Rolando 2 Quest for the Golden Orchid [$9.99 - iTunes link], available now for the iPhone (and iPod touch) shows that Ngmoco not only takes great gaming concepts and beautifully renders them on the iPhone, but that they can make those great concepts and renders even better.

New gameplay includes a 3D stylized world, driving, swimming, and flying, and — now the Rolandos can fight back!

The first Rolando game won TiPb’s Editor’s Choice Award last time around, how does the new one stack up? If you give it a try, let us know!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: Rolando 2 Quest for the Golden Orchid for iPhone

Well, well, what do we have here? Seems one Britney Spears is using an iPhone in her new music video, Radar. Leanna assures us it’s at the very beginning, so if your head is turned more by gadgets than starlets, you can get your fix early before you lose an ear or anything.

However, if you love some Britney vids, enjoy the double pop-culture dose.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Thursday Fun Video: Britney Spears Has iPhone on her Radar

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Dieter and Rene discuss the iPhone 3.1 Beta, the return of Steve Jobs (and Fake Steve), iPhone 3GS news, and questions from the live chat. Listen in!

Sponsored by the TiPb iPhone Store.

Check out the Case-Mate Fuel Case for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS

iPhone 3.1 and OS News

• Speaking of charge cases, TiPb got the tip that some chargers were having trouble under 3.0, but that Apple knows about it and will be fixing it soon in 3.1…
• And lo and behold, they’ve already gone and released the iPhone 3.1 beta just in time for iPhone Live!
• New features include BT support for Voice Control, Save As for video editing, and more!
• As always, Jailbreakers are warned to avoid 3.1 until the Dev-Team gives the all-clear
• Don’t expect an iPhone 3GS jailbreak/unlock any time soon though…
• 3.1 is also good news to users experiencing MobileMe account and random icon bugs

General News

• Heeeeeee’s Baaaaaack: Steve Jobs returns to Apple
• Heeeeeee’s ALSO Baaaaaack: Fake Steve returns as well
• We get it, the iPhone 3GS is faster than fast fast
• Mobile YouTube Uploads Increasing 400% PER DAY Since iPhone 3GS Launch
• European Union: One Phone Charger Shall Rule them All — And Apple’s agreed?!
• iPhone 2G Turns Two Years Old!

How To

• TiPb Has iPhone 3G 3.0 Jailbreak Guides for Mac OS X and Windows PC

From the Forums

• One of our favorite threads, started by SM12, has just been given new life by the iPhone 2G birthday — what phone did you have before the iPhone?
• With iPhone 3.1 just around the corner, Ivoryplum wants to know what you’d like to see in the next iPhone OS update?

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! #17 — 3.1 Beta!

A slew of new Apple patent applications have come to light covering a rather odd range of functionality that may — or may not — make it into future iPhone software and hardware models.

First up is haptic feedback via a “grid of piezoelectronic actuators”, which would provide a varied tactile response when touching the iPhone screen to better orient users (and let them type without locking their eyes on the keyboard, ideally).

Second is a technology that seeks to identify fingerprints — i.e. not only that a user has touched the screen, but which specific finger touched the screen. So, for example, touching with the index finger would produce a different reaction than touching with the middle finger.

Third is for placing a RFID (radio frequency identification) reader in the screen so that, in addition to finger touches (and multi-touches), it could identify the unique tag given to objects as well.

Lastly is a method for letting users sing to the iPhone, and having the iPhone provide feedback on tone, pitch, etc. Basically, rating the quality of your karaoke — or of the latest pre-packaged Hollywood auto-tune single, we imagine.

Again, there’s no telling when, or if at all, Apple will release real-world products based on these patents, but they do give some hint as to which direction(s) Apple’s thinking.

Anyone want any of the them now?

[Via MacRumors twice]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Patent Watch: Haptics, Biometrics, RFID, and… Karaoke?!

It's that time again — time for us to pick out some of the hot topics on TiPb's forums. In order for you to reply to any of the following threads please be sure to register. It's a painless process that will only take a moment of your time.

Todays first thread in the spotlight was started by Ivoryplum, what would you like to see in the iPhone 3.1 software? We already got word two days ago that the 3.1 beta has been made available to developers and along with some of the new features that are included in the release. What else would you like to see added and/or corrected in the 3.1 software?

By now, chances are you already own a iPhone 3GS - how is it holding up? Do you have any hardware related issues similar to those good folks over at PreCentral.net? If so, stop by the following thread and share your troubles with us: iPhone 3GS Bugs/Issues. Luckily for all of us here at TiPb, we have zero issues.

This next thread was started by rrrl17, while a new iPhone has just been released it’s never too early to start discussing the next generation! What do you expect from the next generation of iPhone? Will Rene’s dream of an iPhone HD finally come true?!

Our last thread of the day comes to us from Joey Neat and he wants to know about battery life on the iPhone 3GS? So far TiPb can’t complain too much, it pretty much appears to be what we expected. And for those of you really think it is lacking in battery power, hopefully the 3.1 software will give you a little bit of a boost.

See you on the forums!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

From the Forums: 3.1 Software, iPhone 3GS Issues, Next Generation Hardware, iPhone 3GS Battery Life

Whether the idea of push notification for the iPhone Facebook app makes you want to do a happy dance, or just run screaming for the delete button, according to a recently published note, you won’t be getting it in the 98% completed Facebook 3.0 anyway:

Push Notifications, is in development but it won’t make it into 3.0. You can expect it in a 3.1 update later this summer.

So what will Facebook 3.0 bring? The “new” news feed, ability to “like” status, events with rsvp, notes, pages, better photo management and browsing, a new home screen, fixed comment notifications, SMS and call from friends screen, and auto-save so incoming calls don’t kill your unfinished messages.

[via Facebook, thanks @sil3ntrid3r11 for the tip]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Facebook 3.0 for iPhone Coming Soon. Push Notification Coming Later

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber posted the following last night:

A decade ago, my first PowerBook was a secondary machine to the desktop anchored at my desk. Now, my main machine is my MacBook Pro, but it feels a bit like an anchor now. My mobile secondary computer is my iPhone

A couple of friends of mine who work in IT administration have been telling me the same thing since the iPhone 3G launched. One of them recently left his laptop behind and took only an iPhone with him on a motorcycle trip and conference, and was still able to keep on top of his servers.

While the sheer volume of writing and editing demanded by TiPb still keeps me chained to a laptop, I’ll also admit to leaving the MacBook behind and running out with only my iPhone whenever I can — and yes, I’ve been likewise amazed at not only how much I can now accomplish with a mobile computing device, but how easily I can accomplish it.

Have you been using your iPhone as a laptop replacement? How does it fit your work needs, and what have your results been so far?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Can the iPhone Replace Your Laptop?

Looks like Apple wasn’t quite done unveiling new iPhone 3GS commercials, as a a third one began airing last night focused on video recording, editing, and sharing.

Like the previous two, which highlighted copy and paste and Voice Control, Apple’s keeping them all about the new features — and the ease of use of the new features.

So that means compass and landscape keyboard are next, right?

[Apple.com]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Third New Apple iPhone 3GS Commercial Focuses on Video Recording, Editing, and Sharing

Despite frequent, repeated denials from Microsoft that they aren’t making a Zune Phone to pit against Apple’s iPhone juggernaut, our sibling site WMExperts keeps compiling evidence that Microsoft might be doing just that.

The latest is that Pink (as it’s code-named) has an ad agency, will be based on Windows Mobile 7 but have it’s own proprietary UI layer, should be available next year-ish, and provide Zune, My Phone, and Windows Marketplace for Mobiles functionality.

So have Microsoft’s previous denials been based on crossed fingers and the “truthiness” of actually making a Zune HD Phone? Or as TiPb has been predicting, an Xbox Phone?

Let’s face it, Microsoft would be negligent and borderline daft not to integrate the technologies and leverage the brand of Xbox.

Oh, wait…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The Competition: Microsoft “is so!” Making a Pink Zune Phone to Take on the iPhone?