Engadget’s secret sources report that Apple’s John Geleynse recently proclaimed the iPhone to be a “gaming console” and potentially a threat to the Nintendo DS.

Geleynse also said the iPhone is “not a phone, it’s a console experience.” This (as yet uncomfirmed) announcement goes along with EA’s new position in select Apple stores in the U.S. where they’ll presumably show off new games for the iPhone platform. It also makes sense considering Apple’s current TV ad for the iPod touch (“the funnest iPod ever”) that demonstrates a number of games. The overall increase in recent news about the iPhone’s gaming capabilities is exciting, but I’m not so sure that it’ll ever be a true competitor to dedicated consoles. But as a casual time-killer? Bring it on. [Engadget]

Your Mac OS X desktop may become exactly as messy as your real-world one if Apple finally develops this newly-released patent, which describes a 3D desktop that obeys the laws of physics.

I have a hard time believing that this one will become reality, since 3D-based user interfaces introduce more complexity than benefits for the user. However, this one—called Multidimensional Desktop—has awesome and completely useless eye-candy potential thanks to its physics-based rules.

This means that if you displace an icon, it may fall. While this may sound useless, there are other potentially-useful things that Apple is introducing in this multidimensional desktop. One of them is the fact that each surface in the 3D box will give icons different attributes: If you place an icon on one plane, it will show some information:

For example, on the bottom surface, icons and other system object representations can be displayed according to a large scale; on the side surface, icons and system object representations can be displayed according to small scale; on the back surface, icons and other system object representations can be displayed in a list format

While this may never become a reality—or maybe yes, given that Apple needs to push forward with something really new in future releases of Mac OS X and all the operating system services and infrastructure seems solid now—it’s interesting to see Apple trying to evolve the classic 2D user interface into something new and potentially useful. [MacRumors]

The Incase Slider is one of the more popular iPhone cases, and this new version is notable for being one of the better integrations of a supplemental battery pack yet. It’ll add some girth, yes, but it also more than doubles your battery life and offers more protection than battery piggybacks like the Mophie Juice Pack. Also features a mini-USB pass-through for syncing and charging without case removal, and it’ll cost you $100. Which is a little steep, but if more battery life is a must for you, this is not a bad way to go. [Product Page via BBG]

Google has created an app for the iPhone that will give the handset advanced voice recognition, reports John Markoff from the NY Times. The app can answer location related questions (Finding the nearest Starbucks), give driving directions, respond to generic questions, and even search local data from the address book.

It works by recording a soundbite, uploading it to Google’s servers, which will crunch the data and return an answer “within seconds on a fast wireless network”. Saul compared the function to that offered on Yahoo’s, and found Google’s to be more accurate, but still return junk results sometimes. AT&T and Microsoft also have handset voice recognition beyond simple dialing that many other phones offer. The app will be free and might be available to download as soon as Friday. [NYT]

Research group SquareTrade recently released the results of a massive cellphone study. They tracked 15,000 individual handsets over their first year of use, and they found some large discrepancies in reliability. The iPhone malfunction rate sat at a comfortable 5.6%. The Blackberry (in its various incarnations) jumped to 11.9%. But it’s all better than the Palm Treo, which malfunctioned 16.2% of the time within the first year.

To be honest, none of these numbers are particularly good, and I have a feeling that there may be a confounding iPhone White Glove EffectI keep that phone's glass screen in mind every time I put it in the pocket opposite my keys. (Ironically, iPhone users were found 3% more likely to accidentally damage their phones than their Blackberry/Palm counterparts.)

When projected to two years, the iPhone’s failure rate jumps to 11% while Blackberries level to 14% and Treos reach a scary 21%. I guess it’s a good thing we have those ridiculously binding contracts to bail us out after all. [SquareTrade via CNET]

A study commissioned by Professor Semir Zeki of University College London sought to explore the difference between love and hate in the human mind. It found, oddly enough, that hate tends to be more rational than love. What does this all have to do with gadgets? It just might explain why you commenters fight incessantly about Apple and Microsoft.

The study is a little small for my liking, at only 17 people, and the results seem a bit anecdotal, but they do make sense. Imagine trying to explain why you like somebody: you’re bound to use vague words. “Oh, she’s really, um, nice, and cool, and funny.” But then explain why you dislike somebody: “Oh GOOD LORD if she says ‘utilize’ instead of ‘use’ one more time I’m just going to explode all over her and she’ll have to UTILIZE all sorts of cleaning products to get my rage shrapnel off her shirt!” See what I mean? The hatred is so much more specific than the love.

So when you Apple fanboys blurt out nonsense like “No but Mac OS just works better! It’s, um, well, easier!” and yet Apple haters can compose long and tiresome rants about the enclosed architecture and infuriating attitude of OS X, it’s neither of your faults. It’s science. Sort of.

Honestly, I’m a little dubious. Sure, I can think of situations in which the rationality of hate over love makes sense, but not in all cases, and it seems like too much generalization to make statements about “love” and “hate” like either is any one simple thing. But maybe I’m just being overly rational in my hatred of this study. [CNET]

Light a firecracker, listen to Steve Jobs’ Mercedes peeling out, grow a mustache, make a disguised-voice phone call with your various illegal demands. All in a week’s work in the App Store. Let’s have a look at the fruits of the last seven days.

Sonic Vox: Just in time for Halloween (or your upcoming anonymous ransom note telephone call), Sonic Vox is a real-time voice shifter that can add echo and changes in pitch. Hook your iPhone to line-out for Deepthroat Skype calls.

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG App: Surely fast-tracked by AMG fan Steve Jobs (head of the queue!), for the rest of us, this is a reminder of what we will not soon experience first-handphotos and videos of a sleek, six-figure Benz, and sound clips of it peeling out.

Sonic Boom: Those folks behind the Sonic Lighter (and the voice-shifter above also, coincidentally) just can’t stop innovatingSonic Boom gives you a virtual firecracker onto which you can map a photo, adjust the size of the charge and length of fuse and spin around before making it go boom in a different-every-time explosion. $1.

Mustache: I haven’t shaved in days, but what’s on my upper lip is barely perceptible as anything beyond 7th-grade fuzz. As the developer of Mustache states: Mustaches are a symbol of power and virility, who wouldn’t want to grow one! Sadly, not everyone one can. Hand over a buck, hold a picture of a mustache in front of your face. If you’re not bold enough for this tattoo.

This week’s app coverage on Giz:
Our Android App Liveblog is going strongexpect weekly updates to commence once the store opens to developers, which is happening Monday.

The NDA keeping developers from discussing the ins and outs of their apps is dead.

Free landscape-mode emailing via Firemail

Brightkite, a location-based social network, seems perfect for stalkers.

A legal imbroglio over those silly beer apps like iBeer escalates. Yeah.

A stylophone app is coming, bringing Kraftwerkian joy.

This list is in no way definitive. If you’ve spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our original iPhone App Review Marathon. Have a good weekend everybody.