Pure Mobile's got you covered for Halloween with this list of creepy apps for iPhone and iPad

We at Pure Mobile love Halloween almost as much as we love mobile devices. And when the two come together, it's a high-tech house of horrors that we just can't resist.

If you're anything like us, you'll want to celebrate the scariest (and probably most fun) holiday of the year in all sorts of ways, and thanks to some creepy smartphone apps, you can take your Halloween spirit with you everywhere you go.

As Halloween quickly approaches, we at Pure Mobile are delighting in finding all the best iPhone, Android and BlackBerry apps for our frightening feature "Macabre goes Mobile."

Today's all about eerie iPhone apps, but Android and BlackBerry users can expect their own list of apps for those platforms in later instalments.

1: Free Halloween Sounds Pro for iPhone

Use sound to scare anywhere a smartphone can go, with Halloween Sounds Pro

Once upon a time, when you wanted creepy Halloween sound effects to scare trick-or-treaters, you had to play them through a stereo. And the speakers aimed at the door were kind of a dead giveaway.

But with the free Halloween Sounds Pro app for iPhone, you get to control a bunch of spooky Halloween sounds from your smartphone. Sneak up on that unsuspecting teenager who looks just a little too old to be asking for candy, or set the delay to scare the hell out of someone after you've left the room.

2: iMut8r app for iPhone and iPad

There are already a couple of apps that let you manipulate photos of yourself and of friends to make horrible monsters on your smartphone. SpookyPic and ZombieBooth are just a couple.

But iMut8r for iPhone and iPad lets you mutate into a vampire, werewolf, zombie, witch, ghoul, whatever. Mix and match elements for your most hideous Facebook profile pic yet!

Use your smartphone to turn a picture of anyone into an undead abomination with iMut8r

3: Pumpkin Ninja app for iPhone

Pumpkin Ninja revives a centuries-old Japanese tradition of slicing jack o'lanterns via smartphone

Addicted to smartphone gaming? The Pumpkin Ninja game app for iPhone lets you swipe at falling pumpkins à la fruit Ninja.

Not really scary but definitely in the Halloween spirit.

4. iDrakula app for iPhone

What's more Halloween than telling scary stories?

The iDrakula app for iPhone does just that, retelling Bram Stoker's classic Dracula novel with a modern slant through text messages, voicemails, emails and browsers in language geared for the Twitter age.

iDrakula retells Bram Stoker's classic by sending texts, emails and other messages from the characters to your smartphone

You may get a "text" from a character telling you another chunk of the plot, so the juicy story not only unfolds on your smartphone, but has interactive elements and develops at surprise moments not of your own choosing.

5. Dark Haunts app for iPhone or Android

Dark Haunts gives you directions on your phone to the nearest ghost-infested locations

Always itched to go ghost hunting?

The Dark Haunts app for iPhone claims to help you "find the closest 'real' haunted site near you."

Dark Haunts' database has over 3,200 haunted locations and is regularly adding new ones. They give you a bit of backstory, and direct you to the ghost-infested locations. You can also choose the type of haunt you want: a restaurant if you're hungry, a hotel if you want a creepy getaway.

Just don't go crying to the developers if you actually happen to run into a spectre.

Blendtec is back with another "Will it Blend?" video, this time pitting the iPhone 5 against the Samsung Galaxy S III

Are you ready for a  ridiculous and nonsensical test which has no merit and which proves absolutely nothing?

Then, the iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S III blender test is for you!

While most of us are just trying to get our hands on one of the newest and best smartphones, Blendtec, a maker home and professional blenders is busy pulverizing them.

It's pretty much what it sounds like. With a few of these "Will it Blend?" YouTube videos under his belt already, Blendtec's Tom Dickinson asks the question again, pitting the "the latest," i.e. Apple's iPhone 5, vs. what Samsung "claims to be the greatest," the Galaxy S III.

The iPhone 5 may have a retina display, and the Galaxy S III may have a bigger screen, but which will withstand the blending?

Tom describes both smartphones, highlighting their most attractive features, and then unceremoniously chucks each into its own Blendtec Total blender.

While the iPhone 5 starts shattering pretty early on, the Galaxy S III holds in there for an impressive amount of time, but eventually meets its end in much the same way as the completely obliterated iPhone, in a pile of black powder.

In the end, as the blender lids are removed and toxic-looking black smoke wafts up, we're left having to agree with Tom, who concludes: "I think the real winner is the Blendtec Total blender."

The whole stunt kind of runs opposite to what we do at Pure Mobile. But even though we've got a mission to help people protect their devices, we can't help but get some sort of sick pleasure out of watching this total and utter destruction.

Though we'd have to agree with Blendtec's disclaimer: don't try this at home!

Does your smartphone’s battery run out of charge way more frequently than manufacturers claim? The big touch screens, fast processors and complex apps that are packed onto our mobile devices suck up a lot of power. Most of us know that it’s too much to ask that a battery lasts a week on one charge, but there’s no excuse for not being able to make it through a day.

The idea of carrying an extra battery or charger around, positioning a charger, dock or car charger at each stopping point, or keeping track of every available outlet isn’t very appealing to most. But when you have a phone that is your lifeline to calls, texts, apps, internet and Wifi, you do what you have to do.

Imagine even having 20% charge left at the end of each crazy, busy day. If you haven’t included battery life as a high priority for choosing your next phone, tablet or notebook, maybe it’s time you did.

PC Magazine recently did some testing of their own, and published their study of the 10 top phones. It's a short list of Android phones that delivered at least eight hours of talk time. The magazine’s in-house experts know that talk time doesn’t account for all the other ways we use our phones throughout the day, but it's still a good indication of how long you can expect your battery to last.

For most smartphones running on a 3G network, the average talk time is a little over six hours. Even if you’re out of the house for 12 hours, that should be more than enough juice to get you through the day without a charge. If your device's battery doesn't give you that kind of energy, maybe it's time for a new one.

Ashton Kutcher snaps a self-portrait on his new iPhone 5

Not so long ago, when celebrities made an appearance on the red carpet, the talk was of the gorgeous date they had on their arm. But of late, the talk's more likely to be about the new gadget they've got in their hand.

These days, smartphones are celebrities in their own right. And even in paparazzi shots of famous actors and musicians, they often steal the spotlight. So, which devices have the biggest claim to fame, and what A-listers are using them these days?

Pure Mobile took a dive into the glitz, the glamor, and the hardware and found out which smartphones stole the lead roles and which have been given bit parts.

Jessica Alba at the nail salon on her iPhone 4S

BlackBerry and iPhone – in all its incarnations – seem to be the top celeb cellphone choices.

Apple not only claims a VIP user-base including Jessica Alba, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Justin Bieber and many more, it's also among the leaders in smartphone market share period. And it just stands to reason that, if millions of ordinary people are dying for the iPhone 5, celebrities might want one too.

Sure enough, Ashton Kutcher already using one. And Brad Pitt brought his out at Cannes to snap pictures of the event. We can only wonder when pal George Clooney will upgrade from his iPhone 4 so as not to be outdone.

George Clooney at the airport with his iPhone 4 (he's probably upgraded since)

Brad Pitt snapping pictures at Cannes on his iPhone 5

But while Apple's iPhone is a smash hit outside of Hollywood, BlackBerry maker RIM has been steadily slowing its user growth. Still, that doesn't seem to have affected its popularity amongst actors, celebutantes and other popular figures.

Not content with using just an iPhone, Kim Kardashian uses a BlackBerry as well, and sometimes uses both at once. Geez, we didn't know she was even able to formulate two thoughts at the same time!

Equal opportunity texter Kim Kardashian simultaneously uses an iPhone and a Blackberry

Eva Longoria does a walk and talk on her BlackBerry

Eva Longoria also loves her BlackBerry, as do Snoop Dogg (err, Lion), Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake – all three like to Tweet from a BlackBerrys. So, even though BlackBerry has lost some of its regular audience to Apple and Samsung, it's still one of the top two in Tinseltown.

Victoria's Secret models promote the Samsung Galaxy Note in Toronto

It's pretty much the opposite case with Samsung. Though the smartphone maker is perhaps Apple's biggest rival these days, the few results we got when searching for celebrities with Samsung devices – like the Galaxy Note or Galaxy S III – were actually from events held or promoted by Samsung.

Sure Ashley Simpson has been spotted with one, but when's the last time anyone even cared she existed? And the Victoria's Secret models shown with the Galaxy Note (above) were actually hired to promote the device.

Guess whose famous hands are holding this BlackBerry

But who can claim the most famous user? Sure, the word "famous" is subjective, but most would agree that a figure who's known by nearly everyone in nearly every country, has influence on the world stage, and who is important enough to interrupt any T.V. show on any channel whenever he feels like addressing the press would be top choice.

Yep, we're talking about the President. BlackBerry has scored possibly the most illustrious user a smartphone maker could ever hope for with Barack Obama.

But it isn't just that President Obama uses a BlackBerry, he absolutely loves it! He's been described as a BlackBerry addict, and actually fought for the right to keep his "CrackBerry" once in office.

Yes, president Obama has been described as a BlackBerry addict

"They’re going to pry it out of my hands," the New York Times cited him as saying around the time that aides were trying to take it away. He's since been allowed to keep his beloved smartphone, though it had to go through White House encryption standards.

Also, there's little chance that the President could ever be wooed by Apple. The Washington Times reported that, when handed an iPhone by an aide on the campaign trail last month, he looked "befuddled."

Obama seemed unused to the device, saying "Oh, I got to dial it in. Hold on, hold on. I can do this. See, I still have a BlackBerry."

Word has it that AT&T will take preorders for their Windows Phone 8 devices starting on October 21st. Microsoft’s official launch date for its new OS is October 29th, so AT&T and any of the other carriers won’t be letting them loose before then. According to The Verge, the Microsoft announcement will probably identify a market entry date for its devices in early November.

AT&T will offer the HTC 8X, the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820, as well as Samsung’s Ativ Smart PC and Asus’ Vivo Tab RT tablets, all equipped with Windows Phone 8. The Lumia 820 will be available from other carriers, such as T-Mobile, but the Lumia 920 will be exclusive to AT&T.

AT&T plans to carry additional HTC smartphones that run on Windows Phone 8. The HTC One X+ and One VX would be available "in the coming months."

Recent market share data shows that devices powered with Microsoft’s Windows Phone occupy just 3.5% of the smartphone market. Microsoft updated its mobile OS in June, adding support for multi-core processors, higher screen resolutions and near-field communication (NFC). Window Phone shares the same source code as Microsoft’s Windows 8 desktop OS. We’ll see where Microsoft takes that connection in the future.

Next month, all you'll need is your smartphone equipped with the Square Wallet app to buy your latte at Starbucks. In November, Starbucks’ customers will be able to use the Square mobile payment system in about 7,000 U.S. stores.

Starbucks and Square formed a big partnership last August. Starbucks invested $25 million in Square. The deal allows Square to process credit and debit card transactions and implement the Pay with Square system at Starbucks stores.

To use Pay with Square you link a credit card to the app. When you’re paying at the counter, leave your wallet in your pocket. Through the app the store can sense your phone's location and charges your account for the amount of your purchase. The cashier verifies your identity through a picture ID and name that pops up on their screen.

Apple users aren't being left out. The latest update to the Starbucks iOS app lets Starbucks card owners add their accounts to Apple’s Passbook directly through the app. Then you can pay for food and beverages, check your card balances, reload the card with more cash, and add rewards to score free drinks, all through your iPhone.

Unveiled in iOS 6, Passbook lets users store electronic copies of tickets, coupons, boarding passes, and loyalty cards.

Starbucks first launched a Square-powered mobile payment app in 2011. Since then, Starbucks has processed more than 70 million mobile transactions.

Now even the process of charging your phone can be entertaining. A new app from the Toyota car company called “Plug-in Championship” makes a game of plugging in your phone. This is the first app of its kind.

The goal of the game is to plug in your phone’s charger when the power meter on the screen is at its highest. The better your timing, the better your score. You score every time you plug in the connector to your phone. Once the phone is plugged and you’ve gotten your score, the app gives you a fast-paced video to add to the fun.

The Plug-in Championship game isn’t complex or challenging. It's just another way to pass some time and compare scores with your buddies.

Toyota developed “Plug-in Championship” as part of its promotional campaign for the Prius PHV hybrid car. The app is available for iOS and Android.

PLUG-IN Championship http://plugin.toyota-digital.com/

iTunes App Store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plug-in-championship/id551957032?mt=8&uo=4

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.toyota_digital.plugin

Amazon's app store is only a year old and already it’s giving Google Play and the Apple app store some serious competition. Amazon knows how to do ecommerce, and they’re showing it in how they get the attention of the ones who provide the products: mobile app developers.

Amazonapps overseer is Aaron Rubenson. In a recent interview, Rubenson gave a little hint as to why their app business has grown so fast. “When you think about some of the things that Amazon does that other platforms don’t, we have this huge physical capability to ship stuff around the world,” Rubenson said. “Games will sell plush toys, but you could imagine other scenarios where a recipes app could send cookbooks.”

Amazon does seem to like change and manages it well.

Amazon recently started letting developers offer in-app purchases of physical goods, which will be a big deal for companies like Angry Birds-maker Rovio, Talking Friends-maker Outfit7, Russia’s Zeptolab and more.

Amazon’s Game Circle offers social features to gamers like the ability to share achievements and leaderboards. It can save a gamer’s progress in the cloud, so that changing devices doesn’t require restarting a game.

Last year, Amazon had some controversial pricing that frustrated developers. It had all the power when it came to the amount to charge for apps. Since developers are paid a percentage based on of what their apps sell for a big discount meant lost income for the designer. The company recently changed this so that developers earn 70 percent of what they originally priced their apps at, even if Amazon discounts their work. This is the same arrangement that Google Play and Apple Apps stores give their designers.

Amazon just opened its store to five international markets, so these changes are based on what’s been going on in the U.S. They have a long way to go before they're a big contender for Apple and Google app business, but the new kid seems to be doing it right.

One need only look to the recent iPhone 5 hysteria, the raging legal battle between Apple and Samsung, or the righteous tone adopted in ads for most of the latest smartphones to know that some people take cell phones pretty seriously.

Thankfully, however, there are still a few good laughs to be had when it comes to mobile devices, and Pure Mobile is counting down our list of the best and funniest cell phone ads throughout the years. They're a good antidote to some of today's more buttoned-up advertising, which deals in hard facts, or promises some great technical advancement for mankind.

As much as we like heavy hitters like Samsung, Nokia, Apple and BlackBerry, we'd rather watch a middle-aged French woman breakdance, or the little green Android mascot burp than hear about specs any day.

Korean Android ad

We're not really sure what's going on in this Korean ad for Android, but the OS' little green spokes-alien sure sounds like he enjoyed his sandwich.

AT&T's Family Rollover Minutes

A mom guilt-trip at its finest. But the funniest part of this commercial isn't even seeing mom's typical “no waste” lecture framed in the context of cell phones, it's dad's resigned and exhausted little sigh. Watch for it.

Motorola's Stripping Wife

This older Motorola ad works the obvious appeal of an attractive woman removing clothing piece by piece – imagine the effect on a larger Galaxy or iPhone screen – but there's also a refreshing little punchline at the end.

Postbank's Rich Husband

This one isn't actually actually an ad for a cell phone, but we couldn't resist including it in this list, if only for the way it leads you astray right until the end. The ad's rich also handles things like a complete boss.

Vodafone's Mom Ringtones

This Vodafone ad from France has a mom acting sexy, looking like a zombie, and breakdancing, all at the switch of a ringtone. Classic.

T-Mobile's “Who's in your 5?” ads

These two ads from T-Mobile are so hilariously awkward that they definitely make our “Fave 5” cell phone commercials. One has two buds at odds over a secret crush (note the sly “foot massage” reference to Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction.)

The other shows a teen boy hopelessly intimidated by his girlfriend's dad. Pops is a little scary, but somehow, you feel for him.

Dutch Not-So Refreshing Dip

This Dutch cell phone ad shows that IKEA doesn't have a monopoly on funny Scandinavian advertising. It's got an ick factor, but it's certainly, erm, refreshing.

Vodafone's Breaking the News Quick

Sometimes, less is more. So we'll follow the example set by Vodafone in this ultra progressive, ultra-abbreviated ad, and leave things off short and sweet. Hope this list gave you a few chuckles!

While Apple unleashed the iPhone 5 last week, they’re being a little stingier with the Lightening connector – they aren’t in stores yet, and online orders won’t ship until October. This is causing all kinds of conniptions among even Apple’s most loyal fans.

It was inevitable that Apple had to re-engineer its 10-year old 30 pin adapter. The Lightning’s eight-pin, all-digital connector is smaller, more durable and a necessity for the evolution of all Apple devices. But, the impact of the connector change on the whole system is just getting through to many Apple owners.

Not only will you need the adapter to connect your iPhone 5 to all the old accessories and their 30 pin plug-ins, more substantial systems like your BMW’s electronic interface and the workout equipment at your gym will be useless without the Lightning adapter. Anywhere that there are iPhone-compatible systems will be affected.

BMW is one of the companies that is already on the problem. They’ve made it clear to car owners that they will still be able to listen to music, podcasts and other audio over the built-in stereo, so yes, the tunes will continue to flow. However, the automaker’s PlugIn feature – enabling video playback while stationary and the mirrored Apple interface – is officially out.

Have you thought about how Apple’s connector change is going to affect your Apple devices?