Doodle Devil: Free for a limited Time

The popular Doodle God and Doodle Devil series has now dropped its price to a low price of FREE on 12/22. Just in time before the App Store Lockdown. This great element-combination game will allow players do create elements and other items that will be used to cause evil in this world. Once you start playing. You may not end until you get stuck. Fortunately, Doodle Devil allows the player to get some hints from the Devil in the game if you give it some money. But for those who will need to save up the money to create elements, you better read up on the Doodle Devil walkthrough.

That's right. You may run out of money before you can find all the elements. The money system is actually put in afterward. That's why you see Doodle Devil having a low rating of 2 out 5 stars. Because every paid user got upset that this is turning into one of those freemium type of games. Well, before you run out of money. Enjoy the game. It is fun!
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App Chronicle's Hoggy Guide

App Chronicles is doing it again. Hoggy for the iPhone is kinda tough. It is a nice platfromer with puzzle action at its roots. Check out their walkthrough on Hoggy to grab the keys from all the jars!
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Hungry Shark

I have been playing for Hungry Shark part 1 (free version) on the iPhone for the past few days. But I can see that the artifacts are still a little difficult to collect. App Chronicles has a good piece on where these artifacts are located.

Now is it possible for me to top the global score list? Perhaps I should stick to areas that have lots of penguins and tunas for staying alive. I don't like my shark to go belly up!

A side note. Hungry shark developers are pretty smart to make part 2, essentially a sequel to the original Hungry Shark, free to the original buyers. Thus they won't felt ripped off when Hungry Shark part 1 goes free. Now both part 1 and part 2 are in the top 10 free and paid app charts, respectively. Great thinking!
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Getting a Good iPad Office App

If you have a iPad like me, perhaps you too are looking to edit office apps on the iPad. Unfortunately, Google docs on the iPad currently do not support office document editing on the iPad.

This is why you may be looking for that special app to fill this gap in function. Fortunately there are lots of apps that lets you edit documents on the iPad. Perhaps too many apps. App Chronicles has an in-depth comparison of the best iPad office apps. Their verdict is that QuickOffice for iPad is the best iPad office app for those who regularly use Microsoft Office. For iWork users on the Mac, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are excellent office productivity apps.

I am going to grab QuickOffice. What about you?
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Iced In Solutions and Guide

Is Iced In getting too difficult? AppChronicles.com has begun a nice "Iced In" walkthrough and solutions strategy guide for those who are stuck.

Iced In Level 1 Solution

Iced In Level 2 Solution

Iced In Level 3 Solution

Iced In Level 4 Solution

Iced In Level 5 Solution

Iced In Level 6

Iced In Level 7

Iced In Level 8

Iced In Level 9

Iced In Level 10

Iced In Level 11

Iced In Level 12

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Iced In Level 14

Iced In Level 15

Iced In Level 16

Iced In Level 17

Iced In Level 18

Iced In Level 19

Iced In Level 20

Iced In Level 25

Iced In Level 28
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GeoDefense Swarm Cheats and Strategies

Our friends at The Apps Machine has posted walkthrough and solutions for what is probably the toughest game in the App Store, GeoDefense Swarm. I myself have gotten stuck for countless hours just to beat 1 level. Remember, don't read the guide unless you are completely stuck!

If you don't know about GeoDefense Swarm, read the review and buy it in the App Store

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 1 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 2 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 3 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 4 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 5 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 6 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 7 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 8 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Easy Level 9 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Medium Level 1 Strategy

GeoDefense Swarm Medium Level 2 Strategy
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Boxed In Level Solutions

Boxed In Level Solutions

The popular Boxed In game for the iPhone has caused headaches for many people. Here are some solutions to your favorite puzzle app. But be sure to only use these Boxed In cheats if you are completely stuck!

Complete Boxed In Walkthrough

Boxed In Level 20 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 21 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 22 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 23 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 24 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 25 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 26 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 27 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 28 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 29 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 30 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 31 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 32 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 33 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 34 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 35 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 36 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 37 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 38 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 39 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 40 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 41 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 42 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 43 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 44 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 45 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 46 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 47 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 48 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 49 Solution and Cheats

Boxed In Level 50 Solution and Cheats
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New Amazon App Identifies Stuff around you via Human Drones

In the midst of a recession, it is refreshing to see Amazon continues innovation with its Amazon App. The Amazon App has all that you expect from a online retailer mobile app. Product search, wish list, shopping cart, package tracking, account information, mobile online transaction are all there. There's more, the Amazon iPhone App allow users to identify any item in a picture taken with the iPhone, linking that picture to its mobile product page!

The full name for product identification part of the Amazon App is called Amazon Remembers. It is currently in experimental mode. The iPhone user take a image of an item. Then, hired Mechanical Turks will use their skilled identification and search skills to bring to the correct Mobile Amazon product page. The product page lets users read reviews, add to cart or wish lists, or buy that item.

That's right, image product identification is NOT done by a computerized system, but an actual human hired by Amazon Mechanical Turk division located somewhere on Earth to accomplish this complex task.



The results are surprisingly good. I took 3 picture of stuff around my bedroom. Within 5 minutes, Amazon came back with 2 accurate results for the NetGear WG Wireless Adapter and the Speed Stick Deodorant. Heh, they sell those on Amazon too. I would imagine these items are easy to identify because the item name is clearly marked in the photo. However the Logitech cordless mouse has less to go on. Surprisingly, after 30 minutes, the image only Logitech Cordless Plus Optical Mouse was correctly identified and linked to the correct product page.

This type of innovation can drive tech-savvy iPhone users to use the Amazon App more. It is really enjoyable to see how stuff around the house show up on Amazon. For Amazon this may mean better brand awareness and increased sales in the future.
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Google offers Triple Treats to iPhone Users in November [iPhone Love]

Everyone knows Google has a love affair with the iPhone. Just last month, Google Earth for the iPhone was released with great acclaim. But in November, Google has launched not one, but THREE iPhone specific enhancements to its products. Google first made changes to its search results to allow for better user experience, including one-touch dialing and default maps on local searches. Then they rolled out the Speech activated Search with the Google App update. Finally with the release of iPhone update 2.2, Google Maps gets Street View and Public Transportation Directions. All of these enhancements offer substantial improvements over the current iPhone and made major headlines in the iPhone community this month.

iPhone Google Search Optimization

With the user interface optimization on Google Search, search results are more efficiently displayed so that there is no need to scroll side to side. Local search results are also optimized. Results now include one-touch “Get Directions” and click-to-call links. Maps are easily accessible by the “show map” link or displayed by default if appropriate. Below is a video presentation of iPhone Google Search Optimization.



Google Voice Search



Next, Google rolled out Voice Search. It is a part of the Google Apps update. Thus, only with the updated Google App, iPhone user can try out this new feature. For this reason, Google Apps became one of the top apps downloads even though it has been released for a long time.

Voice search is surprisingly good. It can recognize most of the words I speak to the iPhone without much error. Say "Google iPhone products in November 2008," that's exactly what the voice search app came back with. Although I am still using the regular text-based search more than voice search, I can’t stop imaging the day when people use voice search instead of text-based search. With Google’s optimization of iPhone search results, the combination gets better. When you speak “18 percent of 33 dollars,” you get a calculated result almost instantly. Oh, the gratification!The app is even smart enough to differentiate between "bear market" and "bare ass" through contextual recognition, amazing!




Google Street View



Finally with the long awaited iPhone firmware update 2.2, iPhone users got Google Street View. At a first glance in Google Maps, Google Street View is nowhere to be found. It is only when you enter an address or search a direction will the Google Street View button show up beside the address bar. The Street View button is the Red Man on the left side of the address pin. Not a very intuitive usability design on Google’s part to place street view like this.


With Google Street View on the iPhone, you can stroll the streets of New York City, San Francisco, or your everyday neighborhood right from your iPhone. Street View allows the user to view a 360 degree view. Look at the sky, the ground, and the buildings like you are really there.

It is great for navigation too. It is convenient for getting a glimpse of your destination if you have never been there. It makes finding that company you are interviewing for that much easier.

Google Maps also added public transportation and walking directions. Great for those relying on public transportation, bikes, or their two feet.

The triple treat Google offered to iPhone users this month shows that Google is serious in building brand recognition with iPhone users. Their product launches even outpace those of their own Google Android phones.
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Apple lowers iPhone 3G Production. It's the Global Economy, Stupid

It looks like the financial crisis and the resulting global economic downturn is taking a toll on Apple's iPhone too. Although last month Apple recorded record breaking sales of iPhones in its fourth quarter, it does not look like the spectacular sales for iPhones may continue this Christmas season.

Financial Analyst Craig Berger stated that his checks of iPhone supply chain indicates that iPhone production is falling 40% in the coming quarter compared to previous period. That means the factories in China are pumping out less iPhones per day. The analyst also suggests this may not be an iPhone specific event. All smart phones may be subject to less production, and perhaps less sales as the world suffers from economic turmoil.

"We believe Apple is a good proxy for broader consumer demand given that it has the hottest, sleekest, most desirable products available today," he wrote. "That the firm's iPhone production plans are being revised lower suggests that the global macroecomomic weakness is impacting even high-end consumers, those that are more likely to buy Apple's expensive gadgets, and that no market segment will be spared in this global downturn."

Still, even with the economic hardship, Apple is quickly accumulate a large share of the smart phone market, becoming a real threat to RIM's blackberry. The smart phone market is also poised to grow as Techcrunch indicated that 19% of Americans uses a smartphone instead of a reagular cellphone. There have even been reports that those in the lower economic spectrum are buying the cool iPhone 3G instead of cheap o' cell phones. Perhaps during this downturn, Apple can grab as much marketshare as possible and squeeze out its competitors!
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Google Earth Crash Lands on the iPhone- Cheers and Gripes

Google Earth is not the first app to let iPhone users put the Earth in their pocket. That was Earthscape. However, having Google’s very own Google Earth on the iPhone is truly an achievement considering the limited computing and memory power of the iPhone. Expecting Google’s usual quality product delivery, iPhone users weren’t too disappointed with the iPhone incarnation of Google Earth. Google Earth allows for ultra detailed zooming. You can see your car parked in the driveway with amazing detail. That is something Earthscape can’t do. However, Google Earth also crashes a lot. Having the Earth that lives in your pocket crash doesn’t seem to be a good omen.

Applauses


3D Mountains
The terrain on Google Earth for the iPhone is what it is all about. Go to Mount Everest or any mountain to start exploring the stunning detailed 3D imagery.

Tilting can be fun
You can explore the gorgeous 3D terrain by Tilting your iPhone. Tilting it allows you to look at the terrain at an angle you tilt. Tilting can be fun when exploring the terrains around you.

Controlling our mother earth with Multi-touch finger Action
Imagine rotating the Earth at the whim of your fingers. It feels great! Go to anywhere you want in the world and check out what it is like from above. Touch the Location button on the lower left and you will be flown to your current location in seconds. The Multi-touch interaction is consistent with other iPhone Apps, so using Google Earth comes intuitively. You can move the map in the direction of choice with one finger movement. With two fingers, you can rotate the map or pinch the screen to zoom in. Double tapping the screen also allow you to zoom in. The compass icon on the top right keeps track of the direction you are facing. Touching the compass icon will align your map with the top of the screen facing north.

Detailed close images

The satellite images on Google Earth compare closely to those that appear on Google maps. The images are extremely detailed that you can see your own car. Unlike Google Maps, when you zoom extremely close, there is no annoying “No images” blank screen. This makes exploring the Earth much satisfying.

Panomramio and Wikis

The Panarama pictures are great. It allows you to see what it is like on the ground. Some of the photos are stunning, even if they are just displayed on iPhone’s tiny screen. The Wiki’s are also helpful to understanding more about the area being displayed. Together, these tools offers a satisfying experience for those who wish to visit Paris or Rome virtually with their iPhone.


Gripes

Crashes Wikis and Panoramio Crashes

Google Earth doesn’t come without Gripes. The most annoying thing when using Google Earth is the crashes. It often occurs when opening Wikis or Panoramio pages, although sometimes it just crashes when manipulating the terrains. This may be a similar phenomenon seen in iPhone mobile browser crashes. If you are getting constant crashes with Google Earth, try resetting the iPhone first by holding the home and sleep button.


Tilting system

In Google Earth for iPhone, you can view the terrains at an angle by tilting. This is cool. However, tilting is the only way to view at an angle. Sometimes it is awkward to view the terrain at a certain angle. Also fixing the view at a certain angle can be difficult as the iphone must stay tilted at that angle. Google should consider adding a manual terrain angle option by adding an icon similar to those in Earthscape.

Google maps had done that

When you think about it, many of what Google Earth can do has already been done in iPhone Google Maps. In Google Maps you can also explore foreign countries through search and zooming. You just can’t zoom out to outer space enough to show the spherical Earth on your iPhone to your friends. Google Earth doesn’t have the option to display street names. That would be handy if you are exploring a foreign city that you will visit on your next vacation.

No 3D buildings

Google Earth is all about exploring the Earth. Even though the Panoramio pictures and Wiki’s are there to help with this task, 3D buildings would make the experience much better. Google says that they are working at bringing 3D buildings to Google Earth iPhone. Hopefully this means we can see 3D building on Google Earth very soon.

No social interactions

Earthscape differentiates itself from Google Earth by offering social interactions with its application. It does so through allowing users to tag their own pictures on Earthscape. Hopefully, Google Earth for the iPhone will allow this feature in the future.

Difficult to find landmarks

It seemed difficult to find worthy landmarks on Google Earth iPhone. I tried to explore Kyoto, Japan to find the beautiful temples around there, but the Panoramio and Wiki icons on the map do not display their contents until they are opened. When they are opened, half the time the application crashed.

When do I really need to use it?

When you really think about it, when will you ever use Google Earth? May be you can use it when you are stuck in a line. Bored, traveling to Thailand virtually through Google Earth on the iPhone may be a great way to kill time. Other than that, I find it difficult to think of another use for Google Earth other than entertainment.


Hopes for the Future

It will be exciting when Google Street View is integrated with either Google maps or Google Earth for the iPhone. Exploring the Earth on the iPhone will be a much fuller experience. Hopefully 3D buildings will be available soon as well.
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iPhone VS Blackberry Q3 2008. iPhone Wins!

Today Apple unveiled its first iPhone 3G sales for fiscal 4th Quarter, 2008. The result totally blew everyone away. Apple sold 6.9 million iPhones, 2.9 million more units than the 4 million iPhone units industry experts have predicted.

Apple has already surpassed its 2008 goal of selling 10 million iPhones

Earlier in the year Apple promised that they will sell 10 million iPhones in 2008. Some have their doubts from the beginning. But as rumors of Apple iPhone factories milking out 800,000 units per week hit, many anticipate that Apple will achieve this lofty goal with ease. Now, with one more quarter left in the 2008 calendar year, it appears Apple had set its goals a bit too low.

Apple has surpassed Blackberry to take the lead in Smart Phone sales

Apple has only been in the smart phone business for a little over a year. However, Apple’s quarterly sales have already beaten RIM’s Blackberry sales. Apple’s 6.9 million iPhones sold this quarter have surpassed the 6.1 million Blackberry smart phones sold in the same quarter. Many of iPhone’s new owners are new iPhone users new to smart phones, while a majority of Blackberry’s sales came from existing Blackberry owners updating their smart phones. iPhone’s new leading position in the smart phone industry must be a shock to many industry and financial analysts. For those who said iPhone will not matter to Blackberry’s sale growth, they have been proven wrong. It appears smart phone shoppers prefer iPhone over Blackberry. There are some evidence that even business users who rely on Blackberry’s proprietary email services are now looking for iPhone as an alternative.

Apple has become the world’s third largest mobile phone supplier

After Nokia and Samsung, Apple is now the world’s third largest mobile phone supplier. This is an amazing achievement! The CEO’s and other executives of all major mobile phone suppliers must be scrambling to evaluate this situation and developing new strategies to deal with the iPhone threat.

Second Round Starts as more iPhone-like smart phones enter the fray

With the introduction of Android phone set to release this month, the smart phone war is more heated than ever. Every major smart phone companies are trying to copy the iPhone touch screen concept. Some are working hard to surpass the iPhone in the usability and functionality department. That is why the iPhone lead in the smart phones arena cannot be assured as competitors add those functions missing in their current smart phones.

Here's A word of advice for iPhone competitors.

• Include All of functions and usability of current iPhone
• Better Internet Browser with Flash and less crashes
• Copy and Paste
• Add other features missing in iPhone such as offering landscape email and SMS
  

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New Facebook 2.0 iPhone App Connects You to More Friends from Anywhere

Feeling lonely in a hospital, boring lecture, or even on a desert island with 3G connection? The new iPhone Facebook app can now help you make new friends, get reconnected with old friends, and enable more interactions with your pals on Facebook. With the new ability to search and add new friends on your iPhone, it is a great way to make use of extra time on the go.



Discovering old friends and making new friends who share your interests are part of the Facebook experience. Searching for old friends in high school or college on the go may be the most meaningful you can do when you are away from your computer. Who knows, you may even find a business partner from elementary school who share your interests, go on an Asian vacation with your new friends, or even get married with someone from your high school. In some ways, mobile Facebook is more convenient than Facebook on the computer because there are so many applications and other distractions on the full web Facebook that prevent you from discovering more friends. Now, when people have spare time, they can really make the most use of their mobile Facebook with the new 2.0 update by discovering new friends.




The new iPhone Facebook 2.0 also provides the full news Feed so you can know what your friends are up to AND comment on them. Your friends will appreciate how much you care about them with a nice comment.

Taking pictures on the iPhone camera? Now you can do photo tagging and photo captioning right on your iPhone so you don’t have to complete them at home from your desktop. This is a big convenience!

Your mini-feed is now combined with the Wall, so you’ll know what tracks you have left behind on Facebook. Your friends can also post pictures directly onto your
Wall.

The new Notification function will alert you if you really need to log on to the full Facebook internet version on desktop. When someone invites you to participate on a Facebook web app, you will know it’s time to temporarily disband your iPhone facebook.

Finally, message attachments are available on the iPhone Facebook. No longer will you NOT get the message attachments your friends sent you on the computer.

The new iPhone version of Facebook also promises to be faster and more stable, especially if you have large number of friends.

So, what’s next for Facebook? Location based services would be great. Enabling your friends whom you allow to pinpoint your location would be a great feature. Wouldn’t you love to “accidentally” meet your friends in the malls or in the same restaurants?

Facebook 2.0 on the iPhone added the missing features that were supposed to be there when it first launched. Now interactions between friends can be taken mobile. Waiting in a long line or waiting for a date? Connect with your friends with that spare time!
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Is Apple Playing Tricks with Battery and Wireless Signal Indicators?

The iPhone 2.1 firmware update is out! Two of the most talked about enhancements are the enhanced battery life and the enhanced signal boost. However some have cast doubts on the effectiveness and the credibility of Apple's latest claims. Did Apple really put an effort to improve these problems? Or did Apple just cosmetically tweak the indicators, making battery and signal seem longer and stronger than they really are?

Battery Indicator

Many have claimed that the battery indicator goes from near 100% to under 10% in just minutes. I have experience the same phenomenon as well. It was a thrill to see the battery stays at near 100% after 2 hours of continuous heavy mobile Safari use. However at about 6 hours after a full charge, the battery indicator suddenly showed that battery level is less than 10%! This has been reported by many other people. Some have suggested to completely let the battery drain off and then give it a full charge to solve this problem. This phenomenon may have also give people a false idea that the iPhone really does improve battery life by quite a bit as suggested by polls. There are some people who reported the 2.1 iphone software update actually made their battery drain faster and offered no relief. There are also many people who are rejoiced that the firmware boosted battery life for as much as 50%.

Wireless Signal Indicator

Apple has stated in their release that the new firmware update "improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display." The question is, did Apple add any enhancements to get better reception or did they simply enhance the signal bar cosmetically? Many people have reported that their signal bar went up 2-3 bars after the update. If solving the reception problem is as simple as adding more bars, changing the 3G, EDGE icons to blue, shouldn't all carriers learn from this?

Controlled Testing Needed

With so many claims of Apple not really fixing the battery life and wireless signal in the 2.1 firmware update. We really need a good controlled experiment to test battery life and wireless signal reception. Give us 10 NEW iPhone 3G's (Or iPhone 3G with new battery). Have people surf websites with heavy content until the battery is completely drained so we can test for true battery life.


Update 1: Gizmodo is reporting that battery life has 15% improved in a nonscientific way. There are also many people reporting their battery life increased from 20% to 100%. Still there are some that claims the firmware update did not do anything to improve battery life. Gizmodo also states that the signal reception has not only improved in terms of the level of bars on the phone, but the reception has actually gotten better, losing the periodic drop-outs and injected silence.
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iPhone 2.1 Software Update Available. Improved battery Life and Reduces Time to backup to iTunes

Today, Apple finally releases the long awaited iPhone 2.1 Software Update.

The following are improvements stated by Apple.

"iPhone version 2.1 contains many bug fixes and improvement, including the following:

• Decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
• Significantly improved battery life for most users
• Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes
• Improved email reliabilty, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
• Faster installation of 3rd party applications
• Fixed bugs casuing hangs and crashes if you have lots of 3rd party applications
• Improved performance in text messaging
• Faster loading and searching of contacts
• Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
• Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
• Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
• Genius playlist creation "

More to come after I've tested with the this new firmware update.

Update #1- I have been running safari on widget extensive websites for 2 hours now. So far it crashed twice. It is still impressive considering I have music running in the background. It crashed when I try to drag the pages down or zoom in on the webpage when the page was not done loading. It crashed on digg.com's add widget page when I was digging through some stories. It also crashed on the blogger sign-in page. By the way, this blogger update was done on the iPhone. Impressive, considering the iPhone browser used to crash when I try to enter text on blogger. Crashless safari seems closer to reality.

Update #2- After the 4th hour of intensive wireless internet use, the battery life suddenly went from 90% to under 10%. I will have to let it drain, then recharge fully to see if it is a one time fluke. Is Apple messing with the battery life indicator or did battery life really improve?

Update #3- Many people have reported Safari crashes. Some people had never had that problem before. Follow the link to resolve iPhone Safari crashing
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