Pulse News Mini for iPhone is one of the newer RSS clients to appear in the App Store.  I happened to catch it in the featured section of the App Store and figured I’d give it a try.  Up until now, I’ve been a faithful fan of the Reeder client for iPhone.  I’m starting to think that Pulse News Mini could definitely give it a run for it’s money.

Read on for more screenshots and a walkthrough.

[iTunes Link]

The first thing you’ll notice upon launching Pulse News Mini is how visual it really is.  You can really interact with your feeds in ways other RSS apps don’t let you.  There are 2 general motions you’ll use to read your news feeds. The first is just general scrolling from top to bottom.  This will allow you to scroll through your different feeds.  The second is from side to side.  This lets you tab through past feeds.

If you find something you want to read, simply click on it, when you start scrolling through the article, the menu bar will disappear, and when you’re ready to look for something else, one tap will take you back to the main menu, or you can choose to continue scrolling through that particular feed along the bottom of your screen.

Pulse News Mini also includes Google Reader integration, so if you’re using the Google RSS service, you’ll be good to go and won’t have to search for any feeds (but that’s always an option for those of you not set up with Google Reader).  You can also delete it or remove feeds from within it at any given point in time.  I really like it isn’t all or nothing.  If I don’t want “all” my Google Reader feeds, I can selectively choose which ones I’d like to add after logging in.

The only thing I’ve noticed about this app that I’d like to see in a future update is an unread count and more customization by way of administering your settings for feeds.  In Reeder, I have it set to sync any feeds no less than 2 days old.  This app seems to only congregate feeds from the past 24 hours.  Sometimes I get busy at work or home and don’t read feeds for about a day, so I like the option of being able to sync them back as far as several days or weeks if I want.  Little things like this may keep me going back to Reeder every once in a while to read more dated feeds, but I think if Pulse News Mini releases some quality updates eventually adding these features, I’d be able to make Pulse my main RSS client.

Pros

• Extremely visual UI
• Great user interaction with feeds
• Several feed setup options
• Google Reader integration that is customizable

Cons

• No unread count
• Only syncs 24 hours back (as far as I can tell)
• Not a lot of user customization at this point

[YouTube Link]

Pulse News Mini for iPhone – App Review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

In celebration of the US 4th of July holiday, there are a bunch of sales going on in the iTunes Apps Store, including EA, Gameloft, Glu, Namco, and more.

Aside from games, if you have a few moments to spend browsing through Apple’s hundreds of thousands of apps, you might just find a quite a few others taking advantage of the holiday to drum up some sales.

Check out the links below for some great game lists. Any of your favorites super cheap today? Let us know in comments!

[Touch Arcade, 148apps]

4th of July App Store sales – EA, Gameloft, Namco, Glu is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

This week I had a chance to look at the black FlexGrip case for the iPad by Griffin, available in black, blue, purple and white. The FlexGrip manages to protect and look good. It’s made from silicon, but the slick kind. The case it self is not slippery, but rather it does not stick to surfaces. This is good if you place your iPad in a bag and want to access it easily but bad if you want it to grip on a surface.

I used the case for a couple of weeks putting it in and out of my backpack, laid it on tables, watched content on it, etc.  The only issue I had with the case is that the edge flashings do not grip the iPad’s glass tightly. This is an issue for me as I seem to collect lint where ever I go. I found myself having to occasionally clean out the lint particles. Also, it is important to note that if you use the iPad dock like I do, it does not fit in the dock with the case on.

Ultimately I liked Griffin FlexGrip for iPad. Just be aware of the looser flashings and that it is the slip not sticky silicone.

The Griffin FlexGrip for iPad is currently available for $28.95 from the TiPb iPad accessory store.

Pros

• Durable
• Protective
• Stylish

Cons

• Edge flashing are not flush against iPad’s glass

Griffin FlexGrip for iPad- accessory review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple iPhone 4 vs Android Evo 4G as expressed by potty-mouthed, poorly animated, digitally voiced, anthropomorphic stuffed animals? Ohecksyeah.

If you’re enjoying the 4th of July holiday in the US, or have a way to keep yourself safe at work outside the US, give these dueling videos a look and enjoy the good-natured iPhone and Android rivalry gone horribly wrong.

(And yeah, the guy who made them works at Best Buy mobile, never mentioned Best Buy in the videos, and still might get fired by the humorless big box — who should be falling all over themselves offering him a job in their creative department.)

Again, NSFW-L, play at your own risk… of amusement. After the break…

[Thanks Anthony!]

iPhone 4 vs Evo 4G – Monday fun videos (NSFW-L) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

While manufacturing problems have reportedly caused delays in Apple’s own white iPhone 4 rollout, enterprising do-it-yourself (DIY) types, armed with tear-down guides and replacement parts from China are taking matters into their own hands.

Richard Lai from Engadget gave it a go, and while there are definitely some gotchas, who expects fashion to come without a price?

Once fitted, we were saddened to find out that our white covers weren’t complete — the front one’s missing an earpiece grill, whereas the back cover lacks a lens cover and a LED diffuser. We did consider cannibalizing the original black covers, but the small parts needed were strongly glued on. Ah well, considering the mod’s in full working order (discounting the infamous antenna issue), we’ll make do with this and avoid touching the lens. Now, where do we sign up for eBay?

Check out his full post for the details and gallery, and let us know just how long you’ll wait for Apple to get the official white iPhone 4 to market before you start doing it yourself as well…

[Engadget]

Tired of waiting for a white iPhone 4? Do it yourself! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

If you see a + sign next to or below an app in the iTunes App Store, it indicates that app is universal — designed to work natively on both the iPhone and iPad.

Typically these universal apps are provided by developers when the functionality is similar on both iPad and iPhone, but due to the iPad’s large screen a different interface is needed (to include sidebars, popovers, and wide views instead of deep levels).

It also means you only have to download — and pay for — the app once.

Sure, you can run any iPhone app on the iPad if you’re okay with boxing or chunky double fuzzy 2x mode, but universal apps ensure you get the best user interface — and user experience — possible on all your current iOS devices.

So if you have an iPhone or iPod touch and an iPad, and you see the + sign for a universal app, you’re good to go.

+ equals universal iPhone/iPad app in App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

iOS 4 will now put an exclamation badge on the Messages app as a way to inform you when an SMS text or MMS multimedia message fails to send.

Previously, the exclamation badge was only present inside the Messages app itself, beside the message that failed to send. Unless you were there and checking, you might not see it, especially not right away.

Now, if and when there’s been a failure to send, as long as you pass by the Messages icon on your home screen, there’s a good chance you’ll see it.

For more on Apple’s latest software, see our complete iOS 4 feature walkthrough.

[Thanks Alex!]

iOS 4 features: SMS/MMS failure exclamation badge is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

This week I am taking a look at Air Display by Avatron Software. You may have heard of Avatron as they make the great Air Sharing apps for iPhone and iPad. This app works like an external display for your Mac desktop or laptop (good news PC owners, it will work on a PC soon!).

To get started, you need to download the desktop app from Avatron’s website. The desktop app works like a display driver for an external monitor. Once installed, you will need to pair your iPad and Mac together. You can set the Air Display app to appear in the Apple menu bar across the top of the screen for easy access.

Once activated, open the app on the iPad. You get the typical background wallpaper that you have set for your external monitors. If you choose, you can even change the wallpaper for the iPad when displaying as a monitor. One of the first things I recommend doing is going into your Apple System Preferences and arranging the iPad monitor the way you want. Right side, left side, etc. I also took the extra effort to have the iPad’s placement reflect proper placement on the Monitor Arrangement screen too. This way when you drag your cursor to the iPad, it represents its real-time location. One more thing when it comes to monitor setup on the Mac, if you use Spaces, the iPad shows up as an individual display on each separate space- nice.

Once configured, using Air Display is a breeze; drag content to the iPad and release, it’s that simple. Due to the iPad’s size, apps that are best used on the display are things like iChat, Skype, etc. Also, since the monitor is projected via Wi-Fi, the monitor refresh is poor. So, as you move windows or objects around, they tend to be a little jerky. I would not use this monitor for anything that involves animation for this reason.

If you find your desktop just isn’t big enough and using Spaces on your Mac can’t get the job done, Air Display is an excellent way to use your iPad when it is just chillin’ next to your Mac.

[$9.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Excellent external mini-monitor
• Great for Chats or Skype
• Shows as an additional monitor in Spaces on the Mac
• Works as advertised

Cons

• Movement is slow and jerky
• Can’t use effectively for anything that requires animation

Air Display for iPad- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog