Concerned by recent earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and other natural disasters and wondering how to use your iPhone to alert you to the power failures that might come with them? If it’s something as important as your sump pump or home medical equipment, you really don’t want to take chances. Luckily our very own podcast co-host, Seth Clifford put his geeky mind to it and came up with a sweet iPhone solution!

About seven minutes into The Plan®, I realized I was not going to be getting any sleep, primarily because I would not be able to relax enough to make it restful. As a last resort, I turned to the App Store. In it, I found an app simply called Blackout Alarm. You turn the app on, plug your iPhone in, and if at any point your phone detects that it’s running off of the battery, it blares an alarm. That’s it! I plugged the phone in, turned it on and tested it a few times by pulling the plug out of the dock. Eureka! Something so simple, yet so perfectly tailored to my exact need at that exact moment, and more importantly, singularly providing me a sense of comfort that I didn’t expect to get at all that night.

Grab Blackout Alarm via the link below, and read the rest of Seth’s article for the details!

[Blackout Alarm, SethClifford.me]

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M.G. Siegler from TechCrunch claims he’s gone hands-on with the future of iPad competition, and the future of Amazon’s Kindle line — a 7-inch full color, touchscreen tablet built on an Android core but entirely Amazon at the interface level. All for $250. If you think it sounds like the Nook Color, you’re not wrong, it just trades the B&N brick-and-mortar shelves for Amazon’s hugely popular homepage.

The interface is all Amazon and Kindle. It's black, dark blue, and a bunch of orange. The main screen is a carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device. This includes books, apps, movies, etc. Below the main carousel is a dock to pin your favorite items in one easy-to-access place. When you turn the device horizontally, the dock disappears below the fold. [...] But the key for Amazon is just how deeply integrated all of their services are. Amazon's content store is always just one click away. The book reader is a Kindle app (which looks similar to how it does on Android and iOS now). The music player is Amazon's Cloud Player. The movie player is Amazon's Instant Video player. The app store is Amazon's Android Appstore.

With nary a Google app in sight. Phil Nickinson from Android Central says:

It’ll still be interesting to see how a post-Nook Color Amazon tablet will compete. The Kindle’s no longer the only game in town, and Barnes & Noble has a pretty good leg up by being a brick-and-mortar organization as well, plus it’s got its excellent in-store customer training, which has to take a lot of the scare factor out of using the Nook. (One could argue that a proper tablet UI doesn’t need any sort of training, but we digress.)

Everyone and their comment thread seems to be thinking this will be the first real competition to iPad (which is what they said about Xoom, PlayBook, TouchPad… you get the idea.) It well might. It’ll be small. It’ll be light. Amazon has a great checkout system and a compelling content story in the US (international is, as with every platform, a mixed bag of hurt.) Their hardware has never been great, however, and international sales have become increasingly important to Apple and iPad.

People like cheap, but cost and value aren’t always the same thing — as Apple has proven time and again. (Apple’s competition hasn’t, however, so maybe they’ll be in even more danger from the KindleDroid?)

One thing is for certain — Android is the new Linux.

[TechCrunch via Android Central]

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Phil, Kevin, Derek, Dan, and Rene discuss why carriers keep getting in the way of our gadgets, how big a phone can get before it’s a tablet, what does a $99 TouchPad fire sale means, will Windows 8 really be no compromises, the value of music lockers, and what does an Apple without Steve Jobs as CEO mean for the industry? This is Mobile Nations!

Agenda

• Amazon’s Kindle tablet said to be all Amazon atop Android, with nary a Google app in sight
• Which Samsung Galaxy S II is right for you?
• Petition: Dear AT&T, We want the BlackBerry Bold 9900 Now!
• Research In Motion Announces BBM Music!
• webOS.O.S. – the campaign to save our platform
• Hands-on with HTC Titan and Radar [Video]
• Apple releases iTunes Match beta
• End of Act Two: Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple

Feedback

Got something to say? Agree or disagree with something we said? Have something you want us to discuss on a future show? Don’t just sit there yelling at the screen, dammit, let us know!

• Email: podcast@mobilenations.com
• Twitter: @mobilenations
• Web: www.mobilenations.com

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Credits

Our music is pROgraM vs. Us3R by by morgantj. Introduction by Joseph Holder.

Thanks to the Smartphone Experts network of store for sponsoring this podcast, and to our fantastic live chat members for keeping us honest and making us smart!

Halfbrick Studios, the makers of Fruit Ninja, have released their newest game, Jetpack Joyride for iPhone and iPad.

This game is addicting! In the game, you are a man with a jetpack and constantly moving to the right. You must avoid obstacles, collect coins, and complete missions. My description is not giving this game justice – it really is a lot of fun!

Suit up with a selection of the coolest jetpacks ever made and take to the skies as Barry Steakfries, the lovable hero on a one-way trip to adventure! From the creators of the worldwide phenomenon Fruit Ninja comes the action-packed Jetpack Joyride, Halfbrick’s most anticipated iPhone game ever!

• Join Barry as he breaks in to a secret laboratory to commandeer the experimental jetpacks from the clutches of science evildoers. After lift-off, simply touch the screen to ascend and release to descend, raining bullets, bubbles, rainbows and lasers downwards as you fly towards higher and higher scores!
• You’ll start off with the legendary Machine Gun Jetpack to scatter the evil scientists, but throughout each game you’ll collect coins and complete missions to earn cash and buy new gear in The Stash! Pick your favorite jetpack, snazzy outfit and stock up on items then get back out there for more action!
• Keen reflexes are your best weapon to avoid the obstacles in your path. These include lasers, electricity fields and even guided missiles, but thankfully this is a top secret lab – there will be even more goodies to pick up and help Barry along the way. Stay out of harm and you’ll reach massive scores, unlock Achievements and beat your friends on the online leaderboards!
• Get a boost of speed and power using the Lil’ Stomper, Profit Bird and Crazy Freaking Teleporter, just a selection of the vehicles pickups available – all playable with one touch controls. You can even splash out and upgrade the vehicles with coin magnets or shiny gold plating for that bonus style factor!
• Stay alive, get funky and lose yourself in Jetpack Joyride. There’s so much to see and do, all the time in the world and more than enough jetpacks! As always, Barry Steakfries will provide!

Jetpack Joyride is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Netflix couldn’t come to a deal to keep Starz content on their service, so they’ll be losing it next February, but it turns out Starz wanted more than just Netflix’s money to stay — they wanted more of our money too:

Netflix offered Starz more than $300 million per year to renew their agreement, but the pay cable channel was insistent on so-called tiered pricing, according to people close to the negotiations but not authorized to speak on the record. Tiered pricing would require Netflix subscribers who want movies and television shows from Starz and other premium providers to pay more than the standard $8 per month.

Basically, they wanted Netflix to become as expensive as cable so we, the customers are discouraged from leaving cable and living off digital antennas and services like Netflix.

That’s nice for Starz, but do you want to pay more for Netflix to keep The Karate Kid on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV?

[LA Times]

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

• IM+ Video: Video and voice calls to your Facebook friends plus Facebook chat. All for free. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]

• lemontrack – location sharing: Location tracking without a bitter taste. [$0.99 for iPhone - App Store link]

• Ringtone DJ: Allows you to make unlimited ringtones from any song in your iTunes music library and make it 100% unique by applying professional DJ sound effects. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]

• PinkyDo for iPad: A pink To Do list manager! [$0.99 for iPad - App Store link]

• Gangster Snap: Feel the ultimate high of defeating the world’s toughest gangsters. The depressing low of your girlfriend being kidnapped; yet again. [$0.99 for iPhone - App Store link]

Any other big app or game releases or updates today?

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Friday Freebie time again, and since the TiPb iPhone Accessory Store just got this latest bit of hotness in stock, we figured we’d give away a free Jabra DRIVE Bluetooth Speakerphone. Whether you just want to do some hands-free Bluetooth talking, or some full on A2DP music playing, Jabra’s got to covered. In fact, it connects to up to two devices so if you and your significant other are both rocking iPhone (or even if they’re rocking an Android, BlackBerry, webOS, Windows or ANY Bluetooth equipped phone) you’re good to go.

All you have to do to win is head on over to our iPhone Accessory Forum and tell us what you’re going to talk — or rock — in the car with Jabra!!

Giveaway starts now and ends Sunday at 12pm PDT. Ready… set… ENTER NOW!

Angry Birds season had been updated to celebrate the Chinese holiday, mooncake festival. In addition to 30 new levels, the Mighty Eagle is also now available.

You’d think after years of playing three different versions of Angry Birds, I’d be over it. Nope, this game never gets old!

It’s September and the moon is full and high as the Angry Birds head to China for the mooncake festival! The 3000-year-old harvest festival is one of the most important Chinese holidays, and the pigs think they can hide themselves in the midst of all the celebrations. Help the Angry Birds as they chase the pigs through 30 brand new levels filled with pagodas, rabbits, and red lanterns, lit by a dazzling harvest moon.

• Beautiful new moon festival theme
• 30 brand new levels to test your skills
• 8 hidden pieces of mooncake to collect
• Special mooncake level!
• Mighty Eagle now available for Angry Birds Seasons!

Angry Birds Seasons is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99 and $1.99, respectively.

[iPhone App Store link] [iPad App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

In remembrance of ten years since the 9/11 attacks, Magnify Media has released The 911 Memorial: Past, Present and Future for the iPad.

Every American with an iPad should download this app. I can’t believe it’s been ten years since that tragic day. Watching the videos again bring back that moment when I learned that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center.

Explore the construction of the Twin Towers. View videos of the site long before 9/11. Connect with the the day of 9/11/01 as it unfolds. And then, get an insider’s view of “Reflecting Absence” Architect Michael Arad’s powerful Memorial Plaza and twin Pools.

• Exclusive interview with the creator of the Memorial, along with his sketches and photographs.
• More than 40 videos, over an hour of original content, site tours, museum updates, and animations.
• Over 400 high-resolution photographs, including large artifacts at Hanger 17, rare site construction images, and the landscaping of an urban forest with 400 white swamp oak trees.
• Links to share, post, and connect with the National September 11th Memorial Museum site.
• An interactive timeline from 2001 – updated as construction continues.
• Never before seen video of the attacks on The World Trade Center.

Where were you when you learned of the attack? I walked into my 7a high school honor’s chemistry class to a silenced classroom listening to the radio. The rest of the school day was spent watching the news and discussing the attacks.

The 911 Memorial: Past, Present and Future is available on the iPad for free.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

For today only, the TiPb Store has the Incipio dermaSHOT Case for original iPad on sale for only $7.95 — that’s a whopping 77% off. Shockingly good protection in black, gray, blue, and pink — Get it before it’s gone!

Shop Incipio dermaSHOT Case for original iPad now!