We moved to an actual domain now! See us at www.TeenCastic.com !

Thanks,
Shiv

I thought I’d try out something new today, so here it is. I’m going to name out a few interesting articles in tech today, and give brief summaries of them. Please comment if you want me to do more of these!

1. More Competition for the iPhone as LG is hsowing off their new LG Xenon, a touch-screen phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. Having seen the video review, some things have been copied from Apple, and others, like their browser, just suck. Overall, the phone is pretty good, though.
2. Companies are still green as despite these tough times they continue to invest in Green projects in the long-term.
3. Microsoft and Google are fighting against eachother to make an ad deal with Twitter. Hopefully Twitter rejects this, because we don’t want ads on our Twitter:)
4. EA will be losing a strong arm when Sims and Sim City creator Will Wright leaves EA. As if the 4-month Sims 3 delay didn’t make people mad enough!
5. Intel is still at the top in CPU market share, though Qualcomm gained a 15%+ growth in 2007-2008! Intel’s ’07-’08 growth lowered by 0.5%.

That’s about it. As for TeenCast, we are working on the Twitter problems (it’s driving me nuts how the feed is almost always down).

-dude02

-dude02

***We have moved to a new website! Check it out here: www.TeenCastic.com !  You can also follow us on both of our Twitter accounts @TeenCast & @FreeiPhoneApps . Thanks!***

Developer: Tapbots
Price: $0.99
Version reviewed: 1.00

iPhone Integration: 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value: 4.5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.8 stars!

Convertbot is a high-tech unit conversion ‘robot’ for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Convertbot has an amazing UI, it is designed beautifully and it really gives you that
high-tech gadget feeling. You rotate the wheel to choose the category you want to convert,
then tap on it; now you can select the unit etc. Lovely robotic sounds are produced with each tap.

Convertbot is unlike other conversion apps not just because of the innovative interface but also because it
can convert combined values for example lets say I’m 164 cm I want to know how tall I am in feet and inches, now
all I have to do is select Centimeters and the ‘ft+in’ option and type in the values and VOILA! there’s my result (5ft 4in).

Now for first time users how might find it hard Convertbot features a demo that shows you exactly how to use this app, everything
is explained perfectly so you fully understand how to use it.

So to sum everything up Convertbot is probably the best unit conversion app I have used so far it has a beautiful interface and the ability to
convert two combined units which in my opinion in pretty useful and on top of all of that it costs $0.99 ! So what have you got to lose. Go ahead and try Convertbot now!

Follow @freeiphoneapps on Twitter for a Convertbot Promo code giveaway!

iPhone Integration: 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 stars!

ComicZeal is an innovative, amazing comic book reader for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

The application has a beautiful interface and in my opinion it is very well thought out.
Your comics are presented on appealing wooden shelves with the cover of your comic. If you have 2 or more comics
that belong to the same series then they are placed into boxes. Once your finished reading your comic a plastic sleeve is placed on it giving you that
authentic comic book collector feeling.If you need to exit the app for some reason and you were in the middle of reading your comic book it leaves a bookmark
there and lets you go back to where you left off the next time you start the app. Incase you don’t want any of these cool graphics you can turn them off in
the Settings appication (I don’t know why you would though).
Tap the comic and it will begin the viewer.

Now the viewer is well designed you can either use this toolbar to scroll through pages or flick them yourself. You can zoom in and out
aswell the standard iPhone way.
I was very excited when I got this app because I really wanted to read my comic book collection on my iPhone and luckily for me
this app has free software to accomodate with it called ComicZeal Sync which allows you to sync your very own CBR, CBZ, PDF and many other
comic book formats to your iPhone/iPod Touch.The sync literally is completed in seconds and you can begin reading your very own comics straight away!

Well that sums up about everything and all I can say is that this is THE best comic book reader I have used so far on the iPhone it contains everything an app should have
a beautiful interface, easy and convineant controls and a high replay value. You could probably never get tired of this app if you have a large comic book
collection like me. It’s worth the price and totally awesome.

Catch @freeiphoneapps on twitter for ComicZeal Promocodes!!!

Developer: eBattalion

Price: $0.99

Version reviewed: 1.0

iPhone Integration: 5 stars

User Interface Rating: 4 stars

Re-use/Replay Value: 4.5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

Knockem is a very entertaining and addictive game for the iPhone/iPod Touch and is very handy if you have

5 minutes to spare for a quick round. It can be played for short bursts or long periods of time.

According to the dev Knockem is primarily designed for kids, however it is fun for all

ages and I have to admit I totally agree.

The aim of the game is to “knock” all the weird creatures that come on your screen by flicking this ball at

them with your finger.

You make combos if you hit two creatures in a row and so on.

You lose a life when one of the creatures reaches the red square in the middle of your screen.

It is really easy to get used to the game and you’ll probably learn how to play within seconds!

There is one thing I really like about this game and that is you can quit at anytime and resume

from where you left off.

However if I could improve something in this game it would definately be the graphics. I find the creatures movements

paper-like left foot up, right foot down and so on; I thought they could have been a bit better.

Otherwise Knockem is an addictive game which you can easily play when you have a little time to spare and on top of

all that it only costs $0.99 !

Follow freeiphoneapps on Twitter AND leave a comment on this review for a chance to win  Knockem!!!!

iPhone Intergration: 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value Rating: 4.5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.7 stars

iGrenade is a realistic and fun to use grenade simulator. However if you explore

the app in depth you will realise that it does much more than create explosions.

It features different modes like Pass-the-grenade to keep you and your friends entertained.

You can set a timer for how long it should take to blow the grenade after the pin is pulled.

The simulator has a very easy-to-use interface, you can either drag the pin out of the grenade with your finger or you can shake your device to pull the pin (the response to the accelormeter is excellent). There are other modes as well like Tilt-to-activate.

Once you pull the pin the grenade will blow depending on the time you set and a realistic video of an explosion will play

with amazing sound effects. You can however choose from other things than just a video of an explosion like:

*BASS

Activate Bass mode by touching the flame nozzles, each nozzle has a realistic dancing flame and triggers a bass sound.

Trigger multiple nozzles to create all sorts of strange effects.

*Annoy

Also known as crowd control, this is the First Grenade APP to allow you to mix and create your own annoying high frequency sounds.

I did notice one glitch and that is when you pull the pin out and tap the grenade’s pin-hole, the pin appears again but has no-use!

Overall iGrenade 2.0 is an easy-to-use, realistic grenade simulator which only costs $0.99. I myself think it’s pretty awesome

and it is a very reasonable price. So what have you got to lose go and get iGrenade 2.0 NOW!

Speck Candyshell (Watermelon Gumball)

Company: Speck
Product: CandyShell for iPhone 3G
Price: $34.95

Looks: 10/10
Durability: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Those have been following me on Twitter, know that I never bought a case for my iPhone.  When I got my iPhone 3G, I quickly bought a Speck Pixel-Skin, which is a really nice silicon case.  Although I liked the soft case, I needed one with the strength of a hard case, with the grip and flexibility of a soft case. The Speck CandyShell fit that category perfectly.  It comes in 4 colors (Lemondrop Liquorice, Key Lime Jawbreaker, Cranberry White Truffle, and Watermelon Gumball), and costs  $34.95.

The real magic of the CandyShell is it’s design.  The inside and corners of the case are rubberized and offers shock absorption while retaining the durability and sleekness of a hard shell.  The case can actually bend and twist!  It comes with a removable screen protector film and cleaning cloth!  But the best part of the case is that the Sleep/Wake and Volume buttons are protected by the soft material of the case.

I tested the CandyShell for 3 ½ weeks, and for a few days, I had some concerns.  First of all, it was really hard to insert and remove the iPhone out of the case.  On top, the sleep wake button took a lot of effort to press.  In fact, you can see some nail marks on the rubber portion of the case directly above the sleep/wake button.  These problems bugged me for the first 3-4 days, but on the fifth day, I was able to quickly remove the phone and I could easily press the sleep/wake button.

Other than that, the CandyShell was a delicious treat that looked attractive and protective, and iPhones everywhere should be honored to be protected and covered with one of these.

Pros: Lightweight, durable, and has the best parts of a soft case and a hard case blended in one.

Cons: Sleep/Wake rubber coating on case is a little hard to press, and it is a little hard taking off the case from the phone.  But you get used to it fairly quick.

Price: $3.99

Version Reviewed: 1.2

iPhone Integration Rating: 3

User Interface Rating: 4

Reuse/Replay Value: 5

Overall: 4

Chess Pro is an intuitive application that allows you to play chess on your iPhone. With a realistic gameplay, hints for beginners, and 2-player mode, it’s a must-have for chess lovers.

The UI on this game was pretty good, but the menu wouldn’t respond for a few seconds sometimes when I was testing it out, which is annoying because you think that the app is going to crash (that’s even more annoying:). My personal experience with the game was pretty good, thanks to the hints, but I still lost. I haven’t tried the two player mode yet, though. The Reuse/Replay Value is high not necessarily because the app is good, but because chess is really fun.

Overall, Chess Pro is a good application. At a low price of $3.99, Chess Pro is a pretty good deal.

Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac is a snappy easy-to-use Windows (or almost any other OS that will run on an Intel processor) virtualization solution. I ran Parallels 3 for Mac on my mid-range MacBook, a 2.16 GHz computer with 1GB of RAM, from 2007. Parallels made it possible to run Windows XP on that computer, but not enjoyable, since it was not the most responsive and sometimes had other troubles as well. Although I had those issues, a friend, who has a MacBook Pro, with 2GB of RAM, said that it was very responsive. An abundance of RAM is a must have when you are running two (or more) operating systems at the same time. Although Parallels requires 1GB of ram, 2GB should be the minimum requirement for anything more demanding than word-processing. I’ve found Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac a much needed and well-crafted update to the extremely useful, albeit sometimes slow Parallels 3.

The installation experience is very smooth for most people, and the software is able to install Windows for you, as a virtual machine, with little interaction from you. I ran into a problem with file permissions while I was migrating my virtual machine from version 3 to 4. I emailed technical support, who was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and my issue was resolved quickly. My issue had not been seen by them before, so you will probably not run into my migration issue.

A feature that enhances the usability of Parallels to the point that you start to forget where Windows stops and where Mac OS X begins, is Coherence mode. In Coherence mode, Windows applications live in the Mac OS X dock, and what would have been in the Windows Taskbar, are in your menu bar. Parallels has gotten it right, making every windows application independent in the order of windows. For example, I could have my windows in this order (front to back): Finder, Google Chrome, Mail, Paint. The Windows “apps” feel like any other app, even with the drop shadows—illustrating Parallels’ amazing attention to detail.

The Mac integration is another key feature that sets Parallels apart from Boot Camp. Parallels allows you to access your Mac’s files and folders from Windows, either as a mounted volume, or by linking your windows Documents, Desktop, and media folders together. That allows you to work with the same files between the OSes. If I was trying to work on the design of a news letter in Indesign, a desktop publishing application, but I was making illustrations with Corel Paint Shop Pro, I could share the files in the same folder, while working across OSes.

I’d suggest Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac to anyone who needs to run Windows applications as well as Mac applications. It’s a good alternative to getting another computer, and far more affordable. It retails for $79.99, and can be purchased directly from Parallels, or from hundreds of other retailers through out the world. The choice to purchase Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac is a natural decision to anyone who needs to, or wants to run windows on their Mac.