Moon Shark has just announced Verticus, an endless-falling game made in collaboration with comic book legend Stan Lee. The gameplay will seem familiar if you've ever played Falling Fred, minus the gore, and plus the super hero badassitude. Details are scarce, but there's are enemies to evade, currency to pick up, and upgrades to buy. The story goes that that a hostile race of aliens are building a doomsday device at the core of the planet, and our anonymous hero has to use his high-tech suit to chase down The Obliterators and descend to the source of their scheming. 

The last game Moon Shark published was DancePad, which was made in collaboration with Jennifer Lopez. It's interesting to see more and more celebrities getting involved in the iOS app sphere, and sensible considering visibility is a huge part of an app's success. Hopefully we can keep the spotlight on the software and the developers rather than the big names promoting them, though. 

It looks pretty slick overall, and with Stan Lee behind it, I'm sure there's going to be plenty of classic comic charm in there. Release is set for this fall, so expect Verticus to land soon! You can sign on for updates over at Moon Shark's landing page. 

A lot of us here at iMore along with friends and family members are having some issues with iMessage. Basically, we can't send or receive any! Are you guys experiencing the same problems we are?

If you seem to be having issues sending iMessages, you can turn it off from Settings for now so you can still send regular text messages. It's what we recommend doing until the service is back to working properly.

If you've had your eyes on a new iPod touch, iPod nano, or iPod shuffle, but prefer doing your pre-ordering through Amazon than Apple, you're in luck -- Amazon has just put their new iPod pre-order page live!

It's the same iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle you'd get from Apple -- absent the Apple exclusive Product (RED) versions -- and you'll likely get them around the same time as you would if you ordered from Apple, but options are good, and Amazon is one of the best.

• The new iPod touch has the same 4-inch 16:9 display as the iPhone 5, as good a camera as the iPhone 4, along with an even thinner design, and a convenient carrying loop. Comes in 7 colors.

• The new iPod nano has a home button, a wider-screen display, and is even thinner than the touch. Also has Bluetooth at long last. (What will Apple do with that?)

• The new iPod shuffle isn't really that new, aside from matching the new colors of the other two. Still, cheap and convenient.

So, if you want to pre-order your new iPod from Amazon, you can do so via the link below. (iMore is an Amazon affiliate, so you'll be supporting the site at the same time -- win, win, win.)

• Pre-order from Amazon now

If you're itching to grab the the iPhone 5 on release day, probably the first thing you checked was your upgrade eligibility. Odds are, if you purchased the iPhone 4S last year, you aren't eligible this to upgrade yet this year, and so you'll have to pay a higher price to snag the latest and greatest from Apple.

In the past, AT&T and many other U.S. carriers have made exceptions when it came to upgrades for iPhone, but they're not anymore. And despite our expectations, they're not obligated to.

Last week one of our editors, Leanna, wrote about her current situation and why she'd be switching to Verizon from AT&T. While her specific situation was different than many, she probably isn't the only one that hasn't had any luck getting their carrier to change upgrade eligibility.

Here's the reason -- they basically lent you money in the form of a subsidy so that you could pay less for your iPhone when you bought it, with the understanding you'd pay that money back over the course of your 2 year contract. Since your 2 year contract isn't up yet, you haven't finished paying that loan back yet. So your carrier would lose that money by letting you upgrade early while also fronting you more money to subsidize your next phone.

Now carriers make so much money that no one's shedding any tears over the difference, but they're for-profit companies with shareholders, and they pay a pretty penny to Apple for the iPhone -- over $400, which is higher than other phones -- and they want to make as much money as they can out of it.

It wasn't always that way, of course. When the first generation iPhone came out, there was no contract pricing available. The phone was fully unsubsidized and if you wanted it, you paid full retail for it. That meant that when the iPhone 3G came out the following year, many people still had an upgrade available (as long as they didn't use it on any other phone after purchasing the original iPhone). This led a lot of people to believe that AT&T was doing them a favor when in all actuality, they weren't.

For years after, people caused a scene over not being able to upgrade every single year when a new iPhone came out. AT&T even made exceptions and moved upgrade eligibility windows, sometimes by months, to accomodate customers that weren't yet eligible. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a smart move on their part and led many customers to feel entitled to an iPhone upgrade every single year.

Within the last year, many U.S. carriers have changed their upgrade policies and their ETF structure to better handle the amount of customers using smartphones in general and the iPhone in particular. The iPhone is also now available on every major U.S. carrier except for T-Mobile and the options customers have to choose from are better than ever.

AT&T also changed the way their upgrades are calculated. Until this year, if you had around $80 in charges on your primary line and paid your bill on time every month, your primary line was probably upgrade eligible every 12 months or so. Now with the iPhone 5, many customers are seeing their upgrade window is 18-24 months instead. This isn't a brand new policy. After purchasing my iPhone 4 back in 2010, my upgrade eligibility immediately showed one calendar year later. After purchasing my iPhone 4S, my eligibility showed May of 2013.

In Leanna's case, her ETF was actually less than it would be to purchase the new iPhone and stay with AT&T. Since AT&T doesn't seem keen on moving eligibility for anyone, it's cheaper for her to make the jump to Verizon. Leanna's situation made it around $45 cheaper to switch to Verizon. This wouldn't be the same for everyone, however, since ETF is calculated as a fee that is decreased every month based on the kind of device you use. While users that purchased an iPhone on launch day or close to it may be in the same boat, users that didn't probably have far more left to pay. Also don't forget any additional lines you have that you'd have to pay an ETF for unless you're willing to pay two carrier bills. My guess is most customers want their wireless lines on the same carrier. Sometimes the system works to your advantage but in most cases, most users won't find it beneficial to cancel a contract not even half way through it. The house, as they say, always wins.

Keep in mind this isn't unique to the iPhone. If you wanted to purchase any other phone, and you weren't eligible for upgrade pricing, you would have to pay full retail price for it. And you'll most likely see the same practice across all carriers, at least in the U.S. It also isn't unusual for carriers to lock down customer service's abilities to change upgrade dates and offer bill credits without approval when iPhones are announced and released. Even if they want to help you, they may very well not be able to.

For the general public, who don't care about upgrading every year, this isn't even an issue. It's something that mostly affects gadget geeks like us.

What it comes down to is the carrier's bottom line. Smartphones are eating more data than ever, especially the iPhone. Apple demands a high price from carriers in order to carry the iPhone as well. The hike in ETF's and the change in eligibility helps carriers support the bandwidth and pay the premiums. Long gone are the days of carriers bending the rules and treating iPhone users differently than everyone else. If anything, they'd probably rather we all bought Android phones that cost them less to buy and let them monetize with pre-loaded apps and services.

So, if you intend to upgrade every year, plan on paying a premium for doing so. Previous years were exceptions, this is normal.

Everything you need to know about choosing the perfect iPhone color, capacity, carrier, and more!

There are a lot of decisions involved when it comes to buying a new iPhone, or any phone for that matter. Once you've decided you do indeed need a new phone, you still have to decide if the new phone you need is an iPhone. While we still believe the iPhone is the best choice for most of the people most of the time, there are a lot of great phones on the market these days and there might be one better suited to some people's individual needs. And let's say you do decide the iPhone is perfect for you, then comes the choice of model (iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4), color (white & silver or black & slate), storage capacity (16GB, 32GB, or 64GB), and carrier network (in the U.S., AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint are the major ones). And what do you do with your old, broken phone when your new, hot phone arrives?

Enter iMore's 2012 iPhone buyers guide. If you need help deciding what to buy, we've got your back. And if you've already decided, just bookmark, email, Facebook, or Tweet this so we can help your friends and family and you can get on with enjoying your new iPhone!

iPhone or something else: Which phone should you get?

Just because Apple has released the new iPhone 5 doesn't mean you have to race off and get it. Crazy, I know, particularly coming from the biggest iPhone enthusiast site on the web, but that just goes to show you how true it is. When the time comes for you to get your next phone, whether it's today or next year, and iPhone or something else, you should look at what's on the market and decide what best suits your needs.

If you want the sleekest, slimmest, easiest to use, most mainstream friendly, most content rich, most well supported phone in the industry, the iPhone might just be for you.

If you're not sure, here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of upgrading to the iPhone 5, whether you own and existing iPhone, an Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone, or a feature phone. Also, because the Samsung Galaxy S3 is probably what's going to give the iPhone the biggest run for its money right now, we've also done a special, in depth, comparison of the two:

• iPhone or something else: Which phone should you get?
• iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3: Which phone should you get?

Now vs. later: When should you buy an iPhone?

Once you've decided to get a new iPhone, you may still be wondering when exactly you should get it. Apple releases new iPhones every year, so should you buy now or wait and get the next one, and hopefully more bang for your buck, when it launches? Here's the deal...

• Buy in the fall: Time was, Apple announced and released new iPhones in the fall. Since 2011, however, Apple has shifted from a summer to a fall release schedule and, given the importance of the holiday quarter, that probably won't change next year either. So, if you're reading this in in the fall, winter of 2012, the iPhone 5 has just been released and you safely go buy it without worrying that it'll be made obsolete any time soon.

• Stay away in summer: On the other hand, if you're reading this in summer or fall 2013, Apple is probably just about to announce another new iPhone and unless you don't care and absolutely, positively have to have a new phone now, now, now you should hold off until they do. So far every new iPhone has been the same price -- $199 and $299 (and now $399)-- as the old one but offers way more hardware bang for the buck. At the same time the old model has so far been dropped in price (to $99 or ever free for the 2-year old model) so you can save if you need to.

• In between, buy when you need: If you're reading this smack dab at the 6 month point, around spring of 2013, and you want to know if you should buy, here's the simple question to ask: Do you need it now? If you've broken your current phone, lost it, or otherwise simply have to buy a new iPhone now get it and have no regrets. There will always be something new on the horizon but that won't help you if you need a phone now. If you don't need it but just want it, wait as long as you possibly can wait then buy the best iPhone available when you can't wait any more.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 4: Which iPhone should you get?

While some might consider the the latest, greatest 2012 iPhone 5 a no brainer when it comes to their next purchasing decision, Apple keeps the 2011 iPhone 4S and the 2010 iPhone 4 around for a reason. For some people, up-front price really does matter. However, over the lifetime of a typical contract, you'll be paying a couple thousand dollars, so it's important to really run the math on this and see what suits you best. Well, here it is:

• iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 4: Which iPhone should you get?

Black & slate or white & silver: Which iPhone 5 color should you get?

This year, like the last few years, one of the biggest decisions you have to make about buying an iPhone 5 is which color will you get? Unlike the new iPod touches, the iPhones are still a two color affair -- black and white. But this year, they're also a two-tone affair, with a metal back plate breaking up the glass on the back. And for the black version, it's a blackout affair, which the aluminum anodized as dark as the glass.

Technically Apple is calling the iPhone 5 color options Black & Slate and White & Silver. So while you still have only two choices of iPhone color, with the iPhone 5 those choices are more extreme than ever before. So here's the story...

• Black & slate or white & silver: Which iPhone 5 color should you get?

16GB, 32GB, or 64GB: Which iPhone 5 storage size should you get?

When it comes to iPhone 5 storage, you need to carefully balance cost and capacity. 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB all have their pros and cons, so it's important to weigh all the options carefully and get the very best price/performance ration for you. We've broken down the prices and capacities, so if you're weighing your options, here what you should consider:

• 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB: Which iPhone 5 storage size should you get?

AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint: Which iPhone 5 carrier should you choose?

If you're in the U.S. it's probably not so easy deciding which carrier is best for your iPhone 5 needs, AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. Price is always a huge factor to consider when choosing a carrier, but coverage should be just as, if not more, important when making a decision. Since the iPhone 5 supports LTE cellular technology, you're going to want to take a close look at which carriers offer the best LTE coverage in your area. Then there's the matter of simultaneous voice and data -- AT&T can do it over HSPA data, but Sprint and Verizon need Wi-Fi. And don't forget international roaming. Here's the complete breakdown:

• AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint: Which iPhone 5 carrier should you choose?

Apple Store vs. other stores: Where should you buy?

So now that you know what you're getting, how about where? Carrier compatibility aside, the iPhone you get will be the same, but the customer service you receive can vary greatly. Also, if you have specific loyalty rewards at a certain carrier or company, that can change the deal you get.

• Apple Retail: If you have an Apple Retail Store in your area, you can go there, and if it's in stock, leave with your new iPhone right away. They also offer help with your purchase and will even help you get set your new iPhone up free of charge. If you're worried about protecting your investment, they can also get you setup with AppleCare, and their Genius Bar can help you with hardware problems in the future. Corny as it sounds, It's not just shopping, it's an experience. Apple Retail has the best customer service in the business and it shows. There are no discounts, however, not ever. (Though your carrier discounts can still apply.

• Apple Online: If there's no Apple Retail store near you there's also Apple Online in many countries. Again, no discounts but you're dealing directly with Apple. If there are any shortages or shipping delays, you can still order and they'll get it out to you as soon as stock allows. Also, in some countries, Apple Online is the only places where you can get full price, officially unlocked iPhones if that's an option you want. (Which can be handy for frequent international travelers.)

• Carrier stores and big box retailers: If you want brick-and-morter but don't have an Apple Store nearby, your carrier will often have one or several stores in your area. Drop buy or get it shipped to you. If you're getting a upgrade discount or other carrier incentives it's a great way to get it all setup right away. (Many are also taking a page from Apple and upping their customer experience.) Big box and chain retailers, everything from Best Buy to the Shack to Tesco also carry iPhones. If you have loyalty points or they're just super convenient, check them out as well.

Shady operators also try to sell discount iPhones, sometimes devices that aren't even really iPhones but cheap -- and highly breakable -- knockoffs. It goes without saying you should avoid those. Any deal too good to be true probably is. If you save money only to end up with a phone that doesn't run iOS and may not even run on your carrier you really just wasted your money.

How to sell your old phone before upgrading to the iPhone 5

Selling your old iPhone (or any old phone) can help offset some, if not all of the cost, of a new iPhone, especially if you're not yet eligible for an upgrade and have to pay a premium. Odds are you've already decided which capacity and color you'll be getting when the iPhone 5 drops so you have some idea of how much money you need to get out of your current iPhone to cover the purchase.

So if you don't fancy handing it down for free to a family member or using it as a backup phone, we can guide you in the right direction when it comes to selling your old iPhone and getting top dollar for it.

• How to sell your old phone before upgrading to the iPhone 5

iPhone 5 user guides

Once you've bought your new iPhone, it's time to enjoy. Here's how to set it up with iCloud over-the-air (OTA), including updates, backups, security, music and media, and apps and games, how to get Siri up and running and assisting you, and how to get started with your iPhone camera.

How to get more help with your iPhone

No article can cover every detail or address every unique circumstance or concern. Luckily iMore also hosts the iPhone Forums, a vast community where users can ask questions, give feedback, and get help.

• iPhone discussion and help forums

Rene talks with Guy English of Kicking Bear and the Çingleton Symposium about media bias, Apple's iPhone event, and the ramifications of iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 in the gaming industry and more. This is the iMore show Sunday edition.

• Subscribe via iTunes: Audio | Video
• Subscribe via RSS: Audio | Video
• Download directly: Audio | Video

Media balance vs. bias

• The Problem With "Unbiased" Gadget Reviews
• Elephant
• Na-Na, Fingers in Our Ears, Can't Hear You
• Integrity and bullies with blogs
• A hell of a straw man

iPhone 5 event

• Apple Special Event, September 12, 2012
• Thoughts and Observations Regarding Yesterday's iPhone 5 and Music Event
• Inevitable
• The iPhone 5's A6 SoC: Not A15 or A9, a Custom Apple Core Instead
• Çingleton
• Napkin

Guests

• Guy English (@gte) of Kickingbear

Hosts

• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie)

Credits

You can reach all of us on Twitter @iMore, or you can email us at podcast@imore.com

or just leave us a comment below.

For all our podcasts -- audio and video -- including the iMore show, ZEN and TECH, Iterate, and more, see MobileNations.com/shows

Thanks to the iMore Accessory Store for sponsoring this week's show. Your one-stop-shop for everything iPhone and iPad, including cables, cases, chargers, Bluetooth and much more, check out store.imore.com.

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Apple has just announced that pre-orders for the brand new iPhone 5 broke 2 million in the first 24hrs, smashing their previous record for the iPhone 4S last year. Here's Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, for the pull quote:

iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal. iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we've ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.

The iPhone 4S managed 1 million pre-orders in 24 hours. With the iPhone 5 doubling that, it'll be interesting to see what it goes on to do at both retail and online come the September 21 launch, and whether this number reflects pent-up demand, a shift to pre-orders from retail sales, increased growth, or all of the above.

Also, in reference to current iPhone 5 shipping estimates of 2-3 weeks, Apple adds:

Demand for iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders will be delivered to customers on September 21, many are scheduled to be delivered in October.

That means if you're in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, or the UK and you still want an iPhone 5 in September, you'll need to line up at an Apple Store or authorized retailer come Friday. If you're in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden or Switzerland, you've still got to wait until September 28 to join in the fun.

For more on the iPhone 5, including our complete buyers guide, and a change to win a free iPhone 5 from iMore, check out:

• iPhone 5: Everything you need to know

Source: Apple

AT&T has put out a rather barebones press release to say that, based on pre-orders, the iPhone 5 is their best selling iPhone ever. Since AT&T was the launch carrier for the original iPhone back in 2007, that includes all versions of the iPhone sold to date. Here's the relevant part from AT&T's PR:

AT&T set a sales record with iPhone 5 over the weekend, making it the fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered. Customers ordered more iPhones from AT&T than any previous model both on its first day of preorders and over the weekend.

Since the iPhone traditionally outsells all other phones on AT&T, does this mean the iPhone 5 isn't only the fastest selling iPhone to date, but the fastest selling smartphone period? Phone period? Sadly, AT&T didn't say, nor did they reveal any actual sales numbers. They spent the rest of the press release hyping their network.

Still, it's nice to know the release of a new iPhone remains a cause for accelerated growth on AT&T. If Apple holds to pattern, we should get a press release or statement from them later today with both a wider perspective and more solid numbers,

Pre-orders began on AT&T and other outlets began at 12:01am, Friday September 14 and launch day stock quickly sold out. Current shipping estimates for Apple and all major U.S. carriers are 2 - 3 weeks. That means, if you still want your iPhone 5 on launch, you'll need to head on over to an Apple Retail Store, or other retailer, and line on up.

If you pre-ordered your iPhone 5 from AT&T, let me know how the process went for you and if your order status has changed to "shipping" yet. If you have pre-orders your iPhone 5 yet, and are waiting to line up or to order later, check out our iPhone 5 buyers guide for everything you need to know.

Source: AT&T

Every now and then a project arrives on Kickstarter that blows people away and the pledges just go through the roof. One example of this is the LIFX Wi-Fi enabled LED light bulb and it appears to have captured everyone's imagination. The LIFX is a state of the art LED bulb that you can control with your iPhone including color changes, on/off, dimming and so much more.

LIFX is the smartest light bulb you've ever experienced. It's a wifi-enabled, energy efficient, multi-colored bulb that you control with your iPhone or Android. LIFX gives you unprecedented control of your lights, reduces your energy costs, lasts up to 25 years and delivers an amazing range of experiences we think you'll love.

LIFX is incredibly easy to set-up. Simply replace your existing bulbs with LIFX smartbulbs, download and install our free app from the App Store or Google Play and you're good to go.

Once you have replaced your bulbs, you can control every one of them independently from your iPhone. As the bulbs are LED, you can program them to change color to match your mood, set them to come on from a dim condition to a light condition in the morning or vice versa in the evening and you can even set them to come on automatically to greet you when you come home. Of course you can just use them as normal lights with your existing hardware switches and just reap the rewards of the energy savings and long 25 year bulb lifespans.

If you like the look of this amazing Kickstarter project and would like a piece of the action you can grab one of the first LIFX bulbs for a pledge of $69 or more. That will secure you one bulb but there are various other pledge options right up to $5000. There has been a huge amount of interest in this Kickstarter project and it has already smashed its pledge target of $100,000; it currently sits at over $250,000 with 58 days left to go.

I have just replaced all of my bathroom lighting with LED bulbs and they do offer large energy savings without any issue with brightness or start up times. They are not cheap however and that is why the LIFX bulbs appear to be highly priced too. I really hope these make it into production as I will have them installed in every room in my home.

What about you, do you think the LIFX bulbs are a good idea? Could you see them in your home?

Source: Kickstarter

Our Sunday edition returns tonight with yours truly and special guest, Guy English of Çingleton and Kicking Bear fame. We'll be talking about Apple's September 12 iPhone event, and about the nature of tech journalism.

Join us LIVE at 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST. Set an alarm. Bookmark this page. Be here.