To celebrate the introduction of Google's new cloud storage service, Google Drive, they're simultaneously bumping free Gmail storage to 10GB. That's right, Gmail already had one-and-a-half as much free storage as Google Drive, and now it has twice as much!

However, if you also pay for Google Drive, that gets bumped again to 25GB.

Today, we're happy to announce that we're increasing everyone's free storage in Gmail from 7.5 GB to 10 GB (and counting) to celebrate today's launch of Google Drive. The increase will take effect over the next 24 hours. We hope you all enjoy the little bump!

The disparity between free Gmail and free Google Drive is a bit perplexing. Is Google encouraging us to inefficiently store most of our content in harder to access, impossible to collaborate in Gmail rather than Google Drive, which was purpose-built for sharing and searching? Have they simply not thought this through? Or is there some plan at work that will one day make one giant pool for all our Googlestuffs?

Who knows. It's free. It's embiggened. And that's all there is to it.

Now excuse me while I go mail bomb Phil Nickinson a couple million more 10MB blobs...

Source: Gmail blog

Google Drive is big, cheap, and aims to compete with the likes of Dropbox, SkyDrive, and maybe even iCloud

Rumor it and it shall become real -- Google Drive, the long awaited, long anticipated cloud storage service from Google is finally here and it's as big and as cheap as we hoped for. Every Google user gets 5GB for free, and you can buy literally tons more -- up to 16TB (?!) if you have the cash.

Today, we’re introducing Google Drive—a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff. Whether you’re working with a friend on a joint research project, planning a wedding with your fiancé or tracking a budget with roommates, you can do it in Drive. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond.

The focus is on sharing, storing, and searching. Everything. Google Docs is built in so you can start creating stuff. You can install the desktop client on Windows or Mac to get a folder going.

You can get started with 5GB of storage for free—that’s enough to store the high-res photos of your trip to the Mt. Everest, scanned copies of your grandparents’ love letters or a career’s worth of business proposals, and still have space for the novel you’re working on. You can choose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB.

Google has updated their Android Google Docs app, turning it into an official Google Drive app. They're also "working hard" on an iPhone or iPad version but for now, if you want to access Google Drive, the web is your friend. You can find things by keyword and filter, and Drive will even OCR scanned docs to make your life easier. There's even beta image recognition baked in.

Check out more via the links below, and the watch the video for the overview.

Source: drive.google.com, Google Blog, via Android Central

Google is giving their new social network, Google+, a makeover in an attempt to increase not only its beauty, but its functionality.

A critical piece of this social layer is a design that grows alongside our aspirations. So today we’re introducing a more functional and flexible version of Google+. We think you’ll find it easier to use and nicer to look at, but most importantly, it accelerates our efforts to create a simpler, more beautiful Google.

Navigation you can make your own

One of the first things you’ll notice is a new way to get around the stream. Instead of static icons at the top, there’s a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left. This approach comes with lots of perks, but some of our favorites include:

• You can drag apps up or down to create the order you want
• You can hover over certain apps to reveal a set of quick actions
• You can show or hide apps by moving them in and out of “More”

Strangely, Google calls Google+ an "upgrade" rather than a "new integrated social service". That's odd language to use. Then again, Google has a odd and serious challenge ahead of it. Outside of Googlers and Android aficionados like our good friends at Android Central, most people just don't seem to be using Google+. Better integrating Google+ into extremely popular Google services like Search, Gmail, YouTube might help make Google+ seem more successful, or it might just annoy users of those services who have no interest -- or an active dislike -- for Google+. At this point, in the greater online and mobile communities, users are basically telling Google they're fine with Facebook and Twitter. In a recent iMore poll, we found that while 43% of iPhone users used Facebook and 33% used Twitter, only 5% used Google+ (16% used Instagram). On the iPad, 50% used Facebook, 35% used Twitter, and only 4% used Google+ (10% used Instagram).

No word on when, or if, any of this new beauty or functionality will filter down to the Google+ iOS app.

Check out the video below and let us know -- will the makeover get you to use Google+ any more than you already do?

Source: Google Blog via Android Central

A few tethering applications have appeared in the App Store only to be pulled very soon after. One such application was iTether, it appeared back in November 2011 and was pulled on the same day it launched. The app cost $14.99 and used USB to connect your Mac to your iPhone to use its data connection. The app bypassed the usual carrier tethering charges which probably explains why it was pulled.

Now the developer behind iTether has returned with a new service which is simply called Tether. The new service is based on HTML 5 so there is no need to source the app through the App Store.

"It was clear from our initial application iTether, there was enormous demand within the iPhone ecosystem," says Tim Burke, CEO of Tether. "It was unfortunate that Apple decided to remove our application, only 20 hours after we launched. However, this caused us to innovate. Our underlying patent-pending technology behind Tether for iPhone is unlike anything on the market." Tether's new version for the iPhone is purely based on HTML5 and creates a completely wireless connection over AdHoc. This circumvents the need of buying the application directly from Apple's App Store and allows any iPhone or iPad with a data connection to allow tethering.

Source: Tether

Audiobooks.com is a new service for book lovers that allows you to listen to as many audiobooks as you want. The cloud-based service offers more than 10,000 titles, including the biography of Steve Jobs.

• Listen to unlimited audio books on-demand
• Easily switch between listening devices—pause your audio book on your iPhone at the gym and find your place instantly when you continue listening from your laptop at the office
• Instantly access more than 10,000 best sellers, top new releases and classic favorites
• Never have to worry about storage restraints because the content lives on a cloud

Audiobooks.com may not have an app in the App Store, but their website is optimized for mobile and works like a charm.

A subscription to Audiobooks.com will run you $24.95/month, which is actually good deal when you consider how much audiobooks cost. Not to mention, the subscription is commitment free, so you are welcome to cancel at any time.

HP has made good on releasing a roadmap for their webOS open source initiative and, as part of it, have fully open sourced the Enyo 2.0 application framework. But what does all this mean for the iMore crowd? In the short term it means you'll be seeing at least a few webOS apps made available in the App Store and in your browser. In the longer term it means you're likely to see a day where webOS is compiled to run on other hardware, though if that's possible with Apple's locked-down designs is another question entirely.

We'll tackle the apps thing first. At its core Enyo is based on web tech like everything webOS (whereas the iOS framework is based around Objective-C). Going open source means that developers who have written in Enyo can compile their apps to be loaded in a browser or on webapp-supporting operating systems like iOS and Android with little issue. In fact, it's already happening - multiple webOS Enyo apps are available through WebKit-based web browsers -- like Safari -- and at least one, an Instapaper client called Paper Mache, is available now in the Android Market. Of course, there's some tweaking that'll have to be done to make things nice and smooth, but apps like Paper Mache look and behave (minus the lag and jitter) exactly as they do on webOS.

The second major announcement was that HP is dumping their custom kernel and coopting the standard Linux kernel for use in Open webOS. This is the basic principle behind Android's kernel by making the switch webOS will gain support for a wide breadth of hardware. Where there's Cyanogen for the Android Open Source Project we certainly expect the same to happen with webOS. The question is… will anybody want to install it?

Celebrities have tendency to bubble up across CES, but it's not often one of them is an honest-to-goodness exhibitor. Seth Green, the most excellent comedian behind Robot Chicken and a big player in Family Guy, used CES 2012 to announce his investment and advisory role with an app called Shodogg. It's a pretty simple HTML5 app which lets you quickly share mobile videos to your PC, tablet, Google TV, or just about any other web-enabled device. They're aiming to launch a native iPhone app in March, and given the heavy "platform agnostic" angle, you can expect this on Android sometime soon.

Sharing streaming video can be tricky if the source doesn't want to play nice, and even when they do, DLNA is still farm from perfect. Though there's definitely room for an app like Shodogg, I think the biggest thing about it is that Seth Green is involved. Call me shallow. It's just good to see smart celebrities getting entrepreneurial. Who knows, maybe if more of them focus on app development, the next generation of programmers could enjoy some amount of social prestige.

You can find out more about Shodogg over here, or jump right in and sign up for the alpha.

Amazon has launched a new web based Kindle Store designed specifically for the iPad. The new site looks and feels like an actual app rather than a web page however you don’t need to install anything to use the store.

Books are laid out in a cover flow arrangement and you can swipe through the books, click on the covers to see more information, read reviews and of course buy a book. If you do make a purchase, the book is automatically sent to your designated reading device. If you can’t wait that long, you can even read it within the new Kindle Store web page because Amazon has now made its Cloud Reader compatible with the iPad too. If you have your iPad handy, simply visit  http://www.amazon.com/iPadKindleStore to take a look at the new layout.

What better New Year's resolution to start with than to check out all your in-app privacy settings, especially where Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks are concerned? We know how it goes; you get a shiny new iPhone or iPad app and you just want to use it so you log in through Twitter of Facebook or Google because it's easy, quickly tap through all the set up pages, granting who knows what permissions and for how long, and then forget about it the moment the next shiny app comes along.

MyPermissions.org thinks you should take a few moments to review your settings, revoke or reduce access for those apps that no longer need full, free access to your personal, sometimes private data, and get 2012 off on a saner, more socially secure start.

(I just did mine and I was startled how many old apps still had access to my stuff.)

Source: MyPermission.org

Facebook have begun to roll out their new profile design: Timeline, to iPhone through the mobile optimized version of their website. The redesign features most of the important features of Timeline.

• Viewing and changing Cover Images.
• Scrolling back through time - from birth to the present day

Other features are missing, like the ability to add 'life events', or change the date of photos to have them listed accurately in your timeline, but overall the interface is really nice.

The new timeline interface is only viewable on profiles that have enabled them on the normal website. Timeline hasn't rolled out on the iPad, or the native app, but no doubt it will be soon.

Source: m.facebook.com

Google has revamped Google Image search results on the iPad (and other tablets) and implemented a new carousel style user interface making it much easier to navigate. Gone are the days of viewing the full resolution image and having to go back to the results to see the next one; here are the days of simply swiping to the next full resolution image! Need more information on a particular image? Not a problem as all you have to do is tap the link in the lower left corner and the site begins to load. From the outside it looks exactly the same, but the new functionality is another page in Google's redesign book.

Source: Google Mobile Blog

Now that the Google Books app has had to remove their store button from their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad app, are you curious how to continue buying your eBooks on iOS? Fret not, for Google has sent out a helpful list of instructions to ensure you can keep getting your read on.

For iPhone/iPod touch users: Install the Google eBookstore

1. Open your Safari web browser
2. Go to the address: books.google.com/ebooks
3. Tap the bookmark symbol at the bottom of the screen
4. Tap "Add to Home Screen"
5. Tap "Add"

To shop at the Google eBookstore, simply tap the bookstore icon. Any ebooks you purchase or download will automatically appear in your Google Books app for you to read.

For iPad users: Install the Google eBookstore

1. Open your Safari web browser
2. Go to the address: books.google.com/ebooks
3. Tap the bookmark symbol at the top
4. Tap "Add to Home Screen"
5. Tap "Add"

To shop at the Google eBookstore, simply tap the bookstore icon. Any ebooks you purchase or download will automatically appear in your Google Books app for you to read.

There you have it, HTML5 web apps to the rescue. Now you can shop as you so wish online, and read away in the same Google Books app you know and love.

Any other great eBooks tips for us? Let us know!

[Daily Tips](http://www.imore.com/tips] range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Amazon just let us know that their Kindle Cloud Reader is now live, and lets you read any of their over 950,000 Kindle books right in Safari on iPad, Mac, or Windows, or Chrome on Windows, Mac, or Linux, without needing the Kindle app or hardware.

While there's no iPhone or iPod touch (it tells you your browser isn't supported and you should download Safari or Chrome, though hopefully a better intercept screen is in the works), it's a full HTML5 web app and includes offline storage. I've tried it out on iPad and it works quickly and cleanly. The Kindle Store is built in, so there's no jarring transition to the Amazon.com version of the store, and all the menus and options work really well. Likewise, the text is just a legible as it is in the app, and the WhisperSync works perfectly. Hopefully it keeps up that level of performance when personal libraries get really big.

With the controversy that arose in the wake of Apple's App Store subscription service, and the requirements to match pricing (since dropped) and remove links to external stores (still in effect), it felt like only a matter of time before Amazon would go this route. It will be interesting to see how many others follow.

Details and screen shots after the break. Anyone going to stop using the app and switch to the web app?

[www.amazon.com/cloudreader]

“We are excited to take this leap forward in our ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere’ mission and help customers access their library instantly from anywhere,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. “We have written the application from the ground up in HTML5, so that customers can also access their content offline directly from their browser. The flexibility of HTML5 allows us to build one application that automatically adapts to the platform you’re using – from Chrome to iOS. To make it easy and seamless to discover new books, we’ve added an integrated, touch optimized store directly into Cloud Reader, allowing customers one click access to a vast selection of books.”

Features of Kindle Cloud Reader include: - An immersive view of your entire Kindle library, with instant access to all of your books - Start reading over 950,000 Kindle books instantly within your browser - An embedded Kindle Store optimized for your web browser makes it seamless to discover new books and start reading them instantly - New Kindle Store for iPad is built from the ground up for iPad’s touch interface - Your current book is automatically made available for offline use, and you can choose to save a book for reading offline at any time - Receive automatic software updates without the need to download new software - Select any book to start reading, customize the page layout to your desired font size, text color, background color, and more - View all of the notes, highlights, and bookmarks that you’ve made on other Kindle apps or on Kindle - Sync your last page read across your Kindle and free Kindle apps so you can always pick up where you left off

Kindle Cloud Reader is available for Safari on iPad, Safari on desktop and Chrome starting today. Kindle Cloud Reader on the iPad is optimized for the size and unique touch interface of iPad. Without even leaving the app, customers can start shopping in the Kindle Store and will find a unique and immersive shopping experience built specifically for iPad’s Safari browser.

Kindle Cloud Reader will be available on additional web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, the BlackBerry PlayBook browser, and other mobile browsers, in the coming months.

Google has updated its web app for Gmail with the inclusion of pull down to refresh, new transitions and updated icons to take advantage of the Retina display of the iPhone 4.

• You can now pull down to refresh your message list and conversation on all iOS devices. To refresh, simply touch the message list, drag downwards and release.
• For those of you using Gmail for mobile on an iPhone 4 Retina display, the icons and graphics are now at a higher resolution, making Gmail for mobile sharper.
• When you tap on a conversation, tap back to the inbox, go to the menu or go back, the view will slide left or right. This new transition animation is a quick, small indication that makes the view change feel smoother.

[The Official Gmail Blog]

iCloud.com is now live... if you have an Apple ID that works with iCloud. Here's the thing -- it's meant for developers right now, and Apple IDs are still fragmented to the extent that for some people, iCloud might not be too useful yet.

For example, you may try to login with your MobileMe ID and be told it hasn't been migrated to iCloud yet. You might try to login with your iTunes ID and then, once you're in, be told you need a MobileMe address to access Mail. You can set up a new, free iCloud ID, but then all of the content you have connected to your existing Apple ID(s) won't be there.

So, yeah, meant for developers. Still, it's nice to see it up and running, and get a preview of the design (which we're guessing is a fairly straight front-end port of the SproutCore web app code from Me.com, now running on the all new iCloud backend.)

Current web apps available include Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find my iPhone, and the new Documents, which currently offers Apple's iWork formats for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. (The last three of which require the new iWork for iOS beta apps, downloadable via Apple's developer site.)

Gone are iDisk and Gallery. iCloud is no doubt an attempt to abstract away the file system-like behavior for the former, but will a web front end for PhotoStream be made available to replace the latter?

Meanwhile, on iPhone you just get a placeholder card, nicely rendered, and the ability to get more information and a link to the developer beta.

Gallery of screenshots after the break.

GENWI and iSites have recently released their iPad app creation services which cater specifically to the content and media publishing industry. If you need an on-the-fly solution for publishing content to an iPad application, this may be for you. Advanced options also include the ability to customize your interface through HTML5 and CSS.

The big convenience for content publishers is that it allows you to make changes and add to your app in real time via their content management servers. Monthly fees will vary based on what native platforms you'd like and what feature set you need. Pricing points are as follows -

• Basic - $99/month
• Premium - $399/month
• Professional - $499/month
• Enterprise - Call for pricing

You will have to be enrolled in the Professional pricing scheme in order to create native iPad apps but the ability to update content in real time may make the cost worth it for publishers. iSites currently serves clients such as The Stanford Daily, Forbes, Cox Media, and many more.

It's also worth noting that this suite is specifically geared at content publishers and media industries. It isn't an all-in-one solution for creating advanced applications such as games. But if you need content published quickly and need the ability to create a good looking app on an easy to use platform, this is probably your best solution for the price. If any of you use this service, let us know what you think!

GENWI

While there's no word yet on whether these new features will come to the existing Facebook for iPhone app, or the upcoming Facebook for iPad app, Facebook announced new ways to keep in touch with your friends today.

• You get a new chat design that shows you the friends you message the most.
• Easy to launch group chat
• Skype-powered video calling

The video calling competes with both Apple's FaceTime, and Google+'s Huddle, now on the web and perhaps coming soon in the Google+ iPhone app. Whether or not Facebook can get all this new junk into the mobile app's trunk is the question...

[Facebook]

If you were lucky enough to get a beta invitation for Google+ and have an iPhone, you can already post updates and browse your Google+ streams quickly and easily. In just a few steps you'll be posting updates, checking out your friends' streams, adding them to circles, and more!

As a side note, this tip only works if you already accepted an invitation into the beta, otherwise you won't be able to access Google+.

1. First go to www.google.com from Safari on your iPhone and sign into your Google account with your Gmail address.

2. Next tap more at the top right and you'll see a few tabs. Tap the Apps tab.

3. Click the Google+ app and you'll be taken into the main feed.

4. Next, create a bookmark on your home screen. Simply tap the arrow on the bottom of your browser and tap Add to home screen.



5. Now all you have to do to access Google+ is to tap that bookmark!

As a side note, if you have to sign in every time, you can remedy that by simply choosing to stay signed into your Google account. If you've been using Google+ let us know what you think. Do you expect more than the web app if and when they release an iPhone app?

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Google+ is the search giant's take on a social network, and while it will get its own iOS app eventually, it's already got it's own world-class web app (would you really expect anything else from the company that's defined the modern web?). Here's a quick look at it, primarily the profile, circles, and friends elements.

Check it out the photo gallery, after the break.

Google has an interesting tool up called Swiffy, which converts Flash FLV files to "HTML5" formats which should be compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. (I put HTML5 in quotes because it represents not just the HTML5 standard itself, but typically and conveniently includes CSS3, JavaScript, H.264 video, and other technologies).

Swiffy converts Flash SWF files to HTML5, allowing you to reuse Flash content on devices without a Flash player (such as iPhones and iPads).

Swiffy currently supports a subset of SWF 8 and ActionScript 2.0, and the output works in all Webkit browsers such as Chrome and Mobile Safari. If possible, exporting your Flash animation as a SWF 5 file might give better results.

Flash is more than just video, however, and Flash games, interfaces, and other media types can't yet be replicated by HTML5. Still for content that Flash -- and its overhead -- aren't needed for, this sounds like a great tool. (It also sounds like something banner ad companies will jump on...)

I'm trying it out now on some simple Flash slideshow files but getting errors. If I get it working, I'll update with the results.

[Swiffy via Daring Fireball]

Update: Sadly, while Web.app got Nitro so Home screen web apps enjoy the faster JavaScript rendering, UIWebView did not. That means web pages contained in apps are still using the slower version. (Likely for security reasons.)

According to a poster Hacker News, the Nitro JavaScript engine brought to iOS 4.3's Safari browser, is now available to embedded UIWebViews and home screen WebClips in iOS 5. Apple originally claimed the Nitro engine, ported from desktop Safari, would make iOS Safari 2x faster, but due to restrictions on code interpretation (Nitro uses JIT, or Just-in-Time compilation), it was only available in the Safari sandbox. This effectively made web pages embed in apps and saved to the home screen feel twice as slow. No longer, according to this thread:

Q: Did they fix the bug from 4.3 where home screen web apps don't use Nitro?

A: This is probably breaking my NDA to say this, but yes, they did. Web.app now has the "dynamic-codesigning" entitlement, which enables Nitro.

In other words, embed webpages and home screen web apps just became first class citizens, and should have the speed to prove it.

[Hacker News via CNET]

TechCrunch has uncovered that Facebook is looking to launch an HTML5 based app store under the name of Project Spartan. The app store will offer games and news apps that run inside Safari, or as Web Clips on the home screen. Over 80 outside developers are currently working with Facebook on apps for the platform.

As of right now, there are believed to be 80 or so outside developers working with Facebook on Project Spartan. These teams are working on apps for the platform that range from games to news-reading apps. Some of the names should be familiar: Zynga and Huffington Post for example. The goal is to have these apps ready to roll in the next few weeks for a formal unveiling shortly thereafter.

This comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s news that Facebook would soon be releasing a photo sharing application for iOS devices.

Currently most Facebook apps on the web are based around Flash; this new project could purely be aimed at making them available to the huge iOS market. Obviously Facebook would like to make some money from the arrangement and this appears to be the focus. Facebook would become the distribution channel in this case and not the App Store.

What do you think? Would you be happy to pay for apps from Facebook that would only be usable in the mobile Safari browser? Let us know in the comments!

[TechCrunch]

Google has updated Google Sync for iOS devices, a service that lets iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users sync with Google's Gmail, Calendar and Contacts via Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol.

Google Sync keeps your phone’s native mail and calendar apps in sync with your Gmail, Calendar and Contacts. Today, three new updates to Google Sync for iOS will allow you to:

• Search all your emails in Gmail, not just the emails stored locally by the iOS mail app.
• Accept, decline or edit calendar events from the iOS calendar app.
• Send email from the address you want. We recognize that some of you manage multiple email addresses from a single Gmail account.Gmail’s “Send Mail as” feature lets you send messages with another email address listed as the sender instead of your Gmail address, e.g. joe@altostrat.com instead of joe@gmail.com. Now the iOS mail app will respect these settings.

All of these are welcomed additions to Google Sync, specifically the ability to search all mail in Gmail instead of just what's stored on the device -- right from the native Mail app in iOS.

Let us know how these new features are working for you in the comments!

[Google Blog via Phonescoop]

Google held their Inside Search event today, and once again the focus is on speed and convenience, especially in mobile. For iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users, this means faster local searches and faster suggested searches in Safari. (Or your WebKit browser of choice on other mobile platforms.)

Local search:

On the results page, you'll see a map with markers for your current location and places around you. When you scroll through the results, the map remains at the top of the page and adjusts automatically to the listing you are looking at. That way, you can see the listing information while still getting location context from the map. Tapping on a result will quickly show you more about a place including reviews and other useful details. Discovering great places nearby has never been easier on your mobile phone.

Suggested search builds:

Another mobile improvement we’ve introduced today is an easier way to build longer, more complicated searches. You can now add suggested phrases to the search box and “build” your search piece by piece. This feature is already available on the Google Search app for Android and iOS devices and we’re now making this available on www.google.com from your mobile browser. Watch the video below to see how you can search faster with less typing.

It works on iOS 4 compatible browsers (and presumably iOS 5 as well). Google announced a lot of other improvements for their non-mobile search today as well, like Instant, improved Voice and Image, etc. so hit up the Google Inside Search link below for the bigger picture.

Then go search Safari and tell us what you think.

[Google Inside Search Blog, Google Mobile Blog, Android Central]

There's some debate as to whether or not Apple will keep the MobileMe web apps, like Mail, Contacts, and Calendars around after the transition to iCloud. Some have heard no, that Apple will trash them and go 100% apps. Others have heard yes, that Apple will keep them around.

No one outside Apple seems to know for sure. For our part, TiPb has heard there will indeed be web apps in iCloud. At the very least, you'll need a way to access Find my iPhone, Find my iPad, and the forthcoming Find my Mac over the web. Apple has also poured significant resources into the SproutCore-powered Mail, Contacts, and Calendars app -- including a major update to Calendars recently -- and it's hard to imagine them flushing all that effort.

Whether Photo Stream will take over for Photo Galleries, whether Documents in the Cloud will replace the wishy-washy iWork.com, and whether or not the App Store and iTunes store get Web-to-Device push remains unknown.

Even if the native iOS and Mac apps are used far more often, having the web apps as backup is a pretty important feature. We expect Apple to clarify before iOS 5 launches and iCloud comes out of beta this fall.

Twitter today announced improved search, and first-party (i.e. Twitter's own) image hosting service.

Today we're starting to roll out a completely new version of Twitter search. Not only will it deliver more relevant Tweets when you search for something or click on a trending topic, but it will also show you related photos and videos, right there on the results page. It's never been easier to get a sense of what's happening right now, wherever your curiosity takes you.

The image hosting is an even bigger deal, given the somewhat dubious licensing terms some third party hosts have been putting in place (taking ownership of users' photos as their own).

Millions of people share photos on Twitter every day. We're going to make that easier than ever. Over the next several weeks, we'll be releasing a feature to upload a photo and attach it to your Tweet right from Twitter.com. And of course, you'll soon be able to easily do this from all of our official mobile apps. A special thanks to our partner Photobucket for hosting these photos behind the scenes.

So expect updates for Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for iPad soon to take advantage of these new features... and perhaps some bigger announcements come the WWDC keynote on Monday...

Video after the break!

[Twitter blog]

It seems that Google are slowly implementing a new UI for their web app. The update changes the 'blue tabs' at the top of the site to new 'grey tabs' with pull down icons. To change the type of search, they've updated it to include a drop down grid of all the different search types, and apps, instead of the old text list.

Interestingly, this UI update has only been updated on Web search, Video search, News and Blogs. The older 'blue' interface still appears on Image Search, Places, Shopping, Finance, Apps, iGoogle and Books. Google Apps, like GMail, Google Translate, Google Docs and Google Reader haven't received any form of update either. YouTube has its own mobile web app, and Maps has recently been updated.

Do you like this update on the Google Web App? Do you use the Google Web App?

[Google Mobile]

Not a fan of the official Facebook for iPhone app, desperate for an alternative, but still need to get notifications? Join the club. I've never been a fan. Their cryptic "bug fix" updates never seem to improve anything and notifications are always so finicky. More often than not, I open my Facebook app to find several notifications that were never pushed to my iPhone. On top of that, the timeline can be choppy or jump randomly. And the whole "liking comments" just seems to decide on its own whether or not it's going to work that specific day.

If you feel the same way, hit the jump for some workarounds and alternative solutions to using the Facebook for iPhone application.

There's a few ways you can ditch the Facebook for iPhone application (and still receive notifications). Unfortunately, unlike Twitter there aren't any real alternative apps. However, these are the two solutions I found to be the best alternatives to using the official iPhone app.

Facebook web app + Boxcar

This is one thing I use as a fall back method when Facebook for iPhone app decides it doesn't want to push notifications to my device anymore. It works rather well. You can even route the Boxcar notifications to open the mobile site for Facebook. I actually prefer the layout and functionality of the mobile site. I'm not quite sure why Facebook has not just implemented a lot of this into the native app. They recently integrated liking comments but it hardly ever works or shows up. It always works in the mobile web version.

Simply download Boxcar from the app store, create a login and customize your Facebook notifications how you'd like them. And you can have a different sound other than tri-tone which may be a plus for those of you like me that have tons of friends that use tri-tone. I like my sounds to be unique so I know whether or not my iPhone is going off.

Facebook web app + Facebook native app

Another route is to keep the Facebook native app installed but use the web app. If notifications aren't a huge issue to you and you just want a more steady user experience, simply keep notifications active but use the mobile site instead. I simply turned off badges and hid the app in a folder. That way, I still get notifications for Facebook but I can choose to use the mobile web version instead.

The only downside to this method is if you open a Facebook notification, it will still bring it up in the native Facebook for iPhone app. I simply tap close and then launch the mobile web version. All the notifications will be right at the top of the web version. Not the best workaround but it's definitely a more stable user experience than the native app in my opinion.

Do any of you have a better way to use Facebook on your iPhone? Let us know in the comments!

Boxcar - Free

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerburg has famously said that "The iPad is not Mobile" and so Facebook has no plans to develop an official iPad app. Luckily there are plenty third party Facebook apps in the App Store. We've already given you our top 10 apps and games for iPad but this time we're going more specific, and more social! So read on for TiPb's Top 5 Facebook apps for your iPad!

(And hey, don't forget to friend TiPb while you're at it!)

MyPad+

MyPad+ is a great Facebook client that looks and feels like Twitter for iPad. If youre used to the official Twitter app, you will feel right at home. MyPad supports multiple logins, and implements Facebook, in a really sleek fashion. The app also includes completely native chat and a built-in browser for any of those external links.

[Free, $0.99 - iTunes]

Friended

Friended displays lots of data in its unique column view, including the live feed, your friend's recent pictures and your recent friends. It has full native support for chat. Friended sports lots of popups as you navigate through the app, so you never lose the info in a background. You can view any external links within the app as well.

[Free, $0.99 - iTunes]

Friendly

Friendly for iPad offers lots of features that you’d expect in a facebook app, and then adds even more. The app has support for multiple logins if you share an iPad with anyone else. You can upload pictures to facebook and Friendly even offers 16 fun photo effects, like Black and White and Sepia. It also supports facebook's “New Messages”. Friendly is the only iPad app that allows you to edit profile details, through its built in browser. There's also an option for push notifications for birthdays.

[Free, $0.99 - iTunes]

FacelyHD

FacelyHD is basic app with a large UI for easy navigation. Despite this, the app includes full support for chat, with saved history within the app, as well as facebook’s ‘New Messages’. FacelyHD also offers push notifications for messages, pokes, friend requests and chat, which you can turn off individually.

[$0.99 - iTunes]

Facebook.com

Although its not strictly an app, Facebook.com is a great free alternative way to view facebook on your iPad. There is no need for any additional downloads and it works just as it would on a Mac or PC, with the exception of chat functionality, and apps.

[Facebook.com]

Your favorite?

So there you have them, our top 5 best ways to Facebook on your iPad. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPad App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

Google has updated their online HTML5 Maps web app for both Android and iOS. But wait, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch already have built in Google Maps, right? Well, they have built-in Maps apps that use Google data, but the apps themselves are made by Apple and Apple hasn't exactly been updating them at a brisk pace.

So, like they've done in the past for Gmail and YouTube, Google is using Apple's "second development platform" -- complete with location services and local storage cache -- to get their own versions of their apps onto iOS and into the hands of users.

Now, when you visit maps.google.com on your phone or tablet’s browser and opt-in to share your location, you can use many of the same Google Maps features you’re used to from the desktop. This will allow you to:

• See your current location
• Search for what’s nearby with suggest and auto complete
• Have clickable icons of popular businesses and transit stations
• Get driving, transit, biking, and walking directions
• Turn on satellite, transit, traffic, biking, and other layers
• View Place pages with photos, ratings, hours, and more
• When signed into your Google account, access your starred locations and My Maps

It's a smart move by Google, especially if rumors of Apple working on their own, next-generation maps app pans out. Apple has already replaced both Skyhook and Google with their own location database, and Apple has bought a couple of their own map-related technology companies as well.

Google is arguably the best in the world at web apps and while Apple would prefer everyone buy their shiny boxes and use commodity apps and services, Google wants the box to be commodity and the services to be the real, ad-driven value. By going HTML5, Google gets to dictate the look-and-feel across platform, ensuring a Google experience.

And like with Gmail, they even offer to help you put a WebClip icon right on your home page so you can use the HTML5 Maps web app rather than the iOS Maps app with the tap for a finger.

[Google Mobile]

Bang on time as per Hugh Hefner’s recent tweet, Playboy for iPad is now live. As we thought, it is a web app rather than an App Store app. The site designed specifically for the iPad, contains every single back issue of Playboy. These are not cut down versions of each magazine either; they contain every word and page that appeared in the printed version and every woman ever photographed.

To get access to the content, you have to subscribe and there are various options for this. If you are prepared to sign up for 2 years, it will cost you $100. 1 year is $60. If you only want to commit for a month at a time, the price is $8.

There is a video demo on the home page which shows how the site works on the iPad. It looks to have been implemented really well with easy navigation and page scrolling. This is not just a website!

Are any of our readers planning on subscribing to iPlayboy? Can you see this opening the flood gates to other magazines of this type? Let us know in the comments!

[iPlayboy]

Twitter is rolling out a significant redesign to their mobile website, the one you see when accessing Twitter.com via Safari on iPhone or iPod touch, and other mobile device browsers. The new web app layout is molded around the official Twitter for iPhone app and is heavily doused in HTML5 goodness (however the menu bar has been switched to the top instead of the bottom).

We want you to be able to access Twitter no matter where you are; regardless of what device you use; or, whether you prefer to access Twitter through a mobile application or the browser. Today, we’re starting to roll out a new version of twitter.com for mobile devices. This web app allows us to provide a high-quality and consistent Twitter experience on high-end touchscreen devices – whether or not an official Twitter application is available. It was built from the ground up for smartphones and tablets, which have more advanced browsers that support the latest web technologies, including HTML5.

We're not seeing the redesign on our end just yet, as Twitter has only allowed a small percentage of users to see the new layout. Word around town is that it looks and functions a lot better than the previous design, and judging from the screenshots, we get the feeling we'll all be in full agreement once it's rolled out to everyone.

Any TiPb readers out there seeing the update?

[Twitter Blog]

The "mystery" surrounding Hugh Hefner’s recent announcement that Playboy will be available on the iPad complete and uncensored has been solved and it's pretty much what we expected -- Web App.

The new site will go live on May 18 and will be available at i.playboy.com (it currently returns a 404 page not found error but that will change as soon as it goes live). The iPad Playboy site will have a subscription charge of $8 a month for access to the fully uncensored content. It will also provide complete access to every previous issue of Playboy magazine.

We were reasonably sure that Playboy would not appear as an app due to Apple’s strict App Store content restrictions; but what do you think? Does it make a difference not having a Playboy app? Is an optimized site good enough if it’s done well? Or should Apple let nudity go native in the App Store?

[Techradar]

Yesterday, one of our readers, Aaron wrote in to tell us Amazon Cloud Player was suddenly playing -- if not nicely, than with less hostility -- on his iPad. Since it's US only, I couldn't check it myself but I asked him what was different from the previous, play-one-song-at-a-time-via-QuickTime "support"

He said it was; it played in his Safari browser, didn't launch QuickTime, his music controls worked, and it would continue to play in the background. He was also kind enough to make us the video, embedded below.

Why less-hostile rather than nicely? You still have to ignore the warning about it not being compatible and push on through. Hopefully this means Amazon is working on it, however, and it will eventually, if not soon, be a seamless experience for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

If you're using Cloud Player on iOS, let us know what you think of the experience now. Good, good enough, still needs to get better?

[Thanks Aaron!]

The Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place on Friday April 29 at Westminster Abbey, London, England. The event will have huge interest around the world. The problem is, what are you going to do if you want to see it all, but can’t get in front of a television? Well as long as you have your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and a reliable data connection; that’s all you’re going to need. There are a couple of options, read on and we will tell you all you need to know to enjoy the big day!

The Royal Wedding Live Stream

The Royal Wedding Live Stream is going to be your first port of call as this is the only official way to watch. This stream will be available internationally and is a YouTube hosted live stream. The coverage will start 10am UK time and will last for four hours, all live. It will cover the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the procession to Buckingham Palace, and the newlyweds’ appearance on the palace balcony for an expected first public kiss. William’s press office will also provide a live blog providing commentary and historical information as well as additional footage.

[YouTube Link]

TV Catchup (UK Only)

This we believe is a UK only service that streams free-to-air TV channels. You can stream BBC and ITV who will both be showing all the build up and ceremony.

You can access the TV Catchup service on your iPhone [iPhone Link] and there is also a higher quality stream for the iPad [iPad Link]. You need to sign up for a free account, once you have done that, you can stream the required TV stations and enjoy all the celebrations.

That should be all you need to enjoy The Royal Wedding visually. If you can’t stream any of the live video, you can still keep up to date on what’s happening. There is an official Twitter stream and a dedicated Facebook page; which will be updated as events unfold.

There is also a plethora of apps available in the app store now. These all vary in price and most include all the build up to the big day, we are not aware however of any that will offer a live video stream of the event.

If any of our readers are aware of other ways to view or follow the day on their iOS devices, be sure to let us know in the comments!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Google has announced a small improvement to its Gmail mobile web experience. Starting today you now have an undo bar that allows you to undo certain actions.

Sometimes when I’m using Gmail on my phone, I delete a message by mistake or label it incorrectly. Sure I can fish the message out of my Trash or remove the label and apply the correct one, but that takes several steps. Even just a few seconds is usually enough time to catch those annoying mistakes.

Do any of our readers use Gmail in mobile Safari? Is this a handy improvement? Let us know in the comments!

[Google Mobile Blog]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Grocery IQ - @Alli_Flowers

This is the sharable shopping list with all the trimmings. Yes, there's an Android version as well, so if you're in a contemporary mixed marriage (you have an iPhone, he/she has a Droid), you can still agree on what to buy for dinner. No more last minute phone calls saying "I'm stopping off at the store on my way home from work, do we need anything?" Because now, your grocery list is kept in sync and shared.

You can add items via the web portal, or on your phone. You can do it manually, or (my favorite feature), just scan the bar code of the item you need and it's automatically entered into your list! When I first installed Grocery IQ, I walked around the house scanning everything from frozen foods to health and beauty products, and it handled almost everything. It did not correctly identify bottle of rum, found no match for a tube of hand cream my sister-in-law had, and incorrectly identified a 3rd kitchen item as HD cables. Other than that, everything scanned in perfectly, including the category.

When you're at the store, you can tap the item to check it off, and when you're done, tap checkout to clear the list. This is really a powerful little app, and you can't beat the price!

[Free - iTunes link]

Teletubbies HD - @chrisoldroyd

Entertaining a 20 month old child; especially when teething, can be really hard work. This app does the job and more. Ella loves Teletubbies, (don’t ask me why) and this game provides a simple interactive experience with the four characters from the show. Children can choose to interact with the game as much as they’d like. Whether they want to make Tubby Custard, chase the Teletubbies up and down hills, or find funny noises, it’s up to them. It looks beautiful with rich colors and is very intuitive. Your young ones will love it too!

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

Banana TV - @reneritchie

Banana TV lets you stream content from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad over AirPlay to your Mac. (It basically lets your Mac pretend to be an Apple TV and your Mac's display pretend to be an HDTV). It comes from the gloriously ingenuous minds of Erica Sadun and Kyle Mathews and is the next generation of of the original AirPlayer hack.

And this is hella interesting for a number of reasons. Have Macs at work? Beam your presentation to them via AirPlay and Banana TV. Have a Mac Mini home theater box? Beam media right from your iPad or iPad as if it were an Apple TV (no more second class citizenship). Have friends with Macs but not Apple TVs? No problem. Beam away.

This is something Apple TV should have built into the last OS X update. They didn't. So do your Mac a favor and go pick up Banana TV.

[$7.99 - Web link]

AIM for iPad - @JorjLim

When I bought my iPad at 5:20pm on Friday, AIM for iPad was one of the first apps I installed on it. AIM for iPad is the official AIM client, but, to my surprise, it supports more networks too.

It has an absolutely gorgeous UI, for both landscape and portrait mode, that can be fully customised to your liking, by either taking advantage of it's built in themes, or adding your own photos to the background. If you don't have any friends who use AIM, you can also log in to both your Facebook Chat and your GTalk accounts, so all your friends are in the same place.

If you only use AIM, GTalk or Facebook Chat, then AIM for iPad is the ultimate IM app for you.

[Free - iTunes link]

The Daily Show - @skeetobite

My pick of the week is the Daily Show app. I am a huge fan of the Daily Show, but I don't always have time to watch it in the evening when it is on. This is why I like the Daily Show app. It gives clips and highlights of the shows, including things like quotes of the day, selected video clips. selected 60 second summary of the shows, upcoming schedules, and even a tweet feed. While I wish they had MORE video clips, this is a great way to get my daily show fix. And best of all, it is a universal app for both the iPhone AND iPad.

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

Smart Cover for iPad 2 - @llofte

It's been several weeks since I got my iPad 2 with a Smart Cover and I still absolutely love the Smart Cover (and iPad 2, of course!). I'm a minimalist when it comes to protecting my devices, so the Smart Cover is perfect for me. The magnetic connection to the iPad and how it automagically turns it on and off is simply brilliant. Not to mention, an iPad equipped with a Smart Cover is very obviously an iPad 2

[$39.00 - Apple Store]

City Story - @oopbuddha (Reader's Choice)

City Story is available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A friend of mine requested that I start playing, and once I did, I've become hooked. You start with a small city and some coins, and from that you get to build and design your city. Just make sure you keep your citizens happy by providing stores and shopping and by making your city beautiful. In order to expand your city to it's maximum potential, you need to get your friends to start playing so you can link up your profiles. It's a great way to make new friends as well. I've already made one new friend through City Story.

[Free - iTunes link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for my tweet each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

Earlier today Google rolled out their Instant Previews feature for mobile devices like iPhone. The feature adds elegant thumbnail previews to your search results and works perfectly on your iPhone or iPod touch, even bearing a resemblance to the way Mobile Safari handles tab management.

Instant Previews has been available on the desktop since last year but I never found myself actually using it. I've only been playing with it on my iPhone for a few minutes but can already tell you I'll be using Instant Previews a lot more on the go than I ever did on the desktop. Just tap the little magnifying glass next to your search results to see Instant Previews in action.

If you don't have your iPhone handy then check out the video after the break to get a better idea of how it works, and don't forget to let us know what you think in the comments!

Have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, looking for more and better apps but need help sorting through the hundreds of thousands piled up in the app store? Want to find more apps like your favorite or get alerted when apps and games go on sale? No worries, we've got you covered. Read on for TiPb's top 5 apps -- and web sites! -- that help you find more and better apps!

Genius for apps

Genius for apps is Apple's own recommendation engine built right into the App Store app on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad under the Featured Tab. Since you bought your apps from the App Store, they know what you have and try to find and show you more apps you like. If you share your device and iTunes library with another person, for example your young children, you'll probably see a lot of recommendations that interest them and not you but you can always swipe an item to remove and help "train" the Genius system. It's not the most robust or feature packed app discovery system but again, it's already there. Both iPhone and iPad. [Free - Built in]

AppStart for iPad

By the fine folks at AppAdvice.com, AppStart for iPad's goal is as simple as it is welcome -- to help new iPad owners with a specific focus find the apps they need to do what they want. Sorting the massive App Store and trying to curate it based on task or user type is no small feat so if you know what you want but don't know how to get started, AppStart is there to do some of the heavy lifting for you. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Also check out:

• AppAdvice: Their titular app and available as a universal app for both iPhone and iPad. [$1.99 - iTunes link]
  

AppShopper

From AppShopper.com, the app brings all the great website services -- new and updated apps, price drops and sales, wish lists and popularity trackers -- and puts it right on your iPhone and iPad. It'll even sync to your AppShopper web account. Universal app - download once, use on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. [Free - iTunes link]

148apps.com

Named after the original iOS 2 limit of 148 apps for device, the site has grown almost as fast as iOS 4's 11 screen, 12-apps per folder-stuffing potential. They track new apps as well as price drops to help you stay updated and on budget. [Free - Web link]

apps.tipb.com

apps.tipb.com is powered by App Tap and brings their social app recommendation engine right into TiPb.com so you can search for apps from our sidebar (look to your right!), see how other users and sites have rated them, and pretty much figure out what's what -- and what's not -- across a fair slice of the web. [Free - Web link]

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 apps that help you find more and better apps. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPad App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

We knew Apple had added accelerometer and gyroscope support to iOS 4.2.1 for iPhone, but leave it to Occipital, the company who brought us 360 Panorama, to show it off in full, Augmented Reality mode.

What they've done is created an Augmented Reality type experience for viewing panoramic photos all through the Safari Mobile browser. As far as we know no other mobile browser is equipped to be able to make use of this... yet. To sample this simply visit http://occip.it/pt3dmqna on your mobile Safari browser and you will see a Gyro On notice show up. Once that appears move your iPhone/iPod touch around and check out the panoramic picture they use as an example. (iPad won't work -- no gyroscope.)

If you have 360 Panorama, once you complete an upload of a panoramic photo you captured, you can use the URL to view it in Safari Mobile or send the link to others for them to check out what you captured.

This feature could be used for other things such as web apps and can only help using Safari Mobile become even better. Try this out on your iPhone 4 or iPod Touch and let us know how you like it. Also if you upload some cool panoramic shots leave the URL in the comments section so we can all experience what you experienced!

For more, see our iOS 4.2 walkthrough for iPhone and iPod touch.

[ The Next Web ]

Google quietly announced that the desktop version of their Google Docs editor now works on the iPad. Google recommends you use the desktop version mainly for advanced editing such as the generation of new spreadsheets and alignment modifications. If all you need to do is make a few quick and easy edits they still guide you towards their iOS friendly mobile editing version.

Will this help make you more productive or is the mobile version more than enough to satisfy your document editing needs? Let us know if this is a welcome addition for you in our comments section.

[Google Docs blog via 9To5 Mac ]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked this week, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Ally's Pick: Bytafont (jailbreak)

Bytafont is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to change springboard fonts on your phone. As of 4.x, fontswap has not worked. Bytafont is a welcome addition to the jailbreak app store.

You simply download fonts from Cydia you like that are compatible (most are), and they show up in Bytafont where you simply select the font you'd like to use.

Bytafont is available via Cydia for free.

Andrew's Pick: iReconcile

iReconcile is a checkbook all-in-one app which includes features such as backup/restore, reports, search, budgeting, forecasting, exporting and more. The check register alone is reason enough to have this great little app.

Adding a transaction is a snap, and backing up and syncing to the cloud is automatically done after every added transaction (in-app purchase, 1.99/mo or 19.99/yr). Reports are represented in a pie chart and look stunning on the iPhone 4's Retina Display. You can also categorize each transaction in order to look back on a report and see exactly where your money is going over any amount of time. You can also export your entire check register to an excel-friendly format (something I depend on for my own personal accounting).

Another added value is that iReconcile has a browser-based client that any user can log into from a Mac or PC. Here you can do things like edit a specific transaction and look at your spending history in very polished format. I started using iReconcile (originally Checkbook) since 2008, and haven't looked back to a traditional checkbook since. Go ahead, give it a try!

[$2.99 - iTunes link]

Brian's Pick: Fragger

Fragger is almost a puzzle-type game in which you will face levels in which you will need to think before acting. You play as a special soldier who has to take on terrorist-type enemies by your lonesome and all you have is some gernades with you. The terrorists could be in buildings or in ditches or anything crazy you can imagine. Your goal is to launch your gernades in a manner that will...well blow the enemy up! The fewer the gernades you use the more medals you will earn for that level. One would look at it like Angry Birds in a way just much more violent. There are nearly 130 levels to complete and they range from incredibly easy to pretty tough.

The graphics are cartoon style graphics but look absolutely stunning on the retina display. They also have included Game Center leader boards and achievements for your gaming pleasure. If you have not tried this game yet beware that it can become very addicting in seemingly no time at all and for only $0.99 in the App Store why not give it a shot?

[$0.99 - iTunes Link]

Chris V's Pick: Gifts HD

It's that time of year again, and with an ever growing extended family (new nieces, nephews, etc) it becomes even more difficult to keep track of the gifts I am going to give everyone. That's where Gifts HD comes in. This iPad app allows me to track by budget, purchases, and even post purchase "processing" (wrapping, mailed, even typing in a tracking number) to make sure the gifts get there on time. It's an easy way to keep track of things that could easily get forgotten this Christmas season. At $3.99, it's reasonably priced, especially if it means my mother in law will get her present on time this year!

[$3.99 - iTunes link]

Chris O's Pick: Tesco Groceries

Tesco Groceries is an app that is designed to save you a boat load of time, and it delivers in spades! Sure you can use the service already via a web browser but this app just makes everything much easier and accessible. From booking a delivery time to finding the items that you need, it is an easy experience from start to finish. As with all grocery shopping, you always forget something; with this app you can go back in and add it to your list in seconds; even when you are on the go. You can scan a barcode of an item you are running low on, and it will be automatically added to your basket.

Gone are the days of dragging the children round the supermarket at the weekend, wasting your valuable time. Place your order and 24 hours later it is delivered to your door.

[Free - iTunes link]

Farbod's Pick: MultiMusicInfo (Jailbreak)

MultiMusicInfo is a tweak for jailbroken phones running iOS 4.x that shows song, album, and artist info on your music player section of the app switcher. It also replaces the iPod icon with the album art of whatever song is playing. The icon overlay can also be easily modified in order to play nice with custom themes. MultiMusicInfo is available on Cydia for $0.99.

George's Pick: BBC iPlayer (web app)

BBC iPlayer is the official BBC site that let's you watch your favourite BBC shows up to a week after they aired on TV.

With all the content you would find on the desktop website, packed into a gorgeous UI, the iPhone web app is a great way to view your favourite BBC content anywhere. There is also an option to 'favourite' shows, so you always have an update of the latest episodes.

A great feature is that because its a web app, if you get interrupted by a text message or phone call, you can load up Safari, and start again where you left off.

The web app is currently only available over WIFI or Vodafone/3's 3G networks, and unfortunately is UK only.

[www.bbc.co.uk/iPlayer]

Rene's pick: Astronut

The Icon Factory makes pretty pixels and nice noises, whether it be Twitterrific, Ramp Champ, or their latest labor of love -- Astronut. The premise is simple, you have a jump and boost button, the universe has gravity, aliens, and wrap-around. You try to grab the treats and get to the end. It tries to kill you dead before you can. And therein lies the fun. It's quick enough to play while you're waiting in line or stuck on the phone, addictive enough to cost you some sleep if you let it.

The basic game is free and you can get more levels via in-app purchase.

[Free - iTunes link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

Google has added some much awaited functionality to Google Docs today -- you can now edit your docs on-the-go with iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad!

The feature will be rolling out over the next few days and means that:

• You can work on that important memo...while on the bus or train to work.
• If you’re behind on a group proposal, but really want to make it to the ball game tonight, your whole team can work on it from the bleacher seats.
• You can take minute-by-minute notes at a concert so you’ll always remember the setlist. And your friends can jealously follow in real-time at home.
• ...and the list goes on!

If you utilize Google Docs all you have to do is visit docs.google.com in Safari on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and select the document you would like to edit. Once the document is open simply select the edit button and you will be switched over to their mobile editor.

Let us know if you are excited for the seemingly much anticipated feature and if you use it how it worked out for you!

Check out a video of Google Docs editing on-the-go in a video after the break!

[ Google Mobile Blog ]

Google has posted an update to their blogger account notating some new changes to their mobile version of Gmail.  From the looks of it, scrolling looks to be much improved as far as smoothness goes.  Before the pages seemed to be a bit more choppy and the distance it would scroll wasn't always very accurate.  That problem appears to be fixed.

They've also added a floating toolbar that will remain static even when you scroll.  This should make it a lot easier to jump around your mailbox instead of having to scroll all the way back up a long thread in order to return to your inbox or another folder.  Google is noting these updates are compatible with devices running iOS 4.0 and up.

They're also asking that if you have suggestions or comments, you should feel free to visit the Google Support Forums or tweet it and mention #gmailmobile.  Do you guys use the web version of this app at all? I personally just have Gmail set up as exchange.  Seems a lot less work to me.  What do you guys think?

During a press event today, Facebook announced new Groups, which aim to simplify and make social interaction more communal, data portability which sounds like it takes a little of the wall off Facebook's garden, and application control, which should let you better decide who gets your data.

Mashable's got the goods on all of it:

Groups are closed by default (but can be secret or open) and are designed to be spaces where small groups of friends share information, with each group controlled by the entirety of its members — an important new direction for Facebook. The group chat feature is just as it sounds; members can participate in back-and-forth IM conversations with everyone in the group at the same time.

On the data portability front, Facebook has now made it possible to download all of the content and information that you have added to Facebook. This means that you can download your photos, videos, wall posts, conversation threads and status updates.

How -- and of course when -- we'll see groups implemented on the iPhone Facebook app is anyone's guess, as is when -- or if -- we'll see a Facebook app for iPad. We did get Places fairly quickly in the US and more and more countries are rolling out every week, so it could be on it's way.

While we wait and see, what do you think of the changes in general?

[Mashable, Mashable]

Google have announced that Google Docs editing is coming to the iPad in the next few weeks. The news comes via their Google Blog in a post about their Google Atmosphere Event in Paris France:

• We’re launching new cloud-powered capabilities: two-step verification to help enhance security and soon, mobile editing in Google Docs on Android and the iPad™

Second, today we demonstrated new mobile editing capabilities for Google Docs on the Android platform and the iPad. In the next few weeks, co-workers around the world will soon be able to co-edit files simultaneously from an even wider array of devices.

Currently you can view Google Docs on the iPad but not edit, so this is great news especially after RIM recently purchased into DataViz which make Documents to Go, one of the best Office Suites available for the iPad, and now may be planning to be Blackberry exclusive. Makes me wish that I had got the 3G iPad now, oh well I am sure Apple will be planning a new model early next year, an upgrade is already on the horizon.

[Google Blog]

This is an official entry by chrisoldroyd in TiPb’s next top blogger contest. Think you have what it takes to join Team TiPb? Bring it!

Adobe Illustrator CS5 HTML5 Pack adds several HTML5 authoring features to the venerable vector-based design program including:

• Efficiently design for web and devices by exporting Illustrator Artboards for unique screen sizes using SVG and CSS3 media queries.

• Create web widgets with Illustrator by generating dynamic vector art for data driven web work-flows.

• Take advantage of the latest enhancements to SVG and Canvas to generate interactive web content.

• Map artwork appearance attributes from designer to developer tools—export from the Illustrator Appearance Panel to CSS3 for streamlined styling of web pages.

Whether or not Adobe is finding themselves in a Kevin Smith catch -- hate the idea of biting into Flash, still want to make money from anything that does -- it's great to see them adding support for HTML5 to one of the most popular design packages on the market. It's relagated to an Adobe Labs add-on right now, but HTML5 needs a killer IDE and that's something Adobe could deliver. (Then, of course, devs could more easily make us even more killer HTML5 apps for our iPhones and iPads.)

[Adobe Labs via Technologizer]

Google has a nifty update ready for users of their Finance web app, and while it won't work on iOS (of course), we're sure many in the US will appreciate the new Google Voice integration with Gmail as well. Here's the low down on Google Finance Mobile:

We heard your feedback and are please to announce we’ve launched the new Android/iPhone edition of Google Finance for mobile! The markets don’t stop when you leave your desk, so we’re bringing the markets to you. Our new design gives you a unified experience across desktop and Android or iPhone phones, offering nearly all the same features and functionality on both. You can easily access the new site when you do a Google search for stock tickers or company names on your mobile device, or when you tap the "Finance" tab on the Google mobile homepage.

For more on the new Google Voice in Gmail, we refer you to the video... after the break.

[Google Finance, Gmail, via Android Central]

Google continues to rapidly reincarnate their iPad Gmail web app, this time introducing Apple Mail-style stacks into the mix. Back when the iPad optimized version of Gmail was launched, Google emphasized their new code base would allow for just this kind of fast feature development, and now hot on the heels of the new compose screen, stacks will allow for easier grouping and organizing of mail. They also gave Google's team a chance to play with CSS transitions to try and get closer in look and feel to native apps.

Our question is -- how many of you are using Gmail via the web browser on iPad rather than via GoogleSync or IMAP in the native mail app? Are the extra features like labels and star worth the lack of notification and native performance?

[Google, Mobile Blog thanks trevor!]

I just launched iCal (by accident!) and was greeted with the dialog box above, asking if I'd like to upgrade to the new MobileMe Calendar beta. Um. Okay. I went through the upgrade, which launched Safari and had me log into my MobileMe account, only to get a server error and a request to try again. Second time was the charm, though, and all my events were updated and I now have the shiny new -- clearly iPad-inspired -- MobileMe Calendar Beta at my beck and call.

For the MobileMe Mail Beta, I requested an invitation and received an email confirmation, so this was different. Anyone else getting "invited" into the MobileMe calendar beta this way?

Update: I received an email notification for the beta a few minutes later with instructions to log into MobileMe on the web to begin the upgrade procedure. I guess iCal was just a second upgrade vector. Still, a nice surprise.

More screenshots after the break.

Google's YouTube has deployed a significant update to their mobile site, m.youtube.com. As is typical with Google's web apps, it works well and looks even better. Here's their hit list:

It's really fast. The user interface incorporates larger, more touch-friendly elements, making it easier to access videos on the go. It incorporates the features and functionality you’ve come to expect from the .com site, like search query suggestions, the options to create playlists, the ability to designate “favorite,” “like” or “unlike” videos directly from your device. As we make improvements to Youtube.com, you’ll see them quickly follow on our mobile site, unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently.

Sure, iPhone has a built-in YouTube app but it gets its updates only a few times a year when iOS gets updated. Theoretically, m.youtube.com will get updates any time YouTube feels like it, hopefully as fast as the main YouTube site. And hey, who doesn't like options?

Video after the break.

Apple is launching a new version of the online MobileMe calendar web app, and much like they did with the new version of online mail, the design influence of the iPad app is unmistakable. Want in on the beta? Here's what you have to do:

To sign up, go to me.com/calendar and click "Request an invitation." You will receive an email notification when you have been added to the beta (we will add members in the order of their request over the coming weeks).

New features include:

• The aforementioned new, iPad-like UI.
• Shared calendars (for family and friends).
• Published calendars (for groups and teams).
• Event invitations with RSVPs (yes!).
• Based on CalDAV standard.

It's good to go on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac, with Outlook support for the PC coming soon.

So, how does it sound? Enough of an upgrade? Anything major still missing? Anyone get in on the beta yet?

Full feature descriptions after the break.

[MobileMe News]

Beautiful new web application
The Calendar beta includes a new web application at me.com with great-looking calendar views. You'll find redesigned day, week, and month views, as well as a new list view to make scanning your events easier. Your calendars will also load faster, thanks to improved performance. The new web application works best with Safari 5, Firefox 3.6, and Internet Explorer 8.

Share calendars with family and friends
You can easily share your calendars with one or more MobileMe members to keep everyone on the same page. For example, create a shared calendar called "Kids" for school and weekend activities. You can allow the person you're sharing a calendar with to edit events, and set up email notifications to tell you when they make a change.

Publish a calendar for a group or team
The Calendar beta lets you share a read-only public calendar that can be viewed by anyone, perfect for publishing an events calendar such as a soccer team schedule. After setting it up you can send the team members a link to view the calendar on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.

Event invitations with RSVPs
Inviting any guest to an event is easy from the MobileMe Calendar beta. Just add their email address to the event (they don't have to be a MobileMe member) and your guests will get an invitation email they can respond to directly by clicking a link. Your event then automatically updates, making it easy to track RSVPs right in your calendar.

Works on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac
The MobileMe Calendar beta uses the CalDAV standard so you can view and edit your calendars using the built-in calendar applications on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. Please note that support for PCs with Microsoft Outlook is coming soon.

It seems Google has slipped in some improvement for Google Docs document viewing via iPhone and iPad (and Android). For quite a while, the only documents that really played nice (at least for me), were spreadsheets. You can now go to docs.google.com on your Android or iOS device and view formats such as .xls, .pdf, .ppt, .doc, and .docx. I didn't see anything about .pptx though, I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one. If they're supporting .docx, not supporting the newer Powerpoint format doesn't really make sense to me.

The only glitch I seemed to find is that Word documents aren't that pretty. Some of my old accounting Word attachments were formatted pretty bad. I checked them on the computer and it wasn't the actual document. That may be something that needs a tweak on Google's end.

Here's a quick tip for iPhone users as well. What I actually do is open the Google Mobile App and click Google Docs, it'll automatically route you to the docs.google.com page in Safari. So you can go that route as well.

Hit the jump for some screens!

[Google Mobile Blog via Android Central]

As was widely expected, Apple's MobileMe web apps -- me.com -- are back online after their scheduled maintenance, and sporting an updated look and some new features.

The new Mail has come out of beta and now everyone can enjoy server-side rules, which is terrific if way overdue. In the not-so-terrific pile, previously you could instantly switch between apps using a conventional menu bar. Now you have to figure out that clicking the cloud icon top left will bring up and icon bar which you can then click to switch tasks. Less discoverability and efficiency in one update? Not very Apple.

(They've standardized on the iPhone app icons to represent Me.com tasks, however, which is good. And they look great.)

Are you trying to new Me.com? What do you think?

UPDATE: Apple's MobileMe email announcement, after the break.

Service Update: New MobileMe Mail, Find My iPhone, and more.

Today we're making available to all MobileMe members an all-new Mail web application, a Find My iPhone app, and a new way to navigate between applications at me.com. Read on for details.

All-new Mail at me.com

MobileMe Mail on the web (now out of beta) has been completely redesigned with powerful new features such as widescreen view for reading email with less scrolling, rules to keep your email organized everywhere, and faster performance. For more details on these and other new Mail features, please read this news post.

Find My iPhone app and more

You can now download the free Find My iPhone app, enabling you to locate a misplaced device directly from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch while on the go. After installing it from the App Store, just launch the app and sign in to quickly locate your devices on a map and access the other Find My iPhone features — Display a Message or Play a Sound, Remote Lock, and Remote Wipe.*

The Find My iPhone web application on me.com has also been updated with a full-screen map view. Clicking your missing device on the map lets you access all the Find My iPhone actions to help you recover your device and protect the information on it.

Learn more about improvements to Find My iPhone here.

New way to get around me.com

We've also given me.com a new look and a new way to navigate between applications. Simply click the cloud icon in the upper left of the page, and choose from Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Gallery, iDisk, and Find My iPhone. To access account information, help, or to sign out, just click your name on the top right.

We recommend accessing me.com with Safari 5, Firefox 3.6 or later, or Internet Explorer 8. If you have questions about this update, please read this FAQ.

We hope you enjoy these improvements to MobileMe. Thank you for being a MobileMe member.

Sincerely,

The MobileMe Team

*Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe are not available in all countries.

Apple is taking MobileMe's web apps down for maintenance from 10pm to 12am PST tonight. MacRumors has heard this may just be to tweak the interface and add new functionality that:

will see the rolling out of several new enhancements, including an official launch of the redesigned Mail interface for MobileMe that has been available in beta form for the past month. Included in this rollout will be push functionality for the Web-based Mail client, providing real-time updating as messages arrive.

Apple is also reportedly removing the MobileMe "toolbar" for the various Web applications offered by the service, replacing the toolbar with a single "application switcher" icon that will allow users to switch between Web applications.

They've also heard a dedicated, universal iPhone and IPad app for Find My iPhone is on its way as well. That would be a first, since Apple hasn't so far updated any of their existing iPhone apps for iPad.

I guess we'll see come tomorrow.

[MobileMe System Status, MacRumors]

During WWDC 2010 I had a chance to sit down with the team from Agile Web Solutions -- Roustem, Dave, Jamie, Dan, and Chad -- to talk not only about their newly launched 1Password for iPad, but about the big news of the show including official browser extension support from Apple in Safari 5, and of course iPhone 4 and iOS 4.

Apple called Agile about their new Safari 5 extensions before they debuted in hopes of having a demo ready for the show. Dave found the preview was polished and well documented and it took them only a few days to put something together. That sounds like good news not only for developers but for Safari users as well.

Agile also said making the iPad version was a chance to start from scratch and figure out how users were going to interact with the larger, wider display, and with the ability to do things like scrolling independently with each thumb.

While I used 1Password on Mac long before the iPhone debuted, Roustem pointed out they now have a whole new user base introduced to their product via the iPhone and iPad and with no Mac-based preconceptions. While the iPhone and iPad versions [iTunes link] are great for Mac or Windows users as an extension, Agile is also working to help iPhone and iPad-only users get more out of it as well.

As for iPhone 4 -- they want it. (Even if Dan has to re-render his artwork at higher resolution to support it). Chad's also looking forward to iOS 4 multitasking and like the way it runs select API rather than full apps in the background.

(Though I suspect they were just humoring me when I asked for Game Center integration so I could see where my 63 character pseudo-random passwords place on the leaderboard compared to Leanna's!)

You can find out more about 1Password for Mac, PC, iPhone, and iPad, and the newly acquired Knox, via Agile's web site, below. Video after the break.

[Agile Web Solutions]

YouTube link

Whether or not you agree with Apple going all-in on HTML5, they're certainly putting their clout where their mouth is, launching a new showcase on Apple.com, complete with some terrific demos and a link to developer.apple.com for those who want to roll their own interactive, standards based solutions.

Every new Apple mobile device and every new Mac — along with the latest version of Apple’s Safari web browser — supports web standards including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. These web standards are open, reliable, highly secure, and efficient. They allow web designers and developers to create advanced graphics, typography, animations, and transitions. Standards aren’t add-ons to the web. They are the web. And you can start using them today.

Interestingly, Apple's previous iPad ready HTML5 site listing, and Steve Jobs' Thoughts on Flash article are both featured at the bottom of the page.

If there was any remaining, lingering doubt, HTML5 and Safari are Apple's open app platform and they're going all in. How far are we from a future where HTML5 and web apps are legitimate peers to native apps in terms of delivering the functionality and features users need?

UPDATE: 9to5Mac points out you can get these to open in other HTML5 browsers like Chrome or Firefox by going to the developer.apple.com page. Weird.

[Apple.com]

Speaking of Facebook, it looks like they've joined the growing list of sites that are now providing HTML5 video for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad compatible playback. UPDATE: As noted in the comments, Facebook isn't using HTML5, they're pushing the video straight to the iPhone and iPad's native H.264-compatible QuickTime player.

That list of compatible sites now includes YouTube and Vimeo, TED, Brightcove-powered sites such as New York Times and Time Magazine, CBS.com (in trial form),

Good news for us and for Apple, not great news for Adobe on the video front, as yet another reason for needing Flash bites the dust.

And boy does Hulu look like last-mover these days...

[MacStories via Redmond Pie]

Done21.com has discovered something interesting in the online iPad user-guide: a new JavaScript framework they've dubbed AdLib (after its filename) that allows for very native app look and feel in the decidedly web-based app.

AppleInsider notes that it appears to be related to the PastryKit framework used for the iPhone user-guide (which stands to reason), and the TuneKit framework used for iTunes LP and iTunes Extra. And that the name may tie-in to the iAd rumors, and to internal efforts on Apple's part to raise the bar of web apps and diminish the need for plugins like Flash and Java.

Could we find out more at Apple's iPhone 4.0 event tomorrow? We certainly hope so. As much as some decry the closed nature of the App Store, developing for Safari is wide open and a new class of better, faster, stronger web apps is ultimately good for everyone.

Video after the break!

YouTube link

Google continues to lead the pack when it comes to web apps, so we're not surprised to see them announce an experimental Gmail site up and optimized in time for the iPad release.

We’re releasing an experimental user interface for the iPad built on the Gmail for mobile HTML5 web app that we launched last year for the iPhone and Android devices. Those devices have large screens compared to other phones, and tablets like the iPad give us even more room to innovate. To take advantage of the iPad’s large display, we’ve created a two-pane view with your list of conversations on the left and messages to the right.

Some other Google web apps will present iPad-optimized versions, while a few will retain their desktop look. Google fired up their iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad simulator, checked things out, and decided what worked best.

When you get your iPad give it a shot and let us know how they did!

[Google via MacRumors]

In that stream of 700 iPad apps revealed last night, Engadget noticed a few gems including Netflix and ABC, and with CBS doing the HTML5-video thing and Hulu once again being rumored, could content consumption nirvana finally be near?

Netflix is said to be a free app that will be ready by the April 3 iPad launch. You'll be able to browse and manage your queue and stream movies and TV shows right to your iPad. No word on weather its Wi-Fi-only or 3G as well, and no word on whether an iPhone and iPod touch version is coming (ahem!)

ABC's player is also said to be free but Wi-Fi bound. You'll still get your Lost and Grey's Anatomy fix direct from the network, however. Whether it will make into the iPad App Store by launch day is unknown, as is their monetization method (i.e. will there be commercials?)

CBS, according to the Wall Street Journal, is sticking with their web-based strategy of streaming HTML5 video through Mobile Safari and not making a dedicated app. Hey, maybe that at least will give iPhone and iPod touch owners equal access?

Hulu, which carries the last two remaining networks, NBC and FOX is still unclear but the New York Times once again gets our hopes up. It's not all rosy, however, as the network nuts behind the scenes reportedly aren't happy with revenue and want something like subscriptions bolted one. They better get their act together and quickly or their old world thinking will condemn the bright boys and girls at Hulu to last place in the brave new mobile media world...

The iPhone and Facebook and Twitter go together like chocolate and peanut butter but just like there are a lot of tasty desert combinations, there's a lot of ways to keep up with your social networks on the go:

• The web. Hey, it's where most social networks started and because the iPhone has the excellent Mobile Safari web browser, you can just point it towards facebook.com, twitter.com (or any other social-network.com) and get your status on. Both Facebook and Twitter provide iPhone-optimized versions of their websites as well, though you can tap-through to the full sites.
• App Store apps like the official Facebook app [Free - iTunes link] or any of the excellent 3rd party Twitter apps. The Facebook app really came into its own with version 3.0. Version 3.1 added the much-requested push notifications, though it brought with it numerous, aggravating bugs... Twitter clients on the other hand are many and varied, from the write-centric Birdhouse [$1.99 - iTunes link] to the read-centric Reportage [$1.99 - iTunes link], with the uber-popular Tweetie [$2.99 - iTunes link] and Twitterrific [Free or $4.99 - iTunes link], and push-centric TwitBit [Free or $2.99 - iTunes link] and many others making us the envy of the platform space.

And with either of those options there's still several things you can do with them:

• Share your status. Telling your friends who you're with, what you're watching, where you're going, why you're ticked off, and how it's all some other friend's fault is probably the oldest, most common use of social networks. There are even apps like qStatus [$0.99 - iTunes link] that specialize in updating them.
• Share your photos. Flickr uploads, Twitter pics, Facebook galleries -- people like to show other people their family, funny, even freaky photos and social networks make it easy. Sure you can email a photo to a few people, but you can post it to as many friends as you have
• Share your gaming. "I just walked 3 meters and fell to my grisly death in..." is all over our social status' thanks to games that offer built-in auto-Tweet and auto-Facebook options. Whether it's for your crops, your castle, your drag-race, your FPS, or any other of a dozen games in a dozen genres, they can instantly let al your friends hear you brag (or complain!)
• Combine your logins. Facebook Connect and Twitter's login services let you use your existing social network ID at a variety of other sites, either add-on services/apps to Facebook or Twitter, or other social networks. Hey, some people don't want to have to remember multiple user names and passwords, you know?

We'd love Facebook to fix the 3.1 trunk, we'd love Twitter to add an official push-API, and we'd love Apple to let us multitask them all, but the iPhone remains a premiere platform for social networking and we've only just scratched the surface. Web or App, and what for? Tell us -- how you use your iPhone to keep up with your social networks? (And if you don't use social networks at all, let us know why not!)

Outside storing music in the iPhone's built in iPod app, there are a variety of ways to simply stream the audio you want to listen to:

• Streaming internet radio/subscription apps are the obvious place to start. Slacker [iTunes link], Pandora [iTunes link], Pocket Tunes [iTunes link], Spotify [iTunes link]... the list goes on an on. Some are limited to the US (or just slightly beyond the US) or Europe, but those who have them in their area often swear by them. Some of these also provide local storage so you can keep some of the songs on your device for those occasions when a Wi-Fi or 3G isn't available.
• Musical games, spearheaded by Tap Tap Revenge [iTunes link] and Rock Band [iTunes link] have shown that users are just as willing -- sometimes even more willing -- to buy songs for sport as they are for simple enjoyment. With in-app purchases, some of these games have even become music stores unto themselves.
• Musical apps, where an artist or group wants to create something more than just a song file or even iTunes LP, have also become fairly common on the App Store. These can range significantly in content and presentation, but they can and do bring the music.
• Storage apps, like MobileMe iDisk, Box.net, DropBox, etc. can give you access to the music you keep on the cloud. Just like they can view your documents and other files, they can typically play any supported audio format you've loaded them up with.
• Mobile Safari, the iPhone and iPod touch (and soon, iPad) web browser can play any music format Apple supports. Just tap on a link and the Quicktime player pops up, buffers, and plays your audio. This includes audio you've stored on your own web-enabled server setups. And it's one of the few apps that's allowed to keep playing in the background -- when it doesn't run out of RAM or lose connection or otherwise glitch-out.
• iTunes app, while it will only give you 30 seconds of music for sampling, will stream full-length podcasts if you tap on the title instead of the download button. If you prefer talking and creative commons to the latest premium hits, it's a surprisingly useful option. And it will play in the background just like Safari (and potentially fail, just like Safari).

We're all hoping iPhone 4.0 addresses that pesky "no streaming internet music while using other apps" multitasking miss we've suffered through lo these last 3 years, but in the meantime -- what are you using to stream your music on your iPhone? Any tips and or tricks you can share?

MacRumors reports on an email being sent to users of Apple's iWork.com document sharing site that outlines a few updates to the service, including one for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad:

Refined user interface. A redesigned Sign In and Shared Documents page for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch makes it easy to access your documents while on the go. The new interface and improved scrolling help you find your shared documents faster. Visit www.iwork.com from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to view your shared documents.

iWork.com has been in beta since it was introduced at Macworld 2009 and it's still unclear exactly how much effort Apple is putting into it compared to say iWork touch recently unveiled for the iPad, and whether or not Apple will ever release full-on Web App versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote to compete with Google Docs and Microsoft's new Office 2010 Online.

If you use iWork.com, let us know what you think of the changes.

TechCrunch links to noted developer Tim Bray who's taking a position as "Developer Advocate" at Google for Android but who announces it while taking a swipe at Apple's iPhone:

The iPhone vision of the mobile Internet’s future omits controversy, sex, and freedom, but includes strict limits on who can know what and who can say what. It’s a sterile Disney-fied walled garden surrounded by sharp-toothed lawyers. The people who create the apps serve at the landlord’s pleasure and fear his anger.

Which is completely and utterly wrong, of course. That's Apple's vision of the mobile, curated App Store which they intend to be a family friendly, corporately liable software repository. Apple's vision of the mobile internet is Mobile Safari and its WebKit rendering engine and other technological underpinnings, most of which are open source and heavily supported by Apple.

You can, now, today, get porn on the iPhone via Mobile Safari. You can get Google Voice. You can pretty much get anything and everything without any interference from or need for approval by Apple. It's the definition of the Winer-ian vendor-less platform Bray quotes. Never mind:

I’m going to have to get savvier about HTML5-based applications, because a lot of smart people think the future’s there, that the “native app” notion will soon seem quaint.

And HTML5 (which allows web-based apps to behave more like native apps) is something Apple has been pushing very hard as well (from promotion at Apple's Developer Tech Talk World Tour to WebKit.org itself). And again, now, today, you can code and run some of the best, most robust HTML5 applications for mobile to run well on iPhone Safari -- and other WebKit-based mobile browsers.

We've said many times Safari is Apple's open app store, and Apple even includes it beside Mac and iPhone on developer.apple.com. That's what confuses us about comments like Bray's and TechCrunch's mention of former Facebook for iPhone developer Joe Hewitt (who has since said the iPad is "everything he's wished for").

We'll stop short of assigning motives to Bray's comments, given his new job. It's awesome for Bray and Google and Android and developers to even have that sort of person in that sort of position, and we congratulate and wish all of them well. But it's important to point out that while Apple's App Store might be "closed as in managed", Mobile Safari is wide open; if you're a web developer it's delivering as well or better than anyone else on the promise of of that platform today.

Apple has changed MobileMe's me.com site, previously inaccessible from iPhone or iPod touch Safari, to not only allow access to Find My iPhone, but to offer help in setting up accounts and getting additional apps. iTunes Preview, meanwhile, has duplicated even more of the media and app browsing experience on the web by adding support for categories.

First up, when you used to go to http://www.me.com on your iPhone, you used to see an intercept page telling you to set up the services on your iPhone and that was it. Now the new page (above) has a link to setting up those services, a direct link to Find my iPhone, and links for getting Apple's free Gallery and iDisk App Store apps.

Obviously, Find My iPhone from an iPhone or iPod touch (or iPad, as we presume that's what Apple is setting all this up for) is the Big News here. The link itself is a bit clunky still and the Find My iPhone page hasn't been optimized for the iPhone, but having it available online and mobile is huge.

Next, TUAW shows how Apple has once again expanded iTunes Preview -- the web browser-based front for the iTunes store -- adding full on category pages to the previous app and music rollout. Another piece in the rumored iTunes.com cloud-based puzzle?

Let us know what you think of these changes!

[Thanks Jason for the tip!]

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that, according to Adobe 7 million iPhone and iPod touch users attempted to download Flash in December, well over the 3 million who tried back in June. We wonder how many of those were for Hulu, and whether rumors of a Hulu app for iPad would change them significantly?

Engadget feels that both Apple and Adobe's competition (competing smartphone platforms that will soon include Flash 10.1, and competing video and rich-content delivery systems from HTML5 to Silverlight which now streams H.264 to the iPhone) are the only ones who will benefit.

We figure technology might as well, as Flash is forced to make less resource intensive, more security and privacy-friendly plugins and Apple and others are forced to make and push alternatives.

Case in point, Hulu. Techcrunch and 9to5mac hear a a Hulu app might still be in progress and set to launch in March in time for the iPad. Their videos are already H.264 so no conversion is required, but they make money off their advertising, which is entirely Flash-based now, and would need to either be replaced with HTML5 for a web app, or Cocoa touch for a native App Store app.

Either way, we're still waiting..

Earlier today Google unveiled their new Google Voice WebApp for iPhone. Sure you can place calls, send text messages, get your voice mail, and access all of your account settings but TiPb was curious how it would stack up to the real-deal native app on Google's own Android platform.

For the full scoop and screenshots, follow me after the break!

If you are a Google Voice user, the first thing you will want to do is add Google's crafty little icons for each part of Google Voice directly to your iPhone Home Screen. Doing so gives you quick access to contacts, the dialer, the voicemail/SMS inbox, and create new SMS pages. Once you select the icon of your choice, Safari pulls up the iPhone optimized WebApp and you're good to go. So, for example, tapping the Google Voice icon will bring you straight to the dialer just as you'd expect -- fast and simple.

Next up we have contacts and that too is laid out very nicely. You get your top called or messaged contacts along with your complete contact list and a search button to search through your contacts. It is important to note you must have your contacts in your Gmail account to access them as this WebApp can not access the contacts stored on your phone.

Going into the inbox you will see not only your SMS messages but your voice mail as well. When you select a voice mail it shows a transcript of the message that was left for you (or I should say it tries it's best to do so). You have three choices for voice mail -- have a transcript sent to via email, via SMS, or open it directly in the WebApp.

So what we have here is a very good effort on Google's part to work with their hands tied behind their back due to Apple rejecting the Google Voice App Store application. Is it as good as the native Android Google Voice app? Not even close.

At the end of the day even though it is a great WebApp, it's still just a WebApp. It can't access your local iPhone contacts, only your online Google Contacts. The bigger issue, however -- and one even a native App Store Google Voice app would suffer from -- is that's it is not integrated into the OS the way it is on Android.

If it was, you could receive calls and SMS from your Google Voice number right on your iPhone. On Android, your Google Voice number can become your phone number. No WebApp, or iPhone app, can currently provide that level of integration and there's no sign Apple has any interest in ever allowing one to.

So, on the bright side, the Google Voice WebApp is close to as good as an App Store app could be.

Below are some screen shots of the native Android Google Voice application.

Google has released the long-awaited Google Voice WebApp for iPhone (and Palm webOS), something they said they'd be doing in the wake of their exclusion from the iTunes App Store.

Similar to Google's other, marvelous WebApps like Gmail, it leverages the advanced web technologies built into iPhone Safari to provide an optimized UI through which make calls from your Google Voice number and send SMS. Or so we hear... TiPb HQ has been trying to try it, but it's been "fail city" according to Dieter, with lots of network request errors. (At least on the iPhone, his Palm Pre is doing better).

"It's a very pretty "Network Request Failed" pop up dialog box. Quite impressive," he says. (See it after the jump.)

According to TechCrunch, however:

It is built on HTML5 with most of the functionality of the original iPhone app, except that it cannot access the local contact list in your iPhone’s address book. It lets you manage a separate Google Voice contact list which is kept in the cloud instead. Google Voice voice routes your calls through its servers and acts as a new hub through which you can manage calls and forward them to various phones. You can also manage your settings and various phone numbers. The HTML5 makes it very fast, allows for local caching of data, and supports the voice tags necessary to play the audio voicemails through the browser.

You can access it via http://m.google.com/voice. If you're a Google Voice user, let us know how it works for you, and how it compares to a native app like GV Mobile for Jailbreak.

Video after the break!

And Dieter's error screen:

Our sibling site PreCentral.net pointed out that the Google Reader Blog has announced some updates for their mobile optimized site. While they show it off on the iPhone's Safari, it'll work fine on any WebKit browser:

The interface is improved overall, and the laundry list of new features includes:

• Support for "liking", tagging, and sorting feeds by oldest and newest
• A More/Less feature to reduce clutter
• Updates to the header bringing it into line with the likes of Gmail and Calendar
• The addition of a new drop-down menu
• A new "Recommended Sources" section

Wow, Google is showing no signs of slowing down the pace of WebApp innovation. If you're a Google Reader user, give it a try and let us know what you think!

Neither Google Voice nor any Google Voice-related apps snuck back into the App Store, at least not yet, but VoiceCentral aims to fill that void with its Black Swan Edition WebApp alternative. TechCrunch has the details:

The app is completely browser-based but has the look and feel of a regular app, complete with a dialer, list of transcribed voicemails, and SMS messages.

Using the WebApp calls both the number you want to reach and your Google Voice number, so you're still using voice minutes, and it can't access your iPhone contacts so you have to upload (and update) those separately. Still, the voicemail and SMS will no doubt appeal to some. It even does HTML5-style local caching.

Once again, as TechCrunch and Apple themselves point out, WebApps provide a way to develop for the iPhone outside the App Store and associated approval method (and problems).

If you have a Google Voice account and want to give VoiceCentral a try, you can apply for the beta. If you get in, let us know how it works for you!

Video after the break!

[YouTube video link]

Our friends over at PreCentral.net bring word that Palm has launched a beta version of their browser-based IDE (integrated development environment) for webOS called Project Ares (sounds Manga, harkens to the Hellenic god of war -- nice!). Supports Safari, Chrome, and Firefox (no mention of Internet Explorer?).

You can simply fire up your browser and go to http://ares.palm.com/, sign in with your developer account, and get coding.

Apple's iPhone SDK and IDE, evolved from the very mature Mac Xcode and Interface Builder, and the Cocoa Touch frameworks are often cited as reasons for the App Store's success and the quality and consistency of some of the very best apps. So, providing Palm webOS developers with similar tools (and frameworks?) is smart. And how utterly appropriate for a platform ballsy enough to be webOS, programmed in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to be ballsy enough to move their IDE to the cloud. How Palm keeps out-Googling Google in the mobile space is amazing.

We throw the horns up in your general direction, sirs.

(We'll also reference back to Apple's PastryKit JavaScript frameworks, and wonder aloud again whether Apple will make it public, along with a Dashcode-style IDE for iPhone WebApps to go along with it? And would they -- or should they -- ever make it similarly cloud-basd?)

Daring Fireball has a supersized post up on PastryKit, which looks to be an Apple-developed framework for making HTML, CSS, and JavaScript-based WebApps, and its been quietly lurking for a while now in the online iPhone User Guide when viewed via the iPhone (or Mac or Windows Safari with the browser-agent set to MobileSafari 3x, or just watch the screencasts). What does it do? According to Gruber:

• Completely hides the address bar, even when running not from a saved-to-the-home app icon, but within a page in MobileSafari itself.
• Allows for fixed-position toolbars that never budge from the top when you scroll.
• And: sets its own scrolling friction coefficient, allowing you to fling long lists.

At WWDC 2007, when Steve Jobs announced WebApps as the original "sweet" iPhone SDK, it was arguably too soon and developers rightly pushed back and hard. Now, with HTML5, SQLite local storage, fast 3G connections, and no App Store "gatekeeping" (not to mention webOS, Chrome OS, and other web-platform initiatives), is Apple re-embracing the cloud? (See Lala, purchase of). Gruber sticks the finish as well:

The $64,000 question, though, is whether PastryKit is something Apple intends (or that a team within Apple hopes) to ship publicly. It seems like a lot of effort to build a framework this rich just for this iPhone User Guide, so I’m hopeful the answer is yes. Perhaps something integrated with the next major release of Dashcode? And, perhaps with integrated UI layout tools, along the lines of Interface Builder?

Yes please.

Twitter is previewing a new iPhone-friendlier version of their website, mobile.twitter.com, this time "eating their own dogfood" by using the same APIs they provide to developers. While Twitter has long had their m.twitter.com mobile site it's fair to say it was eclipsed by native iPhone apps making use of those APIs.

Will the new WebApp get users to go back to the online source? Personally, the power and performance of the latest App Store apps is going to be tough to beat, but if I'm ever stuck using someone else's iPhone (or non-iPhone mobile device, like I will be this weekend), a better web-based alternative will certainly be much appreciated. Says @twittermobile lead @leland on the Twitter blog:

This is just the start, we’re excited about the new APIs launching at Twitter, and have been busy tinkering with some neat ways to use them. We look forward to sharing more cool things with you soon.

It's optimized for mobile WebKit based browsers like the iPhone right now, but they'll be tweaking it for the good of all platforms eventually. If you give mobile.twitter.com a try, let us know how you like it.

If you go to wolframalpha.com on your iPhone (or iPod touch), instead of an optimized version of their website, you now presented with an intercept pop-up advising you that you can go to the App Store and get your $50 premium experience on.

Were too many people not buying the app when they could get the web for free? And is this the best way for Wolfram Alpha to handle it? Let us know what you think, we already have an idea what they'll say...

[via TUAW]

According to MediaMemo, Google might be looking to ink an agreement with networks to let YouTube stream TV shows -- for $1.99, just like iTunes (and Amazon).

Of course, when you pay iTunes $1.99 you get a local copy of the TV show on your PC -- to keep -- and the ability to view it from iTunes or Apple TV or iPhone or iPod and back. Now all those devices can hook into YouTube (it's built into Apple TV and iPhone/iPod touch) but do consumers really want to pay the same for a stream as a download, especially if there's no guarantee (yet?) that you can "pay once, stream forever on all devices"?

Executives at YouTube and TV insist that the disparity is simply a perception problem and cite studies showing that most people who download TV episodes only watch them once, anyway. But that’s a tough sell.

Um, yeah, no. I've watched some episodes of some shows a dozen or more times. Still, Google's a huge player, YouTube has a dominant streaming video footprint, and it will be interesting to see what, if any, deal emerges, and how this mythical service would compete with the mythical iTunes TV subscriptions we've also heard rumored.

What say you?

TiPb's joked before that Apple may well consider "sweet" WebApps the alternative for developers who want to release iPhone apps outside the App Store and its "gatekeeper" model, but others are starting to take that line of thinking seriously.

Peter-Paul Koch of QuirksBlog thinks so. In a post provocatively titled Apple is not evil. iPhone developers are stupid., Koch states:

In order to release an iPhone application without having to submit it to Apple’s insane App Store process, developers could just use Web technologies and create Web apps instead of native apps.

He believes iPhone Safari is a great mobile browser with excellent support even for hardware-accelerated 3D animation via CSS, and that most of his frequently used iPhone apps could be re-released as WebApps right now

Daring Fireball's John Gruber begs to differ, however:

The argument that you can make iPhone web apps that are “good enough” misses the entire point of iPhone apps — the entire point of the iPhone itself, even — all of the things that drive Twitter users to pay $3, $4, or $5 for apps that do the same things that can be done for free by loading Twitter’s web site in MobileSafari. “Good enough” is not good enough on the iPhone.

His best proof is that Apple itself is writing native apps, not WebApps, and that part of the power of the iPhone platform isn't just the hardware and interface, but the Cocoa Touch frameworks Apple has provided developers as part of the iPhone SDK, and that's a point well taken -- and all too often overlooked.

There's no arguing, however, that for apps that aren't allowed into the App Store, like Google Voice, or for developers philosophically opposed to the App Store in general, like Joe Hewitt of Facebook, WebApps are an interesting alternatives -- that by the way have a high likelihood of running on Google Android, Palm webOS, and upcoming BlackBerry WebKit-based browsers as well.

Mplayit [Facebook link] is a new online service that aims to let your Facebook friends share iPhone app recommendations with you -- and then take it one step further and actually let you see videos, demos, and other information before you decide to buy it via the iTunes App Store.

Now anything with iPhone and Facebook in the title is no doubt attention-grabbing, but as the App Store zooms past 100,000, discoverability is going to need fixing, if not from Apple than from a ton of independent thinkers just so something (anything) can shake out. Is Mplayit it?

Mplayit introduces “playable discovery” for the iPhone today in its new Facebook app store and said it would add Android and Blackberry in the coming months. Rather than hunting and pecking for reviews and top lists, the Facebook page shows real “apptivity” that is going on in app stores so users can see which apps are receiving the most downloads, reviews, plays. In coming weeks, mobile users will also be able to see the “apptivity” within their social network so they can clearly see which apps their friends and family are most interested in.

Our guess is it will depend on how many popular apps they can really show off in a way that's compelling for users. If you check it out, let us know what you think.

(And really, anything that keeps Facebookers busy, and not hitting "invite all" to spam online friends with random events on other continents -- is huge.)

Add Vimeo to the list of YouTube, Ustream, and Stickam -- sites and services making H.264 versions of their content available for iPhone and other mobile platforms either via the web or via apps.

We won't beat that drum too loudly right now, but H.264, and the new video tags in standards-based HTML5 are where we truly hope the web is headed. No reason a service that prides itself on quality shouldn't get there first.

It's only staff picks for now, but we hope they keep going and get the whole catalog done. There's nothing we'd like better than to be able to embed Vimeo on this site without readers -- justifiably -- complaining that it's not iPhone compatible.

[via Android Central]

Looks like Google Wave, the big G's cloud-based take on next-generation communication and collaboration, already works on the iPhone. No big surprise, though, it's browser powered and the iPhone still has the slickest browser in mobile. Google even showed it off on an iPhone during its debut at IO 2009. TechCrunch, however, found this interesting little bit of behavior:

Just like with any Web page on the iPhone, you can save a bookmark on your Home screen, and it creates a little icon which launches mobile Safari to that page. When you save the Wave bookmark to your Home screen, however, something different happens. You go to Wave, but without the Safari wrapper which allows you to navigate to another page or search the Web. Instead, it looks more like a regular app and there is no way to navigate away from it. Everything else works the same as in the mobile browser version.

This feature, as TechCrunch states, has been available to iPhone developers for a while, and helps blur the line between highly localized WebApps, and highly cloud-dependant widgets. If you're using Google Wave on your iPhone, let us know how it works for you. (And if you work for Google, send us an invite so we can try it.)

Search Google.com from your iPhone (or Android or webOS device) and notice the brand-spanking new Options drop-down on the top right. Tap it a list Google's Mobile Blog says:

Finding the exact information you need sometimes requires filtering and refining your search results. Earlier in the year, we launched a collection of tools called Search Options which enable you to easily and quickly do this from a computer. Today in the US, we are making Search Options available on Android/iPhone/Palm WebOS devices so that you can slice and dice your mobile search results as well. For example, suppose you are shopping at a store for a camera, and you would like to see what users have been saying about a specific model within the past week. You can do this simply by searching for the name of the product. Then, on the search results page, use "Options" to filter by "Forums" and refine further by choosing "Past week".

Let us know how it works for you...

[via PreCentral.net]

Google's "Email 2.0" service, called Google Wave was announced back at the I/O conference, and has now entered a limited beta (in terms of number of people invited, no telling how long the service itself will be in beta).

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

Since Steve Jobs probably isn't getting an invite anymore, if Google -- or anyone else -- has any to spare, please send them TiPb's way and we'll happily pick up the iPhone testing slack. (Shameless, yes. Joking, not one bit).

Now this is something from Microsoft that we're really excited about -- Office Web Apps that take the traditional second pillar of Microsoft's business and launch it up into the iPhone Safari browser-compatible cloud.

We'd prefer a native Microsoft Office for iPhone at this point, of course, but a free (ad supported, though hopefully not with 15-30 sec. un-skippable commercials...) version online? That's a great "good enough for now".

Microsoft has just begun showing off the tech preview, though Techcrunch says the mobile version is still in its infancy:

We mentioned in our original post in July that the ability to use products across the OS, browser, and mobile device is a key part of Microsoft’s strategy. We actually demo’d the Sharepoint-based version of PowerPoint on an iPhone and it was disarmingly sleek. While this functionality has already been established for Sharepoint, the SkyDrive-based apps are still being developed to work on mobile browsers. Microsoft says it will be done by the time the product launches next year.

With Google's Web Apps really raising the bar (and bringing the competitive pressure), it's not surprising to see Microsoft pushing back. And, hey, maybe Apple could get in the game and start doing something more interesting with iWork.com as well...

Determined to maintain their place atop WebApp mountain, Google released a new service today as part of their Labs testbed, and again it helps push forward just what's possible using cloud services (online data) and interactive front ends (AJAX in the browser). Google Blogs says:

Fast Flip [http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/] is a new reading experience that combines the best elements of print and online articles. Like a print magazine, Fast Flip lets you browse sequentially through bundles of recent news, headlines and popular topics, as well as feeds from individual top publishers. As the name suggests, flipping through content is very fast, so you can quickly look through a lot of pages until you find something interesting. At the same time, we provide aggregation and search over many top newspapers and magazines, and the ability to share content with your friends and community. Fast Flip also personalizes the experience for you, by taking cues from selections you make to show you more content from sources, topics and journalists that you seem to like. In short, you get fast browsing, natural magazine-style navigation, recommendations from friends and other members of the community and a selection of content that is serendipitous and personalized.

Right now they're providing content from New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, Salon, Fast Company, ProPublica and Newsweek, but the news we're excited about, and indeed have come to expect from Google is this:

We've also made a mobile version of Fast Flip [http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/mobile] with tactile page flipping for Android-powered devices and the iPhone, so you can browse on the go. This is accessible at the same address.

Now if this were combined with something like Google Books, lets say...

A couple more pics after the break. If you try it out, as always, let us know what you think.

[Thank Muero for the tip!]

Looks like YouTube is following parent-company Google's increasingly awesome mobile optimization initiative, announcing an iPhone-friendly version of the dominant media site. According to their official blog:

Just visit youtube.com from your mobile phone, and you'll be taken to a new website specially designed for your device. You can log into your account, view your favorites, and discover and share new videos quickly and easily with whoever you choose. It's part of our mission to create the best possible YouTube experience for you, whether you use the site on your computer, in your living room, or on the go.

Since Google's own Android, as well as Palm's Pre, use the same Mobile WebKit foundation as the iPhone, YouTube hits three advanced platforms with one code-base.

Nifty.

[Via PreCentral.net]

Google's own Google Voice app for the iPhone was infamously rejected from the iTunes App Store, so what's the world's leading Web 2.0 giant going to do about it? Release Google Voice as a WebApp targeted at the iPhone's advanced Mobile Safari web browser, of course!

According to David Pogue of the NY Times, much as they did with Google Latitude when that application was similarly denied entry into the App Store, Google's river is finding a way around Apple's rock:

Already, Google says it is readying a replacement for the Google Voice app that will offer exactly the same features as the rejected app—except that it will take the form of a specialized, iPhone-shaped Web page. For all intents and purposes, it will behave exactly the same as the app would have; you can even install it as an icon on your Home screen.

So, will a WebApp be enough for you Google Voice users, even one as good as Google can likely make?

David from ironicsans sent word that his genius Google Voice bookmarklet for iPhone Safari has been given a fairly awesome update:

Now there's a script people can run (with instructions) that will convert your entire Address Book into Google Voice Speed Dial bookmarklets. It saves them to an html file that can be imported into Safari Bookmarks, rearranged or edited however you like, and then synced with the iPhone. Easy.

Check it out and let us know how it works for you!

David over at ironicsans shared this little piece of inspired genius with us: Google Voice Speed Dial Bookmarklet Generator.

Bookmarklets are little snippets of JavaScript saved as bookmarks that, before there were apps on the iPhone, did all sorts of wonderful things (editor emeritus Mike Overbo whipped up a smorgasbord of them a couple years back). Since Google Voice apps are currently forbidden in the App Store, David's solution works similar wonders for them:

With bookmarklets you can call your GV contacts with one tap, and keep them organized in Safari Bookmarks folders. [The] simplest way to use it is to point your iPhone browser to http://www.ironicsans.com/gv

If you give it a try, let us know how it works for you!

Google Latitude -- the service that either allows you to keep track of your friends or be stalked by stalking stalker types, depending on your point of view -- is finally available for the iPhone and iPod touch. No, it's not built into Google Maps as part of iPhone 3.1 with push update capability. No, it's not built into Google Mobile app. No, it's not even set up as an iPhone app in and of itself.

Google Latitude is a WebApp and it runs in Mobile Safari using the iPhone 3.0 geoLocation feature.

Apparently Apple, in their infinitely-looped wisdom, hasn't yet deigned (or Google wouldn't yet offer them the chance?) to build it into Maps, and Apple decided it would be too confusing to users to have another app on the iPhone thats shows the same Google maps. (And it's not when simply framed by mobile browser chrome? Sigh.)

While Google inarguably makes among the best iPhone WebApps in the business, this doesn't strike us an ideal solution. Still it is a solution for iPhone users desperate to get their Latitude on. Until Apple gets their act together on this, here's official word from the blog:

Our Latitude web app provides all the core functionality you might expect: you can see the location of your friends on a map and modify your privacy settings so that you control how your location is shared and with whom. In fact, if my friends and colleagues back in London haven't yet noticed my absence, they'll see in Latitude that I'm currently vacationing on the beach in Australia. Hi guys, remember me!?

[...] To try Google Latitude, type google.com/latitude into your iPhone's browser. And if you miss the experience of launching the app directly from your home screen, you can add a bookmark to the home screen by opening Latitude in Safari and tapping the + icon > Add to Home Screen > Add.

Wonder if Steve Jobs is already using it to follow Eric Schmidt....?

Google Blogs (via Gizmodo) has announced that the long-rumored Geo-Location based services in Mobile Safari are indeed included in iPhone 3.0 and being put to use in "My Location" searches by Google.com on the iPhone.

As of today, when you visit www.google.com from Safari on your iPhone 3.0, you can choose to turn on My Location by tapping on the link on the homepage. When you tap on the "update" link, your location will be updated and displayed right there on the homepage. Whenever you want to refresh your location, just tap the "update" link. Testing this in New York, my search for "jazz clubs" returned a handful of places within walking distance. I picked one, tapped the phone number, made a reservation, and we were set for the night.

As to privacy concerns, Google stresses the service is opt-in and can be turned off via the Preferences link at the bottom of the page. Also, it currently only works in English in the US and UK, though other languages and regions are said to be coming soon.

Good news for those looking for a local burger joint, bad news for those hoping Latitude wouldn't be stuck in the browser...

As part of their ongoing Office 2010 ramp up, Fortune reports:

Microsoft – the king of paid software – will announce today that it is going to give a version of Office away for free online. Both the online and desktop versions are scheduled to arrive in the first half of next year. Yes, you read that right. The latest version of its ubiquitous productivity software, dubbed Office 2010, will come as both a piece of software you can buy for your computer, and as a service you can access in your browser. [UPDATE: Microsoft says it will support the Firefox and Safari browsers as well as IE.]

Which immediately makes us ask -- how about Mobile Safari?

While native Office-supporting apps are obviously the way to go for many people, Google Docs has proven a place and usage case for WebApps, and having Microsoft Office 2010, of all things, as a WebApp on the iPhone would no doubt appeal to many, many users as well.

(Not to mention WebKit, the engine behind Mobile Safari, is also used by Android, Palm, and some Nokia devices, which would certainly be additional eyeballs for Microsoft's ad sponsorships.)

Our sibling site, Android Central, brings word we'd almost given up faith at ever being brought'ned. Google apps, including the Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Talk we love so much on the iPhone (and iPod touch), are out of beta and high on life! Google's own blog explains-ish:

We've come to appreciate that the beta tag just doesn't fit for large enterprises that aren't keen to run their business on software that sounds like it's still in the trial phase. So we've focused our efforts on reaching our high bar for taking products out of beta, and all the applications in the Apps suite have now met that mark.

Makes the kind of sense that doesn't, but whatever. Opaque, non-standard definitions of beta aside, it's still good news. What's next, announce a second operating system or something?

Anything but Push Gmail, right?

TUAW brings word that Wolfram|Alpha, the revolutionary computational engine from the creator of Mathmatica, now has an iPhone (and iPod touch) optimized version available via http://www.wolframalpha.com/iphone.

Confession: aside from typing in "are you Skynet" and "do my taxes" I'm not quite sure how to use this new beastie, but if you're smart enough to query up an answer to "what's the second coolest smartphone, BlackBerry or Palm Pre?", let us know your results!

Once upon a time, Google had an iPhone optimized version iGoogle. Then Christina Warren from Download Squad caught them in the act of taking it away. Now, our sibling-site Android Central tells us it's returned. Confusing saga, good update:

Today, we're excited to roll out an improved beta version of iGoogle for the iPhone and Android-powered devices. This new version is faster and easier to use. It supports tabs as well as more of your favorite gadgets, including those built by third-party developers. Note that not all gadgets — like those with Flash — will work in mobile browsers.

Are you an iGoogle user? If not, is this enough to interest you? Either way, if you check it out, let us know what you think!

If there is one truth in the inter-verse, it's this: Give Google time, and their WebApps will blow. your. mind. Some are brilliant, like Google Maps or Gmail. Some are tragic, like contacts, but all of them push the browserspace further and faster each and every time.

Their latest is Google Wave, revealed at I/O last week and built by the same brothers that kicked off the AJAX explosion with Google Maps. It asks the simple yet profound question: what if internet communication hadn't been architected 40 years ago with email, but was imagined today?

Highly configurable, fabulously interactive, and -- of course -- entirely web-server centric, Google Wave lets users connect and work with other users via any browser and many devices. And you know the iPhone was front and center (alongside Android).

YouTube seems to be suffering lately (I blame Dieter's Palm Pre videos for clogging the hubs!), and at an hour and twenty minutes long, the video above is time consuming to say the least, but if you watch even the beginning of it, win, lose, or draw, the glimpse it gives into the future of WebApps and especially mobile WebApps is fascinating.

Techcrunch reports that during Google's I/O developers conference they showed off the iPhone version of Latitude -- which lets users stalk keep track of their friends via GPS and other location-based services -- but not as part of some revamped Map or Google Mobile application as many suspected:

Google has been waiting for the [iPhone] 3.0 software is because it’s not actually creating a native iPhone app for Latitude — as all other location-based services on the iPhone are — instead it’s using the Safari web browser to run Latitude. Thanks to HTML 5, Safari will be able to access a user’s location information and Latitude will be able to access that as well (provided the user gives permission). This will put it on par with what Google is doing in its browser for Android.

Now, Google has made arguably the best and most impressive catalog of WebApps seen on the iPhone to date, but why go that route with Latitude? And waiting for iPhone 3.0 to be released this summer, which also sounds strange given MobileSafari in 3.0 doesn't look to answer any of the persistent-connection problems Latitude faces on the iPhone platform (i.e. lack of background multi-tasking).

So, call us interested but not impressed... yet.

(Thanks antonioj for the tip!)

Back in March, Apple's App Store was blessed with the free Amazon Kindle iPhone application. One of the biggest gripes that we had with it was the inability to purchase new books right from the app itself. While we still did not get that ability, Amazon has done the next best thing: last night they flipped the switch on an iPhone optimized Kindle store.

This freshly optimized store is nice to have but what, if anything, will change when iPhone OS 3.0 is released? If you remember, 3.0 has the ability to make in-app purchases. Will Amazon finally allow in-app purchases and give Apple a 30% cut off the top, or will Amazon stick with the current arrangement to avoid paying Apple for every book that is sold?

So what do you, our readers, think about this one? Either way, it should be interesting!

Google's blog has announced that Google Product Search now joins the growing list of Google web sites and WebApps optimized for the iPhone and it's Mobile WebKit cousins:

I'm happy to announce that as of today, when you type a product query on Google.com in your iPhone or Android browser, you'll get Google Product Search results nicely formatted for your phone. You can see online ratings, reviews, prices, and product details if you're out and about, or just do some mobile web surfing from your couch. Whether you're trying to decide between two digital cameras while you're in a store or checking out prices for a new product that you've just seen on TV, we hope Google Product Search for mobile helps you to make better-informed shopping choices.

[via Android Central]

We've covered the Gym Technik WebApp before, but now they're back and fitter than ever. Our sibling site, CrackBerry.com has the long list of upgrades, or you can check out gymtechnik.com to sign up.

Now excuse us while we go do 100 sets of 3 min. burpee rounds. Yeah, that's how we roll... In our dreams...

Daring Fireball has been looking into Google's new Gmail WebApp for the iPhone and the technologies behind it. We already know the iPhone packs a version of Apple's Safari Web Browser which is, in some ways, even more advanced than desktop Safari on the Mac. SQLite database caching, for example, for example users continue to archive or star messages even when there's no internet connection. What's more interesting to him, us -- and likely users -- is how that technology improves functionality.

Says Gruber:

I use the native iPhone Mail app to read email on my iPhone, but I’m tempted to start using the Gmail web app for one reason: I waste a lot of time switching back and forth between Mail and Safari after tapping a URL in an email. When using the Gmail web app, tapped links simply open in a new Safari tab. The iPhone Mail app needs a built-in web view, like what most popular iPhone Twitter clients offer.

Google's Alex Nicolaou has blogged about the process.

We once wondered what the future of WebApps would be in a post-native apps world. Looks like Google expects -- and is out to prove -- things still look very bright.

Anyone else considering ditching the built-in mobile Mail app for some web-based Gmail?