Our colleagues from Engadget.com released their own iPhone / iPod touch app to bring different tech news directly to our famous devices. The app features a whole bunch of useful features such as offline viewing, built in streaming and different customization options.
According to research conducted by Chitika, nearly 45% of users still have the old iPod Touch firmware 2.0 installed and have not upgraded to the 3.0.
The reasons are numerous and starts from the need to pay for the upgrade - $10 could be an issue. However the main reason is the lack of motivation for upgrading. Unless you want to play with copy/paste, the 3.0 update doesn’t bring much to the iPod Touch - Push notifications are useless on Wi-Fi and many games still run on 2.0.
Who knows, maybe Apple will decide to make the next update to version 4.0 free just to encourage upgrades. Updates are free for iPhone users nad wee see that almost 95% of users have updated to 3.x.
The iPhone game F.A.S.T. (Fleet Air Superiority Training) is an air combat simulation game with online multiplayer functionality. Yesterday it was updated and today it became free. The regular price was $0.99. The discount is probably due to the addition of some new paid content that is avaliable through the in-app purchase.
Why not try it for free? Go ahead and download via AppStore (link).
Apple today launched a new holiday-themed iPhone commercial entitled "12 Days of Christmas". The ad reworks the standard Christmas carol of the same name to feature twelve iPhone applications related in some way to the holiday season:
12 cookies cooking: The Betty Crocker Mobile Cookbook [App Store, Free]
The iPhone game 7 Cities is a Tower Defense type game available in AppStore. The price varied from $0.99 to $4.99. Today it is offered for free. This is limited time offer, thich means it is free for a short period of time.
The game is very nice and well done, the graphics are rich but not too confusing. The goal is to defend against different attacks and to do that user has types of 5 towers and 12 different skills.
Microsoft just released an official application of its search engine "Bing". The app looks really good and is well done. It allows you to find websites, images, videos, maps, shopping, news and offers step by step directions to navigate from one point to another! There is even a voice search, a business directory, ability to add pushpins and save locations.
Bing app is avaliable for free via AppStore (link).
Phil Shiller, Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing, was asked what his favorite iPhone Apps were, and here’s what he said:
Shazam [Free - iTunes link]: “There’s just something so amazing about being anywhere, and some music starts playing and you just hold up your phone and can find out what it is,” Mr. Schiller said. “You never again have to say ‘That’s a great song! Who is it by?”
CNN News [$1.99 - iTunes link]: “It’s really cool having the news in your pocket.”
Fring has added video calling support to the iPhone and iPod touch via Skype. This is a huge step further. iPhone became a videophone!
It works on Fring to Fring, and Skype to Fring. Unfortunately, it's not bi-directional. You would be able to see whoever is calling you from a desktop, but you won't be able to transmit your image. The reason is because the iPhone doesn't have a front camera, so you can't do face to face. The application will support two-way video calling if the iPhone and iPod touch gain front-facing cameras in the future. The company already supports two-way video calling on several Nokia phones with such cameras.
iPhone Explorer is a handy application for Mac and Windows. It allows users to use a USB connection and access all the system files. Users can create, delete and rename files and folders on iPhone or iPod Touch, or use the device as a flash drive. If you have a jailbroken device can gain access to the root directory. The functionality is somehow similar to iFunBox and iPhone Folder applications.
The application is completely free and you can download it from here.
MailRu Agent provides an ability to exchange instatnt messages between your friends, send free SMS to cell phones, share your photos and manage your Mail.Ru mailbox.
This app is avaliable for free via AppStore (link).
Agile Web Solutions is offering 1Password Pro free until December 1st for iPhone and iPod touch users.
1Password will securely store your important information and can automatically log you into websites with a single tap. There's no need to remember the username, password, or even the website address.
1Password Pro is normally $7.99 and can be installed from the AppStore (link).
Feature List:
(pro) Special easy switching mode allows you to quickly copy-and-paste usernames and passwords to Mobile Safari.
(pro) Support for copying multiple field values (for example, both username and password) from 1Password to Mobile Safari.
(pro) Folders for better organization (in this version a desktop application required - sold separately)
(pro) Features coming soon: Favorites, MobileMe/WebDAV syncing, and more.
Securely store your website names and passwords so you never forget them again
Save important information like credit cards and membership numbers
Jot down other notes too sensitive for stickies or bar napkins
Synchronize it all with 1Password for Mac via Wi-Fi (sold separately, available at http://1password.com)
Automatically log into Web sites on iPhone and iPod touch to avoid remembering and typing usernames and passwords
Hardware-accelerated AES encryption and Auto-Lock keep your data protected even if your iPhone is lost or stolen
All cryptographic operations are performed using standard iPhone libraries to ensure there are no security gaps or backdoors
Two-layer defense with Unlock Code and Master Password to combine security and convenience
Data Backup & Restore option available on Mac, Windows and Linux.
iLingual, an app that use your or anybody else's lips and uses them to speak.
Here's how it works: you snap a picture of a mouth, yours, your friend's or just a photo from a magazine. iLingual analyzes and converts it for animation. Then, you choose a phrase from the app's library, hold your iPhone over your mouth and there, you sort speak French, German or a little bit of Arabic.
iLingual is a sponsored app, so it's completely free. Here's an iTunes link.
Google today announced that it has issued an update to Google Earth the companion iPhone and iPod touch application to the company's desktop application offering virtual globe and other geographic information.
Among the biggest changes in Version 2.0 of Google Earth is the ability to view custom maps stored in the "My Maps" section of users' Google Maps accounts:
By logging in directly to your Google Maps account, you can view the same maps that you or others have created, using the My Maps interface.
What's new:
Take your maps with you wherever you go. View Google Maps created on your desktop computer on your iPhone.
Visual feedback when you select photos, businesses, and other icons. It's now much easier to browse.
Apple today posted two new iPhone commercials to its ad gallery and also began airing them on prime-time television. Here is a list of applications, that are used in these videos: