Good evening, loyal Backstage readers. The last month has been exhausting. Behind the scenes, we’ve been working very long hours to bring you the 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide. Now it’s here. The PC and Mac-ready versions are available right now, a little ahead of our official October 31 release date. Our special iPhone and iPod touch-formatted version is coming shortly, and will be linked from the same page. You’ll find…

Single page version - (16.2 MB ZIP)Wide (book-style) version - (16 MB ZIP) Single page version - (16.2 MB ZIP)Wide (book-style) version - (16 MB ZIP) Celebrating its fifth year, the world’s most popular iPod and iPhone buyers’ guide has arrived! Packed with the latest and greatest new products, the 150-page 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide features more than a dozen new sections. Here’s what’s inside: 100 Best iPhone…

As we prepare to publish our 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide, we wanted to look at a collection of six important or interesting applications that didn’t necessarily fit cleanly into broader comparative categories, but were definitely worth a look based on outstanding functionality or design. Below, we review OmniFocus, eReader, Urbanspoon, Instapaper, Fring, and Cocktails, apps that have nothing in common save for the fact that we’ve…

It’s the latest “useless but sort of cool” application: the “virtual lighter.” As of today, 16 different iPhone apps all do generally the same thing: simulate a pocket flame on the screen of your iPhone or iPod touch, serving as an alternative to holding a real lighter up at a concert. Some do a little more, and some—clearly designed to make a quick buck—do a surprisingly poor job at this meager task. This…

Addressing one of the major missing functions of the iPhone 3G in its region, Japanese iPhone carrier SoftBank has announced (Translated Link) a new combination 1seg receiver and battery pack for the iPhone 3G. According to the company’s announcement, the new accessory will use Wi-Fi to transmit video to a special application to be released on the App Store, allowing users to watch 1seg broadcasts on their iPhones. SoftBank claims the user can…

Speck has unveiled its SwitchWay case for the iPhone 3G. Designed to offer users a choice in how they use the case, the SwitchWay can be worn as both a horizontal portfolio case and as a vertical wallet-style case. It features two built-in belt clips, a padded inner lining, dual closure flaps to allow access to the iPhone regardless of case orientation, and fingertip-sized openings for easy removal of the iPhone, which also include openings for dock…

It’s Halloween! And here at iPod Hacks we’ve let the spirit of this special day take hold of us. All it took was a crisp autumn eve with leaves dancing magically on the wind, a patch of uncarved…

Vaja has introduced two new cases for the iPhone 3G. The ivolution Silver (925) is an open-faced leather case featuring open access to the volume and sleep/wake buttons, ring/silent switch, Dock Connector, speaker, microphone, headphone jack, and camera, with silver appliques on the sides and home button. It is available now in a variety of colors, and sells for $280 and up. The ivolution Dockable is also an open-faced case, offering open…

After several gaffes which saw the company prematurely activate and then pull the feature, AT&T has finally launched its free Wi-Fi access for iPhone users at all AT&T-branded hotspots in the U.S. The service will provide free high-speed Internet access to iPhone users at all AT&T hotspots, including those found at Starbucks. To access a hotspot, users must launch the Safari browser, enter their 10-digit phone number on the page provided,…

iSkin has introduced its new fuze case for the iPhone 3G. Like the company’s prior fuze case for the original iPhone, fuze for iPhone 3G blends a soft inner rubber layer with a hard-shell rear and front covers. The case features a built-in Dock Connector cover, complete button coverage, open access to the ring/silent switch, an included screen protector, and compatibility with iSkin’s revoClip. The iSkin fuze for iPhone 3G is available…