Apple’s recently released iPhone 3g has been received by consumers across the globe with open arms. And although the hardware updates and price cuts have helped make the device extremely popular, the software updates and new 3rd party applications is what makes the new iPhone something special.

When Apple announced that they would be allowing 3rd party developers to create applications for the iPhone they quickly showed a few games and the capabilities of their mobile communication devices. It seems that the iPhone would finally be able to bring decent games to a mobile phone.

After downloading the iPhone software updates I quickly spent $9.99 on the iPhone version of Super Monkey Ball. While the price point is a bit high compared to other phone based games, Super Monkey Ball is filled with over 100 levels and a diverse game play option. I felt comfortable spending the money and now know that it was money well spent.

Gameplay

For any game to be successful on a phone it has to have outstanding controls. This is often an issue for games on other mobile phones, but the iPhones touch screen and accelerometer make the gameplay quick and easy.

Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone is like the previous versions of the game. it takes the gamer through a large number of courses as the guide for a monkey in a ball. On the iPhone you tilt the device left and right, forward and backwards, with the intent of guiding the monkey ball to the goal destination. This makes for outstanding game play as it delivers a level of difficulty but still makes it easy to pick up and just know how to play the first time you try it out.

Story

Super Monkey Ball for any gaming system hasn’t had much more of a story than being a puzzle game with different approaches and ways to solve a puzzle. In that sense, this version of SMB is just as entertaining as the others. Pick your Monkey, play the courses, rack up extra lives by collecting bananas, and avoid those fall out drop offs.

The way that Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone works in a linear structure of game play is by forcing the user to finish all the courses on a map before being able to play the next. This offers a challenge to the gamer but ensures that they don’t miss anything the game has to offer.

Overall Feel

In many ways Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone completely blasts away any other game on any other gaming platform. It has a unique phone gaming experience, unique controls, is challenging, and was easy to learn.

The only thing I wish the game had was some sort of multiplayer aspect that would allow you to sync up with your iPhone using friends. Compete for higher scores and faster times on course completion. This capability could be limited to WiFi networks but would add a new gaming experience to SMB iPhone.

Conclusion

For one of the first of the next generation of Phone games, Super Monkey Ball is great. I find myself playing this all the time.

The game seems to be great for replayability. A must for any mobile platform. I’m slowly working through the easy and hard difficulty levels for all maps and still work back to the initial levels with as much enjoyment as I do those I have not yet finished.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, spend the $9.99 on Super Monkey Ball. You won’t regret it.

We recently described the long lines and ways to check for iPhone availability before you head out to sign up for that 2 year contract and lovely new electronic device. And despite it now being a few weeks since initial release, the demand for the iPhone is still very, very high.

Insanley Great Mac is reporting that Apple has adjusted their store hours as a result. All stores will now open at 8am to accommodate for the demand.

The other interesting fact is that they’re also increasing Apple Store employees to help customers get in and out with an agreement to spend almost $1700 over two years and the additional $199 for their new phone.

So, if you’re ready to sign over that money to enjoy the benefits of the iPhone, you can now show up at the store at 8am. You might want to be there a bit earlier if you want to avoid the lines. I imagine people will start showing up at 6am or 7am now to be first in line.

If you’ve installed a third party preference application to your System Preferences and now no longer have a need for the application, you can quickly and easily remove it by following the steps listed below:

1. Open System Preferences
2. Mouse Over the 3rd party preference and command or right click
3. Select Remove [Application] Preference Pane

You can then verify that the preference is no longer in your /library/PreferencePane/ folder located on your hard drive.

One of best things about each computer sold by Apple is that its standard software offering includes a version of iLife. One of the best and most used applications in iLife is iPhoto. It has been an essential part of iLife and is one of the tools that make managing your digital media quick and easy on a Mac.

Although iPhoto comes with many great features, it never hurts to enhance its capabilities with a few tools and plugins. Below are 5 great plugins and tools that will help you get the most out of iPhoto.

1. Picasa Web Albums Exporter

We’ve mentioned before that Picasa Web Albums Uploader for iPhoto provides users with a quick and easy way to share photos in with friends and family. This is especially useful if you’re not a MobileMe user. Head over to Google’s Mac section to grab the plugin and install it to quickly and easily upload selected pictures from your iPhoto Library.

2. Duplicate Annihilator

If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been keeping a digital photo library for years. I know my library has moved across a number of computers, operating systems, and platforms and that somewhere along the way I’ve created a duplicate or many.

Duplicate Annihilator is a tool that will look through your photos and determine those that are duplicates. It also gives you a number of different options of what to do with the duplicate files. Running the tool to help clean up your photo collection will speed up iPhoto and make browsing through your pictures more enjoyable.

3. Free Flickr eXporter

FFXPorter is a Free Flickr eXporter plugin for iPhoto that will allow you to quickly upload and add descriptions to your Flickr account. If you’re a big web 2.0 user and have your own social network on Flickr, sharing your photos has never been easier.

Like Picasa Web Albums Exporter you can select the photos in iPhoto and upload the selection to your Flickr account. The Photos will upload and be accessible by your Flickr contacts.

4. GrowlPhoto

GrowlPhoto is a plugin that adds iPhoto notifications to Growl. If you’re not already using Growl, you’ve been missing out on quick and un-intruding system notifications.

GrowlPhoto will let you know when your large photo imports have finished and are ready for you to work with. This will make it easy for you to do other tasks on your computer while you wait for your imports to finish.

5. Facebook Exporter for iPhoto

Like FFXPorter and Picasa Web Albums, Facebook Exporter for iPhoto allows you to quickly share your photos with your friends and contacts. This plugin makes exporting photos directly to Facebook quick and easy.

The plugin includes the ability to add captions, tag your friends, and write a description of the pictures you’re uploading to your Facebook site. After you’ve uploaded your pictures they’ll be included in your Facebook photo section and ready for your friends to see.

Conclusion

Many of the plugins for iPhoto focus on making it easy to share your pictures with others. As the internet continues to expand and social networks become stronger through internet tools these type of plugins make use of iPhoto that much more enjoyable and useful.

What plugins and tools do you use with iPhoto?

The Apple Blog recently pointed to a very useful application if you’re constantly frustrated by your Mac going into sleep mode while you’re trying to watch a movie. Caffeine is a free application that allows you to control when your screen can and can’t go to sleep.

Download and install the application to start enjoying movies, tv shows, and youtube without having to worry about your monitor dimming or turning off. Caffeine installs a menu item that allows you to quickly adjust your monitor sleep settings. Be sure to set it back to sleep when you finish the video.. You want to make sure you save every penny on those electric bills.