This the first post in a new series that I’m calling iRecommend (rss). These posts will have their own category (and therefore a unique RSS feed). The inspiration for this stems from a few of my friends who told me that they would subscribe to an RSS feed of stuff that I thought was kewl. This “stuff” may be software or hardware. It might also be music, books, movies or TV (but book recommendations are very unlikely since I rarely read anymore – sad, i know).

My first installment in this series is an iPhone game called Rolando (App Store link). This was a highly anticipated title that was announced around the time that the iPhone SDK was announced last March. It was finally released last month and it certainly lives up to the hype.

I’m not planning to provide a full review of items in these posts, but the gameplay is simple and uses the iPhone accelerometer effectively. If you are new to iPhone gaming, this title is a great example of the “input via movement” that the iPhone accelerometer provides.

The story isn’t complex, yet fun and you can play this game in short spurts, which is a must these days for me. I don’t have time to immerse myself in a 75-hour game. There are people who like those titles, but I’m not one of them. I want to get into a game, get out when I’m interrupted and resume when I’m ready.

The price is $9.99 which is on the high side for iPhone applications, but it’s a relative steal when you compare that to the price of games on other mobile consoles like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. Plus, this game is every bit as good (if not better).

There’s a lot of negative press around the iPhone 3G’s battery life. I don’t own a 3G yet, but I’ve carried my trusty 2G for over a year now. Yes, I was one of the Fan-Boys who payed $600 and waited in line for an 8-Gig iPhone. At least I got $100 back from Apple (it’s better than nothing).

There are plenty of battery saving tips published already. I’m not going to re-hash those here. I actually get more than a day out of my iPhone 2G with normal use. That’s as good as any smart phone I’ve ever owned.

I’m concerned about heavy-use days, however. With iPhone OS 2.0 and the App Store, there are a lot more heavy-use days.

So, I bought a mophie extended battery. I heard about the mophie on MacBreak Weekly. If you are a Mac owner and don’t listen to MBW, run, don’t walk to iTunes and subscribe immediately.

The mophie is an extended battery in the form of an iPhone case. It connects via the dock connector and charges the iPhone as if it were plugged into a wall power adapter.

The mophie adds some bulk to the iPhone. When connected, my iPhone feels similar in size to the old Treo 650 I used to carry around.

Actually, the Treo is thicker in some spots. I carried that phone for two years, so the iPhone with a mophie used occasionally is definitely worth the extra bulk.

One nice feature about the mophie is the cut-out design for the iPhone speaker and mic. It simulates what I often find myself doing with my hand. That is: making a cup shape around the speaker so that I can hear it better. With the mophie attached, the speaker volume is much better.

The price is a little steep at $100 and there isn’t an iPhone 3G version yet. According to the mophie web site, they will begin shipping the 3G version in late September. Given the decreased battery life with 3G and GPS, the mophie will probably be an essential accessory when I upgrade.

My first Nokia phone was the 6160. I remember sitting in a restaurant and the server looks at my Nokia and says, “That’s a cell phone?? It’s so small!”. The only other phone that ever got a response like that was my iPhone.

But Nokia has lost touch with the formula that made them such a success (quality and style). Here’s a letter that a good friend of mine recently wrote to Nokia Customer Care.

Dear Nokia customer care,

Please find attached a picture of my 6300. It just met it’s demise when it met my patio at full force after yet another reboot as I tried in vane to merely answer a call. That pretty well sums up what I think of Nokia’s new product line, their standard OS and Symbian. Oh and did I mention the “customer service”? (note the quotes)

I purchased a new shiny 6300 in Singapore almost a year ago to replace my aging 6230i and was initially impressed with it’s looks and features; I could even cope with the lousy battery life. However it soon started randomly rebooting during calls, when receiving SMS and almost without fail, every time I accessed the web. It would hum, vibrate (sometimes until the battery was removed) and always white screen, before returning to “normal”. Even yesterday after yet another firmware upgrade, it rebooted 4 times in a row as I tried to search for a word using google – imagine my friends amusement as their 4 year old Nokia’s, Sony’s etc still respond instantly, get decent battery life and never reboot when they are tired of having to actually do something useful.

So several months ago I took it to Nokia “customer care” in Chatswood (yes that’s in Australia) who kindly informed me that I needed to take it back to Singapore so Nokia could take a look at it there, as it did not have an international warranty. Excuse me but which century is this? Sure I’ll jump on a plane and fly to Singapore for what – A firmware upgrade? HELLO wake-up call, people travel around quite a lot these days. International business and travel require international warranties. These are offered by every company worth their salt these days and many that aren’t. Why not Nokia?

Which brings me onto my current phone, an E61i. On paper this phone sounds like a dream, in reality to use it is to know the true meaning of suffering. Symbian…. How long do you have to wait before hitting a key has any effect? I usually start mine up each am (I figured out early on that a reboot a day saves the lives of those unfortunate enough to be around when me or a colleague is experiencing Nokia rage – a very common site unfortunately), then I go for a cup of tea, come back and it may be just about ready to use. Navigating through the features is so slow and illogical that I have reverted back to my 6310i unless I absolutely need mobile mail.

So Nokia, here ends my relationship with you and your once fine products. I remember when your phones were instantaneous and way ahead of the competition. Now look…. Unfortunately it is time for me to accept defeat and join all my colleagues who ditched their E61i’s and brought iPhones. Long live Apple!

Incidentally I don’t expect a response to this but it would be nice to know someone is there and possibly even cares about why Nokia is so out of touch with once loyal customers and is driving them away. If you would like a chance to redeem yourselves and give me a working product, feel free to contact me at the above e-mail address.