think it’s safe to say he will be

Tweetbot for iPhone [iTunes App Store link]

[rating: 5/5]

Flicking through a magazine article recently, I spotted an iPhone wearing a hoodie. It was just too cute to ignore. The website advertised as carrying the hoodies in the article didn’t actually have any available, so after a quick Google search I found Amazon had them for £8.95. It fits iPod Classic, iPod touch and iPhone. Not knowing the specific dimensions of the Classic and iPod touch I wasn’t sure how fitting this would be for iPhone 4 – but it’s absolutely perfect. The back of the box it came in also says it will fit many other kinds of MP3 players and phones.

This might not be the kind of cover I’d feel too comfortable about carrying my iPhone around in outside, but it sure does stop the smooth back of the iPhone sliding around on my bed. But hey, more importantly than that it just looks so cool, to heck with it being practical!

[rating: 5/5]