Featured Application: iMafia

One of the applications I've been addicted to is a game called iMafia, one of the first MMOs for the iPhone that lets you go head to head against other players. When you first start the game, you're a lowly thug, trying to work your way up. First you follow the tutorial, which takes you through purchasing a weapon, pulling a "job," fighting another player, depositing money in a bank, and healing yourself in the hospital. While that may seem like a lot at first, it is actually quite easy to get the hang of.

Walkthrough - Left Side:

• Hospital: At the hospital you can heal yourself after fights with other players. The price to heal yourself increases with each level you increase. However, you can only heal yourself with "clean money," deposited through the bank.
  
• Bank: This is where you can deposit money to use at the Hospital, or to protect from being stolen during fights. Beware, the bank takes a 10% cut of everything you deposit.
  
• Pawn: At the pawn store, you can outfit your mafia with guns, armor, and vehicles. Individual mafia members can only possess one of each. You will need these items not only to protect yourself or to fight, but to do "jobs."


• Bar: This is where you do jobs. Each job requires energy, but returns back cash and experience points, which you can use to level up. The cash allows you to purchase items at the Pawn store, Mafia members from the Godfather, and Real Estate.

Walkthrough - Right Side:

• Godfather: One of the really interesting aspects of iMafia is its in-game store. iMafia rewards you with PlayMesh points if you purchase one of its other games in the iTunes Application store. You can use these points towards cash, mafia members, or other rewards. Also in this store, you can purchase additional mafia members.
  


• Real Estate: Here you can purchase Real Estate, which allows you to have a recurring hourly income whether or not you are playing the game. This is the key to any winning strategy.
  


• Police: If someone is being a big pest, you can "Hitlist" them, which essentially places a bounty on their head. You put up the cash and the stamina and someone else will do the dirty work for you. Also, you can check the leaderboards.
  
• Cafe: This is one of the elements that seems to be lacking. The cafe allows you to keep track of friends, but the functionality is pretty limited.
  
• Fights: If you feel the need for blood, take your Mafia to fight other live players. If you have the upper hand, you'll get some cash and experience (but you'll lose some health). If you are the weaker player, you'll just lose health.

Tips to Advancing Quickly:

1. Real Estate: Most of the income you'll generate as you get towards the top is derived from your Real Estate - malls, casinos, etc. You'll receive money every hour, whether or not you're actively playing. Build a strong Real Estate income so you can finance other purchases.
2. Energy: When you level up, make sure to invest your skill points in energy. There are two ways to get experience points which allow you to level up - fighting, and pulling jobs at the bar. While fighting may or may not get you experience points (you get 0 if you lose), pulling a job will definitely get you points. The larger the jobs get, the more energy you need.
3. Mafia Size: In order to make yourself stronger and better protected, you need to increase the size of your Mafia (by going to the Godfather) and equip yourself with weapons, armor, and vehicles (at the Pawn Store). You will also need a larger Mafia in order to pull bigger jobs at the bar. Steadily increase your Mafia size.
4. The Bank: While it may make sense to deposit money in the bank if you have less than $10 million, once you get past that amount, it doesn't matter. People attacking you can only take 1% of your cash, upto $100,000.

Pros:

1. Easy to learn and play.
2. Can play against other people.
3. Doesn't require too much time per day to keep current.
4. New content as you reach certain levels
5. Purchasing other games gives you certain benefits.

Cons:

1. Gets boring/repetitive between new content.
2. While you can play against other people, this feature is pretty limited. The social aspect is severely lacking. Adding certain functionality such as teaming up with other Mafia leaders would be a welcome benefit.
3. It is near impossible to reach the leaderboard if you are severely behind.

All in all, I think this game is a ton of fun. If you have any questions feel free to leave comments!

How to Sell Your iPhone for $$$

With the advent of the new iPhone release, there are a few things you should know if you want to sell your current iPhone. As you get closer to the launch date, the inherent value of your iPhone will decrease, which means you should sell it sooner rather than later if you want to get the most money. I sold my 1st generation iPhone for more than the cost of buying the 2nd generation iPhone. A couple of tips:

1. Keep Everything: Keep every thing from your iPhone purchase. This includes: your charger, headphones, cleaning cloth, original box and packaging, user manual, etc. If you have a case, include that when selling it. Now you can label your phone as "part of a package."
2. Try and keep your phone in the best condition possible. The moment I bought my 2nd generation, I knew I was going to sell it. The less dings and scratches on your phone, the better it looks and the more it'll sell for. In order to protect my phone, I purchased a plastic contour case to protect the back and corners, and a film to protect the screen. While there are a few hairline scratches, there is no real or significant damage.
3. Jailbreak/Unlock it: By doing this, your phone can now be purchased by people from all over the world, thoroughly increasing your customer base. My first iPhone was purchased by a woman in Canada. It even allows for people in the US on a different network (T-Mobile) to buy your phone.

These are just a few preliminary tips. As we get closer to the launch, I'll get into the nitty gritty of posting your phone to Craigslist.

Jailbreak/Unlock Your iPhone

Before you do anything, please recognize that there are risks. If you do decide to Jailbreak/Unlock your phone, you are voiding your warranty. Please do not go into an Apple store after you have done the following procedures, because they will not help you. In order to use your warranty, you must fully restore your phone, which will erase any trace of a Jailbreaking/Unlocking.

A lot of people have been asking how to Jailbreak or Unlock their iPhones. Let's talk about what these two different things actually are:

1. Jailbreak: Jailbreaking your phone allows you to bypass Apple's Application store and gives you access to hundreds of thousands of other "unauthorized" applications. As you are probably fully aware, Apple has stringent procedures and criteria for accepting applications to publish to its iTunes store. By Jailbreaking, you are given access to Cydia and Installer, two applications that connect to databases which give users the ability to fully unleash the power and potential of their iPhones. A few examples of what you can do include: downloading ringtones straight to your phone, tethering your phone to your laptop (allowing you to use your iPhone's data plan on your laptop), modifying the looks and aesthetics, and much more! For Mac, please use this link (http://iphone-dev.fgv6.net/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg). For Windows, please use this link (http://miphone.ca/iphone-dev/QuickPwn225-2.zip).
   
   
2. Unlocking: If you purchase an iPhone from AT&T or Apple in the United States, your phone is locked to AT&T's network. You will not be able to put a sim card for T-Mobile, or any other foreign network into your phone. Recently, the iPhone Dev-Team has put out an application you can install on your computer which allows you to circumvent AT&T's lock and allow you to put other sim cards into your phone. In order to unlock your phone, you must first Jailbreak it using the programs provided above. Afterwards, visit the repository to find yellowsn0w, the Unlocking software. For Cydia, the repository is http://apt9.yellowsn0w.com/. For Installer, it is http://i.yellowsn0w.com/.
   

If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section!

New iPhone

With the announcement of iPhone 3.0 operation software last Tuesday the 17th, rumors are running rampant about the physical changes that will be taking place. Insiders are staying mum for the most part, but have hinted at the following new features:

1. Faster internet: AT&T is supposed to be upgrading their networks to offer faster speeds, 7.2 mbps vs the current 3.6mbps. This should be achieved with a software update, which the new iPhone will be able to take advantage of.
2. Video capture: Developers with the beta version of the 3.0 software have come across a Mobile Me page allowing for uploading of video taken with the phone, which suggests the new phone should have the ability to capture video. The verdict is still out on whether the next version will allow for Video Conferencing.
3. Faster response rate: The new iPhone will have the fastest chip set yet, allowing developers of games and applications to take advantage of its power. Apple and AT&T execs are hoping that the iPhone will prove a significant opponent to the Nintendo DS.

I'll let you know of any updates as I receive them!

Cheap iPhones

With the next generation of iPhones coming this summer, there are ample opportunities to scoop up an unlocked iPhone for cheap! Simply turn to eBay, Craigslist, or any other site to find iPhone owners trying to unload their phones. Stay tuned to my blog for iPhone news and great opportunities to pick up your own iPhone.